The Spark

Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas in the country and Democrats in the legislature say that the industry has boomed with little accountability to the impact it is making on communities. There are known risks to fracking, to include the contamination of ground water, risk of chemical spills, and air pollution impacts. … Continue reading "A push to increase oversight and transparency of Pa. fracking industry – Also on the program: Understanding Electric Vehicle Technology"

Listen to Smart Talk every weekday at 9am and 7pm on WITF 89.5 & 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.” Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month is recognized in June. Although a cure and even effective treatments for Alzheimers disease remain elusive, … Continue reading "Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month – New book details the importance of movement and music in battling brain disease"

Pennsylvanians are starting to emerge from pandemic restrictions and take much-needed weekends away or vacations with family. This is a great opportunity to talk about summer reading and books for the beach (if you’re fortunate to head that way). Every summer, Smart Talk produces a program that focuses on books with a panel of area … Continue reading "Recommended summer reads for enjoying the season"

Carlisle Barracks was more than one hundred years old by the time the U.S. Army relinquished the central Pennsylvania Army post to the Department of the Interior in 1879. What followed there became known as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School; an experiment to assimilate American Indian children into white, American culture. It was the first … Continue reading "The U.S. Army preparing to exhume the remains of 10 Indian School students from Carlisle Barracks Cemetery"

There are currently more job openings in the U.S. right now than before the pandemic hit in March 2020. But with fewer people in the labor force, businesses are struggling to attract workers. There are different theories as to why this problem exists, and persists. Fear of the virus has kept some people at home … Continue reading "Employers struggling to find workers cite continued federal benefits as the cause – Attention to alcoholism lost during the pandemic"

The fallout from the 2020 General Election, the January 6 Capitol attack and the demotion of Congresswoman Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership continues to have repercussions. A group of influential members of the GOP have officially called on their party to fall back on its founding principals and rise up against political extremism. The … Continue reading "Dissension within the GOP growing as power players threaten to leave the party"

In the May 18 primary, Pennsylvania voters approved two constitutional amendments largely viewed as a referendum on the governor’s handling of emergency powers during the pandemic. And in the Harrisburg mayoral race, Democrat voters selected City Council President Wanda Williams over the two-term incumbent Mayor Eric Papenfuse to run in the fall. This was a … Continue reading "Primary election results signal a response to governor’s handling of pandemic – Experts make case for “sound and sustainable” spending of federal stimulus funds"

The state paints an alarming picture of Pennsylvania in the latest Climate Impacts Assessment. The report recognizes that climate change is affecting Pennsylvania now, but warns that if nothing is done to halt that impact, temperatures in 2050 could be six degrees warmer than they were in 2000. Storms could also become more extreme. There … Continue reading "Climate report predicts six degree temperature rise and storms to intensify"

The number of new positive coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania is slowing down, but so are the number of Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated against the virus. The state Department of Health reported 1700 new cases Tuesday and say 5.5 million people have received their first vaccine shot and 4.2 million are totally vaccinated. The number of vaccinations … Continue reading "Pennsylvania’s new Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson, MD"

All Pennsylvanians age 12 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and trials are underway to gauge their safety on kids as young as six. As schools wrap up for the summer break planning will begin for the next school year, as most, if not all schools, go back to in-person learning. … Continue reading "The FDA expands vaccine eligibility to kids, but uncertainty remains"