The Spark

Gettysburg Foundation What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, July 11, 2018: The site of the bloodiest battle ever fought on North American soil may not seem like a logical place to have a discussion about peace and civility.  But that’s exactly what we’re doing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk. A Smart Talk Road Trip … Continue reading "Road Trip to Spangler Farm in Gettysburg"

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, July 10, 2018: One-fifth of medications prescribed to construction workers contain an opioid.  Construction workers are almost twice as likely to have a substance abuse problem than the general population.  What it adds up to is the construction industry has been hit hard by the opioid crisis. … Continue reading "Construction workers fight opioid dependency/What are trends in employer based benefits?"

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, July 9, 2018: Pennsylvania is the first state in the country with a “clean slate” law.  It allows those who were arrested for non-violent crimes that carried a year or more in prison to have their records sealed if they don’t break the law again for 10 … Continue reading "PA clean slate law/Fighting West Nile"

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, July 6, 2018: WITF and Smart Talk have focused a spotlight on the opioid crisis often over the past five years.  We’ve heard it called the worst drug epidemic many people have ever seen.  There have been stories of death and grief, but also of hope and … Continue reading "Media collaborating to find solutions to opioid crisis/Canada’s Consul General"

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, July 5, 2018: A survey recently conducted by the Bucknell University Institute for Public Policy found that residents of six key Trump states are pessimistic about the impacts of free trade. These states – known as the “Trump Coalition” – voted for President Trump in the 2016 … Continue reading "Free Trade Skepticism/The Mechanics of Gerrymandering"

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, July 3, 2018: As you are well aware, Wednesday is the Fourth of July — Independence Day — or the day most people point to as the birth of the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence that declared the 13 colonies independent from Great Britain … Continue reading "Fireworks and Independence Day"

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, July 2, 2018: There many things in life we Americans take for granted.  Clean drinking water that’s coming from the tap in your kitchen is one of them. But a months-long investigation by PennLive shows that the drinking water in Pennsylvania may or may not be safe … Continue reading "Is PA’s drinking water safe?/Turkey Hill and farmers team up for clean waterways"

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, June 29, 2018: The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in one of the most exciting Super Bowls in NFL history last February.  The Eagles hadn’t won a championship since 1960 and were underdogs entering the playoffs after starting quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending … Continue reading "Eagles’ Nick Foles/Supreme Court future/Poison hemlock"

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, June 28, 2018: Eighty-one percent of Evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.  More than a year-and-a-half later, they overwhelmingly still support the president’s policies.  Many question how devout Christians can fall in line behind Trump, considering he has been married three times, … Continue reading "Evangelical support of Trump/25-year-old murder case solved"

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, June 27, 2018: The Federal Middle District of Pennsylvania spans 33 counties, from Pike County in the East to Cameron County in the West. It covers almost half of the state and includes about 3.2 million Pennsylvanians. David Freed is the United States Attorney for the Middle … Continue reading "U.S. Attorney David Freed on Central PA federal crimes/York parade"