Letters: Mall casino not a safe bet; Football field should honor Paterno
Mall casino not a safe bet
The proposed Bally’s casino at the Nittany Mall is being touted as bringing money and jobs to central Pennsylvania. However, unless the casino consistently draws large numbers of tourists from outside of our region, it will actually end up taking millions of dollars out of our community each year to pay state taxes and Bally’s investors instead of bringing additional money in.
Is it likely that many people will travel from Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia to gamble at a small casino in the Nittany Mall? I wouldn’t take that bet — these people already have larger and better casinos available in the cities where they live.
Instead, the money that the casino generates will be paid by our central Pennsylvania neighbors — who will then no longer be able to spend that money at the other businesses that already operate in our region. It isn’t beneficial to our community to create a few hundred jobs at a new casino if those jobs come at the cost of twice as many jobs being lost at other area businesses.
The license for the new casino has not yet been approved, and public comments are still being collected by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. These comments are being tracked on the Gaming Control Board’s website and at www.collegetownship.org/casino_information/index.php
Please e-mail your feedback regarding the proposed casino to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board at boardclerk@pa.gov, and reference “Nittany Mall Casino” or “SC Gaming OpCo. LLC Cat 4 Casino” in the subject of your e-mail.
Football field should honor Paterno
When I heard that the University of Wisconsin’s Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced the decision to name the Wisconsin football field “Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium,” it opened a wound that has not healed and will not heal completely until Penn State administration steps up and names the Penn State football field “Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium.” I am sure that Barry Alvarez is most certainly deserving of the honor but so is Joe Paterno. Coach Alvarez had a career record over 18 years of 118-75-4 while Joe Paterno coached 46 years and had a record of 409-136-3.
It is not just about win loss records as I have said before, but Joe Paterno needs to be recognized for all the good things he did for Penn State over the years and the impact he had on the lives of countless individuals both on and off the football field. As I said before, the football field was his laboratory where he conducted experiments and molded young boys into men that would go on to the NFL if that talented but more importantly to Joe to enrich their communities through service and being good and productive citizens.
It would be nice if the board of trustees and the Penn State administration would do this while the Sue Paterno and the family could participate, and it would certainly go a long way to healing the festering wound still felt by many of the Penn State family.
Be SMART keeps kids, community safe
More than 5 million American children live in homes with guns that are both loaded and unlocked. Every year, more than 700 children, 17 and under, die by suicide with a gun. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Pennsylvania. The Be SMART campaign raises awareness that secure gun storage – storing guns locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition – can save children’s lives. I volunteered to be part of this important community education program because, as a gun owner and mother, I value the importance of safe gun storage. Stop by the Be SMART table at the Patton Township Children’s Safety Fair this Satursday, Oct. 9 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) in the Target/Kohl’s parking lot to learn more. At the fair, our kids will get to interact with police officers, firefighters, and EMS workers who take care of our community. At Be SMART, we believe every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer. Join us and learn more about this important work at BeSmartforKids.org.