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Shining rays of sun on some good news:
Penn State Altoona Chancellor Lori Bechtel-Wherry has announced her retirement, effective at the end of this year.
Bechtel-Wherry has served the school honorably for 38 years -- the last 17 as chancellor -- and leaves an outstanding legacy.
She helped transition the former Altoona Campus into a four-year school while presiding over its impressive growth into downtown Altoona, which has benefited from the college's presence with new or renovated buildings now being used as classrooms and educational centers.
Penn State Altoona, too, has benefited from the partnerships and business relationships symbolic of Bechtel-Wherry's leadership.
The first woman chancellor in Penn State Altoona's history, her commitment to student engagement and her community presence as a Martinsburg native have been staples of her tenure.
Among her many interactions, Bechtel-Wherry annually invites students and staff to play ping-pong as a fundraiser for THON (she donates more when she loses, which isn't often).
Penn State Altoona was one of Blair County's crown jewels before Bechtel-Wherry took over, but she undoubtedly grew the school's footprint and will be difficult to replace.
Former local high school football players are making an impact in the National Football League.
Hollidaysburg native Luke Rhodes, long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts, was named to the All-Pro team by the Associated Press.
It marked Rhodes' first selection to the All-Pro team. He was also named to the AFC's Pro Bowl team for the second time in voting by NFL fans.
Rhodes just wrapped up his sixth NFL season and fifth as the Colts' snapper for punts, field goals and extra points. He is a 2011 graduate of Hollidaysburg Area High School.
Altoona Area High School and Penn State product Kevin Givens will be playing in the NFC championship game Sunday.
A reserve defensive tackle, Givens is part of an outstanding San Francisco 49ers defense.
The 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night for a berth in the Super Bowl -- which would be their second trip to the big game in three years.
Givens, who was a rookie with San Francisco for the 2020 Super Bowl, is in the midst of his third NFL season after playing collegiately at PSU.
He graduated from Altoona Area High School in 2016.
Parker Gregg of Central High School used the untimely death of his father, James, from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2017 to help devise a small carbon monoxide detector that could temporarily disable a vehicle if dangerous levels are reached.
Parker Gregg worked with his friend, Cayden Wright, and their device, called Air Alert, received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office in November.
A group of Altoona Area High School students, many of whom are members of the school's softball team, ventured to Mayfield, Kentucky, to help that community clean up from devastating December tornadoes that left more than 70 casualties.
AAHS softball coach Jessica Stiffler spearheaded the effort, which included eight players, four parents and two Lady Lion coaches.