The 2019 top stories on Smart Talk series continues Friday with conversations that came in the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio last August.
On Friday’s program, we hear that mass shooters from the past 50 years all have four traits in common. That’s according to The Violence Project — a think tank that has assembled comprehensive research on mass shootings in America.
Appearing on Friday’s Smart Talk to talk about what the data shows about mass shooters is Dr. Jillian Peterson, PhD, co-founder of The Violence Project and a psychologist and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University in Minnesota.
Also on the program, there was a renewed call for more gun laws after the shooting in El Paso and Dayton. Advocates both for and against more gun restrictions use statistics to make their case. We talked with Dr. Cassandra Crifasi with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research about their gun violence findings.-
The 2019 top stories on Smart Talk series begins with a look back at the push to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.
Governor Wolf came out in favor of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. Wolf arrived at this position following Lt. Governor John Fetterman’s 67-county listening tour.
The tour results are consistent with a March Franklin & Marshall College Poll that shows 59 percent, or nearly six in 10 voters, support the idea of legalizing marijuana.
Already there are 33 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana use in some form. Most other states, like Pennsylvania, allow for limited medical use.
But not everyone is on board the legalization train.
Appearing on this 2019 top stories on Smart Talk episode are Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman, Democratic State Senator Daylin Leach and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.
PFAS contamination is linked to toxic chemicals used in industrial and consumer products and those found around military airstrips where firefighting foam was used. PFAS have been connected to liver damage, high cholesterol, cancer and other health problems.
Tax specialists caution against allowing the holidays to distract from tax planning. There are a number of things you can do before the end of the year to impact how much you’ll pay in taxes next year.
About 81% of white Evangelicals voted for President Trump in 2016 and polls of those who identify as Evangelical indicate the president continues to get their support going into the election year of 2020. Trump maintains that loyalty even though he has been accused of what many Christians would find objectionable behavior.
Abortion, same-sex marriage and appointment of conservative judges are three issues that conservative Evangelicals have cited as why they like Trump.
Bucknell University religious studies professor Brantley Gasaway has written about white Evangelicals, but also progressive Evangelicals and non-white Evangelicals, who don’t support Trump or his policies. He appears on Smart Talk to discuss the politics of these voters.
Professor Brantley Gasaway, Ph.D., appears in the Smart Talk studio on Monday, December 9, 2019.
Also, Violet Oakley was, by any measure, one of the greatest American muralists and illustrators of her time.
Her Pennsylvania muralist story starts in 1911. When the chief muralist of the Harrisburg State House died, Oakley took the work and was commissioned for the murals in the Senate Chamber and the Supreme Court. It took 16 years to complete the project and she was paid well for her work ($2.5 million in 2017 dollars).
Dr. Patricia Likos Ricci and Dr. Curtis Minor appear in the Smart Talk studio on December 9, 2019.
Oakley is also considered a barrier-breaker. As a woman, she found great artistic success during a time in history when women had not yet achieved the right to vote. The State Museum of Pennsylvania is honoring Oakley’s work in an exhibit called Picturing a More Perfect Union: Violet Oakley’s Mural Studies for the Pennsylvania Senate Chamber, 1911-1919. The exhibition coincides with 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
The exhibit features more than 50 of Violet Oakley’s original sketches for the Pennsylvania State Capitol Senate Chamber murals from the collections of The State Museum of Pennsylvania and will be on display through April 26, 2020.
Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the murals of Violet Oakley are Dr. Patricia Likos Ricci, Ph.D., Art Historian and Professor at Elizabethtown College and Dr. Curtis Minor, Ph.D., State museum senior curator of History.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania will host six escorted lunch-time tours for visitors to learn more about the exhibit and the artist Violet Oakley. Tour dates are: December 13, January 17, January 26, February 16 and February 21. Visit www.statemuseumpa.org for tour times and details.
The last Smart Talk Road Tripof the year takes us to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. Inside the Front Street home, we’ll discuss Governor Tom Wolf’s plans and priorities for the next two years. Will Wolf push for raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage? More money for education? What about a tax on natural gas drilling that has failed to make it through the legislature each year? Other issues that may come up are what the state will do, if anything, with regards to reducing emissions that contribute to climate change and how Congressional district boundaries will be drawn in the future.
First Lady Frances Wolf also joins the conversation to talk about the initiatives and platforms where she is focusing her attention. Those include the arts and education.
The holiday season is a great time to visit the Governor’s Residence, which is decked out with holiday decorations. We’ll have photographs on this site after the show.
Governor Tom Wolf arrives to the Governor’s Residence on December 11, 2019.
Governor Tom Wolf and Smart Talk host Scott LaMar at the Governor’s Residence on December 11, 2019.
Tis the season with the holidays right around the corner. What better way to show friends and family that you care by giving them an amazing book to read.
Smart Talk is hosting our annual book-as-gifts guide. Books come in all shapes and sizes, and in a vast array of genres, including non-fiction, fiction, mystery and much more. Quite frankly, there is a book genre for everyone!
On Thursday’s Smart Talk, we discuss how books make great holiday gifts with our literary experts and hear their recommendations for books to read or give.
Joining the conversation is Catherine Lawrence, co-owner of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Dr. Travis Kurowski, Ph.D, assistant professor of creative writing at York College of Pennsylvania, and Carolyn Blatchley, Executive Director of Cumberland County Library System.
We are interested in hearing about your book suggestions! Make sure to tune in on Thursday and send us an email or call the show to voice your suggestions.
Each day, newspapers and broadcast news outlets lead with stories of gun violence, both here at home and around the country. It happens so frequently that we are often numb to the human cost: lives lost, the trauma of survivors and the damage to communities.
There are no easy answers when it comes to predicting and preventing gun violence, but law enforcement and government agencies are tasked with finding solutions to this very complex problem.
The federal government recently launched a nationwide plan aimed at reducing gun violence, called Project Guardian. Its focus is on the tougher enforcement of existing firearm laws, along with strengthening partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies.
Mike Pennington, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and Dr. Jack Rozel, MD, medical director of Resolve Crisis Services and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, appears on Smart Talk, December 4, 2019.
While Americans still love to watch football, in the past 15 years there has been a marked decline in the number of kids taking up the sport. According to a recent New York Times report, high school participation in tackle football has fallen more than 10 percent since 2009.
What is causing the drop in player interest? Experts cite many reasons but say that concerns over head injuries top the list. Researchers have determined that repeated hits to the head, like those common in football, can lead to a disorder called CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a progressive degenerative condition that can affect mood, behavior and thinking.
WITF Transforming Health reporter Brett Sholtis appears on Smart Talk on December 3, 2019.
Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the recent WITF Transforming Health report on local High School football injuries is reporter Brett Sholtis.
Also, the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving is also known as Giving Tuesday. The movement began in 2012 to encourage people to “do good.” Whether that is to help a stranger, demonstrate generosity, or make a financial donation, Giving Tuesday is now a global movement.
In 1994, in the span of 100 days, unimaginable carnage occurred in the African nation of Rwanda. Between April and July inter-tribal tensions exploded into civil war following the assassination of the Rwandan President.
Violence quickly escalated and before it was over an estimated 800,000 people were killed.
The violence also caused an unprecedented “flight of humanity,” with more than one million people displaced from their homes and into neighboring countries.
Twenty-five years later, the world is reflecting on the genocide that killed one in ten Rwandans.
Dickinson College President Margee Ensign, Ph.D, and Dickinson College student and Rwandan native Nelly Teta Ntwali, class of 2022, appears on Smart Talk, December 2, 2019.
Also, when Chris McDougall agreed to take in a donkey from an animal hoarder, he didn’t think it would be that big of an adjustment to family life.
But the donkey, named Sherman, was in much worse shape than he realized. So, Chris took on a radical donkey rehabilitation program designed not only to heal Sherman’s body but to heal his mind, too. He found the best way to soothe a donkey is to give it a job, and so Chris decided to teach Sherman how to run.
More Americans travel during Thanksgiving week than any other time of the year. In fact, the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving is when the most volume of travelers are on the road. According to AAA, there will be more than 55 million people traveling by vehicle, air or rail this year. The high traffic volume and an overall increase of more than one million expected travelers could mean more traffic and longer destination times. And the potential for frayed nerves and more drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road, speeding or generally not driving safely.
The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest party nights of the year which could lead to more drivers operating vehicles while intoxicated. Also, Pennsylvania’s deer season begins on Saturday this year so there probably will be more hunters driving to their camps on Friday and that also could mean more deer activity on roadways too..
The Pennsylvania State Police and local law enforcement agencies are patrolling the roads to ensure motorists obey traffic laws. However, with so many laws on the books, it can be challenging for motorists to keep track of them all.
Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk are Fritzi Schreffler, PennDOT District 8 Safety Press Officer, Trooper Stuart Koch with Troop H of the Pennsylvania State Police and retired Trooper Matt Frampton, South Central Pennsylvania Highway Safety to discuss all your highway questions and safety concerns. Visit 511pa.com for live, updated traffic conditions.
Trooper Stuart Koch, Fritzi Schreffler, PennDOT District 8 Safety Press Officer, and retired Corporal Matt Frampton, South Central Pennsylvania Highway Safety appear on Smart Talk November 27, 2019.
