Chantel Rodriguez Staff Writer Cvr5570@psu.edu Rain or shine, State Street was a sea of green as the St. Patrick’s Day parade came back after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Organized by the Erie Downtown Partnership and the Knights and Ladies of St. Patrick, they wanted to make this year’s parade more memorable…

Lydia Glenn In Harrisburg, the trial determining how Pennsylvania funds their public education system finally reached an end on Thursday, March 10.  This Commonwealth Court case, which was filed eight years ago, challenged the size and distribution of subsidies approved annually by the General Assembly.  The case was filed by concerned parents and two larger…

Madison Kwiecinski News Editor  Mvk5945@psu.edu  The Pennsylvania Health Department is warning PA residents about the “rare but dangerous” deer tick virus. As we enter spring it is prime tick season and record breaking levels of ticks are being recognized as having the dangerous deer tick virus in PA.  In January, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental…

Madison Kwiecinski  News Editor  Mvk5945@psu.edu  On March 11, 2022, Penn State Behrend received an endowment that will go towards promoting innovation on the campus. A $2.1 million endowment will benefit the school’s Innovation Commons.  Jacob Marsh, the Industry Coordinator at Penn State Behrend stated, “This is a really exciting opportunity for us and for other…

Alanna Gillis Opinions Editor  amg7393@psu Beloved Erie Zoo primate, Joe the Orangutan, has fallen ill and tragically died, the zoo reports. Zoo staff noticed that the 36-year-old orangutan had lacked energy and appetite since March 5, and did not respond to traditional medicines or treatments. He had been cooperating with veterinarians and zoo care staff…

Stephanie Logue  Staff Writer  szl414@psu.edu  Thanks to $221,836 in grant funds, the city of Erie will have new resources to combat crime, reduce gun violence, and lead ex-offenders toward productive lives, state Senators announced Wednesday. “Reducing crime is always the goal, but this money is enabling police and others to try and prevent some of…

Alanna Gillis  Opinions editor  Amg7393@psu.edu Brittney Griner, has been detained in Russia due to supposed drug charges. Russian authorities detained her earlier this month, citing cannabis oil in the athlete’s luggage to be the cause. Griner plays for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg, and has been with this team since 2015. She is a two-time…

Matt Mathias Sports Editor mcm5909@psu.edu It’s official, Tom Brady will be returning to play his 23rd season in the National Football League with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady’s retirement lasted all but 40 days. Brady took to Twitter to explain his decision to return to the field once more. “These past two months I’ve realized…