[naviga:h3]PSU mascot’s damaged ear fixed[/naviga:h3]

STATE COLLEGE — The damaged ear of the statue of the Penn State mascot has been repaired.

Authorities were called to the university’s Nittany Lion Shrine around 4 a.m. Sunday and found that an ear on the right side of the statue had been broken off and was found nearby.

The Centre Daily Times reported Wednesday that the damaged ear had been fixed by the university’s Office of Physical Plant. Earlier, thanks to Penn State’s 3-D Printing Club, the statue had a temporary replacement for the ear.

The statue sculpted from a 13-ton block of limestone in 1940 was vandalized in 1978 and 1994. In 1979, sculptor Heinz Warneke made a cast for a new ear. The Lion lost the ear again in 2003, but it wasn’t thought to be vandalism.

[naviga:h3]Retired teacher is entitled to benefits[/naviga:h3]

PITTSBURGH — A court has ruled that a teacher who retired before same-sex marriage was legalized is entitled to health care benefits for his husband.

PennLive.com reports that Gateway School District denied the man’s request to retroactively sign up for spousal benefits when he married his longtime partner in 2014. He had retired in 2013, before same-sex marriage was legally recognized in Pennsylvania.

The district has a policy barring retirees from adding a new spouse to their retirement benefits.