Author: julrich

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, February 22, 2018:

Republican legislative leaders have requested a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overstepped its authority when it adopted its own map for the state’s Congressional district boundaries earlier this week. Read more about it here.  

Republicans claim the Pennsylvania Supreme Court usurped a Constitutional responsibility of the legislature when it created its own map.

The new congressional map overhauls a Republican-drawn map in 2011 widely viewed as among the nation’s most gerrymandered.

Republicans argue the new map now tips the scale in favor of Democrats and has created “chaos and confusion” ahead of the May 15 primary election.

Other organizations are also speaking out about the new map. Minority advocacy groups are concerned the new plan may dilute votes from black communities.

WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer and WITF Keystone Crossroads reporter Emily Previti appear on Thursdays Smart Talk to break down this issue and discuss the GOP legal challenge.

We also hear from Micah Sims, Executive Director of the good government group Common Cause Pennsylvania.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, February 21, 2018:

When the history of public broadcasting is written, one of the icons will be Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood — the children’s TV show that premiered on February 19, 1968 — 50 years ago this week.

Wednesday’s Smart Talk is a special one as we make a Road Trip to the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. We discuss Fred Rogers’ legacy with several people who knew and worked with him, the history of the TV show and describe an exhibit at the History Center that includes Mr. Rogers’ living room and the Great Oak Tree, where Henrietta Pussycat and X the Owl lived.

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a different kind of TV show for children and it was made that way by Fred Rogers.  Fred Rogers was a soft-spoken and gentle man who didn’t speak down to children.  While kids were entertained, they also were learning valuable life lessons from Mr. Rogers.

Appearing on Wednesday’s program are: Deborah Acklin, President & CEO WQED Multimedia; Paul Siefkin-President, Fred Rogers Company;  Margaret Whitmer – Director of Video Production and Special Events, Fred Rogers Company & served as producer on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; Emily Ruby, Curator, Heinz History Center; Dr. Mariruth Leftwich, director of education, Heinz History Center; and David Newell Mr. McFeely himself.

The fourth floor Special Collections Gallery in the Heinz History Center displays the largest collection of original items from the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” television set on public view.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, February 19, 2018:

More than 100 people have died from the flu this season in Pennsylvania and it’s considered the worst flu season in 10 years.  One-hundred-years-ago, the 1918 flu pandemic killed 50 to 100 million people or about three to five percent of the world’s population.  500 million people were infected.  It was one of the worst natural disasters in world history – maybe even worse than the Black Death in the 1300s.  What happened a century ago?

Dr. Michael Neiberg, Professor of History and Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy, United States Army War College.

His published work specializes on the First and Second World Wars in global context. The Wall Street Journal named his Dance of the Furies: Europe and the Outbreak of World War I (Harvard University Press, 2011) one of the five best books ever written about that war.

It’s President’s Day – holiday that was derived from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays.  Both Washington and Lincoln are considered two of our best and most successful presidents.  What makes a president successful?  Is there a difference between being popular and being successful?

Dr. David O’Connell, assistant professor of political science at Dickinson College

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What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, February 16, 2018:

The sad reality is there is a mass shooting in this country every few months.  The latest occurred Wednesday at a high school in South Florida where 17 people were killed and just as many wounded.  The 19-year-old, who is accused of the shooting, is in custody and has been described as having access to guns and being troubled emotionally.

The heartbreak, tears and anger are expressed in every corner of the nation and in most social media posts.  Most ask why these shootings keep happening and often point to easy access to guns or mental illness — or maybe a combination.

Much of the anger is directed at those who say nothing can be done to stop the shootings or haven’t acted to make an attempt to prevent them.

Friday’s Smart Talk guest says no matter what the causes, institutions and places where there are large gatherings of people must prepare for the worst — an active shooter.  Kevin Doss is the founder of Level 4 Security, has consulted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service and has written a book called Active Shooter: Preparing for and Responding to a Growing Threat.

Also, February is Heart Health Month.  On Friday’s show, we look at a condition that effects about five million Americans.  It’s called atrial fibrillation and it results in more than 88 thousand deaths a year.  As baby boomers age, those numbers could grow.  To discuss Afib with us is Dr. Soraya Samii, a heart rhythm specialist at Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, February 15, 2018:

When President Trump was campaigning for office, one of his promises was to upgrade and modernize the nation’s infrastructure.  The word “crumbling” would usually precede infrastructure.

It was an issue that in a country often divided along party and political lines, there was agreement that roads, bridges, dams and the power grid were outdated and in need of repair and modernization.  Both sides also thought of infrastructure as a major jobs creator too.

Earlier this week, Trump released details of a $1.5 trillion plan that relies heavily on state and private money to get paid for.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has been calling for improvements to the nation’s infrastructure for the past two decades.  Every few years, the organization issues a report card.  Last year, the nation got a D+.  The last report for Pennsylvania’s infrastructure was in 2014 and the state was graded with a C-.

We discuss the president’s infrastructure plan and Pennsylvania’s infrastructure needs on Thursday’s Smart Talk with Kristina Swallow, President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Gregory Scott, Chairman of the ASCE’s Pittsburgh Section Government Relations Committee and Robert Lathum, Executive Vice President at Associated Pennsylvania Constructors and with the PA Highway Information Association.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, February 14, 2018:

Governor Tom Wolf has rejected a Republican-drawn congressional map designed to replace the one deemed unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. The Democrat says the map is still too partisan–while the GOP maintains it follows the court’s order, saying the governor based his decision on that the map wouldn’t favor Democrats.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, with a Democratic majority, ruled last month that the current Congressional district map, drawn up by the Republican majority in the legislature, was gerrymandered to give Republican candidates an advantage in elections. In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Debra McCloskey Todd said that the state’s congressional district map violates voters’ rights to free and equal elections under the state constitution.

The Court gave the legislature until last Friday to come up with a new map and submit it Gov. Wolf, who had until Thursday to send it to the Court.  The Supreme Court will decide on their own map if they aren’t satisfied.

WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer appears on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to break down this complicated issue.

We also hear from the good government group Common Cause Pennsylvania which wants maps that are more reflective of the state’s diversity.

Executive Director Micah Sims joins us on the program.

 

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What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, February 13, 2018:

The number of Americans dying of opioid overdoses continues to rise. It has been accurately described as a crisis and an epidemic.  The increasing number of opioid overdose deaths has been declared a national emergency by President Trump and a state emergency by Governor Wolf.

But the crisis has also been thought of as something that just affects young people.  However, nearly 42,000 Americans over the age of 45 died from an opioid overdose in 2016.  That’s about 42% of all overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Tuesday’s Smart Talk focuses on what the Pennsylvania Department of Aging calls the hidden epidemic of substance abuse in older Pennsylvanians.

Appearing on the program are Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne and Dr. Ming Wang, an addiction medicine physician at Caron Treatment Centers.

For more on the opioid epidemic visit WITF’s Transforming Health.

Also, when most people picture concentration camps, their first thoughts are of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.  Unfortunately, those concentration camps in Europe before and during World War II are not the only examples of people suffering captivity because of their religion, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity or political beliefs.

That’s according to renowned author Andrea Pitzer in her latest book One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps. Pitzer joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the book that Smithsonian Magazine named one of the Ten Best History books of 2017.

Andrea Pitzer also appears at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, February 12, 2018:

Pennsylvania farmers are wary of President Trump’s threat to withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA with Mexico and Canada.  Throughout his campaign, Trump called NAFTA a bad deal for the U.S.  Now the president seems intent on renegotiating NAFTA.

37% of foreign agricultural export products from Pennsylvania go to Mexico and Canada and Pennsylvania has gained 1.5 million farm-related jobs since NAFTA’s implementation in 1994.  So, the state’s farmers have a huge stake in a new trade agreement or eliminating NAFTA altogether.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Rick Ebert has expressed the need for NAFTA’s strong agricultural component and he explains on Monday’s Smart Talk.

Meanwhile, while Pennsylvania has the second most dairy farms in the country — second only to Wisconsin — more farmers are getting out of the dairy business.  The state lost 120 dairy farms in 2016.

There are several reasons including a steady decline in milk consumption in the U.S. since the 1970s, milk production growing in other countries and regulated milk prices.

What does the future look like for Pennsylvania’s dairy industry?

That’s the question we’ll discuss on Monday’s Smart Talk with Jayne Sebright, Executive Director of Center for Dairy Excellence and David Smith, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, February 9, 2018:

Last May, the Exelon Corporation announced it would be closing its Three Mile Island Generating Station in the fall of 2019.  The Fortune 100 energy company is citing overburdensome regulation and exclusion from Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard as cause to close the historic nuclear plant.

The two-unit power plant came online in 1974 and became a household word in 1979 following the release of radioactive reactor coolant and a partial meltdown.

Guest Mark Szybist with the National Resource Defense Council says that now is the time for Pennsylvania to scale up renewable energy programs like wind and solar to fill the void left by the reduction in nuclear energy demand.  Will Pennsylvania see this as an opportunity or stayed grounded in the debate.

StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration between WITF, WHYY, WESA and the Allegheny Front covering the commonwealth’s energy economy.  The partnership produces multimedia reports on the energy industry, the economic and environmental impact of energy choices, and how energy production affects the health of citizens and communities.  StateImpact Pennsylvania recently expanded with the help of a major grant from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.

We’ll learn more about that expansion with Scott Blanchard, Editor, StateImpact Pennsylvania.

Best-selling author George Saunders is appearing at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg Friday night.  His latest book is a historical fiction novel entitled Lincoln in the Bardo.  Saunders talks about the book on Friday’s program.

 

 

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What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, February 8, 2018:

The average person on the street may not be able to explain net neutrality because they may or may not have come up against limitations when they logged on to the internet to view their favorite websites.

The Federal Communication Commission voted in December to repeal rules that regulated the broadband industry.  Those rules had been put in place under the Obama Administration.  They kept internet service providers from interfering with internet traffic or speeds and favoring some sites over others.  Republicans, who are in the majority on the FCC, said the rules were burdensome regulations to providers like Comcast and Verizon and restricted investment in infrastructure.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro was one of 22 attorneys general who filed suit claiming consumers would be harmed by possible rising prices and limited choices of websites.

Attorney General Shapiro explains on Thursday’s Smart Talk.

Also, the record-smashing rise in the stock market over the past year or so came to an abrupt halt last Friday and Monday when the Down Jones Industrial Average lost 666 points one day and 1,175 the next.  The market did bounce back later in the week, but it left many investors and 401K holders nervous about the market’s ups and downs.

On Thursday’s Smart Talk, we discuss what’s behind the volatility with Scott Ehrig, Co-Chief Investment Officer with FMA Advisory.

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