Clergy Abuse and Harrisburg Finances; Journalists Weigh In

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What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, July 17, 2018:

On Tuesday’s Smart Talk, guest host Katie Meyer kicks off the hour with a discussion of a grand jury report that’s hanging over Pennsylvania.

It’s an investigation of sexual abuse of children by clergy in six of the commonwealth’s eight Catholic diocese. And it’s stalled because current and former clergy are appealing to the state Supreme Court, arguing it would wrongly tarnish people’s reputations.

Angela Couloumbis of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Liz Navratil of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette join us to discuss what might be in the report, and the legal intricacies keeping it from release.

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Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis

And in the second part of the show, we turn our attention to local issues. Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse recently declared a fiscal crisis, amid an effort to exit the “distressed city” classification while keeping the special taxing authority that came with it.

WITF’s Keystone Crossroads reporter Emily Previti helps fill in the backstory of Harrisburg’s financial woes. And city reporter Lizzy Hardison of The Burg brings us up to speed on the latest developments.

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Lizzy Hardison and Emily Previti