Category: Smart Talk

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, January 11, 2019:

The Underground Railroad was a series of routes, people and places that helped runaway slaves on their journey north to freedom. The “Railroad” was formed in the late 1700’s and it traversed north to free states and into Canada.

The “Railroad” reached its peak in the decade before and during the civil war, and some estimates reveal that more than 100-thousand slaves may have escaped this way.

Pennsylvania, as the “first free state north of the Mason-Dixon line,” offered many entry points for slaves seeking freedom. South Central Pennsylvania, in particular, played an historic role in the anti-slavery movement.

Many of the most well-known abolitionists who campaigned to end slavery hailed from New York and New England. But there were many in Pennsylvania, who may not be as famous but were just as passionate about abolishing slavery.

Appearing on Friday’s Smart Talk is local author Cooper Wingert to talk about his most recent book Abolitionists of South-Central Pennsylvania.

Also, we’re continuing our conversation with Thomas Brier, author of the book While Reason Slept. Brier is a Hershey native and he tells the story of the nation’s founding principles and how the men who wrote the Constitution envisioned government for the common good. He writes that the Constitution has been eroded by self-interest, consumerism and propaganda.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, January, 4, 2019:

The complexity of the world and the need to prepare students for the future have placed great demands on our education system.

Teachers and administrators must do more with less and in the process, they are expected to achieve great results. Parents and communities demand as much.

With so much at stake and limited resources where do schools and families turn for help?

The Commonwealth created a system of Intermediate Units (IU’s) in 1970 to serve the public school system and bridge the resource gap. Originally, the IU’s replaced county superintendents of school’s offices and assumed their role. Today, they provide a wide variety of services to both public and private schools, including professional development for teachers.

Intermediate Units offer such a depth of skills and resources that community organizations are pursuing collaborative opportunities, as well.

Appearing on Friday’s Smart Talk to discuss community collaboration programs and the role of IU’s are Tom Gluck, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, Dr. Andria Saia, Executive Director, Capitol Area Intermediate Unit, Dr. Lynn Murphy, Lincoln Intermediate Unit Director of Special Education, Jamie Reisinger, VP of Education Services with Byrnes Health Education Center, and Lynda Morris, Executive Director of the Capital Region Partnership for Career Development.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, December 13, 2018:

California is the clear winner. Or perhaps we should say the “clean” winner. The Golden State tops unofficial lists of best states for solar growth, producing enough to power 5.4 million homes. No other state comes close.

Pennsylvania is listed in the top ten for number of solar PV systems installed, but when it comes to energy production, we have a ways to go.

Currently, solar produces less than one percent of Pennsylvania’s electricity. The state Environmental Protection Office (EPO) has set a goal increasing that amount to 10%.

What kind of investment will Pennsylvania have to make to meet this goal?

Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection joins us on Smart Talk Thursday to talk about ‘Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future,‘ along with plan architect David Althoff.

The EPO released the Solar Future plan last month, along with 15 strategies to increase solar production.

Also, award-winning NPR special correspondent Melissa Block co-hosted All Things Considered for 12 years. Today, she produces features about high-profile individuals, and stories on critical issues.

Block recently covered a story highlighting the intersection of guns and dementia and the dilemma facing families. Listen to that feature:

Melissa Block appears on Smart Talk today to share this story, and another about an unlikely partnership.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, December 12, 2018:

Turn on a computer or connect a phone to Wi-Fi and most of us expect immediate, and fast, connectivity. In this digital age, we’ve come to take internet access for granted.

The Federal Communications Commission estimates about 800,000 Pennsylvanians lack access to Broadband. However, a recent Penn State study finds the number much higher at 11 million people as defined by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC says broadband has a speed of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and at least 3 Mbps upload.

Governor Tom Wolf has launched a ‘Broadband Initiative,’ with a goal to provide high-speed internet access to every household and business in Pennsylvania by 2022.

The Governor says that “lack of quality internet access means businesses are not able to market themselves and conduct business online, kids miss out on learning opportunities and healthcare facilities cannot share information with specialists.” The broadband Initiative is intended to “bridge the digital divide.”

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss broadband access in Pennsylvania are Steve Samara, PA Telephone Association, Barry Denk of the Center for Rural PA and Senator-elect Kristin Phillips-Hill, York County.

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A state-of-the-art horticultural growing and learning facility is open for business for charter school students in Harrisburg.

The Commonwealth Charter Academy is offering hands-on education in aquaponics, hydroponics and aeroponics. The program is called AgWorks, and students will learn about every facet of agriculture, from cultivating plants and fish to taking the products to market. Aquaponics uses the waste from fish (or other aquatic life) to produce plants. The AgWorks facility is the largest of its kind in the country. See video

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the program are Dr. Maurice Flurie, CEO of CCA and Samantha Johnson, director of aquaponics programs at CCA.

Also, Stop Overdoses in PA: Get Help Now Week is a statewide initiative to distribute naloxone and get help for residents suffering from the disease of opioid-use disorder. (Visit the opioid data dashboard for information)

The marquis event is a ‘Naloxone Day’ on Thursday, December 13, where the life-saving drug will be available for free at locations across the state.

Joining us on Smart Talk to discuss the initiative are Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, and Ellen DiDomenico, Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

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What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, December 10, 2018:

Report cards are out and Pennsylvania is on notice.

The American Society of Civil Engineers released the Pennsylvania 2018 Infrastructure Report Card and gave the state an overall GPA of C-. Seven of the state’s 18 critical infrastructure categories earned below average marks.

Drinking water is one of the categories with a D grade because of an estimated $14.2 billion in infrastructure needs over the next 20 years. There are other categories with equally alarming projected resource demands.

The American Society of Civil Engineers are self-described advocates for the care of the nation’s infrastructure. They release the report card every four years to examine current infrastructure conditions, assign grades, and make recommendations for improvements. The most recent national report card was released in 2017.

What can Pennsylvania do to raise the grade?

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the report card and Pennsylvania’s infrastructure are Stephanie Slocum, ASCE Central Pennsylvania representative, Kirk Stoner, Cumberland County planning director, and PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Leo Bagley.

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

Are you traveling by car this Thanksgiving weekend? AAA says more than 54 million Americans have travel plans and about 48 million of them will drive to their destinations.

That means there will be a lot of vehicles on the road. More than a few may be breaking laws such as speeding, not yielding to traffic, texting while driving, or passing in a no passing zone. During a high traffic volume weekend when bad weather is a possibility, we’ll also ask about laws concerning driving too fast for conditions.

Those are amongst the laws most often disobeyed by motorists. However, there are other laws that drivers simply aren’t sure of. For example, when is it lawful to pass on the right side or when must a vehicle yield to a pedestrian?

That’s where Wednesday’s Smart Talk comes in. With Thanksgiving week being the biggest travel period of the year, Pennsylvania State Police Corporal and Public Information Officer Adam Reed and Penndot District 8 Safety Officer Fritzi Schreffler appear on the program to answer questions about the laws of the land related to motor vehicles and driving.

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

Winter weather arrived in Pennsylvania last week and with it, higher energy demand from area homes and businesses.

The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center recently released a guide to help Pennsylvanians conserve energy and reduce waste. The energy-saving measures in the guide titled, It’s Time to Take Charge: A Citizen’s Guide to Saving Energy, focus on energy waste, particularly during colder weather.

By using better technology and eliminating waste, American’s can reduce energy consumption 40-60% in the next 25 years. And in the world of conservation, energy that is not used is considered a resource.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss the guide and practical recommendations for reducing energy consumption are Allie Astor, clean energy fellow with PennEnvironment, Mark Hand, energy program specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Dave Althoff, director of energy programs, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Also, the California wildfires are capturing the nation’s attention, with death and destruction of historic proportions, and large areas of the state’s forests destroyed.

In Pennsylvania, more than 2.2-million acres of state forests comprise about 13 percent of the forested area in the commonwealth and are one of the largest expanses of public lands in the eastern United States. Managing this important resource and preventing fires in “Penn’s Woods” falls to the oversight of the State Forester.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss forest management and fire prevention in the Commonwealth are Matt Keefer, assistant Pennsylvania State Forester, and Michael Kern, chief of the Forest Fire Protection Division.

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