Welcome back, Penn Staters.

With classes kicking off Monday, you and 50,000 of your best friends are back in State College. While most folks didn’t hang around Penn State for the three months between regular classes, that doesn’t mean the Penn State news cycle ever stopped. From Olympic success to the continued downtown restaurant closings and openings, plenty happened in central Pennsylvania this summer.

Here’s what you missed from the end of finals week to the first day of classes.

News

• Brandon Short, Matt McGloin, and Carl Nassib were elected to Penn State’s Board of Trustees. The trio, all of whom played football while at Penn State, defeated Alvin de Levie and Steven Wagman.
• Crunch Fitness announced plans to open a location on Westerly Parkway. While the announcement came in May, Crunch has yet to open its doors in State College.
• Jax Bar and Kitchen closed and was bought out by Chris Rosengrant, the part-owner of the Lion’s Den, and Mike Fullington. The pair’s new bar, the Hideaway, has yet to announce an opening day.
• Riko’s Pizza, a tavern-style restaurant and bar, announced plans to open in State College in August. The 142 E. College Ave. location is expected to open near Penn State football’s season-opener against West Virginia.
• Burger restaurant and bar BRGR closed its State College location. According to StateCollege.com, BRGR didn’t pay $64,993.01 worth of rent. Much of BRGR’s items remain in the restaurant while its sign hangs over the door as a replacement has yet to claim the spot.
• Joining the gym openings, HOTWORXS opened a location at 2021 S. Atherton St. at the start of June. The gym, open 24 hours a day, includes saunas, a functional work zone for clients to use in between time spent in the saunas, bands, weights, ropes, and other necessary equipment.
• Bill Pickle’s Tap Room closed for several weeks over the summer for renovations. It also debuted its new barbeque menu.
  • Writer’s note: It rocks.
• After Penn State’s new art museum officially opened at the Arboretum, the university proposed to spend $40.4 million to renovate the old Palmer Art Museum on Curtin Road to convert the space to classrooms.
• A former Penn State professor was accused of stalking and harassment. Phillip Cmor, who taught COMM 260W and left Penn State after the 2023-24 school year, stalked two women beginning in their high school years, according to an affidavit.
• Fraternity Theta Delta Chi was suspended through spring 2025. Penn State’s Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response found the fraternity hosted an unauthorized event in March. At the time, the fraternity had been banned from hosting social events.
• “Tenacious D,” made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, announced it would perform at the Bryce Jordan Center as part of the group’s “Rock D Vote” tour on October 26. The duo broke up in July and presumably cancled its performance at Penn State, though the Bryce Jordan Center has yet to confirm.
• Penn State and Teamsters Local Union 8 tentatively reached an agreement in June to avoid a strike by over 2,500 university employees. Union members ratified the agreement, which gives them a 20% raise over four years, a month later.
• Buffalo Wild Wings applied for a liquor license in downtown State College. The company would take up residence in the bottom floor of the Maxxen. The license has since been approved by the borough, though opening plans have yet to be announced.
• BioLife Plasma Services closed its doors early in the summer. Plans have been made to convert the property, which sits on Beaver Avenue and Atherton Street, into a nine-story condo-hotel.
• Barry Fenchak, an alumni-elected member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees, sued the board to try and gain access to information he said he wasn’t permitted to receive but was entitled to.
• In one meeting, the Board of Trustees approved Penn State’s budget for the 2025-26 school year and named its graduate school the J. Jeffery and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School.
• State College towing company Walk’s Service Center Inc. agreed to a $15,000 settlement with Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. Walk’s will pay out $15,000 to eligible consumers who have filed or will file complaints with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. 
• In more Board of Trustees news, the board altered its election and conduct codes. The news bylaws call for the formation of a committe to vet people running for alumni-elected officials and punish trustees who speak out against the board. All alumni-elected trustees who were present, aside from Nassib and Short, voted against the measures.
• Two former Penn State Beta Theta Pi brothers pled guilty to charges involving the 2017 death of Tim Piazza. Brendan Young and Daniel Casey will be sentenced on October 1.
• East Halls finished up its renovations as move-in week kicked off. Penn State will turn its eyes now to the renovations of Pollock Halls and Beaver Stadium.
• State College is set to acquire the property at 142 McAllister St. via eminent domain to build a replacement for the Pugh Street parking garage. The property contains a rental house that’s the last of its kind — should demolition occur, there would no longer be any houses downtown in the box formed Beaver Avenue, College Avenue, Atherton Street, and High Street.

Sports

• World Series champ Dexter Fowler graduated with the Penn State Class of 2024. The former All-Star said he finished his degree with Penn State’s World Campus to fulfill a promise he made to his parents when he went pro in baseball.
• Former Penn State wrestler David Taylor was named Oklahoma State’s head coach. Taylor had recently retired from wrestling professionally after missing out on the 2024 Olympic Games.
• Three former Penn State men’s lacrosse stars were signed by Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) teams. Grant Haus was drafted by the Maryland Whipsnakes, Jack Posey went to the Carolina Chaos, and Mac Costin signed with the Denver Outlaws.
• Penn State softball reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years. The Nittany Lions defeated UAlbany but lost to Texas State twice to end their tournament run.
• James Franklin was named in a trial against Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Dr. Kevin Black by Dr. Scott Seidenberg in a lawsuit from Dr. Scott Lynch. Lynch won the case.
• Penn State baseball reached the Big Ten Tournament since 2022 and the final game of the tournament. After stunning Illinois, the Nittany Lions rattled off wins against Michigan State and Michigan before falling to Nebraska.
• Ace Baldwin Jr. is back, folks. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year will play for Penn State men’s basketball in the 2024-25 season.
• Several of Penn State football’s kickoff times are set, including West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Illinois.
• Carter Starocci and Greg Kervliet will be back wrestling for Penn State in the 2024-25 season. How many national championships will that be?
• Penn State men’s basketball all-time leading scorer Talor Battle took a coaching job with Ohio State.
• Penn State men’s soccer commit Frankie Westfield dropped his commitment to the Nittany Lions and turned pro, signing with the Philadelphia Union’s second team.
• Former Penn State football cornerback AJ Lytton died in a car crash with former high school teammates Khyree Jackson and Isaiah Hazel in Maryland. Jackson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings a few months prior.
• Penn State football’s White Out will take place against Washington on November 9. The Ohio State matchup the week prior will act as a helmet stripe game. Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft confirmed the Washington game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
• Stephen Nedorocsik, a Penn State alum, took the internet by storm after his Olympic pommel horse performance. He’s since featured on “The Tonight Show” and will compete on “Dancing with the Stars.”
• Penn State football’s Jameail Lyons and Kaveion Keys were suspended from, and then left, the team. Penn State Athletics offered no further comment and reporters were instructed not to ask about the matter at media day.
• Penn State football checked in at No. 8 in the AP’s preseason poll. Shocker.
• A school-record 30 Penn Staters competed in the Summer Olympics in Paris. Check out how they did here.
• Penn State women’s soccer kicked off the 2024-25 school year with a 4-0 win over No. 8 Texas Tech. That streak didn’t last long though, as the Nittany Lions fell to No. 21 Virginia a few days later.