John Hook

  • Hook: The Car Line Kings

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    John Hook

    Back in early 1999 my wife and I moved from Orlando, Fla., to Bucks County, Pa., in part so that our then 4-year-old daughter could attend school in what we, and many others, considered to be a good school district.  We had gone so far in selling this pretense to our daughter – “You’re going…

  • packages on a shipping truck

    Hook: Delivering the Goods

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    John Hook

    “Things always work great. Right up until they don’t.” An acquaintance of mine is fond of saying that whenever there was a plan for something, but that plan, despite lots of planning, doesn’t go as planned. (A little semantic satiation for you Ted Lasso fans!) That saying is a cautionary tale that you should always…

  • Hook: The NCAA Doesn’t Need the Government to Fix Its Problems

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    John Hook

    “I’m with the government and I’m here to help.” I began more than a few marketing presentations with that sentence early in my career. Because everyone immediately understood the humor, sarcasm and irony in that statement.  In addition, the humor eased the tension of what the potential customer and I both knew: They had a…

  • Hook: Glorious Gossip

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    John Hook

    Don’t make the mistake of thinking gossip trivial or unimportant. Do not dwell on the details. You wish to convey an air of knowingness, not a proof of knowledge, and by attempting too elaborate a narrative, you run the risk of getting it wrong.  Somebody else in the room might have better information, and you…

  • Hook: SCASD Should Rein in Tax Increases, Get Voter Buy-In

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    John Hook

    According to their budget for 2025-2026, the State College Area School District expects to receive $204 million from local and state sources to educate approximately 7,600 students. That equates to a bit over $26,800 per student. Except, the district won’t educate 7,600 students with that money. In that number are around 350 charter school students,…

  • Hook: After Southern Dominance, Why Northern Schools Are on Top of College Football

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    John Hook

    For the majority of the 21st century, the south has ruled major college football.  With the exception of Ohio State in ‘02 and ‘14, up until 2023, the northernmost school to win a national championship this century was Oklahoma in 2000. As a geographical comparison for those of us in the east, Norman, Oklahoma –…

  • Hook: Portal Pondering

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    John Hook

    Let’s talk about the transfer portal. Because it certainly seems like the primary topic of conversation around Happy Valley these days, doesn’t it? Which football players are leaving the Penn State team and which players are joining the Penn State team. As a “mini-expert” in the transfer portal – our son used it twice during…

  • Hook: Remember the Jacob Ghaners of Your World

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    John Hook

    We’ve lived in Ferguson Township on the west side of Happy Valley for over a decade, which means that I’ve driven West College Avenue to get home many times over the years. It also means that I’m very excited about the construction of the new Rutter’s at the corner of Blue Course Drive and West…

  • Hook: Our Tree Removal Conundrum

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    John Hook

    We recently had a conundrum in our house that involved rational, emotional and even some moral thinking. We spent weeks debating and assessing the topic before we finally arrived at a decision. A decision which ensured, like all good compromises, that everyone was not happy with the result.  We cut down a tree in our…

  • Hook: Take It From Me, Pay Attention to the Little Things When It Comes to Your Body

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    John Hook

    Words of wisdom: As far as your body goes, take the little things seriously. Why? I’ll tell you a story. But first I’m going to break every normal column-writing convention and tell you how the story ends before I even begin. Here goes… I had tonsil cancer and now it’s gone.  Granted, I will have…