WITF Smart Talk Podcast

[box]Smart Talk will not air at 9am today. The Senate Judiciary Committee is conducting hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Special coverage on WITF is expected to continue through Wednesday, October 14.[/box]

*The following is a recorded broadcast for the 7pm-8pm Smart Talk.

The world is on the precipice of major discoveries in quantum computing and it is nothing short of a game changer. The development of this technology will change the world in many ways: how we do business, medical research, managing and safeguarding data, exploring space and even understanding and predicting climate change.

Quantum computing involves an entirely new area of physics and it is so important that many cannot predict how dramatically these developments will change our lives.

Google announced last year that they achieved quantum supremacy in an article published in the scientific journal Nature. Google says that its 54-qubit Sycamore processor performed a calculation in 200-seconds that would have taken the world’s most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years.

Investing in this rapidly developing field involves big industry players and nation states. The race is on and it has been compared to the space-race in the 1960’s.

Appearing on Smart Talk to help distill this very complicated topic is Terrill L. Frantz, Ph.D., Ed.D., Associate Professor at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Also on Tuesday’s Smart Talk — former Penn State assistant football coach, son of legendary coach Joe Paterno and member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, Jay Paterno has written a novel about a major college football coach under pressure to win.

The book is called Hot Seat — A Year Inside College Football’s Pressure Cooker.

Some of the fictional stories come from real life experiences Paterno has witnessed or was aware of.

We’ll also talk with Paterno about Penn State and the coronavirus. The number of cases has increased significantly since students returned to school.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

WITF’s Election 2020 coverage on Smart Talk continues Friday with a candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joining us on Friday’s program is Democrat Todd Rowley who is running for the 13th Congressional District.

The 13th district includes portions of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties. The incumbent running for reelection in the 13th Congressional District is Republican John Joyce.

These conversations with candidates are designed to give voters an opportunity to hear where candidates stand on the issues before this fall’s election.

Healthcare coverage and the rising costs of care are a hot election issue in 2020.

The Wolf administration recently announced a health reform plan with a goal to improve affordability and access, and one that might also tackle the health care disparities in under-served communities.

Joining Smart Talk to offer details of the plan are Dr. Doug Jacobs, MD, Chief Innovation Officer with the Department of Human Services and Antoinette Kraus, Director Pennsylvania Health Access Network.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

A surge in gun sales and background checks across the state are getting a lot of attention.

In the past three months alone, a record-breaking 406,151 background checks were conducted through the firearm background check system. Some gun stores report increased sales and subsequent shortages in items ranging from hunting weapons to handguns. Ammunition is also difficult to keep in stock.

This is happening while Philadelphia is grappling with a 40% increase in homicides over last year’s total and city leaders are calling for action to address the problem.

Appearing on Smart Talk Thursday is Ryan Tarkowski, Communications Director with the Pennsylvania State Police, to talk about the increase in numbers and what is behind the trend.

Most public school districts in Pennsylvania are using a hybrid teaching model to protect students and staff from the coronavirus. That means that kids are either learning from home or going to school on alternate days to reduce the number of students in the buildings.

Once they go back to a full-time mode, getting students to the schools may be another problem to manage.

The Pennsylvania school bus industry warns the state is in danger of losing its school bus drivers and the businesses that employ them unless action is taken by the state.

Joining Smart Talk to offer context to this problem are Mike Berk, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association and Denille Girardat-Myers, school bus contractor and president of Pennsylvania School Bus Association.

Finally, the state Department of Environmental Protection has expanded drought warning to three northern tier counties and drought watches to 29 counties including Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder and Union Counties. Deb Klenotic is the Deputy Communications director with the DEP and she joins Smart Talk to detail what factors influence the alerts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

WITF’s Election 2020 coverage on Smart Talk continues Wednesday as we’re joined by Jo Jorgensen, Ph.D., the Libertarian Party candidate running for President of the United States.

The Democratic and Republican Party candidates get almost all of the attention during campaigns – in part because candidates from those two parties win 99% of elected offices.

However, Smart Talk is giving candidates from other parties who are on the November ballot an opportunity to answer questions on the issues.

Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has released a 10-year plan aimed at improving oral health.

It’s called Oral Health Plan 2020-2030 and is aimed at increasing access to oral health care, preventing oral disease and reducing health disparities for vulnerable populations.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk are Helen Hawkey, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health and April Hutcheson, Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

PA211.org is a Pennsylvania state resource to connect people to health care.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The election countdown is on!

With less than 30 days to the general election there are many issues and questions facing Pennsylvania voters.

People want to know if the election will be secure, when they will know the results, and if they decide to vote in-person, can it be done safely? And for mail-in ballots – what are the deadlines?

There are certainly concerns about when election results will be tabulated. County commissioners across Pennsylvania are calling on state lawmakers to give them more time to process mailed ballots before Election Day. Right now, state law prohibits election administrators from preparing and counting ballots before 7:00 a.m. on Election Day. With the possibility of a historic number of mail-in votes, any delay in counting could delay state and even national results.

There are also new concerns about the reliability of Pennsylvania online voter services after the Department of State experienced a temporary system outage over the weekend.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss these and other related election issues are Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar, along with Jonathan Marks, Deputy Secretary for elections and commissions with the Pennsylvania Department of State.

For more information on voting in Pennsylvania.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

WITF’s Election 2020 coverage on Smart Talk Monday with a Republican candidate running for statewide office.

Appearing on Monday’s program is Republican Tim DeFoor, who is running for Auditor General.

The Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General is the chief fiscal watchdog of the commonwealth. It is responsible for using audits to ensure that all state money is spent legally and properly.

Other candidates competing for Auditor General are Democrat Nina Ahmad, Green Party’s Olivia Faison and Libertarian Jennifer Moore.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The nation and the world woke to the breaking news that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the Coronavirus.

Other than the potential health implications for the Trumps, what other impact with this news have for the country? Will American’s become more compliant with their state’s pandemic restrictions? How will news affect the global fight to contain the virus?

Dr. John Goldman, MD, Infectious Disease specialist with UPMC Pinnacle, will join Smart Talk to analyze the impact.

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is home to illustrator Amy June Bates who was recently recognized for her work in Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story (Abrams Books for Young Readers).

Bates received a Christopher’s Award for her full-color illustrations depicting a young girl immigrating alone, after a health inspector determines her mother is not well enough to travel. Gittel’s story is inspired by the journey taken by the author’s grandmother and others.

The Christopher Awards were established by Christopher founder Father James Keller to salute media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” According to their website, award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others.

Bates also illustrated “Bear in the Air,” “Minette’s Feast,” and “The Dog Who Belonged to No One.” A link to Amy June Bate’s portfolio can be found here.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The arts in Pennsylvania communities are a vital component to the quality of life here. Performing arts venues, galleries and museums, all contribute to vibrant communities and active lifestyles.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the arts to a halt at the very beginning of the crisis and many venues are just now beginning to reopen. The economic impact to the people and businesses employed by them has been significant.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the state of the arts in Pennsylvania communities are Karl Blischke, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Mayor Danene Sorace with the City of Lancaster, and Todd Fogdall, President and CEO of PA Presenters.

Ageism is the stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people based on their age. The scope of the issue is significant; today there are around 600 million people over 60-years old in the world, with more than 2.4 million people in Pennsylvania.

How big of a problem is ageism and what impact does it have on people and policies in the state?

Joining Smart Talk to shine a spotlight on the issue are Jane Conover, York County Community Foundation President and CEO, and Cathy Bollinger, the Foundation’s Embracing Aging Initiative managing director.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Transportation issues and infrastructure impact every Pennsylvanian, every day.

It is a complex system that influences our state’s economy through revenue sources, the availability of consumer goods, access to jobs and industry, and critical economic development.

Planning for transportation improvements is a 12-year program window that is updated every two years. The state recently approved and updated a new plan that includes improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads. No project can move forward if it is not included in the 12-year program. View the 12-Year Program Process Interactive Infographic to learn how projects are planned and programmed by the State Transportation Commission.

The plan also “anticipates” that funding for the improvements will be available and the bill is enormous at $64.8 billion over the next 12 years.

Appearing on Smart Talk to offer perspective and details on the process and plan are Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Yassmin Gramian, Deputy Secretary for Planning Larry Shifflet and the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commissioner Ronald Drnevich.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

WITF’s Election 2020 coverage on Smart Talk continues Tuesday with candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives and statewide offices.

Joining us on Tuesday’s program is Republican Dan Meuser, the incumbent Congressman in the 9th Congressional District.

The 9th district is made up of Carbon, Columbia, Lebanon, Montour, and Schuylkill Counties, as well as parts of Berks, Luzerne, and Northumberland Counties.

Congressman Meuser is running against Democrat Gary Wegman.

These conversations with candidates are designed to give voters an opportunity to hear where candidates stand on the issues before this fall’s election.

Also, September is national sickle cell awareness month.

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder that causes red blood cells to take on an abnormal sickle shape, which can result in a range of health challenges including severe pain, clogged arteries and a heightened risk of stroke. The disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans and is particularly common among those with African, Arab, Asian, Black, Caucasian, Greek, Indian, Italian, or Latino ancestry.

Joining us on the program are Joseph Robinson, Executive Director of the South-Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council, Dr. Gayle Smink, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Penn State Hershey and director of the children’s Sickle Cell Anemia program at Penn State Hershey, and Dr. Lewis Hsu, Vice Chief Medical Officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and Director of the Pediatric Sickle Cell Program, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS