The Spark

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and others are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency saying EPA failed to require Pennsylvania and New York to develop plans to reduce pollution in the bay under two agreements. According to CBF, Pennsylvania’s plan to meet the 2025 goals in the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint contains improvements over past … Continue reading "Smart Talk Monday: EPA sued over Pa. not meeting Chesapeake cleanup goals; Five counties and the coronavirus"

The Centers for Disease Control warn that it is likely the flu virus and COVID-19 virus will both spread this fall and winter; a worse-case scenario as the nation battles the pandemic. In the U.S., flu season typically peaks between December and February. During this same time period there are other respiratory viruses circulating, including … Continue reading "Smart Talk Thursday; Flu season set to overlap with COVID-19"

Pennsylvania’s restaurants and taverns are struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. First came stay-at-home orders in March. Then, customers could dine outdoors and eventually seating for a limited number of customers indoors was permitted. If a diner wanted an alcoholic drink, they had to have it with food or what was called a meal. Gov. … Continue reading "Smart Talk Friday: Pa. restaurants and taverns struggling; Naming streams"

The general election is less than two months away and the stakes have never seemed higher. Election security has taken on a new urgency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and on-going questions about mail-in ballots. The a href=”https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pa-mail-ballot-deadlines-disenfranchisement-20200730.html”primary election in June gave Pennsylvania an opportunity to test the mail-in voting process/a and they’ve … Continue reading Smart Talk Wednesday; What counties are doing to prepare for the election; Nursing home death data still missing

You’ve probably seen the commercials or heard talk of 5G technology that is being touted by mobile phone carriers. But what is 5G and how will be different than the 4G technology most of us are now accustomed to? In simple terms, 5G is the latest generation of technology that will be faster and allow … Continue reading Smart Talk Tuesday: 5G explained; Wasp, cicadas and hornets

Gov. Tom Wolf wants all Pennsylvania employers to offer paid sick and family leave time to their employees. Under the governor’s proposal, paid sick leave can be used to recover from an illness, for medical appointments, to care for a family member, or to seek help from abuse or violence. Six weeks of family leave … Continue reading Smart Talk Thursday: Paid sick and family leave?; Coin shortage

Seventy-Five years ago, General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of nine Allied nations gathered on board the battleship USS Missouri to accept the formal surrender of Japan. Although the surrender was announced on August 14, Japanese officials didn’t sign the formal surrender documents until September 2, 1945; ending six years of hostility with tens of millions … Continue reading Smart Talk Wednesday: 75th Anniversary of the Victory over Japan

Contact tracing that is utilized to identify and inform those who have come into contact with another person who has contracted COVID-19, has been described as one of, and maybe, the best way to control spread of the virus. However, Pennsylvania still has not met goals for the number of people employed or acting as … Continue reading Smart Talk Tuesday: Contact tracing app unveiled and alcohol sales up everywhere but PA

The latest Franklin and Marshall College poll of registered voters released last week found that respondents consider the COVID-19 pandemic the most important problem facing Pennsylvania and may, as a result, feel less optimistic about their finances. The 2020 general election and voter intentions were also key poll questions, and more voters plan to … Continue reading Smart Talk Monday: COVID biggest issue according to FM poll; TMI emergency planning scaled back; COVID-19 testing takes to the road

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. The fight for women’s suffrage was a decades-long battle that took more than 70 years to win. Women representation in elected office didn’t happen quickly after the passage, particularly at the national level. An entirely male … Continue reading Smart Talk Thursday; Women in elected office after the 19th Amendment