State Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman said he supports how Penn State has been responding to COVID-19, and while he would not want to pull the university’s state funding if it mandated vaccines, others in the General Assembly might. “I don’t see how pulling their funding and punishing students because I don’t like something Penn State may or may not be doing is a good move,” Corman said. “So I’ve never taken that approach, personally. It doesn’t mean others would not.” In a letter to the community explaining the university’s COVID-19 response, Penn State President Eric Barron noted th ..read more

Criticizing the Penn State administration’s COVID-19 plans for the fall, the university Faculty Senate voted Friday to approve a motion of no confidence in those plans and to call on the university to require vaccinations for students, faculty and staff. The university is returning to in-person classes and activities in the fall semester, which starts Aug. 23. It is not requiring students or employees to get vaccinated, instead encouraging them to and saying testing will be required of those who do not show proof of vaccination. During the two-hour meeting, some faculty criticized that approac ..read more

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters . Nicole Diehl attended the Wayne County Fair in northeastern Pennsylvania last weekend, not for the livestock exhibitions, carnival games, demolition derbies, or tractor pulls. Instead, the registered nurse was on hand as part of an effort to make it as easy as possible to get vaccinated — a goal that’s become even more critical as new cases of COVID-19 creep up in Pe ..read more

A second Penn State student, 20-year-old Norristown native Neil Patel , has died from complications of COVID-19. His family remembered him in a memorial service on Friday. Patel was a 6th semester undergraduate student in the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Honors Scholar. His family announced his death on August 1 on a GoFundMe page, where they had been sharing updates of Patel’s long battle against the illness at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia. "Our son and my dear boy has moved on to his next journey," Patel's father, Chet, wrote. "Neil fought his illness like ..read more

Penn State announced Wednesday that it now requires all students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear masks indoors at all campuses regardless of vaccination status. The university updated its guideline one day after a town hall meeting where leaders shared COVID-19 protocols for the fall semester. Penn State said the change was because many counties where campuses are located have shifted to substantial levels of transmission, according to a CDC tracker . This includes Allegheny, Beaver, Montgomery and Franklin counties. “As we continue to see daily increases in COVID-19 cases, particularly t ..read more

With the fall semester beginning in three weeks, Penn State said it’s not making COVID-19 vaccinations a requirement, but people who are not vaccinated need to wear masks in university buildings and those who haven’t shared their vaccination status with the university will be tested weekly, according to a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday. University leaders, including President Eric Barron, said students who will be living in residence halls will have to test negative prior to their arrival. The university said it will host vaccine clinics on and around campus and will conduct surveillance te ..read more

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters . HARRISBURG — Almost every day for the past month, as the end of a federal freeze on evictions edges closer, Brian Bastian has checked the status of his application for rental assistance online, only to experience a familiar thud of disappointment. Since applying at the end of March, his case has moved through three of the five stages, each completed step shown by a g ..read more

Starting this fall, students and staff in the State College Area School District who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 will not have to wear masks inside, while those who have not been vaccinated will, under a plan approved by the school board Monday night. The 7-2 vote followed a lengthy discussion by the board and a contentious public comment period, with some parents booing during the meeting. Other parents spoke in support of the board, with some asking the district to go further and require everyone to wear a mask. Ashley McDonald, a mother of four, urged the district to make masks option ..read more

As Penn State continues to encourage — not require — students and employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before the fall semester, one factor it has to contend with is politics. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf recently vetoed Republican-backed legislation that, among other things, would have prohibited universities and colleges that get state funding from requiring vaccines. During a June meeting with faculty senators, Provost Nick Jones said university leadership prefers to use incentives and encouragement, instead of a mandate. In response to a question noting the number of other schools requ ..read more

On the last Saturday of June, Evergreen Park in Kane was buzzing with activities from the annual “Art in the Wilds” art show. Residents and visitors cruised among white tents, lined up for fair foods and stopped to greet friends. It was also alumni weekend for the Kane Area School District. Glass work artist Kathleen Schnell said the vibrant scene was sorely missed last year, when the show was virtual because of COVID-19. She came from Wellsboro in Tioga County and said this is the only art show she goes to. “Oh, it means a world of difference to me,” Schnell said. “With my fused glass, people ..read more