Author: fvigeant

Smart Talk is premiering a new and special feature – “First Friday.” The first Friday of every month we’re devoting the program to the arts, with particular attention to the arts in central Pennsylvania. We’ll talk with artists, musicians, actors, directors – anyone and anything connected to the arts.

The debut of Smart Talk First Friday includes a look at the comeback of one of the region’s largest music festivals and art in the form of murals throughout the region.

Our first conversation is on Lancaster Roots and Blues, A Festival of Music and Art that features 80 musicians performing 100 concerts at seven venues on 10 stages October 15^th, 16^th and 17^th..  Festival director Rich Ruoff is with us.

Then we’ll hear from Sprocket Mural Works, that is producing its 50^th mural in Harrisburg this weekend with an eye toward community and diversity. Sprocket’s President and Co-Founder Meg Caruso and mural artist Bryan Hickman join us in conversation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Pennsylvania-born Daniel Boone was perhaps America’s best-known and celebrated frontiersman when the frontier was west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Boone made his name as a hunter and trapper early in his life but eventually led white Americans into the wilds of present-day Kentucky.

A new book — Blood and Treasure Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier – chronicles Boone’s adventures and his numerous battles with Native Americans.

Best-selling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavine wrote the book. Drury joins us on Smart Talk.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The number of hate crimes almost doubled in Pennsylvania last year from 2019 and were up nationwide to the highest level since 2008. That’s according to the latest report from the FBI. There were 81 hate crimes investigated in Pennsylvania in 2020.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

African-Americans were most often targeted in hate crimes last year but so were Jewish people and properties and Asian-Americans.

Thursday’s Smart Talk investigates why there are more hate crimes and what can be done to stop them.

Appearing on the program are Shira Goodman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, Philadelphia, and Kenneth Huston, President of the Pennsylvania NAACP State Conference.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The U.S. has an obesity epidemic and the problem has been made worse by the pandemic. A small Harvard study showed an average weight gain in adults of almost 1.5 pounds each month, which would add up to about 25 pounds during the height of the pandemic.

Children have not escaped the pandemic weight gain, in fact, because they have spent time away from school and activities the potential for gaining weight gained steam. One researcher is calling the rise in childhood obesity as ‘staggering.’  With obesity affecting more than one in six children, parents and caregivers are looking for solutions.

Appearing on Smart Talk Wednesday to provide context to this issue are Dr. Marsha Novick, MD, board-certified family physician and an obesity medicine specialist with Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Susan Gilbert, RD/N and board certified specialist in obesity and weight management (nutrition) with Penn State Health Hershey Children’s Hospital, Dr. Jennifer Dorau, Psy.D, a licensed psychologist with the Adolescent Medicine Department of Penn  State Health, and Michael Nelson, an exercise physiologist with Penn State Health.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

One of the reason the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex in Surfside, Florida, shocked so many people is how uncommon it is for a building to fall down in the United States without the presence of a natural disaster or criminal intent, like a terrorist attack. The tragedy, in which at least 11 people died and another 150 remain unaccounted for, has transfixed the nation’s attention.

Local building codes and numerous safety inspections in the U.S. are meant to ensure structures are durable and safe.

Tuesday’s Smart Talk won’t speculate on what caused the Surfside collapse, but we will speak with a structural engineer about why structures may fail.

Appearing on the program is David J. Odeh, Principal at Odeh Engineering in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Department of Labor and Industry rolls out new unemployment compensation system

Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians lost their jobs when the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March 2020. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, like their counterparts in other states, was overwhelmed with unemployment compensation claims — the only source of income for many individuals and families.

It did not go well for many who waited for long periods of time to get their claims processed and had trouble contacting the department. Part of the reason was the department’s computer system was antiquated by today’s standards.

Earlier this month, the department implemented a new unemployment compensation system.

Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier joins us on Smart Talk more details.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.”

First it was mass shootings. Now it’s a significant increase in the number of murders across the country.

President Joe Biden released a five-point plan last week to combat violence – specifically gun violence. It includes money for the hiring of more police officers just a year after racial injustice protestors often called for spending less on police departments or even defunding the police.

What’s driving the surge in homicides that are up since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic? Gun sales are way up but experts say that’s not the only factor. More people losing their incomes and being cooped up may be contributors as well.

On Monday’s Smart Talk, we’re joined by two nationally known experts to discuss the rising murder rate. Appearing on the program are Dr. Cassandra Crifasi, Deputy Director, Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Jeff Asher, data analyst and co-founder of AH Datalytic.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Unlike some other awareness campaigns, the issues that get attention during this month have grown and expanded as society and technology changes.

Sexual assault awareness in the past may have focused on rape or just on women. Today, there is a broader discussion of sexual violence that includes child sexual assault, date rape, sexual assaults on college campuses, same sex sexual violence, sexting online without permission and sexual harassment.

Monday’s Smart Talk is centered on these and other issues with our guests Jim Willshier, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and Lily Duarte-Evans, Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Services Program Director, YWCA Carlisle.

If you are a victim of sexual assault and need immediate assistance, please contact our toll free hotline at 1-888-772-7227 or find your local rape crisis center.

Safe Secure Kids provides free resources to help communicate with children about respect and consent.

ABUSE SURVIVOR TELLS HER STORY OF LIVING WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES

Child sexual abuse and other traumatic childhood events can have a profound impact on the lives of survivors.

Abuse survivor, former elementary school principal and pastor Lyn Barrett unfortunately knows from experience. Ms. Barrett suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. She tells her story in an upcoming book Crazy: In Search of a Narrative and a new eBook, DID Unpacked: A Parable.

Lyn Barrett appears on Monday’s Smart Talk.

Join Lyn Barrett on Tuesday, April 20 for a longer conversation with Safe Communities. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

National Geographic  photographer Joel Sartore is a man on a mission, and time is running out. Not for him, but for the subjects of his work.

Sartore is the founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark, a 25-year documentary project to save species and habitat around the world by bringing attention to their plight. He hopes the photographs will encourage people to do something before it’s too late.

Sartore’s goal is to photograph the more than twelve thousand animal species currently living in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. He is more than halfway there.

Some of his subjects are already gone. In 2008, Sartore photographed “Bryn,” the last remaining Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. Her death marked the species extinction.

Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark will be featured at The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, Millersburg, Pa, through the end of August. He will be speaking there from 3-4 on Saturday, July 28.

Sartore joins us Tuesday to talk about his project and the status of at-risk species.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in Pennsylvania, according to an article in the Public Opinion reporting on census trends. In fact, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the fastest growing racial groups in the United States.

Like any group of people, they are not immune to the social influences and issues affecting society today. Issues such as the opioid epidemic, sexual assault, domestic violence, and bullying impact their communities without distinction.

Governor Tom Wolf’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs is hosting a symposium on Saturday, July 28, at the State Museum to highlight these complex issues and give participants access to local and state resources.

Joining us in the studio is Tiffany Chang Lawson, the Executive Director of the advisory commission and Dr. Sue Mukherjee, Vice Chair, Jobs that Pay Committee, to discuss the event and how they hope it will impact the AAPI community.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The subject of caves gained prominence in light of the Thailand cave rescue. According to cavers from Franklin and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania is home to over a thousand caves.   

Caves are formed when rock is dissolved by acidic rainwater that seeps through tiny pores in the rock surface. After tens of thousands of years, a cave is formed. 

Some of Pennsylvania’s largest caves extend over a mile in length and reach more than 200 feet in depth.Exploring caves is called caving or spelunking, and some area hobbyists have been practicing for over 50 years. Many are drawn to the historical and scientific significance of caves, while others seek the thrill of exploration. 

Caves are essential to environmental ecosystems. Animals and plants make their homes in caves and it is where rain is filtered before returning to the earth’s water supply. When exploring, cavers are careful not to disturb the natural way of life, taking nothing but pictures and leaving nothing but footprints. 

Discussing cave exploration in Pennsylvania on Monday’s Smart Talk are Franklin County caver Patrick Minnick and Kim Schwartz, general manager of Indian Echo Caverns. 

Also on today’s Smart Talk, Mimi Barash Coppersmith joins us to talk about her recently published memoir “Eat First, Cry Later: The Life Lessons of a First-Generation College Graduate, Penn State Alumna and Female CEO.” 

The book details her life from childhood through her mid-80s. She was born during the Great Depression and grew up a Jewish Pennsylvanian girl during World War II. She attended Penn State University and has remained an active member of the Penn State community. She has also been involved in numerous charitable organizations and events. She made her way as a businesswoman when the field was largely dominated by men; she has experienced the losses of several people close to her, and she has combatted breast cancer and mental illness. During her life, she found purpose in helping people and developed into a feminist.

These experiences taught Mimi Barash Coppersmith many influential lessons, 48 of which she enumerates throughout her book. Several of these lessons involve helping and receiving help from others and the importance of interpersonal connections. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Pennsylvania farms that produce dairy products have been one of the crown jewels of the state’s agriculture industry.  Pennsylvania has the second most dairy farms in the country — about 16% of the entire nation’s dairy farms.  That’s even though the state has lost about 800 dairy farms since 2010.

Pennsylvania dairy farmers are facing challenges on several fronts right now that is making it difficult to succeed.  There’s a glut of milk on the market while consumers are drinking less milk and are turning to alternatives to milk like soy, coconut or almond beverages — some of which refer to themselves as milk but as dairy farmers vehemently point out — isn’t milk.

Adding to the headaches for last month is the cancellation of contracts between milk distributors and dozens of dairy farms. Retaliation for tariffs placed on aluminum and steel imports by the Trump Administration may also have an impact on dairy farmers if other countries retaliate with tariffs of their own.

June is National Dairy Month and the dairy industry is encouraging the state’s consumers to buy Pennsylvania dairy products.

On Tuesday’s Smart Talk, we look at Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.

Appearing on the program are David Smith, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, Jayne Sebright, Executive Director at the Center for Dairy Excellence and Lolly Lesher, Way-Har Farms near Bernville in Berks County.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS