The Spark

Photos courtesy of Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, April 23, 2019: Grace Kelly, Daisy Lampkin, and Genevieve Blatt are three of the faces adorning the wall of a new exhibit at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence. Game Changers: Pennsylvania Women Who Made History includes portraits of Pennsylvanian women from diverse … Continue reading "Game Changers: Pennsylvania Women Who Made History / The Reuben Garnett, Jr. Memorial Bridge"

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, April 22, 2019: Monday is the 49th anniversary of the first Earth Day. According to earthday.org “On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized … Continue reading "Earth Day Road Trip to Char’s focuses on climate change"

What to look for on Smart Talk on Friday, April 19, 2019: In 2005, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services conducted a census of autistic individuals receiving services in the state and counted nearly 20,000 Pennsylvanians. Eleven years later, an updated census found that number increased to over 55,000 children, adolescents and adults with autism. … Continue reading "Living with autism; improving awareness and inclusion"

What to look for on Smart Talk on Wednesday, April 17, 2019: The American dream of owning your own home is alive and well. It’s just not a realistic dream for some Americans. Finding and paying for housing can be a challenge for many people. Comparatively speaking, Pennsylvania is a reasonably-priced place to buy a … Continue reading "Affordable housing in Pennsylvania"

Every minute, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease. It is the sixth leading cause of death in this country, resulting in more deaths than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that specifically affects parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. Scientists continue to develop … Continue reading "Alzheimer’s research and local Fulbright scholar"

The minimum yearly salary for public school teachers in Pennsylvania hasn’t increased since 1988, when it was set at $18,500. In his 2019 budget proposal, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed raising the minimum salary for teachers to $45,000 annually. If approved, it would increase the salaries of about 3,000 teachers working in 180 school districts. The … Continue reading "Raising minimum salaries for PA teachers and property taxes explained"

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, April 12, 2019: It has been a busy week at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer appears on Friday’s Smart Talk to provide an update and insight into several high profile issues and pieces of legislation. Among the topics to be discussed … Continue reading "Legislative update / Camps for grieving children"

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, April 11, 2019: All calories are not created equal. Counting calories, dieting for weight loss and taking supplements all contribute to what many believe to be a long, healthy life. Earlier this week, a study published by Tufts University found that while consuming vitamins and minerals can … Continue reading "The science of eating"

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, April 10, 2019: The Latino population in the U.S. is the nation’s largest and fastest growing ethnic group. The population increase is significant; Latinos account for half of U.S. population growth between 2000 and 2014. In Pennsylvania, the Latino community is nearing one million, or approximately seven … Continue reading "Growing Latino population in PA facing challenges and opportunities"

This image is from the April 2019 special edition, single topic issue of National Geographic, titled “CITIES: Ideas For a Brighter Future.” What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, April 9, 2019: Pedestrian fatalities are on the rise. Every day, people are risking their lives by simply walking out of their homes and onto … Continue reading "What will it take to make safe streets? / Ideas to redesign cities"