Nothing says "romantic" like a bronze JoePa

From today's Centre Daily Times:

How to identify a flasher

 From today's Centre Daily Times:

PSU campus flasher adds to spree

Sara Ganim

December 18, 2010 8:30am EST

UNIVERSITY PARK — Police have knocked on doors, increased security, and put up fliers. 

Residence assistants and coordinators are talking to students, but nothing seems to be convincing them to take seriously a growing number of indecent exposures, police said. 

And the masked man victimizing mostly Asian women on campus is continuing to get away with the crime without police being able to get any description of his face. 

A new high school sport - full contact chess?

Just when you thought the chess team was just for skinny, asthmatic, little nerds.

Trying to figure out how to get rid of that pesky farm smell?

Penn State, as a large and complex university, has a variety of centers, institutes, and laboratories dedicated to many different forms of research.  But who would have known that we have one dedicated to assessing smells?  Yes, our College of Agriculture has its own Odor Assessment Laboratory whose mission is "To study air emissions for the development of improved agricultural management strategies."  In other words, help figure out ways to alleviate that pesky manure smell we all hate about living in a rural area like State College.

Here's a video about the lab's work.

Just in time for Thanksgiving - pyrotechnic bangers and screamers

I once dated a woman who was a pyrotechnic banger and screamer.  Sorry, no names.

From: College of Education List [mailto:L-EDUC@LISTS.PSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Gerald K. Henry Jr
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 4:38 PM
To: L-EDUC@LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: FW: Crow Relocation - Fall/Winter 2010

Subject: Crow Relocation - Fall/Winter 2010
CROW RELOCATION  – FALL/WINTER 2010

University Park - The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) crow relocation program will begin as early as Monday, November 29 and will last throughout the late fall and winter as necessary.   Pyrotechnic bangers and screamers will be employed as in past years. These noise-making activities will occur early in the evening shortly after dusk and could continue for a couple of hours each night.  Specific dates and locations will be determined based on roosting patterns and will occur only if needed.  All relocation activities will be conducted by highly-trained and experienced Physical Plant employees.

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 sanitation problems.  

Physical Plant is again 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.   This year OPP will not make announcements each time harassment activities are scheduled to take place, but will provide occasional updates as needed.

OPP crews are already monitoring crow concentrations as they return to campus. The public can report bothersome crow activity or clusters by contacting Paul Ruskin at pdr2@psu.edu or by calling 863-9620.

The intersection of porn, church, and lotteries

Okay -- this one is nowhere near State College.  But it is from Detroit, not far from Ann Arbor, where we used to live.  And the story was in today's Centre Daily Times. . . .

Ticket bought at Michigan porn shop worth $129M

By TIM MARTIN

- Associated Press

November 12, 2010 9:41pm EST

LANSING, Mich. — A group of friends and family is obscenely rich after winning a nearly $129 million jackpot with a lottery ticket bought at a Detroit-area porn shop. And some of the money will be devoted to sacred purposes.

Mike Greer, a member of the group, came forward Friday to claim the Powerball winnings on behalf of the others, who chose to remain anonymous. Greer - who said only that the group has more than two members and fewer than 100 - indicated some of the riches will be going to a church. 

"The only thing I can assume is that the Lord trusted us to do certain things with the money that He bestowed upon us," he said. "That's the only thing that I can gather."

Um, yeah.  And did the lord pick the winning numbers himself?

The world's largest urinal

From today's Centre Daily Times -- another great moment in post-game celebration, but not from a student this time.

CATA reports man urinated on bus

From CDT staff reports

November 8, 2010 8:25am EST

A Centre Area Transportation Authority employee reported an intoxicated man urinated while on board a bus near Beaver Stadium at 11:58 p.m. Saturday.

The man was identified as a Penn State employee and was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center by Penn State EMS.

A spliff for the band

From today's Centre Daily Times. 

High school football players fight after game
A fight broke out between several players on the State College Area High School and Central Dauphin East High School football teams as the teams walked off the field after the game Friday night. No one was injured or charged in connection with the incident. 

Separately, a member of Central Dauphin’s band was found by police to be in possession of 11 grams of marijuana. He was charged with drug possession.

Makes those cold November night games go a little quicker if you can light up between reps of the school's fight song.

It's been a tough year for the Nittany Lion mascot

From today's Daily Collegian:

Nittany Lion mascot permanently dismissed

By Kathleen Loughran
Collegian Staff Writer

Nittany Lion mascot Clint Gyory has been permanently released from his duties as mascot after he violated a team rule, Penn State Cheerleading Coach Curtis White said in a statement.

Gyory (junior-business management) could not be reached for comment by press time Monday, and the specifics of which team rule was violated were not released.

The Penn State Athletic Department previously suspended Gyory for one month as a result of a citation for public drunkenness and criminal mischief on Aug. 1.

Though Max Levi took the place of Gyory during the suspension, no information regarding the current mascot replacement could be released by press time Monday.

Levi (senior-mathematics and economics) declined comment.

Levi handed back the position of mascot to Gyory on Sept. 28, when the suspension ended.

Though Steven Herb — who co-authored the book “The Nittany Lion: An Illustrated Tale,” which chronicles the history of the mascot — said people have “stepped down” from the mascot position for “a variety of reasons,” he said he does not recall anyone ever being dismissed.

“In my recent memory and in my research, I don’t recall that that’s happened, so I guess that’s why I’m surprised,” said Herb, who is also the head of the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library at Penn State. “He was a terrific mascot while he was a mascot, and I’m sorry to see him go.”

During the spring semester of his freshman year, Gyory was named mascot, which made him the first freshman to serve as mascot in 15 years.

Before Gyory, James Sheep — who was also previously cited for alcohol-related problems — claimed the title as the Nittany Lion mascot

On November 2, 2008 then-mascot Sheep was found to be under the influence of alcohol while driving.

Sheep was later suspended and did not attend the 2008 Rose Bowl because of a violation of team rules.
 

Just another Saturday night at the nation's number one party school

And you thought the Oompa Loompa smackdown was the only excitement in State College last weekend?  Here's a sampler of other entries from the police blotter, all from today's Centre Daily Times:

Man cited after hitting police horse
A Virginia man struck a state police horse at 6:25 p.m. Saturday along Curtin Road near Beaver Stadium. Gary Nader, of Charlottesville, Va., was cited for disorderly conduct and released, police said.

PSU fan attacked for wearing Michigan colors
A Penn State fan dressed in a blue and yellow Halloween costume sustained a possible broken nose Saturday at 9:25 p.m. after he was assaulted by four unknown Penn State fans at Beaver Stadium, police said.  The men attacked, police said, because they thought the victim was a University of Michigan fan.

The victim was treated and released from Mount Nittany Medical Center, police said.

Women tossed from bar, cause scene

Police were called to the 100 block of South Garner Street around 10:20 p.m. Saturday after two women began causing a disturbance outside the Lion’s Den.  The women said bar staff kicked them out of the Lion’s Den because they were making out, police said.  While exiting the bar, the women began yelling for everyone waiting in line to not go inside, police said.

Man detained after running up bar tab
A man reported he was held against his will at the Mezzanine, 420 E. College Ave., at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.  It was later discovered the man owed $415 in unpaid bar tabs, police said.

Officers advised bar staff to take civil action against the man, police said.

Student punched during chat with Wolverine fans
A Penn State student reported being punched in the mouth around 2:25 a.m. Sunday after starting conversation with three or four unidentified men wearing Michigan shirts in the area between Redifer Commons and Beaver Hall on campus, police said.

The student was transported by ambulance to Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Fan injured during national anthem
About midnight Sunday, a visitor reported being struck twice in the mouth by a fan who was flailing his or her arms during the national anthem at Beaver Stadium, police said.

Penn State police were unable to find a suspect.

Pedestrian struck by tow truck in State College
A 19-year-old woman was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center to treat an injured arm she suffered after being hit by a tow truck as she crossed the street at 300 West Hamilton Avenue at 3:45 a.m. Saturday.

An Oompa Loompa smackdown, right here in State College

 
From today's Centre Daily Times (thank you, Margaret):

Man dressed as Oompa Loompa smacked vehicle, police said

October 31, 2010 6:43pm EDT

A man reported that his vehicle was smacked by an unknown male dressed as an Oompa Loompa in the 400 block of East Calder Way around 10 p.m. Saturday, police said.

A fictional character from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an Oompa Loompa is usually portrayed as a short, orange-skinned person.

The man, police said, remains at large.

Man vs. bear; bear wins

 

From to today's Centre Daily Times - just one more reason why you should go walk the mall instead of hunting.

Bear attacks hunter in tree

Man injured after falling 15 feet during encounter

Sara Ganim

October 20, 2010 7:13am EDT

SPRING MILLS — An archery hunter was attacked by a black bear Monday night as he sat perched in a tree stand in Gregg Township, a Game Commission official confirmed Tuesday.  The hunter, who wasn’t identified, was flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, but is expected to recover, said Rick Macklem, a Game Commission law enforcement supervisor.

The severity of his injuries weren’t known, but the head, neck, face and arm trauma was mostly the result of a 15-foot fall from his tree stand, which happened when he lost his balance during the struggle with the bear, Macklem said.

An officer was able to talk to the man Tuesday at the hospital and put to rest some rumors that were swirling around the Internet.  The hunter told the officer that it was around 6:30 p.m. that he noticed a mother bear and four cubs approach the tree where he was sitting, in a wooded area off of Upper Georges Valley Road.
One cub climbed the tree, and the hunter shooed it away.

“The cub turns around and got off of the tree.” Macklem said. “At some point the (mother) for whatever reason ... protective instincts come into play, she thought something was happening to one of her cubs. She went to the tree ... climbed the tree, bit him or swatted him. The hunter was able to situate himself, sort of away from the bear and was able to kick at the bear. By doing that, the bear went back down the tree.”
The hunter lost his balance and fell onto a rocky area. He threw rocks at the bears, frightening them away so he leave the area. He was able to call 911 and walk out of the woods, Macklem said.

“When he fell out of the tree, supposedly nothing happened,” Macklem said. “The bear did not bite him or swat at him on the ground.”

Reports that he fell on top of the bear, or was hanging from the tree by his foot, were not true, Macklem said.
Black bears are, by nature, shy creatures that tend to avoid people, and attacks by the bears are rare. There are no known records of a free-ranging Pennsylvania black bear killing a human, and there have been fewer than 25 reported injuries resulting from black bear encounters during the past 10 years in the state, according to information from the Game Commission. Pennsylvania’s bear population is estimated at 17,000.
Macklem said there was nothing to indicate this was an overly aggressive bear.

In the event of a bear attack, the Game Commission says the person being attacked should fight back while trying to leave the area. As apparently happened Monday night, bears have been driven away with rocks, sticks, binoculars, car keys, or even bare hands, according to information distributed by the Game Commission.

This week is the beginning of muzzleloader season, which overlaps with archery season for deer. The bear archery season in Pennsylvania is in mid-November and is followed by the traditional rifle season.

This one gives the Dairy Princess a run for her money

From today's Centre Daily Times.  There's now a beauty queen title for pretty much every young woman in Central Pennsylvania.

Bellefonte girl takes home title of Miss Flaming Foliage

Connie Cousins
October 19, 2010 2:50am EDT

 A very excited Chelsea Bowes, of Bellefonte, was crowned Miss Flaming Foliage at the 62nd annual Flaming Foliage Festival at the Bucktail Area High School in Renovo on Oct. 10.

 

The Bellefonte Area High School senior, who was crowned Miss Bellefonte in her junior year, has family roots in the Renovo area. Her greatgrandfather, Lester Geise, lived in Renovo until his death two years ago. And her great-grandmother until recently lived in South Renovo, where Chelsea’s grandfather, Jim Bowes, grew up. Jim Bowes brought Chelsea’s father, Ken Bowes, to the festival every year when he was a child, and Chelsea has also attended since she was a child.
“I always wanted to be there and be a princess like all those girls,” she said.

The 31 contestants had submitted applications listing their academic information, accomplishments and community service. In a two-hour interview, poise, character and personality were judged.

All the girls competing for Miss Flaming Foliage stayed with host families for the weekend and Bowes spoke enthusiastically about her host couple, Wendy and Vitto Janerella from North Bend. Bellefonte senior Brad Grieb accompanied Bowes on her walk through the pageant walkway to her crowning.

In my interview with Bowes, I asked her, “Was it all that you expected?”

“Oh it was even more thrilling!” she said, her eyes shining. She said she likes to think her greatgrandfather was watching her from heaven.

Bowes is a busy young woman who is a cheerleader for football, basketball and wrestling. She is a vice president of her class, vice president of Key Club, a member of National Honor Society, and sings in both school and church choirs. I met her at the Bellefonte Waffle Shop where she works.  Her twin sister, Ashley, a member of the state championship softball team, plans to attend Lock Haven University, and her older sister Amanda attends Penn State.

Bowes plans to study nursing at Lock Haven University in Clearfield. She dressed as a nurse for Halloween one year and that started her thinking; now she says she just wants to help people.

Lovely camo ware for your family

These from my friend Dana Mitra, who spotted this nice camo lingerie and kids' clothes at the Way Fruit Farm Fall Festival this weekend.

Another risk of gambling

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Man Reportedly Streaks After Losing Bet

A 19-year-old man was taken to the hospital and cited for underage drinking after State College police witnessed him running naked down West Highland Avenue at 3:22am Saturday.  A Breathalyzer test revealed a .24 blood-alcohol level.  The man said he had lost a bet on Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

The obvious question is, What would he have received if he had won the bet?

Safe acorns

Thanks to my friend Dana Mitra who pointed this one out to me, from today's Centre Daily Times.  Look carefully at the headline and then the lead.  Did the judge hand out condoms filled with acorns, or acorns filled with condoms?  And more importantly, why?

Police say judge passed out acorn-filled condoms

The Associated Press

September 29, 2010 12:42pm EDT

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Police say a district judge from Intercourse, Pa., hid condoms inside acorns and handed them out to women in the state Capitol complex last week.

A summary charge of disorderly conduct was filed Tuesday against Isaac H. Stoltzfus, who presides over low-level cases as a district judge in Lancaster County.  The citation from Capitol Police says the 58-year-old jurist gave the acorns to unsuspecting women, who were offended when they discovered the contents.

Stoltzfus' office referred questions to defense attorney Heidi Eakin, who didn't immediately return a phone message Wednesday.

---

Update 9/30:  The CDT must have realized its error in the headline, because the website was changed:

Dump and run

Kudos to the Centre Daily Times headline writer on this one.  As you can see, there are 33 comments -- you can only imagine what people had to say.  Here's a link to the story if you want to see for yourself.

Entry in the "Least Competent Criminals" contest

This happened a little outside of State College, but I loved the headline on this story in today's Centre Daily Times, the idea of robbing an "adult" store with a "toy" gun:

Pa. adult store clerk foils 2 'armed' with toy gun

- The Associated Press

September 24, 2010 5:57pm EDT

DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. — Police say two women who tried to rob a central Pennsylvania adult book store with a toy gun didn't fool a clerk, who told them to "get a real gun."

Authorities say 28-year-old Shannon Cheripka, of Glasgow, and 26-year-old Angela Crook, of Coalport, attempted to rob the Adult World store in Duncansville around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Cheripka told police the clerk said, "First, if you're going to rob someone, get a real gun. Second off, you're not getting any money."

Authorities say the clerk chased away the women before police in nearby Logan Township arrested them in a van the clerk had described.  The women remained in the Blair County Jail on Friday on robbery and other charges. It was unclear if they had lawyers.

Great moments in pooper scoopering

This post should probably be titled "Only in Cambridge."  But it was in our local paper here in State College, so it qualifies.

Dog poop has bright side: Powering Mass. park lamp

By JAY LINDSAY- Associated Press Writer

September 22, 2010 5:51am EDT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — It stinks and it's a hazard to walkers everywhere, but it turns out dog poop has a bright side.

Dog poop is lighting a lantern at a Cambridge dog park as part of a monthslong project that its creator, artist Matthew Mazzotta, hopes will get people thinking about not wasting waste.

The "Park Spark" poop converter is actually two steel, 500-gallon oil tanks painted a golden yellow, connected by diagonal black piping and attached to an old gaslight-style street lantern at the Pacific Street Park.

After the dogs do their business, signs on the tanks instruct owners to use biodegradable bags supplied on site to pick up the poop and deposit it into the left tank. People then turn a wheel to stir its insides, which contain waste and water. Microbes in the waste give off methane, an odorless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off. The park is small but has proven busy enough to ensure a steady supply of fuel.

AP Photo

In this Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 photo, Boston artist Matthew Mazzotta poses at a Cambridge, Mass., dog park next to a gas light powered by the "Park Spark" poop converter he devised, background left. Microbes in the droppings deposited into the Park Spark give off methane, an odorless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off.

Another classic from the archives

As I earlier promised, I will on occasion repost what I consider classic entries from my Only In State College blog that I used to maintain on my website at work, and thus are not accessible here on Blogger. Here's one from almost three years ago:

From the Centre Daily Times, 10/19/07:

"Man charged with DUI after self-incrimination

BELLEFONTE — A Howard man was bound over for trial Wednesday on DUI charges in a bizarre arrest in which state police said he incriminated himself at a traffic stop with his own portable breath test.
 
Michael Andrew McClenahan, 58, 231 Swamp Poodle Road, was stopped along state Route 150 in Boggs Township about 2:20 p.m. Sept. 15, according to a criminal complaint. He was spotted swerving by a state conservation officer, who called state police at Rockview.
 
When McClenahan got out of his car, he smelled strongly of alcohol and refused to take any field sobriety tests, police said. McClenahan then volunteered he was probably at a .12 percent blood alcohol content, above the .08 percent legal limit, police said.
 
When the trooper asked how McClenahan knew this, he pulled out his own portable breath tester, reset it, blew a .09 percent blood alcohol content and showed it to the trooper, according to court documents. He was arrested on a DUI charge."

Another candidate for the Stupid Move of the Year Hall of Fame

---

Watch out Detroit -- Happy Valley is now HockeyTown!

It's an historic day here at Only in State College.  For the first time, there's a crossover with my other blog, The Itinerant Professor.  All you puckheads in Detroit, Boston, or Pittsburgh have to watch out -- Happy Valley is about to become the center of the hockey universe.  Penn State announced yesterday the largest gift in the university's history, $88 million, for the building of a hockey arena and to move the university's men's and women's hockey teams from club status to Division 1.  Woo hoo!!!

So Penn State - long known for being a cow town, or the home of The Creamery, or most notably, a football school - is going to become known as HockeyTown.  Here's how the Centre Daily Times covered the story.

Family gives $88 million | Arena to seat at least 5,000 | NHL games possible

Gift brings hockey to PSU

Gordon Brunskill

September 18, 2010 8:10am EDT

UNIVERSITY PARK — Ice hockey is returning to Penn State. After more than a half-century of waiting, and the last four decades as a club sport, the university announced Friday it would be bringing back varsity men’s and women’s programs.

CDT/Christopher Weddle

Kim and Terry Pegula, center, receive hockey jerseys and sticks from Joe Battista, left, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and PSU president Graham Spanier after a news conference announced the university's plans to begin NCAA division I men and women's hockey at the Nittany Lion Inn on Friday, September 17,

The return comes thanks to the largest single private gift in the university’s history, $88 million from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula to fund a multi-purpose arena and establish men’s and women’s varsity programs on campus.

“It’s a new turning point for Penn State, made possible by an unprecedented act of philanthropy,” university President Graham Spanier said during a press conference at the Nittany Lion Inn. “... The Pegula’s unparalleled generosity will make it possible for Penn State to serve our region and our student athletes in exciting new ways.” 

The arena, which does not yet have a name and is expected to have 5,000-6,000 seats, will have two sheets of ice and will not only be home to Nittany Lion hockey, but also figure skating programs, public skating sessions, youth camps, high school games and recreation leagues. The university also hopes the arena will play host to NHL and AHL exhibition games.

Click to read the rest of the story.

Bad kitty

A shoutout goes to Charles, who pointed this out to me and coined the title.  From today's Centre Daily Times:

Nittany Lion mascot issued citation for public drunkenness

August 31, 2010 1:36pm EDT

The Nittany Lion mascot, Clint T. Gyory, was issued citations charging him with underage drinking, public drunkenness and criminal mischief for incidents that occurred early the morning of Aug. 1, the day after his 20th birthday.

The citations, filed by State College police on Aug. 20, say that at about 3 a.m. on Aug. 1 in the 200 block of East Fairmount Avenue, Gyory was under the influence of alcohol to the degree he endangered himself, others or property.

In particular, the citation says he broke a rearview mirror off of a vehicle and took it, and “was intoxicated to the point that he crawled into the bed of a pickup truck and passed out.”

According to the citations, a breathalyzer test measured his blood-alcohol content at .187.  If found guilty of the charges, Gyory would pay fines totaling more than $1,000.

More details will be provided as they become available.

Great moments in small town crime, redux

From yesterday's Centre Daily Times (thank you Christian Anderson and Kip Sorgen):

State College pedestrian hit by flying corncob

From CDT staff reports

July 19, 2010 5:01pm EDT

State College police cited a female driver with disorderly conduct after they said she threw a corncob at a pedestrian while driving near the intersection of Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street at 8:40 p.m. Saturday.
The airborne corncob struck the pedestrian in the head, police said. A third party reported the incident, police said.

Great moments in small town crime

From yesterday's Centre Daily Times:

Man accused of tossing horse droppings at State College officer

July 11, 2010 7:27pm EDT

A 21-year-old Manheim man was arrested after allegedly throwing horse feces at a State College police officer.   David R. Woodson, of Manheim, faces one misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and several summary offenses, including harassment and public drunkenness.

At about 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Woodson allegedly threw a paper cup and plate filled with horse feces through the window of a marked patrol car, striking an officer in the chest.  Police say they caught Woodson after a foot chase and that his back, buttocks and hands were covered in horse feces.

Police believe Woodson may have fallen into a pile of horse feces, before deciding to throw some at a police officer.  Police used mounted patrols Saturday, with officers riding on horseback.

Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2010/07/11/2087416/man-accused-of-tossing-horse-droppings.html#ixzz0tV0Mlwuj

Life imitating art?

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Amorous couple caught in festival tent

From CDT staff reports

July 12, 2010 8:15am EDT
State College police found two people making out inside in one of the exhibitor tents at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

The couple was caught in a tent on the 100 block of West Fairmount Avenue about five minutes after midnight on Sunday. The two were charged with criminal trespass and underage drinking, both summary offenses.

Performance art in State College

From today's Centre Daily Times 

Police: Masturbating man surprises woman in Waupelani Drive apartment

June 13, 2010 12:37am EDT

STATE COLLEGE — Police are searching for a man who hid his face with a surgical mask and broke into a woman’s Waupelani Drive apartment, naked from the waist down, masturbating while she sat at her kitchen table. 

 

The 5-foot 7-inch tall man apparently fled after the woman ran to a neighbor for help. Police, who arrived soon after, couldn’t find him.

He’s described as slender, white, and wearing a green surgical mask and a dark hat, with a dark-colored shirt pulled up to his chest at the time of the incident.

The woman wasn’t hurt during the incident, but police are treating it as a burglary and indecent assault investigation.

It happened around 10:10 p.m. Friday.  The woman told police she was sitting at her kitchen table when she felt someone touch her shoulder. When she turned around, the man was standing behind her, performing his act.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the State College police 234-7150 or Centre County Crimestoppers at 877- 992-7463. "Anonymous tips" can be submitted to the police website at statecollegepa.

Follow-up: Great moments in gender equity

Back in March I posted about the Beer Pong Tournament held at a local bar.  Well, turns out the bar was cited by the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission for gender discrimination:

G-man faces charges over beer pong event

From CDT staff reports

June 8, 2010 9:59pm EDTThe Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., State College, will face liquor law violations related to a beer pong tournament that took place March 23. 

According to the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the event was sponsored or co-sponsored by someone other than the Gingerbread Man licensee. The tournament also violated the Human Relations Act. According to the bureau, the event charged women $25 to play beer pong while men and co-ed teams were charged a $50 entry fee.

According to the bureau, the charges will be brought before an administrative law judge.

Hey, idiot: Look up the word "blackmail" in the dictionary, next time!

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Student accused of assaulting girlfriend

From CDT staff reports

A Penn State student from New Jersey who came to court Wednesday to face a simple assault charge was handcuffed and carted from court by police who said he had taken at least eight photos of himself assaulting his girlfriend to use as blackmail. 

_______________, 21, of Voorhees, N.J., told the woman "he took the photos and kept them in case she ever ratted him out on his pending marijuana charges," according to State College police.

The eight photos the woman stumbled upon, which police later recovered from the memory card of ___________'s camera, showed her asleep, naked, and being assaulted by _________, according to court papers.

When she found the photos, police said ________ threw her against a wall and continued to harass and threaten her and told her she'd be committing a federal offense by calling police.

___________ had been charged with simple assault and harassment for throwing the woman against a wall. But when he showed up in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, he was arrested on aggravated indecent assault and invasion of privacy charges.

He is also accused of selling marijuana.

How (not) to perform mouth-to-mouth on a possum

 [Thanks to my friend Diane Twomley for pointing this one out to me]

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Police: Drunk Pa. man tried to 'revive' opossum

- The Associated Press

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — State police have charged a central Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen giving mouth-to-mouth "resuscitation" to a long-dead opossum along a highway.

Trooper Jamie Levier says several witnesses saw 55-year-old Donald Wolfe, of Brookville, near the animal along Route 36 in Oliver Township Thursday about 3 p.m. The trooper says one person saw Wolfe kneeling before the animal and gesturing as though he were conducting a seance, while another saw the mouth-to-mouth attempt.

Levier says Wolfe was "extremely intoxicated" and "did have his mouth in the area of the animal's mouth, I guess."

The Associated Press could not locate a home telephone number for Wolfe.  Oliver Township is about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Great moments in gender equity

From today's Daily Collegian:

Beer Pong tour to visit PSU

Beer pong has prompted more than a few naked laps and lost memories, but Penn State students now have a chance to win $50,000.

The World Beer Pong Tour (WBPT) is making a stop Tuesday at Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., where up to 64 teams will go head-to-head to make it to the World Beer Pong Championship in Atlantic City. This is the second-annual tournament and the first time the tour has made a stop in State College on its 70-city tour. . . .

Kapoor said there will also be a beer pong diva competition, where women will compete in a series of events to win a spot in the WBPT calendar sold nationwide.

"It's to get more estrogen involved because [the tournament] is predominately male-based," he said. "Guys always appreciate good-looking girls at the venues."

Nice to know that women have opportunities open to them in the world of beer pong.

Winter frolicking in Happy Valley

Thanks to my friend Mike Dooris for pointing these out to me, from this morning's Centre Daily Times:

Crows - in multimedia!

Haven't gotten enough of the story of the crow relocation at Penn State?  Now watch it on YouTube.

Yes, it's made out of butter

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Krystal Wasson, of State College, helps unveil this year’s butter sculpture Thursday at the Farm Show in Harrisburg.

The crow saga continues

From an email sent to all College of Ed employees today:

CROW RELOCATION  – WINTER 2010

University Park - The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) crow relocation program for winter semester will begin Wednesday night (6 Jan 2010).  Large groups of crows have been detected in the vicinity of Ford, Moore, Cedar, and Chambers Buildings, West Halls, Rec Hall, the Hub, and Pond Lab. Occupants of these buildings may experience the loudest noises as our harassment effort gets underway.

Physical Plant anti-crow forces will muster on the north side of Old Main at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night and proceed with re-location operations.  Jeremy Smith, OPP Trades Supervisor will be in charge of the launch team.  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 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.

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.  These 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.