Tube City Online's "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" - McKeesport, PA

On our podcast, “Two Rivers, 30 Minutes,” we recently talked about gun violence — especially the emotional impact it has had on the Mon-Yough area — and asked if there’s anything we can do about it.

In 2017, there were 109 homicides in 2017. Nearly three dozen of them were in the Mon Valley in communities such as McKeesport, Swissvale and Turtle Creek, but practically no community of any size was unscathed — and virtually all of the homicides were the result of shootings.

Our guests were Vanessa Mayers-Snyder, a community engagement & mediation specialist for the Center for Victims, and Shira Goodman, executive director of CeaseFire PA.

We asked Mayers-Snyder, how does gun violence change behavior in a community?

How do friends and family members of homicide victims cope and move on? What help can the Center for Victims provide to teach teens and young adults non-violent strategies for conflict resolution?

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Of Goodman, we asked, why has the debate over gun safety become so politicized?

Are there common-sense strategies to reduce gun violence that respect gun owners’ rights? How can citizens inform themselves and re-open the debate on safe gun usage?

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“Two Rivers, 30 Minutes” airs at 8 a.m. Sundays on WEDO (810) and WZUM (1550/101.1) and at 3 p.m. Sundays on WMCK.FM Internet radio, and is also available as a free podcast on iTunes and other services.

This week, we’ll talk to North Braddock native and Woodland Hills High School graduate Joe Wos, a nationally syndicated cartoonist and author, about his career and his upcoming return to Woody High on Feb. 21 to speak to students and faculty.

(Photo by “Mac” on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)