Right now, the world feels unsettled. Wars abroad. Political division at home. Misinformation spreading faster than facts. In moments like these, I turn to one place I’ve trusted for decades: WPSU.
For years, WPSU has been part of my daily life — in my car, in my home, in my family’s conversations. It has guided us through national crises, election nights, public health emergencies and local challenges with calm, fact-based reporting. It has educated our children and connected rural communities that too often go unheard. It has also entertained us with dramas, comedies and musical programs.
That’s why Penn State’s decision to withdraw funding felt so alarming. Losing WPSU would mean losing one of the last independent, locally focused news sources serving central and northern Pennsylvania.
Thanks to more than 20,000 supporters, a path forward emerged: transfer the WPSU broadcast license to WHYY while preserving WPSU’s regional identity and mission. That transition is underway and moving toward FCC approval.
But paperwork does not sustain journalism. People like us do.
In a time when so much feels unstable, we cannot afford to lose such a trusted resource. WPSU will remain locally branded and locally governed. What it needs now is secure community support.
If WPSU has been a steady presence in your life, please stand with it now. Start or renew your membership today. Every contribution designated for WPSU stays with WPSU: https://wpsu.org/donate/pledge/.
Connie Schulz,
State College
Casino Success Is Never a Sure Thing
As State College prepares for the grand opening of the Happy Valley Casino in the spring, the “opportunity” for table game dealer jobs is being heavily marketed to our community. Oh, and Spring continues until mid-June.
On completion of the casino’s 12-week paid Dealer School program, graduates will then finally be able to apply for their required PA Gaming Employee Permit and be able to start their casino careers as soon that process, measured in weeks, is completed. Pro tip: Don’t give up your day job too quickly if you already have one.
But for the many residents of Pennsylvania already living paycheck-to-paycheck this venture isn’t a lifeline, it’s a gamble with a high house advantage.
The casino’s announced hours, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., are a structural disaster for potential employees. In the gaming industry, the base wage is merely a floor; the real income is built on tips. However, morning and afternoon shifts in brand new casinos are notoriously stagnant. Dealers will likely spend hours standing at empty tables, earning only a meager base wage that fails to meet the rising cost of living. In the casino business, no players means no tips.
Furthermore, the 2 a.m. cutoff eliminates the presence of late-night high-rollers who typically provide the most generous gratuities, leaving workers with the physical strain of the job but none of the thinly veiled unlimited financial upside.
Even more telling is the seeming lack of confidence from the developers themselves. Penn State-mega donor and casino developer Ira Lubert has already sold a 60% majority interest in his Happy Valley Casino to Saratoga Casino Holdings of New York. When a lead developer offloads the lion’s share of a project before the first card is even dealt, it appears to signal a profound doubt in the long-term success of a casino in our college town. It suggests those with the most inside information already looked and found an escape plan.
This lack of transparency extends to our local institutions. Despite the clear risks of gambling addiction in a college town, Penn State University notably refused to oppose the approval of the casino’s license. It is difficult to ignore that one of Lubert’s partners, Richard S. Sokolov, serves as the current vice chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees. This entanglement suggests that the university’s silence may have been guided by boardroom alliances rather than the welfare of the student body or the community. The unspoken pledge of allegiance has remained unbroken since Ira Lubert’s winning bid of $10,000,101.
Dan Materna,
Howard
Thompson Doesn’t Deliver
When announcing his reelection campaign, U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) said he takes his “responsibility to be your voice and your vote with a commitment to service, leadership, and problem-solving.” That sounds good. But his record tells a different story.
As chair of the House Agriculture Committee, Thompson should be leading at a time of real strain in farm country. Instead, he has remained silent after receiving a letter from a bipartisan coalition of 27 agricultural leaders warning that current economic conditions and Trump administration policies could trigger “a widespread collapse of American agriculture.” The coalition urged Congress to act.
Thompson has offered no concrete plan in response. No public proposal. No clear solutions.
On health care, his lack of concern for Pennsylvanians continues. Thompson voted for spending legislation that reduces Medicaid funding, putting coverage at risk for roughly 15,000 people in our district and increasing financial pressure on rural hospitals.
He opposed extending subsidies for people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (known as Pennie here). As a result, Pennsylvanians saw huge premium increases, and 85,000 dropped coverage.
That number will only increase as more struggling families forego health coverage in order to pay for rising rent, food and utilities.
Leadership requires more than campaign slogans. It requires positive action. On agriculture, on health care and on the economic pressures facing working families, Rep. Thompson hasn’t delivered.
We’ve had enough empty words and harmful actions. Thompson doesn’t deserve another term. We deserve better.
Ed Satalia,
State College
Why I Support WPSU
Listening to NPR’s “Morning Edition” today, as I do most days, I was reminded how much I rely on WPSU and how close we came to losing it.
When Penn State announced it would no longer support WPSU, I was worried. So were many of you. More than 20,000 people signed a petition to protect this essential community service and helped keep WPSU alive. The broadcast license of WPSU is in the process of being transferred to WHYY, allowing WPSU to retain its local identity and programming.
I grew up watching Channel 13 in New York, and had passing acquaintance with public television and radio in California, but I became a public media devotee when I lived in Chicago. News programs became my companions on my 45-minute commute. I became addicted to “Car Talk” (as did my aunt who didn’t even drive), and Michael Feldman’s “Whad’Ya Know?.”
Every time I moved and traveled, I sought out the local public media stations. I relied on them for news, local information and educational and entertainment programming.
When I arrived in State College, I turned to WPSU for all those things and to learn about my new home. It quickly became a trusted resource for national and local information—and remains so to this day.
But I know I can’t take WPSU for granted. Its future depends on financial support from me – and you. Please join me in donating to ensure WPSU’s important role in our community.
Sheri Berenbaum,
State College
