Centre Access

October 30, 2026 | Season 2, Episode 5

Bellefonte teachers reached an agreement with the area school district on a new four-year contract, averting an impending strike. A comparison in healthcare access between Bellefonte and Warren. Penn State announced it would remove Flock cameras from campus. Some polling places in Centre County have changed ahead of next Tuesday's elections. The News Lab surveyed 126 candidates for the U.S. House and the PA House on where they stand on data center issues. And all the spooky happenings around the county for this Halloween weekend.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S STORIES AND RESOURCES 

• Bellefonte school district, teachers union ratify new contract. Here’s what it includes — Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Bellefonte teachers union and district reach tentative agreement, averting strike — Bret Pallatto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Mount Nittany Health announces new Bellefonte medical facility [link]
• New Mount Nittany Health medical facility expected to open in Bellefonte — Anna Schmidt, WTAJ [link]
• Centre County Elections & Voter Registration office website [link]
• Penn State football weekend will mean early trick-or-treat this year in the Centre Region — Produced using AI, based on original work by Jacob Michael, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Halloween is fast approaching. Your guide to trick-or-treat times in Centre County — Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Halloween and Fall Fun guide — statecollege.com [link]

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS

The Spring Benner Walker Joint Authority considered what to do with trees interfering with service lines. The board also contemplated changing the rules on how permits are issued for housing developments that are built in phases. Next week, Documenters, Centre Access, and the News Lab's Local Reporting Cohort will be across more than 22 counties in Pennsylvania to cover the election. Full notes from every meeting are at centredocumenters.org.

October 23, 2026 | Season 2, Episode 4

State College asks residents to help shape its Vision Zero plan to end serious and fatal crashes, including a proposed speed cut on Park Avenue. CATA launches a bus tracker that updates every second. The Centre County elk hunt we covered earlier this season takes a turn: the hunter’s guide and caller face trespassing citations. Centre County 911 begins training dispatchers with AI. Skill games go dark across Pennsylvania after lawmakers miss a court deadline. And a new nonprofit, Satellite House, launches to bring multicultural music and arts to State College.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S STORIES AND RESOURCES 

• State College seeking speed limit reduction on Park Ave — Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com [link]
• State College Borough Vision Zero Action Plan — [link]
• CATA real-time system map — [link]
• Possible harvest pa elk hunter questioned after two guides cited for alleged trespassing — Anna Licastro, WJAC [link]
• Gudioes charged with trespassing in Centre County Elk Hunt — Lloyd Rogers, Centre County Gazette [link]
• Centre County expands AI use with $5K 911 trainee simulator contract — Gary Sinderson, WJAC [link]
• Centre County to renew contract for AI assisted 911 training, no layoffs coming in future — Tim Durkin, WTAJ [link]
• The legislature didn't act on skill games by the Supreme Court's deadline. What happnes now? — Stephen Caruso, Spotlight PA [link]
• New Cultural Non-profit in State College launches — Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com [link]
• Satellite House — [link]

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS

At Penns Valley, a student representative sat at the school board table for the first time in years and raised concerns about grading, student drivers, and lunch periods. The board also debated how it vets coaches and hired a dental hygienist to bring free screenings to students. The University Area Joint Authority raised its sewer tapping fee for new homes starting in January and approved emergency repairs at its waste receiving building. Full notes from every meeting are at centredocumenters.org.

Friday, October 16, 2026 (Season 2 | Episode 3)

This week on Centre Access: 

This week on Centre Access: Pennsylvania environmental advocates push for stricter fracking rules as data center demand grows across the Commonwealth. Penn State announces the closure of 47 low-enrollment degree programs. A State College–area human trafficking ringleader pleads guilty. A deep dive into how Centre County weathers severe storms — and what this winter could bring. The Bellefonte teachers union reaches a tentative four-year agreement, averting a strike. And nearly $1 million in state funding heads to local parks and waterways.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK’S STORIES

• Advocates push for tougher fracking rules as data centers spur demand for natural gas, reporting by Marie Cusick, Inside Climate News & Spotlight PA [link]
• How AI data centers could affect Pennsylvania's water and electric, reporting by Asia Tabb, WITF [link]
• Penn State to close 47 low-enrollment degree programs, reporting by Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Syracuse University sunsets 93 academic programs, reporting by Samantha Olander, The Daily Orange [link]
• Higher Education curricula must adapt to the needs of today's student, analysis by Tom Mockaitis, The Hill [link]
• A looming “enrollment cliff,” reporting by Joe Marcus, NPR [link]
• Trump Administration addresses plan to cut student loans for some degrees, reporting by Joe Edwards, Newsweek [link]
• DA: Human trafficking charges to be filed in Centre County case dating back to 90s, reporting by Hayden Thompson and Tim Durkin, WTAJ [link]
• 'It's over:' Victim in Centre County child sex trafficking ring speaks out after guilty plea, reporting by Tim Durkin, WTAJ [link]
• Bellefonte district, union dispute and path forward after strike authorization, reporting by Matt DiSanto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Centre County awarded over $1 million for several infrastructure projects, reporting by Colin Day, WTAJ [link]

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS
Full notes from public meetings are at centredocumenters.org.
No public meetings covered this week. Next week: planning commission meetings at Spring, Halfmoon, College, and Benner townships, plus school board meetings at Penns Valley and State College Area School Districts.

October 9, 2026 | Season 2, Episode 2

This week on Centre Access: Gov. Josh Shapiro comes to Bald Eagle Area High School to announce $448 million in federal broadband funding, including $29 million for Centre and Mifflin counties. In Harrisburg, Democrats push to raise Pennsylvania’s $7.25 minimum wage to $15 by 2029, and we look at what that means against the cost of living in Centre County. Pennsylvania passes 1,000 measles cases as vaccine exemptions climb. WPSU’s transfer to WHYY is final. A 16-year-old from Aaronsburg will soon take her food truck to a brick-and-mortar café in Millheim. And Way Fruit Farm opens a tasting room for its new hard cider.

Links

• Shapiro announces BEAD broadband funding in Centre County — Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times; Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com [link]  
• Josh Shapiro Announces $48 Million to Expand Broadband Internet Access Across Pennsylvania [video of event] — Forbes Breaking News [link] 
• ConnectPA BEAD project map — [link]
• Pennsylvania minimum increase remains stalled in Senate — Macy Markham, Fox43 News.
• MIT Living Wage Calculator: Centre County — [link]
• Pennsylvania Dept. of Health Provides Statewide Update on Measles Outbreak as Cases Reach 1,004 in 39 Counties — [link]
• Pennsylvania Department of Health measles updates — [link]
• Measles confirmed in Centre and Mifflin counties — Sydney Roach, WPSU [link]
• Pennsylvania kinderarten vaccine exemptions double as the measles cases rise — Kahlie Wray, James Russell, Mercedes Tresise, and Kakii Kibia, News Lab at Penn State for Spotlight PA [link]
• Vaccine exemptions in southwestern Pennsylvania — Erin Yudt, Next Generation Newsroom, Point Park University [link]
• WPSU transfer to WHYY finalized — Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, WHYY [link]
• Aaronsburg teen opens food truck — Cecile McWilliams, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Centre County teen plans to expand her business — Isaac Hallock, Centre County Report [link]
• Way Fruit Farm launches Halfmoon Hard Cider — Facebook post [link]
• PAM Health rehabilitation center planned near Innovation Park — Jacob Michael, Centre Daily Times [link]

Centre Documenters

Penns Valley’s school board reviewed the 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, with concerning results on student mental health and alcohol use. The board also discussed a delayed state safety audit and a costly roof replacement. The State College school board heard good news on its bond sale and budget, plus early results of a bullying prevention audit. The College Township Water Authority approved a riparian buffer in Kissinger Meadow and gave conditional approval to an easement for a planned PAM Health rehabilitation center. Thanks to Documenters Anna Allen, Alexandre Dumortier, Jenise Miller, Yoselin Ortiz, Joni-Marie Stuchko, and Kate Wallace. Full notes and meeting audio are at centredocumenters.org.

Centre Access, Season 2! A weekly podcast bringing you a recap of news from Centre County. You can expect to hear from us every Friday morning with 6 stories and a Centre Documenters local government update. Our first and episode will drop in early October.

Centre Access serves YOU, the roughly 158,000 residents of Centre County, Pennsylvania — by bringing you the most important news of the week. Powered by The News Lab at Penn State, our podcast also partners with Centre Documenters to deliver the latest from local government meetings each week. 

Centre Access is produced by the News Lab at Penn State, recorded in the Bellisario Media Center and supported by the Curt Chandler Storytelling Fund, the Arthur P. Miller Newsroom Fund, and the Hearst Foundations. 

October 2, 2026 | Season 2, Episode 1

This week on Centre Access: Rock Spring Water Company makes a last-minute pitch to its customers: form a cooperative and keep the system out of Pennsylvania American Water’s hands. In Clearfield County, commissioners vote to extend the Moshannon Valley Processing Center contract for six more months. The trial of two former Penn State football players accused of rape is delayed for a second time. Bellefonte Area School District appoints a new board member as a teachers’ strike deadline nears. A Port Matilda hunter takes what could be a record-breaking elk. And Wawa breaks ground in State College, deep in Sheetz country.

Links

• Troubled rural Pa. water company pitches last-minute idea to keep system in local hands  — Marley Parish, Spotlight PA [link]
• Clearfield leaders approve 6-month DHS contract extension at Moshannon Valley facility — Emily Marines, WJAC [link]
• Clearfield County commissioners vote 2-1 to extend Moshannon detention center contract  — Melissa Perez-Carrillo, Spotlight PA [link]
• Trial of ex-Penn State football players charged with rape will be rescheduled, again — Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Bellefonte school board spot left vacant as member resigns after more than 2 years  — Matt DiSanto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Bellefonte school board fills vacancy with new member. Here's what we know — Matt DiSanto, Centre Daily Times [link]
• Centre County produces potential records bull elk in Pennsylvania— Mark Nale, Outdoor News [link]
• Wawa to begin construction of a new location downtown State College, set for Oct. 20 — Colin Day, WTAJ [link]

Centre Documenters

Season 2 will bring weekly roundups of public meetings across Centre County. Nearly two dozen Centre Documenters will cover supervisors, school boards, planning commissions, and water and sewer authorities. New Documenters are in training now and will start covering meetings soon. Follow along at centredocumenters.org and @centredocumenters.

Saturday, May 9, 2026 (Season 1 | Episode 8)

This week on Centre Access: A look at what could come next for the SCI Rockview land after the prison's March closure. Months after a burst pipe at The Maxxen, residents are still displaced and frustrated. A local developer lays out his vision to remake the Nittany Mall. The Pennsylvania House passes a bill that would let PIAA split public and private school playoffs. Centre Gives raises more than $3 million in community impact across 36 hours. And contra dancing returns to State College. Plus, "Documenters on the Bus" continues. This week, how on-time performance shifts township by township.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S STORIES

• A Centre County Developer Wants to Buy and Revitalize the Nittany Mall. Here’s His Vision for It, reporting by Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com 
• State College high-rise pipe burst led to long hotel stays, financial stress, residents say, reporting by Halie Kines, Centre Daily Times
• Pa. House Passes Bill allowing PIAA to Split Public, Private High School Playoffs, reporting by Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com 
• Pa. House Passes bill allowing PIAA to Split Public, Private Playoffs, reporting by Austin Hertzon, PennLive
• Pa Lawmakers Advance legislation for Potential Overhaul of state's High School Sports Playoff Format, reporting by Tyann Bell, WJAC-TV
• Centre County DA reviewing dozens of cases after police officer admits to false reports, reporting by Bret Pallotto and Josh Moyer, Centre Daily Times 
• How Centre Foundation Helps Turn Local Generosity Into Lasting Impact, reporting by Elton Hayes, StateCollege.com
• Swing Your Partner Again: State College’s Contra Dance Scene Is Back, Welcoming Beginners, Families and Musicians, reporting by Karen Dabney, StateCollege.com

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS 

• This week's roundup is a continuation of "Documenters on the Bus," the joint report from Centre Documenters and the News Lab assessing CATA. Read the full report.
• If this week's story on the PIAA bill sounded familiar, you'd be right. You're likely recalling two Documenters roundups from earlier in the season when the Penns Valley Area School Board first weighed House Bill 41, with discussion centered on wrestling and basketball and player safety in contact sports, and later approved a formal resolution in support. Centre Access has followed this story from the local level to the state House. Listen back: [February 21, 2026] | [March 20, 2026]

🎁 OTHER RECOMMENDED READING 

• Centre Gives 
• Pennsylvania House Bill 41,  an act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in interscholastic athletics accountability, providing for playoffs and championships. Read the full text of the bill.

Saturday, May 2, 2026 (Season 1 | Episode 7)

This week on Centre Access, News Lab reporters share their months-long investigation into rising vaccination exemption rates across rural Pennsylvania — and what's behind the return of measles. We also cover Centre County's mixed grades in the American Lung Association's annual air quality report, a $300,000 state grant boosting youth mental health programming at the Jana Marie Foundation, Penn State's plan to cut 49 of its 403 undergraduate programs, a Spring Township police officer's resignation over falsified reports, and a local theatre company staging its first-ever musical in Bellefonte.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S STORIES

• Almost Half of America’s Kids Are Breathing Toxic Air , reporting by Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News 
• Takac: $300K boost for Jana Marie Foundation to serve 500 Centre County youth, a press release by Rep. Paul Takac, PA House Democrats 
• Jana Marie Foundation to bolster summer programs, after-school clubs with $300K grant, reporting by Jacob Michael, Centre Daily Times 
• Penn State defends hiring of McKinsey & Company as consultant, reporting by Anne Danahy, WPSU
• Centre County DA reviewing dozens of cases after police officer admits to false reports, reporting by Bret Pallotto and Josh Moyer, Centre Daily Times 
• American Lung Association's annual 'State of the Air' report shows mixed results for central Pennsylvania, reporting by Anne Danahy, WPSU 
• Dauphin County 1 of only 20 counties in the U.S. to fail air quality study, Tom Lehman, WGAL-8
• Pa. Commission on Crime and Delinquency grants $300K to Jana Marie Foundation, reporting by NCPA Staff, NorthcentralPA.com  
• Penn State leaders weigh cutting 12% of academic programs this fall, reporting by Maddie Aiken, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Tribune Content Agency, Centre Daily Times
• DA: Centre County police officer resigns after allegedly adding false info into reports, reporting by Courtney Raynor, WTAJ 
• Centre County Theater Company to Stage Its First Musical, reporting by SC.com Staff, Statecollege.com

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS 

Documenters didn't cover any meetings this week, but we discuss Documenters on the Bus and CATA's response to the full report.

🎁 OTHER RECOMMENDED READING 

3 Pa. counties rank among nation’s worst for air pollution, study finds, reporting by Keerti Gopal, SpotlightPA

Saturday, April 25, 2025 (Season 1 | Episode 6)

This week on Centre Access: a News Lab team examines how America's official homelessness count falls short, especially in rural communities. Detainees at Pennsylvania's largest immigration detention facility launched a hunger strike over conditions inside. A look at the automated license plate reader cameras quietly rolling out on and around University Park. Happy Valley Casino soft-launches with a public preview over Blue and White weekend, even as community members raise concerns. Fans heading to Beaver Stadium will navigate the major renovation in progress. And hundreds of volunteers turned out for ClearWater Conservancy's Annual Watershed Cleanup Day. 

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S STORIES

• ‘Something is fundamentally wrong:’ Detainees start hunger strike at Pa. ICE facility, reporting by Vida Lashgari and Joy Donald, for PennLive 
• After ICE detainees in Pa. went on a hunger strike, officials put them in solitary confinement, reporting by Vida Lashgari, for PennLive 
• Flock cameras on campus raise privacy, transparency concerns, reporting by Jonathon Chiu, Daily Collegian 
• Penn State Piloting License Plate Readers: What to Know About ALPR Cameras on Campus, reporting by Evan Halfen, statecollege.com 
• Happy Valley Casino offering public ‘first look’, while supporting local nonprofits, reporting by Cortney Raynor, WTAJ 
• Letters: ‘Informed Awareness’ About Gambling; Casino’s Compelled Test Day Donations; GT vs. Planned Parenthood, op-eds published on statecollege.com
• Opinion: There’s Plenty That’s Not ‘Happy’ About Our Valley’s New Casino, op-ed by Bill Horlacher, statecollege.com 
• What to expect in Beaver Stadium for Blue-White practice as construction continues, reporting by Jon Sauber, Centre Daily Times 
• More than 800 volunteers took part in Centre County’s Watershed Cleanup Day. Take a look, reporting by Esteban Marenco, for the Centre Daily Times 

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS 

Full notes from this week's public meetings are at centredocumenters.org. 

This week's meetings: 

• MEETING  — State College Area School District Board of Directors

🎁 OTHER RECOMMENDED READING 

DeFlock map showing Flock’s automated license plate reader cameras in University Park, PA

Documenters on the Bus, a Centre Documenters special project report

Saturday, April 18, 2026 | (Season 1, Episode 5)

This week on Centre Access: the State College and Bellefonte school districts propose tax increases for 2026–27, with officials pointing to rising personnel and special education costs. Governor Josh Shapiro stops in State College and takes questions on data center development and the state's maternal healthcare crisis. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders Penn State to release trustee retreat and board records, ending a years-long transparency fight with Spotlight PA. Police charge a Lock Haven man in the February crash that critically injured Penn State student Sophia Ruscillo. Hollidaysburg Borough Council reaches a compromise on honoring the Slinky alongside its historic canal basin exhibits. And USA Today names State College the best small college town in America.

🔗 LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S STORIES

• Another tax increase planned for State College’s district. What’s in the budget?, reporting by Matt DiSanto, Centre Daily Times 
• Bellefonte’s district eyes another tax hike. How much could it cost homeowners?, reporting by Matt DiSanto, Centre Daily Times 
• BASD gives first look at preliminary budget; Tax increase projected at about 2.5%, reporting by Hunter Smith, The Lock Haven Express
• SCASD Planning 3.5% tax increase in 2026-2027, by Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com
• High court rejects Penn State’s bid to keep trustee records hidden from public, Spotlight PA, reporting by SpotlightPA Staff, SpotlightPA
• Pennsylvania Governor Says Legalizing Marijuana Will Raise Revenue To Support Kids And Public Safety Programs, reporting by Tom Angell, Marijuana Moment 
• With Trump budget cuts, Pa. could lose millions used to help people pay heating bills, reporting by Zack Hoopes, Penn Live 
• Gov. Josh Shapiro rallies Centre County Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms, reporting by Sydney Roach, WPSU 
• Happy Valley Hannah's sit-down with Governor Shapiro, cross-posted with JoshShapiroPA on Instagram 
• New Slinky museum in Hollidaysburg will share space with canal basin exhibits at historic home, reporting by Sydney Roach, WPSU 
• Man charged after State College crash that seriously injured a Penn State student, reporting by Bret Pallotto, Centre Daily Times
• Scholarly retreats: 10 best small college town's in the US (2026 Reader's Choice Awards), USA Today
• State College Named America’s Best Small College Town by USA Today, reporting by Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com

📋 CENTRE DOCUMENTERS 

Full notes from public meetings are at centredocumenters.org. 

This week's meetings: 

• MEETING  — Board Meeting, University Area Joint Authority
• MEETING  — Regular Meeting, College Township Council 
• MEETING  — Regular Meeting, Halfmoon Board of Supervisors — Cancelled

🎁 OTHER RECOMMENDED READING 

• Man Charged in Hit and Run Crash That Left Penn State Student With Life-Threatening Injuries, reporting by Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com 
• KCSD faces $3.5 million deficit as it shapes 2026-2027 budget, Laura Jameson, Lock Haven Express (Paywall)
• Bellefonte Area School District Budget information 
• State College Area School District 2026-2027 Budget Development

💰SOPHIA RUSCILLO GOFUNDME

Prayers and Support for Sophia's Recovery: https://gofund.me/214f1ab24