24-year-old Timothy Gearhart, of Allentown, was sentenced on Aug. 25 for the murder of KU student Kyle Quinn. Since Quinn's death on Sept. 7, 2007, KU and the borough of Kutztown have worked together to increase safety in the town.

Gearhart, who was convicted of murder in the third degree, will spend 20 to 40 years in state prison, followed by 20 years of probation.

Gearhart was one of three men, including brothers Kenneth R. Kline, 21, and Terry D. Kline Jr., 22, who attacked Quinn. Quinn was walking home around 2:30 a.m. when he was assaulted. Gearhart and the Kline brothers were visiting from Allentown and were simply looking for someone to fight when they encountered Quinn. Gearhart dealt Quinn a fatal blow to the head with a wooden table leg. Assistant District Attorney Jonathan H. Kurland advised Judge Paul M. Yatron that because Quinn had done nothing to provoke the attack, Gearhart deserved a severe sentence.....

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Everyone is well aware of the current situation regarding the statewide "smoking ban." Just about everyone was surprised, not to mention a bit peeved, by the decision. It has seemingly come out of nowhere, and a number of non-smokers I spoke with think it is pretty ridiculous.

If you haven't caught on by now, I feel this smoking ban is as senseless as prohibition in the 1920s, and it will likely be just as ineffective. This whole "clean air act" front is absurd. If they really want to call it that, then why not shut down Main Street, Rt. 222, and the PA Turnpike. Don't let cars drive on campus. Shut down all the diesel trucks and machines burning fuel across the state. Close off the student parking lots. Bring back the days of the horse and buggy. I'm sure the busses that continuously cart students across town aren't steam powered. Let's shut those down too. Seriously, cut the BS and just call it the "no smoking because it inconveniences some people" act.

Of course, I can't help but wonder exactly how this law will be enforced. Are we going to have anti-smoking police parading about campus, with a book of pre-filled tickets, for smokers who light up on campus? And yes, it's very obvious that people are still smoking on campus. What are the fines for smoking on campus property? None of this has been openly established as far as I know, though President Cevallos does mention in a campus-wide e-mail that, "any complaints regarding a possible violation of the Act are to be referred to the Department of Health for enforcement."....

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This past weekend, the town of Kempton hosted Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival. This three-day festival, which ran from Friday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 21, promoted a "greener" way of life. According to the festival's Web site www.paenergyfest.com, the goal of the event is "to inform and educate ourselves and the public on renewable energy production, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through meetings, workshops, educational materials, and energy fairs."

The festival did just that. The layout was vast, with many tents housing speakers who were hosting workshops about a variety of topics including home burials, population challenges and solar water heating. Many events at the festival had packed tents, including a workshop on how to connect renewable energy sources to grids. There was also a fashion show held daily that featured eco-friendly designers.

The festival had something for everyone. From the homeowner who wants to make their house more energy efficient and the curious college student who just wanted to learn more about eco-friendly living, to the children who learned to make recycled household goods into toys. ....

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This past Saturday the Golden Bears faced off against the Bloomsburg Huskies trying to get their first win in the PSAC, and again they came up short in a 31-21 loss. KU started the game well and held the Huskies to zero points in the first quarter while scoring a field goal to take a 3-0 lead going into the second quarter. With 3:25 left in the half, KU quarterback Shane Martin threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Klosky. Bloomsburg responded when, with 1:50 left in the half, quarterback Dan Latorre threw a 28 yard touchdown pass to Kyle Ream, tying the score at ten a piece.

The third quarter didn't go all that well for the Golden Bears. Offensively, they were able to put up another field goal; however defensively, they gave up two more touchdowns. One off a pass and another off a run, to make the score 24-13 going into the fourth quarter. Despite being down, KU kept the game interesting late into the fourth. Shane Martin hit Jason Uhlig for a two yard score, following it up with a two point conversion to Nick Aspromonte. Making the score 24-21, Bloomsburg had the lead with 1:47 left in the game. That KU score capped off an 80-yard drive on 18 plays with Martin completing nine of his 13 passes for a total of 60-yards, including three third down and one fourth down conversion. The Golden Bears needed the ball back so they tried for the onside kick. They failed to recover the kick and the Huskies offense took the field. Bloomsburg quarterback Dan Latorre managed two first downs off quarterback keepers. Derrick Price then capped off Bloomsburg's drive with a nine-yard scoring run, making it 31-21, with 1:16 left in the game. KU wasn't able to get anything going on their final possession. Bloomsburg then got the ball back and ran the clock out to end the game.

Despite the loss, head coach Raymond Monica thought his team played well, including quarterback Shane Martin who passed for 161 yards and threw for two touchdowns. "Shane made some really good plays, he did a good job scrambling while throwing a touchdown pass to Klosky." KUs run defense made a statement of sorts during the game. Going into the game against KU, the Bloomsburg Huskies were averaging 330 yards a game on the ground. Against KU they only managed 160 yards on the ground. ....

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