Author: julrich

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, October 9, 2018:

Smart Talk premiered on October 9, 2008, in response to the Great Recession (as it became known). The program was designed to engage and answer Central Pennsylvanians’ questions about the worst economic downturn since the 1930s. The program was supposed to be temporary but just a month after its debut, voters went to the polls to elect a new president. They voted, primarily, between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

It was decided that the “temporary” Smart Talk program would stay on-the-air at least through the historic election that had generated excitement across the country.

History was made when Obama became the nation’s first African-American president.

When Smart Talk became a permanent fixture on WITF — politics and public policy was a major topic of discussion.

Smart Talk’s 10th anniversary continues Tuesday with a look back at politics over the past decade with Franklin and Marshall College political analyst and historian Dr. G. Terry Madonna.

Also on Smart Talk, the Duncannon Borough Council voted in September to secure a conservation easement of more than 1600 acres under the protection of The Nature Conservancy. The easement protects a portion of the Sherman’s creek watershed from future development and is part of the Kittatinny Ridge.

The Kittatinny Ridge, also known as Blue Mountain, runs through Pennsylvania for 185 miles and is home to a portion of the Appalachian Trail. The ridge is a veritable highway; an important raptor migration corridor in the northeastern U.S. and used by literally tens of thousands of hawks, eagles, and falcons each fall. Other species, in addition to raptors, migrate through the area, including Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Monarch Butterflies.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is among the best known hawk watching sites in the East and is located on the ridge. Hawk Mountain is a 2,500-acre sanctuary and the world’s first refuge for birds of prey. The scenic overlooks are open to the public and are an important location for volunteers who are counting raptors during the annual migration.

On Smart Talk today, is Bill Kunze, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and Laurie Goodrich, Ph.D., Director of Long-Term Monitoring, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, October 8, 2018:

Ten years ago this week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 700 points. During the previous week, the Dow went down by almost 23-hundred points and General Motors stock lost 31 percent of its value.

The economic news kept getting worse; 478-thousand people filed for jobless benefits during the previous week and the economy lost 159 thousand jobs the month before. There were banks going out of business and those still open weren’t lending money. The federal government had approved a $700 billion bailout – mostly for banks and major industries the week before.

A recession that began with the subprime mortgage crisis, loans made to people with poor credit histories and purchased by financial institutions who acquired those mortgages, was in full swing. It was called the Great Recession and it was the worst financial collapse in the United States since The Great Depression in the 1930s.

Everyone was impacted in one way or another and the economic collapse was all anyone could talk about.

WITF made a programming decision to engage the community and provide information on the floundering economy. Appearing on that first Radio Smart Talk were Scott Ehrig, M&T Bank and Rick Rodgers, Rodgers and Associates. Beth from Dover was Smart Talk’s very first caller, but was one of many with questions and comments.

Radio Smart Talk was just getting started as the economy continued to falter, but there was a presidential election in just a few weeks pitting Democrat Barack Obama against Republican John McCain. There was plenty to talk about and plans to make Radio Smart Talk temporary changed.

On the show today are Scott Gilbert, first Smart Talk host and WITF’s news director at the time, economy experts Scott Ehrig, FMA Advisory, INC., and Rick Rodgers, Rodgers and Associates.

Also today, lead inspectors are warning that there are homes needed tested but due to a recent change in how inspectors are paid many go without. A state policy change has cut off the funding source that used to pay for lead inspections across Pennsylvania.

Under the old system, lead inspectors would bill the state $350 for each home inspection, which would help pay for testing supplies and pay the inspectors.

Under a new system, which began this year, the state requires Medicaid insurers to pay for lead testing and set up separate conracts with lead inspectors to perform the service. This new layer of bureacracy means that fewer inspections are being done, but the problem of lead contamination in area homes has not changed.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss the changes and how they are affecting public health are WITF Transforming Health reporter Brett Sholtis, Leesa Allen, Executive Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and April Hutcheson, Director of Communications with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, October, 3, 2018:

When there is a medical emergency, you pick up the phone, dial 9-1-1 and first responders come to your aid. But what happens if there is no one there to answer your call?

Local emergency service providers are in a crisis and few Pennsylvanians realize how bad the situation is and how it may affect them, personally.

EMS providers say a lack of reliable and sustainable funding and staffing shortages are threatening the future of EMS services throughout the state. Without a solution, some EMS service providers may close their doors for good, leaving no one there to “answer the phone.” Already, there are half as many EMS services now than in the 1990s in Pennsylvania.

We discuss the EMS crisis on Wednesday’s Smart Talk with David Sanko, Executive Director, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Jason Campbell, CEO South Central EMS service, and Donald A. DeReamus, Legislative Committee Chair, Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, October, 2, 2018:

The country of Venezuela, situated on the northern end of South America, is a topographically diverse and resource rich nation. The capital Caracas is the nation’s center of industry, commerce, education, and tourism. In the last century, Venezuela transformed from a relatively poor farming society to a rapidly urbanizing one, made possible by the discovery and exploitation of huge petroleum reserves.

Some estimates list Venezuela as having 20% of the global oil reserves and during the 21st century they became one of the world’s largest exporters of oil. During that time, oil production also became nationalized and what was once a bright future, became plagued with corruption and mismanagment. Many problems affecting the oil industry are directly attributed to the rise and control of Hugo Chavez in the late 1990’s and exacerbated his successor Nicolás Maduro, who remains in power.

Today, there is widespread social upheaval, rapid and uncontrolled inflation, and a population migration into neighboring countries that is threatening to destabalize the entire region. Additionally, economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in the spring has created an environment primed for other nations to step in offering aid and influence. China is filling that role.

Joining Smart Talk on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Venezuela is Dr. Evan Ellis, Latin America Research Professor, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.

Also on Smart Talk, the Green Party Senate candidate Neal Gale from Abington Township, Montgomery County. Smart Talk has invited the candidates for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and governor to appear on the program so that voters can hear where they stand on the issues. The conversations are intended to allow candidates to state their positions and to provide information to voters to help them decide which candidates to support.

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Pennsylvania is in the midst of a pipeline-building boom, and the Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids line is set to come online soon. With it, there is controversy — and fear. WITF’s StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Marie Cusick covers pipeline construction and energy issues in Pennsylvania, and she found that fear is a common thread in the neighborhoods and communities where pipelines are constructed. Marie Cusick is on Smart Talk to discuss how perceived risk and fear are impacting people in pipeline construction zones.

A new survey from the AARP Foundation found that one in three U.S. adults age 45 and older are lonely. Although this ratio has not changed since an earlier study in 2010, there are nearly five million more adults in this age category than before because of a growth within the population. The survey found that unpaid caregivers, low-income individuals, and those who identify as LGBTQ are at increased risk for chronic loneliness. Joining us on Smart Talk to discuss the survey and ways to combat loneliness is Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president, AARP Foundation.

The novel An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is the WITF September ‘Pick of the Month.‘ Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of the American Dream but they are ripped apart when Roy is arrested for a crime his wife knows he didn’t commit. Jones will make an appearance at The Midtown Scholar Bookstore during the Harrisburg Book Festival on Thursday, October 11. She will lead a discussion on the book, answer audience questions and conduct a book signing. Friday on Smart Talk, we’re joined by author Tayari Jones.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, September 27, 2018:

Don’t miss the broadcast premiere of Battling Opioids: A Project of Pennsylvania Public Media, today at 8pm on WITF TV. The first 60 minutes of the magazine style format program consists of stories from around the Commonwealth that focuses on stigma, prevention and treatment. The final 30 minutes of the program will consist of a live panel discussion. An 800 number will be on screen allowing viewers to call for information and resources that are available throughout the state. Today, on WITF-TV.

On Smart Talk, we’ll focus on the opioid crisis in our rural communities. Drug overdose deaths are rising in rural areas, surpassing rates in urban areas. What are the unique challenges these communities face when fighting the epidemic?

We’re joined by Kristin Daneker, Executive Director/Clinical Supervisor, Perry Human Services, to discuss the unique nature of addiction in rural Pennsylvania.

Also, the September 2018 Franklin & Marshall College poll is out and we’ll talk results with Dr. G. Terry Madonna.

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The FDA put the vaping industry on notice in September, issuing warning letters and fines to five major manufacturers and more than 1,300 retailers who have illegally sold e-cigarette products to minors. Their actions are in response to what they say is an epidemic among youth.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., says they are seeing clear signs that youth use of electronic cigarettes has reached an epidemic proportion, and a strategy to stem this “clear and present danger” starts with cracking down on retail sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

There are different names for vapes or e-cigarettes, but products do this same thing; turning a liquid chemical mixture of flavoring and nicotine into an aerosol that is inhaled. Vaping and e-cigarettes use started as an alternative to cigarette smoking to help people kick that habit.

Cigarette smoke contains around 7,000 measurable chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens. E-cigarette aerosols measure only 10 to 15. However, there are many unknown risks because there have been no long-term studies.

The American Lung Association expressed concern about the possible health consequences of e-cigarettes and lack of government oversite of the products. A statement on their website says that absent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, there is no way for the public health and medical community or consumers to know what chemicals are contained in e-cigarettes or what the short and long-term health implications might be.

Joining Smart Talk on Wednesday to discuss e-cigarette use among youth and the public is Erika Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, Jennifer Hobbs Folkenroth, national senior director, tobacco, American Lung Association, and Dr. Jonathan Foulds, professor of public health sciences and psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine. Foulds is also the project leader and principal investigator at Penn State Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science. Also joining the conversation is Dionne Baylor, supervisor and prevention specialist with Dauphin County Department of Drug & Alcohol Services.

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