Happy Valley Casino struggles, Wawa groundbreaking and more: This week’s top stories
Centre County's top stories include Happy Valley Casino's record-low revenue, Wawa's first State College-area groundbreaking, school rankings, and Penn State football's loss.Summary
Centre County saw several major developments this week. Happy Valley Casino reported gross gaming revenue of just $2.04 million in September, the lowest monthly total ever for a Pennsylvania mini-casino in a full month, despite three home football weekends, giving it four of the state's five lowest monthly mini-casino totals since 2021. Wawa broke ground Tuesday on its first State College-area store at 169 W. Aaron Drive in Ferguson Township, with plans for 10 stores in the area over five years, and the Benner Pike location expected to open by mid-next year. State College Area School District dominated Centre County's showing in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings, with Corl Street Elementary and Park Forest Middle leading the county at No. 144 and No. 51 statewide, respectively; 24 of the county's 30 schools ranked in the upper half of Pennsylvania. Penn State football fell to Michigan 21-18, dropping to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten, with quarterback Rocco Becht's three giveaways cited as the main reason, while wide receiver Chase Sowell had 11 catches for 151 yards. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board dismissed Penn State's appeal, clearing the way for more than 4,000 graduate assistants to unionize; the university disagrees but will not appeal further. Verizon and Jersey Mike's are expected to open next week at 821 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte, the former Rite Aid site being redeveloped with a planned Dunkin' and two unleased spaces, marking the fourth Jersey Mike's in Centre County and the first outside the State College area.
(Source：Centre Daily Times)