WITF Smart Talk Podcast

January 24, 2019

The war in Afghanistan comes home / Ben Franklin Technology Partners

A U.S. Air Force carry team prepares to place a transfer case containing the remains of Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin into a vehicle, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (Patrick Semansky,AP)

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, January 24, 2019:

He was described by others as kind, funny, generous and helpful; memories of a loving son, brother and friend.

These images are in sharp contrast to Dylan Elchin’s other role in life: A special forces airman, combat controller. The person responsible for calling in Air Force assets during a fire-fight. Confident and cool under pressure; tasked with protecting his team in very tense life and death situations.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Dylan Elchin died November 27^th, while on deployment in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. He and three other Americans died after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Elchin was 25 years old.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Dylan Elchin will be laid to rest Thursday — as he requested — at Arlington National Cemetery.

PA Post Reporter Ed Mahon appears on Smart Talk to discuss the impact Elchin’s life, and death, has on his family and friends from Western Pennsylvania.

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Dylan Elchin is seen as a child in this photograph at left, wearing a Boy Scout uniform and red beret. Years later, he would earn the honor of wearing a scarlet beret as a combat controller in the Air Force. (Ed Mahon/PA Post) Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, seen here at right, was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Nov. 27, 2018. (photo Submitted/U.S. Air Force)

Also on Thursday’s Smart Talk, Ben Franklin Technology Partners in one of the nation’s longest-running technology-based economic development programs. They help new companies take root in the Pennsylvania business climate.

However, state funding of the organization has dropped by more than 50 percent over the past decade. Ben Franklin Technology partners believe that Pennsylvania economic development has suffered, as a result.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the impact of the budget cuts is Ryan Glenn, Director of Statewide Initiatives at Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Ryan Glenn

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January 23, 2019

Solving old cases with DNA technology

This Monday, June 25, 2018, file photo on the left shows Raymond Charles Rowe, of Lancaster, Pa. Rowe was charged and plead guilty this month to the 1992 rape and murder of 25-year-old Christy Mirack at her home. The crime had stymied investigators until genealogical research led them to Rowe, known professionally as DJ Freez. (Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office via AP, File) On the right, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman announces charges during a news conference at the Lancaster County Courthouse in Lancaster, Pa., Monday, June 25, 2018. Christy Mirack, an elementary school teacher, was sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled in her home as she was getting ready for work. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo)

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, January 23, 2019:

Since the identification of DNA in the mid-twentieth century, scientists have made incredible advances developing uses for the genetic information goldmine. Medical diagnostics, genealogy research and crime investigations routinely concentrate on the information, and direction, that DNA provides.

Criminal investigators are now using DNA databases to help crack older, unsolved cases. In Pennsylvania, one such case captured the national spotlight.

In 1992, 25-year-old Christy Mirack was raped and murdered in her Lancaster County home. No one was ever apprehended or charged with the crime until last summer, when investigators looked to genetic genealogy to help break the case.

A local man, Raymond Charles Rowe, 50, was charged with the crime, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole this month. The DNA evidence linking him to the crime is a combination of solid police investigative work and chance, when his family member submitted DNA to a genealogy database.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss DNA forensics and the Mirack case are Craig Stedman, Lancaster County District Attorney, and CeCe Moore, Chief Genetic Genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs, the organization who assisted the Lancaster DA with identifying Christy Mirack’s murderer. Also joining the conversation is Dr. Mitchell Holland, Penn State Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a fellow with American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Craig Stedman, Lancaster County District Attorney

CeCe Moore and Dr. Mitchell Holland

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January 22, 2019January 22, 2019

Clean Slate Law and food safety

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What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, January 22, 2019:

Criminal justice reform legislation is unifying state and federal legislators on the way to what President Trump calls a “necessary step toward addressing the deep-rooted issues in our country’s criminal justice system.”

In Pennsylvania, lawmakers approved the Clean Slate Law in summer 2018. The law expands criminal record sealing to include more types of offenses, including some first-degree misdemeanors. The Clean Slate Law enjoyed wide bipartisan support and is the first of its kind in the nation.

Criminal justice advocates say this law will “enable Pennsylvanians with records to earn a second chance, lift families out of poverty, reduce crime and recidivism.”

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the impact of Clean Slate are State Representative Sheryl M. Delozier, 88^th District, Cumberland County (part), Mark Walmer, lawyer with Bentley, Gibson, Kopecki, Smith, P.C. and Eileen Cipriani, PA Labor and Industry Department, Deputy Secretary for workforce development.

*Correction — Republican Sen. Camera Bartolotta is the Co-chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, not Sen. Lisa Baker as stated on Smart Talk. Sen. Baker chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. The other Co-Chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Reform Caucus is Democrat Sen. Art Haywood.

Mark Walmer, Sheryl Delozier and Eileen Cipriani

Also, how safe is the food we eat? With one of the safest food systems in the world, Americans make a lot of assumptions about the reliability and safety of our food.

But the frequency of food product safety recalls in the last few years should make consumers take pause.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss trends and recent case studies is Michael Samuelson, PennPIRG (Public Interest Research Group) associate.

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January 21, 2019

Race relations, have we made progress?

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, January 21, 2019:

More than 50 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4^th, 1968. His murder sent shock waves around the world and became an accelerant thrown onto the fire of the civil rights movement.

Today, as Americans celebrate his life, it is also an opportunity to examine the status of race relations in our communities.

In the past year, Pennsylvanians have experienced, firsthand, multiple high-profile cases of discrimination, bias and hate.

An incident at a York County Golf course drew national attention when a white owner called police on a group of black golfers for a seemingly minor disagreement. Then, KKK fliers were distributed in York County on three separate occasions, over a four-month period. And the murder at an area bar of a 25-year-old man for defending a black man who was being called racial slurs.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss racial justice and race relations are Chad Dion Lassiter, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and Dr. Amanda Kemp, a visiting scholar of Africana Studies at Franklin and Marshall College and racial justice and mindfulness mentor.

Chad Dion Lassiter and Dr. Amanda Kemp

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January 18, 2019

Chancellor takes helm of State System universities

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Chancellor Daniel Greenstein addresses the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors on January 16, 2019. (Photo courtesy of PASSHE)

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, January 18, 2019:

The Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is under new leadership.

Dr. Dan Greenstein officially became the fifth Chancellor this week before presenting his vision at the quarterly meeting of the Board of Governors.

He said that to steer the State System through these times of “challenge and opportunity” it will have to undergo a “fundamental transformation and redesign.”

Greenstein has been on the job since September and recently completed a campus tour of all 14 State System universities.

“We are facing significant challenges – challenges that are present across U.S. public higher education, and that are concentrated in super-high doses here in Pennsylvania,” Greenstein said.

Chancellor Dan Greenstein appears on Smart Talk to discuss the way ahead for the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education universities.

Dan Greenstein

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January 17, 2019

Chesapeake Bay report card: D+

In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, debris washed into the Chesapeake Bay from record rainfall accumulates around a sailboat in Annapolis, Md. An annual report on the Chesapeake Bay says pollution from unusually heavy rains in 2018 contributed to the first decline in a decade in the overall health of the nation’s largest estuary. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, January 17, 2019:

There’s good news and bad news in a recent report on the Chesapeake Bay’s health.

First the bad news. Record regional rainfall last year in the watershed area washed an enormous amount of debris and pollutants into the Bay, significantly affecting the water quality.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation recently released their State of the Bay report card, awarding an overall D+ due to increased pollution and poor water clarity. This is a downgrade from the previous report issued two years ago.

The Foundation also tracks the progress of states in the watershed toward achieving goals set to reduce pollution in local creeks and rivers. Pennsylvania continues to fall short of meeting its goals.

The good news? Pollution causing dead zones in the Bay are decreasing and the important bay grasses are intact; an important component of the ecosystem.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the report is Will Baker, Chesapeake Bay Foundation President and Harry Campbell, Pennsylvania Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

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Will Baker and Harry Campbell

Photo taken September 22, 2018, from a Cessna at 2500 feet. Photo shows the mouth of the Susquehanna as waters enter the Bay, looking north. (photo courtesy of Kirk Allison)

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January 16, 2019January 16, 2019

Criminal Justice Reform

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, January 16, 2019:

There are more than 40-thousand people incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons. That is roughly 725 out of 100-thousand residents.

The Wolf administration recently released updated figures showing the state prison population is in decline. They say that legislative changes and efforts by the Corrections Department and the Board of Probation and Parole are helping drive the change.

Criminal justice reform has a national spotlight now, also.

State and federal legislators are progressing toward tangible criminal justice reform.

At the end of 2018, President Trump signed the First Step Act, which is being called a “small but necessary step toward addressing the deep-rooted issues in our country’s criminal justice system.”

In Pennsylvania, lawmakers approved the Clean Slate law in summer 2018. The law expands criminal record sealing to include more types of offenses, including some first-degree misdemeanors.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss these and other criminal justice reform initiatives is Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel.

Secretary John Wetzel

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January 15, 2019

Wolf 1st term changes/SNAP early during shutdown/Strange medical stories

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, January 15, 2019:

Gov. Tom Wolf is being sworn in for his second term Tuesday. So, what’s changed in Pennsylvania during the governor’s first four years in office, in terms of taxes and revenue?

PA Post reporter Ed Mahon looked back this week at what Wolf wanted in his first term and what he got from the legislature. Increased funding for education, higher taxes on cigarettes and tobacco, digital downloads and lottery winnings were all part of Wolf’s first term achievements. The governor didn’t get a severance tax on natural gas drillers.

Mahon appears on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to provide details and discuss what Gov. Wolf may pursue over the next four years.

Ed Mahon

Also, the partial shutdown of the federal government has worried many Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients about paying for food. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services says what used to be called food stamps will come earlier than usual for February. In fact, the benefit will be dispersed Friday.

Secretary of the Department of Human Services Teresa Miller joins us on Smart Talk to explain.

Secretary Teresa Miller

Finally, Thomas Morris, author of the book The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth and Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine is with us.

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January 14, 2019

Taking action against human trafficking

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, January 14, 2019:

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month; an opportunity to raise awareness of the often-hidden crime.

It may not be in plain sight, but human trafficking happens everywhere; in communities around the country and in our own backyards. If left unchecked, traffickers will recruit and exploit victims with profit as their motivation.

Pennsylvania legislators and advocacy organizations are part of the fight to combat modern-day slavery.

The Buyer Beware Act, also known as House Bill 12 and Senate Bill 60, rolled out in January and will double prison time for traffickers and patrons, if signed into law.

In April, the Federal government signed into law the Fight Online Sex Trafficking act to fight the trafficking of children and adults on the internet.

There is a great deal of attention and initiative focused on the problem. Is it helping?

Appearing on Smart Talk Monday to examine the issues are Jennifer Storm, Commonwealth Victim Advocate, Rhonda Hendrickson, VP of programs, Division of Residential and Violence Intervention & Prevention Services, YWCA of Greater Harrisburg and Shea Rhodes, director of the Villanova University Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Also joining the conversation is Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), co-author of the Buyer Beware Act, which is current legislation in the House and Senate to increase penalties on criminals convicted of certain human trafficking offenses.

To report a tip, receive information or seek help from trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to BeFree (233733)

Rhonda Hendrickson and Jennifer Storm

Shea Rhodes and Rep. Seth Grove

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January 11, 2019

Authors: Abolitionists of South-Central PA and While Reason Slept

The John Brown House (Ritner Boarding House) in Chambersburg, PA, is where the famous abolitionist boarded during the summer of 1859 under the alias of Isaac Smith. During that summer, weapons were secretly secured, and plans furthered to seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. (Photo courtesy of the Franklin County Historical Society)

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.

Cooper Wingert

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.

Thomas Brier

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