Stories / News, Events and Issues from Central Pennsylvania

Choral music is big this time of year – choir concerts are a centuries-old holiday tradition. But, as WPSU’s Kristine Allen reports, there’s a concert Saturday, December 10th that ventures off-the-beaten-path: it’s definitely NOT your grandmother’s Christmas music!

Hydraulic fracturing produces vast quantities of salty water called brine. Until recently, a lot of this brine ended up in rivers and streams, where it eventually posed a danger to drinking water. Pennsylvania thought it solved this problem by keeping this waste out of treatment plants. But as The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier and Ann Murray…

Members of the Penn State Faculty Senate were split yesterday on whether to allow a vote of “no confidence” against the university’s Board of Trustees. WPSU’S Emily Reddy reports that while the measure didn’t get enough support to proceed yesterday, it will be considered.

It’s estimated that 1 in four girls and 1 in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Recent events at Penn State have sparked national attention around this issue, which is typically shrouded in silence and too often unreported. WPSU’s Patty Satalia talks with Dr. Andi Taroli of Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center.…

In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, survivors of child abuse and child abuse advocates are speaking out. Peter Pollard of Hatfield, Massachusetts is both a survivor and an advocate. He’s the Western Massachusetts Area Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests. And he’s the Training and Outreach Director for 1in6.…

Penn State Public Broadcasting and host Patty Satalia broadcast a special live one-hour radio program following Sunday’s installment of This American Life, which is featuring Penn State in the episode, “Back to Penn State.” This is a re-broadcast of the December, 2009 episode, “#1 Party School,” with new interviews recorded this past week with Penn State…

In the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal, the impact goes beyond the alleged victims. WPSU’s Emily Reddy reports local mental health professionals are working hard to help both students at the university and community members cope.

The years may pass, the weaponry and public opinion may change, but one thing about war remains constant: the bond it creates between the men and women who serve. In honor of Veteran’s Day, WPSU’S Patty Satalia talks with Ray Fortunato, a WWII veteran from State College, about his military service, about how the experience changed…