COVID-19

More people have felt anxious and isolated during the pandemic. At the same time, mental health services have been harder to access.

Aimee Burns, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Blair County, talked with WPSU's Min Xian about COVID-19’s impacts on the mental health care system and shared her personal story of living with mental illness.

Here’s their interview:

Min Xian: Welcome to Take Note on WPSU. I’m Min Xian.

WPSU’s Health Minute is a collaboration with Penn State’s College of Nursing. 

Increasing vaccination numbers give all of us hope we’ll reach the end of the pandemic soon.  

The art show “Art in the Wilds” in Kane, Pennsylvania is making a comeback, after being virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. Organizers say they believe the event this year is welcome news for artists and the region.

Art in the Wilds will be held this weekend, June 26th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and June 27th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Evergreen Park in Kane. Thirty-six artists including painters, woodworkers, jewelers, sculptors and photographers will join the juried art show, which is free to the public. 

All Pennsylvanians 12 and up are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines. But a new Penn State study found one in four Pennsylvanians still don’t plan on getting vaccinated.

The study, led by Penn State Harrisburg researchers, surveyed more than 1,000 Pennsylvanians to learn about vaccine hesitancy – an umbrella term describing those who “probably” or “definitely” will not get vaccinated. They found significant differences between regions and demographics.

Just a year after graduating from Penn State’s musical theater program, Talia Suskauer had landed her dream role.

Suskauer was in the Broadway tour of “Wicked” when the pandemic shutdown hit. She was playing a leading role as green witch Elphaba. Suskauer had been touring with the show for six months when she heard the news. 

The State Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would allow parents to choose to have their children repeat a grade level because of learning loss due to COVID-19 for the upcoming school year. 

The decision on whether a student should repeat a year is currently made by schools and teachers. 

As summer approaches, state officials are encouraging college students to get vaccinated. Students are able to transfer vaccines to their hometowns if they receive their first dose on campus.

Acting physician general for the Pennsylvania Department of Health Dr. Denise Johnson says students can get the second dose anywhere. They just need to make sure to get the same vaccine.

“Remember that for the mRNA vaccines, which would be the Pfizer and the Moderna, they're not interchangeable so if you had Pfizer for the first dose you need Pfizer for the second," Johnson said.

Kane Area School District, spreading over 250 square miles in McKean and Elk Counties, has been holding in-person classes during the 2020-2021 school year, with the exception of ten and a half days when the district went online due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases and an additional eight days where high school students were remote. 

The pandemic has made remote learning a reality. But despite logistical challenges and health risks, schools have endeavored to keep classrooms open. 

Kathy Masisak, 68, doesn’t want to live in a community without robust medical care. But her local hospital in rural McKean County has been downsizing for years, and she said it’s affecting her family.

“They took a maternity ward away last year, and my granddaughter had to go to Olean — which is 35, 40 minutes away — in an emergency situation to deliver that baby,” Masisak said. “I was panicking the whole time going over there to see her.” 

Two Democrats — and no Republicans — are on the ballot in this year’s primary race for State College mayor. Ezra Nanes is director of business development at AccuWeather. He previously ran for state Senate and tried for a seat on the State College Borough Council, and he's a member of the Centre County Democratic Committee. Jim Leous leads the emerging technologies group for Penn State's Information Technology Services. He’s also a member of the State College Area school board and adviser to the Penn State College Democrats.

Shortly after Governor Tom Wolf announced the new outline for vaccine distribution in Pennsylvania, Penn State President Eric Barron addressed pre-submitted questions from faculty and staff about how the university will deal with COVID-19 moving forward. In a livestream, Barron urged employees to get vaccinated as soon as they’re eligible. Those who work with students can sign up starting on Monday.

Kelly Wolgast is the director of Penn State’s COVID-19 operations control center. She says, for now, Penn Staters will have to look outside the university for a vaccine.

As more and more of the country gets vaccinated against coronavirus, many Penn Staters are feeling hopeful about the upcoming in-person school year. Others point to the current upswing in COVID cases and say it’s too soon.

We asked WPSU listeners to share their experience of the past pandemic year. For today’s story, WPSU’s Kristine Allen spoke with a Milesburg resident who teaches yoga for addiction recovery. She talks about the effect of the pandemic on the recovery community.

“I’m in what I would call long-term recovery now,” Linda Mantz said. “But I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict.”

Mantz of is retired from Penn State, where she taught Human Development and worked as a counselor.

“I am grateful to be celebrating over 30 years of recovery this year,” she said.

In a livestream Friday, leaders at Penn State and from the surrounding community voiced concerns about the recent uptick in coronavirus cases and a new, more infectious variant found in State College.

State College Mayor Ron Filippelli said police have been responding to more gatherings recently and he sees a relaxation of precautions across the board.

We asked WPSU listeners to share their experience of this past year for our series, Pandemic, Year One. For today’s story, WPSU’s Kristine Allen spoke with a bicycle mechanic from State College who was lost his job due to COVID-19, then started his own business.

“I’ve always had a way with bicycles and a love for mechanical things. You know, take them apart, figure out how they work, that kind of thing.”

Jim Welsh of State College said he’s been working as a bicycle mechanic since he was about 14 years old.  He enjoys riding, too, around local trials.

We asked WPSU listeners to share their experience of this past year for our series, Pandemic, Year One.  For today’s story, WPSU’s Kristine Allen spoke with a retired teacher from Hollidaysburg.  She lost her husband just before the pandemic began.

“He was just a guy with a big smile that lit up the room,” Mary Petrak said. “He was really good at listening to people’s stories.  Also a good storyteller.”

Petrak’s husband, Dave, died five months before the pandemic started.  They had been married for 43 years.