The risks of streaking

From Tuesday's Centre Daily Times:

Mifflin Streaker sues PSU, alleges police assault

WILLIAMSPORT — A Penn State student who participated in the 2008 “Mifflin Streak” claims he suffered serious injuries when “blind-sided” by a university police officer and then assaulted.

Christopher Ferry, of West Chester, is seeking more than $150,000 in compensatory and punitive damages in a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. Middle District Court.

He claims he was one of approximately 1,000 people who participated, on May 5, 2008, in what has become an annual event, and that he was assaulted for no reason as he entered the Pollock quad.

The Mifflin Streak, held the Sunday before spring finals, involves up to several dozen students who take part by running nude or in various states of undress, and hundreds more who turn out to watch. Ferry was nude, according to the court complaint.

The suit contends the university, by allowing it, condones the event.

Ferry alleges Officer David E. Bjorkman, who was wearing dark clothing, jumped out of a concealed location and knocked him to the ground. Ferry claims he staggered to his feet in a startled and dazed state in severe pain when he was viciously tackled a second time. . . .

You can read the full CDT story here.

More on the crow menace

In an earlier post I described the massive crow problem we have here at Penn State.  This was an e-mail sent to the College of Education listserv today:

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) crow relocation program will begin tonight  (7 Dec 09) at 5:30 p.m. and continue until 9:00 p.m.  The campus community can expect to hear loud noises in the early evening as university employees launch anti-crow pyrotechnic noisemakers called "bangers" and "screamers".  These activities will continue Monday through Friday night until the crows move to less problematic locations.  Pyrotechnic operations may continue for several weeks until this objective is met.
 
This year’s preferred roosting location is a stand of trees east of the Visitor’s Center.  Small groups of highly trained OPP employees will be conducting the relocation operation and will be wearing distinctive green safety vests.
 
Once the crows have vacated a location, crow effigies will be hung to dissuade the crows from returning.  Light towers will be erected in the targeted relocation woods east of the Visitor’s Center to make the area more appealing to crows.  
 
No crows will be harmed in this operation.  The public can expect some disturbance from the noisemaking activities and possible crow infestation if the crows attempt to re-roost in populated areas.   Crows are currently roosting in areas around Ag. Science and Industries, Ag. Administration, East Halls, and Nittany Apartments.  Occupants and residents of these buildings may experience the loudest noise as the harassment effort gets underway.  
 
In addition, The College of Agricultural Sciences is employing propane cannons at two locations, the Dairy Barns and the Organic Materials Processing and Education Center (OMPEC).  These cannons produce a loud bang to scare crows away from those locations.  The cannons may be used for most of the day, seven days a week throughout the rest of the fall and winter.  
 
Last year about 3,000 migrating crows landed on our campus causing unsanitary and unpleasant conditions.  Our goal is to discourage this mass roosting and the accompanying sanitary problems.  Physical Plant is partnering with Penn State researchers and the USDA Wildlife Services to relocate the migrating crows.  Penn State will also work closely with the Borough to jointly find solutions to this continuing problem.  For further information please contact Paul Ruskin, Physical Plant Communications Coordinator at 863-9620 or at pdr2@psu.edu.

My favorite part is the part about the "crow effigies."

Just one more tragic hunting story

 

From this morning's Centre Daily Times:

 

Friday, Dec. 04, 2009

Man admits to shooting woman, 55, in accident

Sara Ganim

A Boalsburg man has admitted to mistakenly shooting a woman while hunting for turkey in May.  Donald D. Lansberry pleaded guilty to both charges brought against him after the hunting accident and is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

The state Game Commission said Lansberry mistook 55-year-old Elizabeth Strickler for a turkey when he failed to identify his target before shooting his rifle and didn’t help the woman after hearing her screams.

In June, the Game Commission charged Lansberry, 53, with two misdemeanors, saying he violated a basic rule of hunting by not identifying his target, and didn’t immediately render aid after the accident.

It happened around 6:45 a.m. May 13 on wooded land owned by Biddle Farm that borders the Tussey Mountain Ski Area in Harris Township.  Lansberry told police he saw something blue moving through the brush “like a turkey would,” and fired his shot. Lansberry said he heard screaming, but “didn’t know” why he didn’t go to help, court papers say.

The subhead in the print edition of the paper made it an even better story: "Hunter mistook victim for turkey, didn't render aid."

Let's all give thanks and pray for dead deer

No school today in State College, and the municipal offices are closed. Why, you ask? First day of deer season. And what better way to prepare than a special prayer service for hunters. From today's Centre Daily Times:

LIVONIA — The night before the hunt, the men gather inside the small, two-door chapel to tell jokes, pray and sing.

The Penns Valley Men's Chorus at the "Hunters' Service" at the Grace Reformed Chapel in Livonia on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009.

“These next several selections sort of reflect on that feeling of hunting camp being almost like paradise,” choir director Daniel Warntz told the audience of about 45 people gathered in the Grace Reformed Chapel.

Then the 18 members of the Penns Valley Men’s Chorus — many dressed in camouflage gear or orange jackets — sang “Walk to Jerusalem.”

The swallows return to San Juan Capistrano (State College version)

For the last three years, Penn State has struggled with a massive crow problem, which I've documented in the past here and here. Well, turns out the problem is still around, even as the greatest minds of the university have struggled with how to defeat the nasty varmints.  Last year's efforts included the use of fireworks known as "bird bangers" (I kid you not). The lead story in today's Centre Daily Times details the new efforts underway.

Stay tuned and I'll be sure to give an update on the plan's success.

Does your high school homecoming parade have these?

A dairy princess

and a Future Farmers of America float

But at least the high school has a GSA

Not exactly unique to State College, but. . . . .snow in mid-October?

Today's Centre Daily Times website:

It's official: Record set for earliest snowfall; PV cancels parade, Paternoville closes

It’s official. According to the National Weather Service in State College, the earliest local snowfall in recorded history has a new mark -- Oct. 15, 2009.

“We talked to the official weather station on the Penn State campus ... and they reported three-tenths of an inch already,” said Aaron Tyburski, a meteorologist with the weather service. “To get this kind of snow, during daytime hours, this early in the year is historic -- I don’t know any other word for it.”

Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/1569125.html

It's not quite Cooperstown. . . .

From the Centre Daily Times, 10/14/09:

Farmer inducted into hall of fame

Ed Mahon

- emahon@centredaily.com

Jesse M. Darlington grew up on a Delaware County dairy farm that was land granted to his family in 1683 by William Penn. “My parents were in the farming business, as were their parents. It just carried on,” said Darlington, a 1955 Penn State graduate. A former general manager of Dunlap Motors Ford dealership, Darlington now lives on 215 acres of farmland and woodland south of Centre Hall with his wife of 46 years, Bonnie Dunlap Darlington.

Earlier this month, Darlington was named the 41st Pennsylvania Livestock
Association Hall of Fame inductee. He received the honor during the opening ceremony of the Keystone International Livestock Exposition, held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.

Complete story

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Does your state have a Livestock Association Hall of Fame?

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A classic from the archives

Every now and then I'll bring back some of my favorite "Only in State College" entries from the archive.  Here's one:

From the Centre Daily Times, 03/02/09:
"STATE PATTY'S DAY: Celebration stirs up mischief"
"STATE COLLEGE — State Patty’s Day, an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration started by Penn State students, took place on Saturday. Police said they began to see an uptick in reports, most of them alcohol related, on Friday evening.
[list of the incidences from the police blotter]
. . . .
Police say a man was urinating on the door of Tony’s Big Easy, 129 1/2 S. Pugh St., at 6:50 p.m. Saturday. He was pushed by another man, and injured his nose."

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He should consider himself extremely fortunate it was only his nose that was injured.

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Watch out for crashing silos

From the Centre Daily Times, 10/8/09:

Silo collapses into barn

Sara Ganim

HARRIS TOWNSHIP — Eight hundred tons of silage collapsed on a centuries-old barn Wednesday morning, killing about 15 animals and devastating the Wasson family, whose members have worked in that barn for five generations.

Complete story

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How many of you city folk get to see collapsed silos like this?

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Welcome to. . . . . . .Only in State College

Welcome to my new blog, which chronicles some of the weird, bizarre, or just plain humorous occurrences in our area.  If you're not familiar with State College, it's a relatively small, geographically isolated university town (Penn State University) located smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania.  The news tends to be dominated by the university (mostly sports), agriculture, rural life, and weather.

I had been chronicling these news items on my website at work - you can access the earlier postings here.  All new items will be posted here.

Enjoy!