The Spark

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, April 16, 2018: U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best States rankings list Pennsylvania as the 38th best state to live in.  The report uses data to rank states in the areas of education, health care, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, fiscal stability and quality of … Continue reading "PA ranked 38th best state/Filmmaker Tracy Strain"

What to looks for on Smart Talk Friday, April 13, 2018: A Lancaster County woman allegedly owes more than $91,000 in unpaid tolls to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.  The Commission claims she drove through the EZ Pass lane for years between Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg without paying a toll. She and others who have rolled up … Continue reading "Turnpike pursues unpaid tolls/Fair Districts unhappy with amended redistricting bill"

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, April 12, 2018: On January 20, 1942, fifteen high-ranking Nazi party and government leaders assembled outside of Berlin, at a villa by a lake known as Wannsee. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the “final solution to the Jewish question in Europe.” The “final solution” … Continue reading "Holocaust Remembrance Day/Author Patrick Sharkey on falling crime"

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, April 11, 2018: Chronic Wasting Disease is a contagious, always fatal disease that affects deer, elk and moose. It is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), which is the same type of disease as Mad Cow Disease. The disease causes brain cells to die, resulting in microscopic holes in … Continue reading "Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer/Pennsylvania Industrial Heritage Exhibit"

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, April 10, 2018: Few issues have energized, and apparently polarized, Americans like the #MeToo movement; a social media phrase that ignited a firestorm of activism following sexual assault and harrasment allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017. The hashtag acted as a propellant to the … Continue reading "#MeToo: Divided Opinions"

An example of a clean and picturesque stream in Pennsylvania at Rickett’s Glen State Park/Photo by Scott LaMar – WITF What to look for on Smart Talk, Monday April 9, 2018: Monday’s Smart Talk takes a look at how clean Pennsylvania’s waterways are.  A recent report from an environmental group found that Pennsylvania industrial facilities … Continue reading "Is PA water clean?"

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, April 6, 2018: “Pennsylvania is at the forefront of the vehicle automation revolution.”  That’s according to Roger Cohen, a senior advisor in the state Department of Transportation.  Cohen appears on Friday’s Smart Talk to explain how the state is preparing and testing for autonomous vehicles or as … Continue reading "PA prepares for self-driving cars/Babies born addicted up 1000%"

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, April 6, 2018: The Pennsylvania State Geography Bee is scheduled for Friday at the State Museum in Harrisburg.  Some of the brightest young people from throughout the state will be participating.  But when it comes to geography education in the K thru 12 grades, geography is often … Continue reading "Geography education and Bee/Drug-free workplace"

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, April 4, 2018: Smart Talk is on the road again Wednesday, in Hershey at The Hershey Story Museum. We’ll explore the history of the “other” model town that Milton Hershey built in Cuba. Hershey, Cuba, is named after Milton S. Hershey, who founded the town in 1916. … Continue reading "Road Trip to Hershey Story Museum"

What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, April 3, 2018: WITF’s Starting Over: Life in the Midstate After Hurricane Maria series continues Tuesday with a focus on education and healthcare — two unique challenges for displaced Puerto Ricans who have migrated to Central Pennsylvania after last fall’s storms. Thousands of Puerto Ricans came to … Continue reading "Starting Over after Maria — education and healthcare"