Understanding the 2025 Federal Budget Law: What It Means for Centre County
A sweeping new federal budget law passed in July 2025 has major implications for Penn State students, local service workers, retirees, and the regional economy. Here’s a breakdown of the key facts, when they go into effect, and what they mean for our area—opinions, just the numbers:
The Game Behind the Game: What Every Local Needs to Know About Penn State Football in 2025
As the 2025 college football season kicks off, Penn State finds itself at the center of one of the most transformative eras in college athletics history. Beyond the touchdowns and tailgates, the evolving financial, legal, and operational forces now shaping college football are reshaping the Happy Valley economy and our community. Here’s your guide to all the moving parts.
A Snapshot in Time: Happy Valley’s Pink Pony Moment
It’s June 18, 2025.
There are just 45 workdays until students return for the first day of Penn State classes.
Have you been to a pool yet this summer?
Or has it just… rained every day since Memorial Day?
Around here, time moves both fast and strangely slow—until suddenly, it’s football season again. And this fall, as 100,000 fans pour into Beaver Stadium, there will be a moment—maybe between plays or during a timeout—when Pink Pony Club plays over the loudspeakers.
From Laughter to Leadership: How XL Fest Became a Blueprint for Belonging
What does it look like to grow something real—without losing the reason you started?
For James Tierney, co-founder of Happy Valley Improv, the answer came to life during XL Fest 2024. Eighty-one improvisers from across the country came to Central Pennsylvania expecting laughs. What they found instead was something deeper: hospitality that felt intentional, experiences that felt personal, and a weekend that felt more like a family reunion than a performance schedule.
It’s Common Sense: Connecting the Dots for Happy Valley’s Future
There’s something stirring in Happy Valley—and it’s not just economic development or the next phase of Penn State’s growth. It’s deeper. You can feel it in the questions people are asking. About leadership. About what kind of community we want to build—for ourselves and for the generations coming up behind us.
Providing Happy Valley professionals with high-quality childcare
By Sarah Taylor At Daybridge Child Development Center, the mission is clear: to provide high-quality early childhood education that fosters growth and development in a nurturing environment. In recent years, childcare has become increasingly inaccessible for many working parents, with some finding themselves on waitlists even before their child is born. Recognizing this gap, Daybridge […]
Philipsburg: The little borough that could
by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger The small borough of Philipsburg is making strides toward a better future, thanks to a group of volunteers whose eyes are set upon preserving the peaceful area while at the same time promoting growth. Eric Rusnak, president of the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation (PRC), said that people sometimes leave the area, only to […]
Why move to a disaster zone when you could live well in Happy Valley?
By Carmen P. Bilén Over the Covid-19 pandemic, northern-residing Americans flocked to southern and southwest states like Florida, Texas and Arizona. While these states may offer more consistent sunshine and warm weather, these destination states are also frequently plagued by devastating and costly weather-related disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. Why move to one of […]
When big city downtowns are in trouble, how is State College thriving?
By Cara Aungst “Workers no longer need to be downtown because companies no longer need to be downtown. And with that in mind, we have to be honest with ourselves and ask, ‘Why should anyone want to come to downtown?’” This jarring statement was not made about State College, but rather downtown Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh […]
