Smart Talk: United Way study draws attention to financial hardships facing families

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A new report is highlighting the financial distress that some Pennsylvania families are experiencing. Even before the pandemic, almost 1.4 million households in the state were one emergency away from financial ruin, and now the situation is worse the study shows.

The ALICE report was published through an initiative of the Pennsylvania network of United Ways. The acronym stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and it is used as a way to raise awareness of the financial issues facing Pennsylvania’s low and middle income working families.

Appearing on Smart Talk Friday to talk about policy priorities are Kristen Rotz, President, United Way of Pennsylvania and Executive Director of PA 211 and Rebecca O’Shea, Advocacy Coordinator, United Way of Pennsylvania.

#SaveOurStages secures a lifeline for independent theaters, venues and festivals

As it became clear the Pandemic restrictions would carry into 2021, a group of over three thousand independent entertainment venues across the country banded together to ask Washington for help.

That help came as part of the most recent COVID-19 relief bill and is called the Save our Stages Act. It is not only independent venues that may benefit, but also zoos, museums, theaters, and even festivals.

Karl Blischke is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and he, along with Hal Real, founder and president of World Café Live and a co-founder and board member of the National Independent Venue Association will join Smart Talk Friday to explain how the relief will be distributed.

Smart Talk: Marsy’s Law passed by voters, overturned in court

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Advocates for Marsy’s Law were dealt a blow this month when a Commonwealth Court threw out the amendment that passed on the ballot in November 2019.

The court decided that the amendment conflicted with a Pennsylvania Constitution provision that requires amendments address a single subject only. Opponents successfully argued the victim’s rights amendment bundled too many changes together.

The amendment, known as Marsy’s Law, would confer certain protections for victims of crimes, not unlike those extended to criminal defendants. Crime victims in Pennsylvania by law are extended statutory not constitutional protections. Pennsylvania is one of only 15 states that denies victims such rights. What happens now will likely rest with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the fight over Marsy’s law are Jen Riley, the Pennsylvania State Director, Marsy’s Law for Pennsylvania, and Jennifer Storm, former Pennsylvania Victim’s Advocate. Steven Bizar with the law firm Dechert LLP, is the lead counsel and a member ACLU of Pennsylvania, and he will join the conversation, too.

“When do we get our Rosie the Riveter moment?”

The paradox of long-term care staffing shortages amid reports of high unemployment is not lost on long-term care workers and administrators.

With plenty of jobs available in the industry, one health administrator is asking how is it that the long-term care industry can need so much help, and the rest of the world is unwilling to provide it?

Erin Viale, is a senior professional in human resources and a licensed nursing home administrator based in Pittsburgh and she joins Smart Talk Thursday. Zachary Shamberg, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) is also on the program with a perspective on the need for workers in this vital industry.

Smart Talk: Counting the number of lives lost to COVID

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The first COVID death in Pennsylvania was recorded on March 18, 2020 — a Northampton County man whose family was already grieving the loss of his sister from the disease in New Jersey. Since that time, more than twenty thousand Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to the virus.

In the first few months of the pandemic a narrative began to develop on social media that hospitals and care centers were paid more money by the government if a patient died of COVID, rather than another cause. This narrative has been fact-checked as misleading, but it continues to sew doubt over COVID data reporting.

An article published in Kaiser Health News demonstrates the alternative impact on families when deaths aren’t counted as COVID, especially when it is a significant contributing cause. Freelance Reporter Melissa Bailey appears on Smart Talk Wednesday to discuss her report.

Also, Stephen Diamantoni, M.D., is the Lancaster County Coroner and he will join Smart Talk share their efforts to report accurate data.

Also on Wednesday’s program is Michelle Duster, author of the just published book Ida B. the Queen – The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells, a biography of Ms. Duster’s great-grandmother – a late 19th and early 20th Century investigative journalist, civil and social rights activist and suffragette.

Smart Talk: NY Times reporter who broke story on Rep. Perry and Trump appears on Smart Talk

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Republican Congressman Scott Perry, who represents Dauphin and portions of York and Cumberland Counties, told WITF he introduced former President Donald Trump to U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Jeffrey Clark — who, the New York Times reported, was part of Trump’s plan to pressure Georgia to overturn its certified election results.

That’s even though no voting irregularities were found in Georgia.

Perry is being criticized and demands for his resignation are being made by some Democrats.

Catie Edmondson is one of the New York Times journalists who reported the story and joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to explain what was reported.

Pennsylvania will soon consider legislation aimed at preventing violence in schools.

The legislation is called the Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) Students Act, which is modeled after an organization established to protect children from gun violence.

The Sandy Hook Promise was founded by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012; one of the deadliest school shootings in the country.

The legislation would teach youth and adults how to prevent school violence, shootings, and how to identify at-risk behaviors and intervene to get help.

Mark Barden is the co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and the father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. He appears on Smart Talk to discuss the need for legislative action. Also appearing on the program to talk about the experience in their district are Thomas R. Mitchell, Superintendent, Westmont Hilltop School District (Johnstown) and William A. Aurandt, assistant High School Principal, Westmont Hilltop (Johnstown).

 

Listen to Smart Talk every weekday at 9am and 7pm on WITF 89.5 & 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.”

The New York Times reported this weekend that Republican Congressman Scott Perry, who represents Dauphin and portions of Cumberland and York Counties, collaborated with former President Donald Trump in a scheme to overturn legally certified election results in Georgia.

The Times reported Perry connected Trump with Philadelphia lawyer Jeffrey Clark, who was an acting assistant attorney general at the U.S. Justice Department and who was sympathetic to Trump’s effort to push an election-fraud lie to stay in power. It said Trump considered firing acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who was not willing to pursue Trump’s claims in the swing state.

Monday’s Smart Talk looks at the fallout from the report.

Also on the program, there are 67 counties in Pennsylvania, each one with unique municipalities and governing demands. The 2020 election proved to be an enormous challenge for all of them.

Each year, the state’s County Commissioners assemble a list of legislative priorities that best represent the interests of all of them. In 2021, their top priority is election reform based on each county’s experience during the November General Election.

Because county governments provide direct human services to their constituents, their priorities are often high stake. The 2021 legislative priorities reflect this.

Joining us on Monday’s Smart Talk to detail the 2021 County Government priorities are Lisa Schaefer, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, and Kevin Boozel, CCAP president and a Butler County commissioner.

Smart Talk: Electing judges by district

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Pennsylvania state legislators are considering a move that would change the way appellate judges are elected to the courts.

Currently, judges are elected statewide, the proposed legislation would allow voters to elect them by district. Advocates say the change will give rural Pennsylvanians a greater voice in who is elected to the courts. Opponents believe it makes the system vulnerable to gerrymandering and partisan abuse.

In order to be changed, the legislation must still pass the Senate, then be approved by both chambers before going to voters as a referendum.

Pennsylvania Republican State Representative Russ Diamond, of Lebanon County, sponsors this legislation and he joins Smart Talk Friday. Debbie Gross, President and CEO of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, will join the conversation to offer another perspective.

The Capitol in Harrisburg faced a political insurrection in 1838

Sentinel reporter and author Joseph Cress says that parallels exist between what happened in Pennsylvania in 1838 and what happened in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election; a dispute over election returns.

The account of what became known as the Buckshot War, is based on a chapter called “Mobocracy” from Cress’s book “Hidden History of Cumberland County.” He appears on Smart Talk to share details of an historic event that still echoes today.

Smart Talk: How healthy is the Chesapeake Bay?

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The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including the Susquehanna, are recognized as a national treasure. The Bay watershed is vast, spanning more than 64 thousand square miles and covering parts of six states and the District of Columbia.

The Bay itself is the third largest estuary in the world and impacted by everything that happens along its tributaries and coastline. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation tracks the health of the Bay by monitoring key indicators and this year’s report is not favorable. Of the 13 indicators, four showed declines since the last report, earning an overall grade of D plus.

Will Baker is the President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and will join Smart Talk Thursday with Harry Campbell, the CBF Science Policy and Advocacy Director in Pennsylvania.

Susquehanna River Basin Commission marks 50 years

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is celebrating 50 years and making plans for the next 50.

The Susquehanna River Basin Compact was adopted by the Federal Government and river states fifty years ago to lead preservation efforts along with river. Some of their tasks include mitigating the potential for flood damage, monitoring development along the river and protecting habitat. How well have they done?

Andrew D. Dehoff, is the Executive Director of the Commission and he’ll join Smart Talk to highlight their accomplishments and plans for protecting the waterway in the future.

Smart Talk: The Inauguration of President Joe Biden

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The Inauguration of a new President of the United States is history making to begin with. Some become even more memorable for the message the new president conveys. The Inaugural addresses of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural come to mind.

However, Wednesday’s Inauguration of Joe Biden is unprecedented. The coronavirus pandemic will keep the crowds that usually are in the tens of thousands away, it comes two weeks after an armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Biden will be presiding over a nation probably more divided than any time since the Civil War.

On Wednesday’s Smart Talk, we discuss Biden’s priorities with Christopher Borick, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science and Director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

Also, Gettysburg College historian Michael Birkner, Ph.D., joins us to talk about transitioning to a new presidency while the country is so polarized.

“Everyone has a story to tell”

PBS American Portrait is a national story-telling project that invited people across the country to use photos, videos and words to tell their own stories to illustrate who we are as a people.

WITF is participating in this digital storytelling project and produced a television special that will star the people of Central Pennsylvania in their own words. WITF is hosting a virtual sneak preview screening of our local special on Thursday, January 21 at 7pm. The production will air on WITF-TV on January 25 at 9pm.

Keira McGuire, health reporter and multimedia producer for WITF, joins Smart Talk Wednesday to share details.

Visit PBS American Portrait and follow the conversation at #AmericanPortraitPBS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to view the thousands of national stories already submitted. This production is supported by Presbyterian Senior Living.

Smart Talk: Thousands of Pa kids with autism may lose access to services

Listen to Smart Talk every weekday at 9am and 7pm on WITF 89.5 & 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.”

Families, service providers and advocates are drawing attention to the likelihood that a state policy change will leave thousands of children with autism without their regular therapy.

Under the policy change that was set to take effect Jan. 17, children who attend therapy at clinics will no longer be able to have those services paid for by federal Medical Assistance. This therapy helps the children learn crucial skills and reach milestones, such as communicating and interacting with others.

There are more than 100,000 children in Pennsylvania living with autism, and this policy change will impact those who receive services in a clinic setting.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the issue and the impact are Brett Sholtis, WITF Transforming Health Reporter, Michelle DeMarsh, founder of Pennsylvania Autism Action Center and Kathleen Bailey Stengel, CEO of NeurAbilities Healthcare.

Solar energy boom leaves communities at crossroads

The demand for green energy is only increasing as the world looks for more sustainable energy options. Solar power is one such option experiencing significant growth. In fact, Pennsylvania is on the cusp of a solar development boom.

There are currently more than 350 solar projects proposed in the commonwealth, in various stages of planning. Some of these projects are meeting considerable opposition in the communities where they will be built.

Rachel McDevitt, StateImpact PA reporter, is covering the controversy, along with some of the misinformation about solar power and she appears on Smart Talk Tuesday.

 

MLK Day: Reflections on “racial reckoning”

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Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. — a day to honor the late civil rights leader. Dr. King was viewed as the nation’s leading advocate of equality and justice for African-Americans during the 1960s – what has been referred to as the Civil Rights Era in America.

The King holiday would seem to be even more significant in 2021 after the “Racial Reckoning” that swept the country after the death of George Floyd while in police custody last May.
Floyd’s death set off protests against police violence toward minorities that expanded into demonstrations and acknowledgement of discrimination, inequality and injustice.

Monday’s Smart Talk focuses on whether the last six months has brought change and if we as a nation are any closer to King’s vision of racial equality.

Scheduled to appear on the program are Lancaster City Council President Ismail Smith Wade-El, Sandra Thompson – York area attorney, and president of the NAACP, and Professor Stephanie Jirard, Chief Equity Officer at Shippensburg University.