Tag: PA Post

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The coronavirus on Smart Talk Tuesday: Small business lifeline, banks inundated with loan applications and a push to restart construction projects

The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on small businesses throughout Pennsylvania and the country.

When the federal government approved the first stimulus plan it included a safety net for small businesses in the form of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

The plan is for businesses to apply for the loans through participating lenders, who have subsequently been inundated with calls for loan applications. The “system” is overwhelmed leaving small businesses looking for help.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the situation is the National Federation of Independent Businesses State Director Gordon Denlinger.

Also joining Smart Talk to discuss how lending institutions will manage the program and meet the needs of the small business community are Duncan Campbell, president and CEO of the PA Bankers Association, along with Centric Bank President and CEO Patti Husic.

When Governor Wolf ordered all nonessential businesses to close in mid-March, construction and road work stopped as they were deemed nonessential.

State legislators are now pushing for exemptions to reopen construction projects, as Pennsylvania is the only state to shut down all active public and private construction sites.

Joining Smart Talk to talk about proposed bills being introduced is PA Post reporter Ed Mahon.

 

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Legislative update and stories to watch

It’s been a busy week at the State Capitol in Harrisburg with the start of a new legislative session.

WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer hosts Smart Talk to provide an update and insight into several high-profile issues and pieces of legislation.

Appearing on Smart Talk is PA Post reporter Joseph Jafaari, who has spent weeks tracking down the prices for religious texts and other materials in Pennsylvania’s county jails. He found that religious materials are relatively expensive in prison commissaries—and that Qurans almost always cost more than Bibles.

Joining the conversation is fellow PA Post reporter Ed Mahon to discuss how Extreme Risk Protection Orders—or Red Flag laws—are used in other states, and why they’re in legislative limbo in Pennsylvania.

Also, only one week into the new year and there have already been two U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Last year there were 134 fallen officers. Their work is dangerous, and often thankless.

Today is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a call to action asking citizens everywhere to demonstrate support for law enforcement.

The concept behind the initiative that began in 2015 is to show officers that their sacrifices are recognized and appreciated. A simple thank you will go a long way to ease the negativity often directed toward police officers and troopers.

Joining Smart Talk to convey the risks and sacrifices of law enforcement officers is David Kennedy, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association president.

Dave Kennedy appeared on Smart Talk on January 9, 2020.
Dave Kennedy appeared on Smart Talk on January 9, 2020.

 

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