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Since You’ve Been Gone

No, I’m not talking about the obnoxious Kelly Clarkson song.

Did you tune out the news while you were home for our (ridiculously short) winter break? We don’t blame you — the 24-hour news cycle can be exhausting! Here’s a run-down of everything you might have missed while trying to avoid all those people you graduated high school with while perusing your old favorite hometown locales.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sues the NCAA

Last Tuesday, Governor Tom Corbett filed an anti-trust lawsuit on behalf of the Commonwealth against the NCAA in an attempt to revoke the sanctions against Penn State. Governor Corbett held a press conference on campus and called the sanctions an egregious overstep, saying “These sanctions did not punish Sandusky — rather they punished the past, present, and future students. I find myself asking the question: Why would the NCAA involve themselves in something being dealt with by the courts?”

“As Governor of this Commonwealth, I cannot, and will not stand by without a fight,” he continued. The NCAA responded to the lawsuit, calling it an “affront to all of the victims.”

Governor Corbett was accused of only using the lawsuit as political leverage, but most Penn Staters are hopeful that the courts will rule in his favor and revoke or lessen the sanctions. Anti-trust suits are used to tackle monopolies, and with the NCAA forcing Penn State into a binding consent agreement, some legal experts are saying that the Commonwealth might actually have a strong case.

Penn State is not involved in the suit.

Bill O’Brien Interviews With Two NFL Teams But Ultimately Stays at Penn State

Penn State football had quite a scare last week when reports came out that head coach Bill O’Brien had interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. The rumors began circulating earlier in the week when several NFL insiders reported that O’Brien was strongly considering an NFL return.

Much to the relief of his players, O’Brien ultimately decided to stay at Penn State for another year, but not without some significant contract changes. It was widely reported that Penn State billionaire alum Terry Pegula put up $1.3 million to help keep O’Brien in Happy Valley. Other personal changes — such as increased pay for his staff — were also rumored. O’Brien will hold a press conference this morning at 9 a.m., so it is likely that by the time you read this we will all know more about just what kept O’Brien on the Penn State sidelines.

Pennsylvania Increases Underage Drinking Fines

Pennsylvania adopted legislation to increase the fine if caught underage drinking, including steep increases for second time offenders.

Scholarship Created in Honor of Dean Brady’s Son

We were heartbroken to learn about the tragic death of Schreyer Honors College Dean Christian Brady’s 8-year old son,  John William McKenzie “Mack” Brady. Mack loved soccer, and a scholarship was set up in his honor to benefit a Penn State soccer player. Dean Brady said that through an annual award to a player his son “will, in some sense, ‘be on the field’ that he had hoped to play on someday.”

Basketball Team goes 2-1

The Penn State men’s hoops squad is on a little bit of a roll lately. After dominating New Hampshire and fighting off in-state foe Duquesne, the Nittany Lions dropped the Big Ten opener in a valiant effort to Wisconsin. The team is back in action tonight at home against the 5th ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

Tussey Mountain Opens

As you can probably tell by the mounds of dirty snow piled in every parking lot in town, it snowed quite a bit over break in State College. As a result, the local ski resort opened its slopes early and will remain open through this month.

Green Day Tour Officially Cancelled

After being forced to reschedule the entire tour due to a hallucinogenic meltdown by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day cut Penn State from its updated tour list.

There you have it! Enjoy your syllabus week (and make sure to check out the bar specials).

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About the Author

Kevin Horne

Kevin Horne was the editor of Onward State from 2012-2014 and currently holds the position of Managing Editor Emeritus, which is a fake title he made up. He graduated from Penn State with degrees journalism and political science in 2014 and is currently seeking his J.D. at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. A third generation Penn Stater from Williamsport, Pa., Kevin is also the president of the graduate student government. Email: [email protected]

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