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Results from the June 2021 Franklin & Marshall College Poll show that many Pennsylvanians are feeling positively about the state of the pandemic. Fewer than 10 percent of survey respondents believe COVID-19 is currently the state’s most important problem, compared to more than 30 percent in March.

The survey also asked about vaccination. Seventy-nine percent of respondents overall said they had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those surveyed, Democrats were significantly more likely to be vaccinated (94%) than Republicans (61%).

While the June poll shows Pennsylvanians are less concerned about the pandemic, they are more concerned about voting and election laws. Nearly 60 percent of registered voters believe the state’s election laws should be revised. That belief varies by party affiliation, with more Republicans (75%) saying the laws should be changed than independents (52%) or Democrats (46%).

Concerns about election laws and the economy likely earned Gov. Tom Wolf lower job approval ratings. About two out of five registered voters say he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job today, compared to more than half of registered voters surveyed in July 2020.

Smart Talk Wednesday will analyze the complete poll results with Berwood Yost, Director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College.

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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a charter school accountability plan earlier this month that “realigns what taxpayers are paying with what it costs to provide a charter option for students.”

The proposals promise an estimated $395 million a year in savings and stops “draining funds from traditional public schools at a time they can least afford it.”

In Pennsylvania, public charter schools don’t charge tuition. The charters receive the majority of funding from their students’ resident school districts, which is based on a statutory funding formula set by the state. The “Charter School Accountability Plan would change the funding formula, in addition to creating performance standards and ethical admin requirements.

Charter school administrators say, not so fast. That a post-pandemic education landscape is not the time to change funding for charter schools. They charge the administration’s ‘cost savings’ plan for school districts is nothing more than an “attack on families who have exercised their right to choose a public charter school option for their children.”

Appearing on Smart Talk Tuesday to present both sides of this divisive issue are Pennsylvania acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, Democratic state Rep. Joe Ciresi of Montgomery County, Democratic state Senator Lindsey Williams serving Allegheny County, and Sherri Smith, Ed.D., Deputy Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. Joining the conversation later are Lenny McAllister, Chief Executive Officer, PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools and Vas Scoumis, CEO of Manchester Academic Charter School on the North Side of Pittsburgh.

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Before our collective attention was highjacked by the coronavirus, legislators around the state and country were focused on criminal justice reform.

There was a great deal of energy behind the momentum, which seems to have taken a back seat to other pressing issues.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a report this month that focuses attention back on the issue with data that suggests Pennsylvania state legislators continue to pass bills that expand the commonwealth’s criminal justice system with an over reliance on punishment. In 2010, the criminal code contained 636 offenses and today that number has more than doubled.

Joining Smart Talk Monday to share details of the More Law, Less Justice report is Elizabeth Randol, Legislative Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania.

How changing statutes are applied at sentencing

The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing review and revise sentencing guidelines in response to legislative actions and court decisions.

After so many legislative changes over the years, their current guidelines are considerably different than the first set adopted in 1982.

The Commission met this month to review sentencing guidelines and appearing on Smart Talk Monday to talk about that process is Mark H. Bergstrom, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and an Associate Teaching Professor in Criminology at Penn State. Also on the program is Wesley Oliver, J.D., Director of the criminal justice program, and Professor of law at Duquesne University School of Law to offer perspective on how statutes are ultimately applied.

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Enrollment in area colleges and universities began declining gradually over the past few years, but the pandemic has exacerbated the problem significantly.

Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that student enrollments are down more than 600,000 from a year ago; the greatest decline in more than a decade.

What is behind the drop and will schools ever be able to make up the student loss? Appearing on Smart Talk Friday to discuss their efforts to reverse the enrollment trend are Stephanie Jirard, J.D., Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies, Shippensburg University, Rob Springall, Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Education and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Penn State University, and Daniel Green, D.M.A., Vice President Enrollment Management, York College of Pennsylvania.

‘Circle of Truth’ connects 49 artists work in one project

We all see the world differently. Artists in particular bring their unique vision to every piece they create.

A current exhibition in the main gallery of the Susquehanna Art Museum, titled “Circle of Truth: 49 Paintings Ending with Ed Ruscha,” is a representation of just how differently everyone observes our world.

Launched in 2009 by curators Laura Hipke and Shane Guffogg the exhibition was completed in 2016 and is on display though September 19.

Artist Shane Guffogg appears on Smart Talk Friday, along with Alice Anne Schwab, Executive Director of the Susquehanna Art Museum to provide details about the exhibition’s unique creative process.

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Pennsylvania pays the second highest gas tax in the nation at more than 58 cents per gallon. The money generated by the tax is earmarked for the state’s highway fund to pay for transportation infrastructure construction and repair.

But since the early 2000s, billions of dollars from the fund have been used to pay for State Police operations away from their intended purpose.

Transportation advocates offer a plan that would use the funding for transportation projects only, freeing money to fill significant PennDOT construction budget shortfalls.

Robert Latham, Executive Vice President of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors joins Smart Talk Thursday with the organization’s plan.

Central Pa. Pekingese wins top prize at Westminster Dog Show

A local pedigreed pooch brought home top honors from Sunday’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Wasabi is a Pekingese whose handler and owner David Fitzpatrick hails from East Berlin, Pennsylvania. Fitzpatrick appears on Smart Talk Thursday to talk about the achievement.

How fear, isolation, and worry impact mental health

Some have called the COVID-19 pandemic an equalizer – a shared experience – in that every single one of us has been impacted.

We have all experienced in some way – fear, isolation and worry. What remains to be seen is how these feelings will impact mental health.

Keira McGuire, WITF health reporter and multimedia producer, appears on Smart Talk Thursday to offer details about Transforming Health: Mental Health after a Pandemic, a WITF-TV original production airing tonight.

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Education advocates are crying foul over the state’s subsidies to the Pennsylvania horse-racing industry.

More than $3 billion were earmarked for the troubled industry since 2010 and education advocates say its time to shift the Race Horse Development Fund to schools and state universities.

Joining Smart Talk Wednesday to lay out their position are Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of PA, along with Sharon Ward, senior fellow with Education Voters of PA.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative source of continued debate

Pennsylvania lawmakers continue to play political football with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

The Wolf administration, along with state democrats, support RGGI, a regional cap-and-trade program that will essentially charge power plants for their carbon emissions. The funds generated could then be invested back into communities impacted by plant closures or those with high pollution burdens.

Republican critics of RGGI say the initiative is a “scam” and will devastate communities that rely on coal. They have introduced a bill to keep Pennsylvania out of RGGI.

StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Rachel McDevitt appears on Smart Talk Wednesday to offer a look at the next move from both sides.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that more than 60 percent of residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Time will tell if the state can reach 70 percent fully vaccinated by the end of June; a deadline set by the Wolf administration.

It has been nearly 17 months since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. Since that day at the end of February 2020, we have learned a lot about COVID-19.

However, many people still have questions about the virus, how to avoid exposure, and especially the risk and efficacy of the vaccines, particularly with variants.

Dr. Eugene Curley, MD., is an infectious disease specialist with WellSpan Health and he joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to answer questions about COVID-19, the vaccine efficacy and how to move safely out of the pandemic.

For more on public health issues plus a deeper look at the changing tide of healthcare, check out WITF’s Transforming Health. Online at TransformingHealth.org, a partnership of WITF, WellSpan Health and Capital Blue Cross.

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When Japanese-born Naomi Osaka dropped out of the French Open tennis tournament last month citing mental health concerns, the media world took notice.

There were some who accused the athlete of being a prima donna by declining post-competition media interviews. When Osaka cited depression and anxiety as her reason, the media buzz changed from skeptical to sympathetic.

Athletes are often held to a different standard when it comes to public expectations, but the tide may be turning in a time when mental health stigma is waning.

Dr. Amy Sherell Walker, Ph.D., is a psychologist who counsels both adults and adolescent athletes. She joins Smart Talk Monday to address some of the mental health challenges facing athletes today.

Celebrating the Army birthday with one soldier who “beat the odds”

This year marks 246 years of the U.S. Army serving the nation. Established on June 14, 1775, the Army is the longest serving military service.

Since its inception, the Army has offered a path to young men and women seeking opportunities and sometimes a path out of troubled circumstances.

Army Colonel Okera Anyabwile climbed out from adversity on the streets of South Central Los Angeles and into an Army that offered opportunity and saw in him a potential for leadership. Anyabwile joins Smart Talk Monday to share his story.

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Everyone loves the Chesapeake Bay; the natural beauty, recreation opportunities, the bountiful fish and wildlife. But appreciating the Chesapeake will not fix Pennsylvania’s pollution problem.

Pennsylvania’s role in polluting the Bay is well documented and a continuing source of friction with other watershed states. In fact, the state of Maryland is suing the Commonwealth for not doing enough to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

A report by environmental advocates cite chronic underfunding as a major cause of the state’s failure to meet pollution reduction milestones. Joining Smart Talk Friday to highlight policy recommendations to help restore the Bay are Ezra Thrush, Senior Director of Government Affairs, PennFuture, along with Renee Reber, Campaign Manager, Watershed Advocacy with PennFuture.

Area Eagle Scouts tackle big projects to earn the honor

Two central Pennsylvania teens have achieved scouting’s highest award, tackling big projects and, in one case, earning national recognition.

Scout Casey Essig, of Mount Holly Springs, PA., Boy Scout Troop 170, was recognized recently for his efforts to honor veteran’s gravesites in a Mount Holly cemetery. Through painstaking research, he discovered the cemetery held the remains of service members from the War of 1812, Civil War, Korean War, Spanish American War, Vietnam, WWI and WWII, many not properly marked with flag holders.

Eagle Scout Christopher Adam, of Mechanicsburg, PA., New Birth of Freedom Council, also focused his project on Veterans and recognizes the contributions of America’s “greatest generation.

Adam was selected for the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award for 2020 for the memorial called Liberation Pointe, consisting of two bronze statues enclosed within a marble pentagon. The memorial stands at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Middlesex Township.

Both Essig and Adam appear on Smart Talk Friday to share the inspiration behind their projects.

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Cyber criminals and even foreign governments are constantly working to obtain online data they can use — whether it be for money or sabotage.

Just in recent weeks, more than eight billion passwords were leaked in a popular hacker forum. There’s a decent chance yours are among them.

Meanwhile, the Colonial oil pipeline and JBS meat suppliers were the targets of ransomware attacks. Colonial paid $4.4 million to get their data held hostage restored. The FBI has since recovered the ransom but ransomware is a growing threat to many of the most essentials aspects of our lives.

How is this happening and what can be done to stop it?

Joining us on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss cybersecurity are Terrill Frantz, Ph.D., Ed.D., Professor of eBusiness and Cybersecurity with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and Brandon S. Keath, Professor of Cybersecurity Operations and Management with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

New book details how military vets recover with the help of nature

A walk in the woods or paddling in a kayak are how many of us relax in the outdoors. For military veterans who have suffered trauma, anxiety or addiction — either in combat or in their personal lives — the outdoors could be life saving.

So writes Cindy Ross in her new book Walking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails.

In the book, Ross tells the stories of veterans who were suffering but were able to find peace and change their lives in the outdoors — often referred to as ecotherapy.

Cindy Ross appears on Thursday’s Smart Talk.

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