Twenty-five million Americans live in the area known as Appalachia. The region includes portions of 13 states, including most of Pennsylvania.
Appalachia still lags behind the rest of the nation in many areas of economic development, and with more than a half a million jobs lost in Pennsylvania since February 2020 some of the progress here has been lost.
The ReImagine Appalachia Coalition published an infrastructure blueprint they say will create a quarter of a million jobs in Pennsylvania in particular, by focusing on sustainable industries that address climate impact. A video describing the plan found is posted on their Facebook page.
Joining Smart Talk Friday to highlight their plan are Steve Herzenberg, Executive Director, Keystone Research Center and Jacqui Bonomo, President and CEO of PennFuture and also a founding and executive committee member of the RA campaign.
US economy shrank in 2020 for first time since Great Recession
The coronavirus pandemic continues as the greatest threat to the global economy. A recent report showed that the US economy contracted 3.5% last year, which is the largest decline since just after World War II and the first since 2009.
Maria Ivanova Reyes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Economist with Gettysburg College appears on Smart Talk Friday to analyze the report and talk about what the economy will need to grow and move forward from the pandemic.
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