The Spark

A U.S. Air Force carry team prepares to place a transfer case containing the remains of Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin into a vehicle, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (Patrick Semansky,AP) What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, January 24, 2019: He was described by others as kind, funny, … Continue reading "The war in Afghanistan comes home / Ben Franklin Technology Partners"

This Monday, June 25, 2018, file photo on the left shows Raymond Charles Rowe, of Lancaster, Pa. Rowe was charged and plead guilty this month to the 1992 rape and murder of 25-year-old Christy Mirack at her home. The crime had stymied investigators until genealogical research led them to Rowe, known professionally as DJ Freez. … Continue reading "Solving old cases with DNA technology"

Clean Slate Law and food safety What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, January 22, 2019: Criminal justice reform legislation is unifying state and federal legislators on the way to what President Trump calls a “necessary step toward addressing the deep-rooted issues in our country’s criminal justice system.” In Pennsylvania, lawmakers approved the Clean … Continue reading "Clean Slate Law and food safety"

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, January 21, 2019: More than 50 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. His murder sent shock waves around the world and became an accelerant thrown onto the fire of the civil rights movement. Today, as Americans celebrate his … Continue reading "Race relations, have we made progress?"

Chancellor Daniel Greenstein addresses the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors on January 16, 2019. (Photo courtesy of PASSHE) What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, January 18, 2019: The Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is under new leadership. Dr. Dan Greenstein officially became the fifth Chancellor this week … Continue reading "Chancellor takes helm of State System universities"

In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, debris washed into the Chesapeake Bay from record rainfall accumulates around a sailboat in Annapolis, Md. An annual report on the Chesapeake Bay says pollution from unusually heavy rains in 2018 contributed to the first decline in a decade in the overall health of the nation’s largest estuary. … Continue reading "Chesapeake Bay report card: D+"

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, January 16, 2019: There are more than 40-thousand people incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons. That is roughly 725 out of 100-thousand residents. The Wolf administration recently released updated figures showing the state prison population is in decline. They say that legislative changes and efforts by the Corrections Department … Continue reading "Criminal Justice Reform"

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, January 15, 2019: Gov. Tom Wolf is being sworn in for his second term Tuesday. So, what’s changed in Pennsylvania during the governor’s first four years in office, in terms of taxes and revenue? PA Post reporter Ed Mahon looked back this week at what Wolf wanted … Continue reading "Wolf 1st term changes/SNAP early during shutdown/Strange medical stories"

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, January 14, 2019: January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month; an opportunity to raise awareness of the often-hidden crime. It may not be in plain sight, but human trafficking happens everywhere; in communities around the country and in our own backyards. If left unchecked, traffickers … Continue reading "Taking action against human trafficking"

The John Brown House (Ritner Boarding House) in Chambersburg, PA, is where the famous abolitionist boarded during the summer of 1859 under the alias of Isaac Smith. During that summer, weapons were secretly secured, and plans furthered to seize the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. (Photo courtesy of the Franklin County Historical Society) … Continue reading "Authors: Abolitionists of South-Central PA and While Reason Slept"