Month: September 2020

A police officer in Lancaster shot and killed a man who was charging him with a knife Sunday afternoon. The family of the man who was killed — 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz — said he suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had stopped taking his medications.

Police were called to Munoz’ mother’s home after he was reported to be acting “aggressive.”

After the shooting, protests began and some turned violent with vandalism and property damage. Police have reportedly made about a dozen arrests.

Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace called Sunday a heartbreaking day in Lancaster and called for help from the state and the county in dealing with access to mental health services and poverty.

Mayor Sorace appears on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss what she thinks the city and the community need to prevent incidents like what happened on Sunday.

Also, those suffering from mental illness, may be going through a crisis and find themselves coming into contact with a police officer were often treated like any other person caught breaking the law or endangering themselves or someone else in the past.

It still happens often, but more police departments and criminal justice agencies are trying to find ways to de-escalate what could be volatile situations with those suffering from mental illness.

Dauphin County has enacted what it calls its “Stepping Up Initiative.”

Joining us on Wednesday’s Smart Talk are Catherine Kilgore, Dauphin County District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board Administrator and Elizabeth Manning and Devon Leaver, both co-responders with police.

 

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In early August, President Trump signed a memorandum allowing for the deferment of employees payroll taxes. This action was intended to “put money directly in the pockets of workers,” while Congress deliberated a new stimulus package.

Employers have the option to defer withholding the employee portion of social security tax payments from September 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Any deferred taxes, must be repaid, though, and that bill is due beginning January 1, 2021, through April 30, 2021.

The devil in this plan is indeed in the details. The deferral is optional for private employers to implement, but not for federal employees.

The Presidential directive allows for a tax payment deferment, but does not currently allow for tax forgiveness.

How will this impact your paycheck and social security? Appearing on Smart Talk to offer details are Michael G. Radich, CPA, member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Karen Young, President of HR Resolutions and a Senior Certified Professional with the Society of Human Resource Managers.

The blood supply in central Pennsylvania is in ‘critical condition,’ with some blood types at less than half of their normal levels.

The pandemic set challenging conditions for blood donations from the beginning and that situation has not improved.

Joining Smart Talk on Tuesday to give context to the situation are Patrick Bradley, President and CEO and Jay Wimer, Director of Community Relations, both with the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank.

Please call us (1-800-771-0059) and schedule an appointment at a blood donation center or with a blood drive.

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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and others are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency saying EPA failed to require Pennsylvania and New York to develop plans to reduce pollution in the bay under two agreements.

According to CBF, Pennsylvania’s plan to meet the 2025 goals in the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint contains improvements over past plans. However, it says the state will meet less than 75 percent of its 31 million-pound nitrogen-reduction commitment, and the plan is underfunded by more than $300 million dollars a year.

The Susquehanna River that runs through Pennsylvania is the largest source of fresh water that empties into the bay.

Appearing on Monday’s Smart Talk to explain the court action is Chesapeake Bay foundation President William Baker.

Also on Smart Talk, even though we all have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, every county, city, and town have had their own unique challenges over the last six months.

PennLive is profiling five counties in a series called The State of the Coronvirus. Reporter Wallace McKelvey describes what he found on Monday’s Smart Talk.

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The Centers for Disease Control warn that it is likely the flu virus and COVID-19 virus will both spread this fall and winter; a worse-case scenario as the nation battles the pandemic.

In the U.S., flu season typically peaks between December and February. During this same time period there are other respiratory viruses circulating, including the common cold and RSV, which is a serious respiratory illness that impacts young children and the elderly.

The challenge for everyone is that these viruses have similar symptoms and it is difficult to discern differences without medical testing. (Virus symptom similarities and differences)

As communities ease pandemic restrictions and kids return to school medical providers are advocating for flu vaccines to mitigate its impact.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss how to navigate the flu season and to answer COVID-19 questions are Dr. Matthew Silvis, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Penn State Health and Dr. Jessica Ericson, MD, pediatric infectious disease specialist with Penn State Children’s Hospital.

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Pennsylvania’s restaurants and taverns are struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First came stay-at-home orders in March. Then, customers could dine outdoors and eventually seating for a limited number of customers indoors was permitted. If a diner wanted an alcoholic drink, they had to have it with food or what was called a meal.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced earlier this week that restaurants could return to 50% capacity on September 21. However, the governor also said no alcohol could be sold after 10 p.m. and sitting at a bar for just to drink was not permitted.

While some restaurants owners say the increased capacity is a step in the right direction, it still may not be enough to keep them from losing money.

Appearing on Friday’s Smart Talk to discuss one of the state’s largest industries and its struggles are Chuck Moran, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association and Jim DeLisio, owner of the Racehorse Tavern in York County and president of the York County Tavern Association.

Also, streams and creeks are an important part of Pennsylvania’s natural landscape. They provide habitat for native species, mitigate flooding, and offer boundless recreation opportunities.

There are more than 85-thousand miles of rivers and streams in the state, and protecting these waters is vital to their health. Only five percent of fresh-water creeks and streams in the U.S. are named; an important distinction for water conservation and pollution control. Water quality experts say that named streams are more likely to be protected from litter and unwanted runoff.

So, what goes into naming creeks and waterways? Joining Smart Talk on Friday is Jennifer Runyan, a researcher with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to talk about the process of naming geographic features.

 

 

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The general election is less than two months away and the stakes have never seemed higher. Election security has taken on a new urgency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and on-going questions about mail-in ballots.

The <a href=”https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pa-mail-ballot-deadlines-disenfranchisement-20200730.html”>primary election in June gave Pennsylvania an opportunity to test the mail-in voting process</a> and they’ve come to a sobering conclusion. <a href=”https://www.pacounties.org/Media/Lists/NewsRelease/customDisplay.aspx?ID=80&amp;RootFolder=%2FMedia%2FLists%2FNewsRelease&amp;Source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epacounties%2Eorg%2FMedia%2FPages%2Fdefault%2Easpx”>Pennsylvania counties will face very real challenges in providing timely results following the election.</a> With the eyes of the nation on Pennsylvania as a key battleground state, this is a potential problem. A potentially big problem.

Appearing on Wednesday’s <em><strong>Smart Talk</strong></em> to discuss what counties are doing to prepare for election day are <a href=”https://www.pacounties.org/GR/Pages/Connect-with-Us.aspx”>Lisa Schaefer, Executive Director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania</a>, along with <a href=”https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/publicly_elected_officials/commissioners/pries.php#:~:text=Mike%20Pries%20is%20Vice%20Chairman,county%20and%20local%20government%20leader.”>Mike Pries, Dauphin County Commissioner </a>and<a href=”https://yorkcountypa.gov/county-administration/commissioners-office/2012-03-15-13-06-07.html”> Julie Wheeler, York County Commissioner. </a>

Pennsylvania’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. <a href=”https://patch.com/pennsylvania/across-pa/2-3-pa-coronavirus-deaths-nursing-homes-county-breakdown”>Early reports show that nearly two-thirds of deaths in the state occurred in these facilities, but the numbers are difficult to verify.</a>

<a href=”https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2020/09/pa-nursing-home-coronavirus-deaths-cases-public-data-missing/”>According to a recent report in Spotlight PA, there is still an incomplete picture of how many lives were lost due to the virus inside these facilities.</a>

<a href=”https://www.spotlightpa.org/authors/jamie-martines/”>Spotlight PA reporter Jamie Martines</a> authored the report and will join <em><strong>Smart Talk</strong></em> to talk about the missing data.

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You’ve probably seen the commercials or heard talk of 5G technology that is being touted by mobile phone carriers.

But what is 5G and how will be different than the 4G technology most of us are now accustomed to?

In simple terms, 5G is the latest generation of technology that will be faster and allow for more data.

On Tuesday’s Smart Talk, we’ll answer questions about 5G and also the issues surrounding TikTok social media and cyber security.

Appearing on the program are Terrill Frantz, Ph.D., Ed.D., Professor of eBusiness and Cybersecurity and Bruce Young, Professor of Cybersecurity, both with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Also, remember the stories last spring of the emergence of the Asian giant hornets or murder hornets as they were called? Turns out Pennsylvania has its own version of a big insect at this time of year — only it’s been around for a long time. Eastern cicada killer wasps come out at this time of year and feed off cicadas, which are making an appearance this summer.

Joining us on Tuesday’s program is Elizabeth Capaldi, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Bucknell University and author of the book Why do Bees Buzz? Fascinating Answers to Questions about Bees.

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