Gov. Tom Wolf's announcement last week that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer stunned many people across the state. Even though the governor described his cancer as treatable and said he wouldn't need chemotherapy, Pennsylvanians were concerned.

Wolf's announcement brought attention to prostate cancer -- one of the most curable cancers. When diagnosed in its early stages, prostate cancer can be treated with a high degree of success.

However, prostate cancer presents few symptoms in its early stages and that's why screening is so very important.

Monday's Smart Talk examines prostate cancer. Appearing on the program are Kristine Warner, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition, Dr. Charles Reninger of Hematology and Oncology Consultants of Pennsylvania, Dr. Suzanne Merryll, Urologic Oncologist at the Penn State Cancer Institute, and prostate cancer survivor Retired Colonel James E. Williams Jr.

Outside of the Keystone State, Pennsylvania Dutch is often synonymous with the Amish or Mennonites. Many visualize buggies, no electricity and handmade furniture. But within Pennsylvania's borders it is more nuanced than that. For many Pennsylvanians, there's a cultural history and ancestry connected to Pennsylvania Dutch.

The Pennsylvania Dutch language is the focus of Monday's Smart Talk.

Appearing on the program is Mark L. Louden, professor of Germanic linguistics and co-director of the Max Kade Institute for Germanic-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He's also the author of a new book, Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language.

Louden, a leading scholar and fluent Pennsylvania Dutch speaker discusses the origin, evolution and linguistic features of Pennsylvania Dutch, which he has found is a booming language even in the 21st century.

Louden talks about the differences between the "Fancy Dutch," the "Plain People" and the fracturing of the language into different forms.

The latest Franklin and Marshall College Poll that was released this week shows Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential race in Pennsylvania while Hillary Clinton has a big lead over Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side.

Two months before Pennsylvania's primary, Trump is the choice of 22% of those polled compared to 16% for Marco Rubio and 15% for John Kasich.

Clinton outpolls Sanders 48% to 27%.

The F M poll also indicates 67% of registered voters believe Pennsylvania is on the wrong track. That number, which increased five percentage points since October, comes against the backdrop of the state not having a final budget for the past eight months.

Franklin and Marshall College pollster Dr. G. Terry Madonna, appears on Friday's Smart Talk to provide his take on what the numbers mean.

Finally, WITF's Central Pennsylvania Spelling Bee is scheduled for this weekend. You'll have more respect for the young spellers once you hear several WITF air personalities spell during the Smart Talk Spelling Bee.

The New York Times reported earlier this week, "The worsening of tidal flooding in American coastal communities is largely a consequence of greenhouse gases from human activity, and the problem will grow far worse in coming decades" (according to scientists).

The report was just the latest from the scientific community that indicates the Earth's temperatures are going up and so are ocean levels.

However, climate change is one of the most hotly debated issues politically in the U.S.

President Obama has outlined a series of taxes and limits on carbon emissions.

Most conservatives oppose the president's proposal saying it will cripple the country economically.

Self-described libertarian Jerry Taylor, president of the Niskanen Center isn't one of them. Taylor has written and speaks on The Conservative Case for a Carbon Tax. In fact, he'll speak Thursday afternoon at Widener Law Commonwealth.

Taylor's carbon tax plans are different than President Obama's as he'll tell us on Thursday's Smart Talk.

Also joining us is John Dernbach, a Distinguished Professor and the Director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center at Widener Law Commonwealth.

Pulitzer Prize winning author, Eric Foner, one of the nation's most respected historians, appears on Wednesday's Smart Talk.

Dr. Foner discusses his new book Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, which is WITF and Aaron's Books Pick-of-the-Month for February. It's also a great story for Black History Month.

The book describes the secret network that helped more than 3,000 African-American slaves escape to freedom during the early and mid-1800's. It builds on previously unseen evidence from that time period that includes detailed records of slave escapes and the collaboration of hundreds of black and white Americans to deliver slaves from the South to freedom.

Much of Gateway to Freedom focuses on the Underground Railroad in New York City but also talks about stops and events in Pennsylvania that include Philadelphia, Columbia, York, Lancaster, Chambersburg, and Harrisburg.

Also, loyal WITF listeners, viewers and visitors to witf.org are aware of and have been part of WITF's 50th anniversary celebration over the past year. Often, we would hear a congratulatory refrain of "Here's to the next 50!" With the next 50 years in mind, we want to talk with you Wednesday about a new campaign called "50 for the Future."

Appearing on the program are WITF President and CEO Kathleen Pavelko and Susan Piggott, a WITF Premier Circle member.

It is legal for pharmacists to administer seasonal flu immunizations in all 50 states. That authorization has only occurred within the past 20 years.

With a changing healthcare landscape, pharmacists want to expand their patient care roles even more to include chronic disease management, health screenings and tests and to provide immunizations for other health conditions.

Many of those responsibilities are now only performed in a doctor's office or under the scrutiny of a physician.

As a result, doctors have opposed expanding pharmacist roles in patient care.

Pharmacists also support federal legislation that would compensate them for the expanded services through Medicare.

We'll learn more on Tuesday's Smart Talk from Patricia Epple the Secretary and Treasurer of The Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association and Charles Kray the owner of Hershey CKC Pharmacy.

Not long ago, there were plans for Harrisburg International Airport to become a multi-transportation hub -- not only the largest airport in the region but also would be an Amtrak train stop. The project never was fully realized. But that doesn't mean officials have given up on expanding HIA's role in the region.

For example, the airport is always looking to add flights and airlines to conduct those flights. Allegiant Air has been offering flights to Florida that are comparable in price to nearby larger airports.

For many Central Pennsylvania travelers, that's how Harrisburg International can compete with larger airports in Philadelphia and Baltimore -- offer more convenience at a comparable price.

Other plans are in the works too that include bringing air travel-related businesses to the area near the airport, building a hotel and developing the Route 230 corridor.

Harrisburg International Airport and air travel in Central Pennsylvania are the topics of Monday's Smart Talk.

Appearing on the program are Tim Edwards, Executive Director, Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority and Scott Miller, Deputy Director, Business Development and Strategic Marketing, Harrisburg International Airport.

There were about 50,000 people incarcerated or serving other alternative sentences in Pennsylvania last year. That's the smallest number since 2009. In fact, the prison population fell by 842 inmates in 2015. The Wolf Administration attributed the drop to reforms made in 2012.

While a declining prison population is a step in the right direction, Pennsylvania's criminal justice system faces other challenges like too many mentally ill people who are in jail rather than getting treatment or a small group of criminals who continue to commit crimes.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has worked with 24 other states to find ways to reduce corrections spending, lower recidivism and redirect those funds to proven public safety strategies. The Justice Center is now reviewing Pennsylvania's criminal justice system.

Appearing on Friday's Smart Talk to discuss what works and what doesn't are Marc Pelka, Deputy Director of State Initiatives for the Council of State Governments Justice Center and Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Also, three antique guns were stolen from the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg last Sunday morning. The thief got into the building through a broken window and stole the guns from a controversial exhibit sponsored by the National Rifle Association.

The burglary has prompted many questions - some we hope to get answered Friday by Gene Barr, the Vice Chair of the Board of the National Civil War Museum.

Also, WITF's Capitol Bureau Chief Mary Wilson is on the show with Capitol-Week-in-Review highlighted by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announcing she won't seek re-election.

Albert Einstein's name may come up often in a college physics class, but you don't hear the renowned physicist's name in the news much.

So you knew that last week's announcement that scientists had discovered gravitational waves Einstein had researched a hundred years ago was big news. In fact, it was historic scientific news.

For the first time, scientists actually heard the sound of two black holes merging in deep space a billion years ago.

What questions did the discovery answer and what questions does it raise?

On Thursday's Smart Talk, we'll ask those questions and learn more about gravitational waves. Our guest is Dr. Andrea Lommen, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Grundy Observatory at Franklin and Marshall College.

Also, natural gas prices are down. That's good news for consumers who heat their homes with natural gas, but it is having a negative financial impact on gas drillers in Pennsylvania. It also has affected the businesses that were doing well, sprung up, or expanded when drilling took off in the Marcellus Shale.

Now, workers are being laid off and at least one company could be bankrupt.

Joining us on Thursday's show is StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Marie Cusick to describe the downturn in the gas industry.

In June 2014, talk show host Diane Rehm's husband of 54 years, John, died.

John Rehm's death came after a long fight with Parkinson's Disease. He didn't want to live any longer with the debilitating disease but his physician could do nothing to facilitate his death, so John Rehm decided he would not eat food or drink fluids to end his life. He died 10 days later.

Diane Rehm became and outspoken advocate for the right-to-die movement.

In her newly published book, On My Own, Diane Rehm writes about her belief that the terminally ill should be able to die with dignity with the aid of a physician. She also describes her emotions and grief after the death of her husband.

Diane Rehm appears on Wednesday's Smart Talk to discuss the book just before her own program airs on WITF at 10 a.m.

Also, it's National Court Reporters and Captioning Week. Court reporters are an important part of our legal system but often go unnoticed.

Gail McLucas of GLFM reporting joins us on Wednesday's show to explain what court reporters and captioners actually do.

The Latino population in Pennsylvania is booming. On a national level, Pennsylvania ranks #13 when it comes to total Latino population in the U.S., with more than 750,000 Latinos calling the Keystone State home. However, as the population grows, many Latinos face challenges. Thousands don't have health insurance or struggle to find employment despite the advantage of bilingual capabilities--a skill many employers actively recruit.

George Fernandez, the founder and CEO of The Latino Connection, a marketing and communications firm located in Harrisburg, wants to break the disconnect between Latinos and employers. He'll appear on Tuesday's show to discuss the growing Latino population, the challenges of being Latino in the U.S., the relationship between the job market and Latinos, as well as programs offered by The Latino Connection.

Also, eight Pennsylvania non-profit organizations will be benefitting from the work of Pennsylvania students this month. Students and faculty from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster are participating in the 2016 Designathon, an event that challenges students to create logos, website brochures, and more for participating non-profit organizations.

Appearing on the show to discuss the Designathon are Pam Barby, chair of the Graphic Design Department of Pennsylvania College of Art and Design and Avery Rose, a participating student.