t was quite a year in Centre County. As the county adjusted to its “new normal” coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, things started to flourish. It’s once again time to look back at the past year with our annual Year in Review feature.
Here, in no particular order, are the Centre County Gazette’s staff selections for the top 10 stories of the year.
JUDGE RUEST RETIRES
Centre County’s top judge hung up her robe after a historic 15 years on the bench. Her retirement will become official on Jan. 1, 2023, when she steps down.
Ruest became the Centre County Court of Common Pleas’ first female judge when she was elected in 2007.
After winning retention in 2017, she became the county’s first female president judge. She succeeded Judge Thomas Kistler in that role.
RED RAIDERS RETURN
What a long and winding road it was.
In 2020, the Bellefonte School Board voted to do away with the nickname Red Raiders and Native American images in the district. However, in 2022, the name Red Raiders was restored by the board and it was agreed that the Native American imagery would be phased out as items wore out or needed replaced.
The board listened to the public, who had rallied to save the nickname Red Raiders. In January, it was restored. By restoring the nickname, the board likely saved the district and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
COVID-19
Although COVID-19 is still lingering, all restrictions ended in 2022. There were no longer limitations as things got back to normal.
The deadly virus is still here, but vaccines and masking helped to stop the spread and reduce hospitalizations.
In Centre County, transmission numbers were low by the end of the year and fewer and fewer deaths were reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The DOH still recommends vaccines and boosters to keep COVID-19 under control.
CHICK-FIL-A REOPENS
After being closed for four months for renovations, the Chick-Fil-A in State College returned with a new look and two drive-thru lanes. The restaurant re-opened its doors in October and was packed to capacity once again.
The second drive-thru lane helped alleviate some of the traffic congestion that caused numerous problems along North Atherton Street.
The store was closed on June 16 and fast foodies showed up in droves to get their chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries and milkshakes.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE MOVES
The People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts retuned in 2022 — but it had a new home in Centre County.
It moved from its popular location at the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds to the Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall. But just because the festival moved, doesn’t mean it changed. The set up was essentially the same and there were plenty of arts, crafts, food, drink and music.
According to director John Madison, the festival was not looking to move.
“We weren’t planning on moving from where we were, but the government had other ideas,” Madison said.
The response to the new location was good and People’s Choice will be back at the Grange Fairgrounds in 2023.
CASINO CONUNDRUM
State College is getting closer and closer to getting a casino. In December, a hearing was held to decide the fate of the proposed casino, which would take over a vacant spot at the Nittany Mall, which was previously held by Macy’s department store.
There is some controversy surrounding the casino as two major rivals in the Pennsylvania gaming industry have clashed over the proposed casino. Cordish Gaming has challenged investor Ira M. Lubert, who came up with the idea and the funding for the Nittany Mall casino.
During the hearing, Cordish’s subsidiary, Stadium Casino RE said that Lubert’s application violates state law because other undisclosed investors were behind the bid. Lubert’s attorney denies it.
Stay tuned in 2023.
AMISH TRAGEDY
An early fall day turned tragic for three members of an Amish family in September. Three family members — 47-yearold Andrew Beiler and his 19-year-old and 14-year-old sons — died after being trapped in a silo at an Amish farm, located at 2926 Lower Brush Valley Road.
Each died as a result of asphyxiation due to gases in the silo.
They were pronounced dead at the scene and their deaths were ruled accidental.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene at about 7 a.m. on Sept. 21. Centre Hall, Miles Township, Alpha, Logan and Undine fire companies, Penns Valley and Centre LifeLink EMS and state police at Rockview assisted at the scene.
It was the second tragedy for the family in 2022. In March, a 16-year-old boy died at the farm after getting trapped under a manure spreader.
CVIM EXPANSION
Following a long search, Centre Volunteers in Medicine found its new home in State College. In 2022, CVIM purchased a building, located at 2026 Sandy Drive in Ferguson Township.
The new location will help CVIM on its mission to provide no-cost dental and medical care.
CVIM simply outgrew its Green Tech Drive location as common spaces were becoming overcrowded. The space limitations also prevented CVIM from teaching health classes, conducting group training and growing its wellness program.
More than 11,000 Centre County residents without medical care and 30,000 without dental care have been assisted by CVIM.
NEW BUSINESSES
A plethora of new businesses opened in 2022. In December, Giant opened its newest grocery store along the Benner Pike in Bellefonte.
The large state-of-the-art store features a wide variety of prepared foods, wine and beer as well as gas pumps. The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 16 drew a host of dignitaries.
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Several new restaurants opened their doors as well. Inside Axemann Brewery, the Smokey Axe started serving food to the beer-drinkin’ crowd. The Red Horse Tavern in Pleasant Gap re-opened with a new chef and new menu.
The Blonde Bistro opened her doors at the former Michael’s Tavern location along Zion Road in Bellefonte. The Dead Canary Brewery opened in Philipsburg and Fez Records set up shop near Titan Market in Bellefonte.
BELLEFONTE WALL COLLAPSE
A partial wall collapse in downtown Bellefonte closed a section of Water Street for almost a month.
On Nov. 12, a portion of the wall below the road along Spring Creek collapsed. As a result of the collapse, northbound traffic was detoured onto Stoney Batter and state Route 144/South Spring Street.
However, PennDOT was able to make some temporary repairs to the wall, allowing for it to re-open in early December.
The detour snarled traffic in the borough for several weeks, especially during early morning and late afternoon rush hours.
