Centre County Uni-Mart closes, Pickleball club prepares to open: Top stories

Tuesday was primary election day in Pennsylvania, but Centre County also saw a mix of business developments, legal proceedings and other local news. From a longtime State College gas station shutting its doors to a federal prison sentence for a Boalsburg couple, here’s a snapshot of the day’s top stories.

Here are key takeaways:

• A Uni-Mart convenience store and ExxonMobil gas station at 3180 W. College Ave. in State College have closed after decades in business, with shelves cleared and gas pumps covered. A Dunkin’ located inside the building remains open, and an employee said the closure happened roughly a week earlier.
• The Picklr, an indoor pickleball franchise, plans to open a 27,000-square-foot club at the former Big Lots on Benner Pike this summer. Steve Smith, a Penn State football fullback from the Class of 1999, will own and operate the Centre County club, which will feature nine courts, a pro shop and an on-site academy.
• Centre County’s three incumbent state house members entered primary day with sizable war chests, while their challengers reported minimal fundraising, according to campaign finance reports. State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff raised the most at $33,500, largely from political action committees, while Democratic challenger John Zangari led non-incumbents with $2,900.
• Climb Nittany must raise $1.9 million by the end of May to avoid closure after the gym’s landlord, Store Master Funding XIV LLC, accepted an offer from another buyer. Community fundraising efforts have already secured pledges of roughly $1 million to $1.7 million from more than 75 local potential investors.
• A Boalsburg couple who owned the failed Springfield House Bed & Breakfast were sentenced to federal prison for falsifying bankruptcy records. John J. Johnson II received 18 months and Kristina A. Johnson received 15 months after pleading guilty to concealing a bank account and submitting false monthly operating reports during their 2022 bankruptcy proceeding.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.