Podcasts about Cumberland County

Gov. Josh Shapiro says Republican lawmakers are stalling state budget talks to gain a political advantage ahead of next year’s governor’s race. Pennsylvania Senator Doug Mastriano, a Franklin County Republican, says he’s still months away from a decision whether he’ll run again for governor. While Mastriano deliberates, the state’s Republican leaders are coalescing around State Treasurer Stacy Garrity as the party’s preferred candidate. Affordable housing is an issue for many Pennsylvanians, including older Pennsylvanians. That’s why a new $19 million senior citizen housing complex is now up and running in Lackawanna County. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a shooting that happened Monday night in Lemoyne, Cumberland County. The campaign of state treasurer Stacy Garrity - who has announced her candidacy for governor - may hinge on her fundraising ability. A report by our partners at Spotlight PA reveals that Garrity's fundraising abilities are largely untested. It's been more than 2 years since a Norfolk Southern freight train went off the tracks in eastern Ohio just across the Pennsylvania border. In that time major freight carriers have failed to join a federal program aimed at reducing such hazards. The lives of 39 Schuylkill County firefighters were honored at the recent Schuylkill County Volunteer Firefighters' Convention. While the dust is settling from the Little League World Series held in South Williamsport, there's likely a game and storyline from this year's competition that you haven't yet heard about. Last weekend, under blue skies, a baseball team from Luzerne County not only had their baseball dreams come true, but they showed an international audience what can be possible through sports. In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.   Important Resources: Asian Refugees United: Website | Instagram | Learn about the Disappearances of Bhutanese American refugees: Website | Toolkit Hmong Innovating Politics: Website | Instagram Lavender Phoenix: Website | Instagram Minjoona Music: Instagram   Transcript: Cheryl (Host): Good evening. You're tuned in to Apex Express. I'm your host, Cheryl, and tonight we're diving into the vibrant summer programming happening across the AACRE network. That's the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality Network. AACRE is made up of 11 Asian American social justice organizations working together to build collective power and create lasting movements .  Throughout tonight's show, we'll be spotlighting a few of these groups [00:01:00] and the incredible work they're leading this summer. First up, we're joined by Pratik from Asian refugees United Pratik. Thank you so much for being here. Do you mind introducing yourself and to kick things off in the spirit of tonight's show, maybe share what's something that's been bringing you joy this summer? Pratik (ARU): Hello, namaste everyone. My name is Pratik Chhetri. He, him. I'm the program manager at ARU, Asian Refugees United in Pennsylvania. I'm originally from Nepal. I grew up in Nepal. I am an immigrant, came to the for college long time ago. And I've been working in social justice, health justice field for over 15 years now. Initially it was mostly around advocacy policy relating to access to medicines, issues, especially in lower and middle income countries, and the past six, seven. More than seven [00:02:00] years. I also started an organization, a nonprofit organization in Nepal, that works at the intersection of social, economic and climate justice. And with ARU, I got introduced to ARU back in 2020. So by that time I had some skills that I felt I could bring to the community. Even though I'm not from Bhutanese refugee community, I speak the language, I understand the culture to a certain extent. So I felt with the linguistic skill I could be of some help. I think right around that time COVID happened, everything and end of 2021 is when I reconnected with Robin and started talking about possibilities. For about two years, I was part of the CAMP for Emerging Leaders, the leadership program ARU has, and [00:03:00] starting last year, early this year formally, I am a staff, for ARU. I'm in charge of programs under wellness, education, and civic engagement largely but depending on time and resources, I become available for other programs as well. It's a joy working with ARU. I was just telling Cheryl earlier that it doesn't feel like work ‘ cause I enjoy it, working with people, getting to work on impactful programs, and being a part of an organization that has so much potential, so much responsibility, but also trying to find new ways to become, useful for the community. That's very exciting. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): That's great. I'm glad that your work is what's bringing you joy this summer. That's so special. And before we get into some of that impactful programming that you've been running this summer, could you [00:04:00] tell us a little bit about, ARU, Asian Refugees United  Pratik (ARU): Sure. ARU started back in 2016 in California and back then all of the programs used to be in California. The community that ARU serves since then, and even to this day are Nepali speaking, Bhutanese refugee community and Vietnamese community, Korean and other Pan-Asian community. After the pandemic, there has been a lot of secondary migration of the Bhutanese folks from across the United States to two major locations. One being central PA around Harrisburg area and Pennsylvania, and the second one around Columbus, Ohio, and other major cities in Ohio. The secondary migration mostly to Pennsylvania triggered a, shifting of ARU programs, to Pennsylvania as well in addition to [00:05:00] California. So at this point in 2025, the Pennsylvania side of ARU caters to the Nepali speaking Bhutanese folks. And the California side of ARU works with Vietnamese, Korean, and other Asian communities. I work with the Pennsylvania, ARU, and here we have four different pillars around health and wellness, education, art and storytelling. And the fourth one is civic engagement, and that is the newest one. I can talk about programs under each of the pillars but for summer the programs that is bringing me joy, not only for me, but also ARU's staffs is this longitudinal five month long leadership program called Camp for Emerging Leaders, where we recruit Nepali speaking folks from all across United States, and they go through virtual sessions every other [00:06:00] week on, history to the story of displacement, intergenerational trauma. How it started, how it used to be back in Bhutan, how it used to be in the refugee camps in Nepal, and now how it is in the US and Canada, wherever they are. So end of summer, end of July, early August is when all of those cohort members, the youth leaders will come physically to Harrisburg and we'll spend a few days here connecting with each other, building that trust, but also working together to build projects for the community, addressing community challenges that's happening. And for that I think five or six of the ARU staff from California are also coming. We have guest speakers. I think one of them is coming from all the way from Australia. It's fun. Largely I think [00:07:00] I'm looking forward to meeting with all of these youth leaders who have so much potential to do, so much good, not only for Bhutanese community, Nepali speaking, south Asian community, but also, their potential goes beyond that, yeah.  Cheryl (Host): It is powerful to hear how ARU's work has evolved and now spans across the nation, and also how Camp for Emerging Leaders is creating space for Nepali speaking Bhutanese youth to reflect their community's history, build deep connections, and grow as leaders. You mentioned that during the summer youth leaders gather in Harrisburg to create community projects. Could you share more about what kinds of projects they're working on and what kind of issues they're hoping to address? Pratik (ARU): For education, one of the main ones that we just concluded is, so we started high school success program called First Step Forward. And the interesting thing, the exciting thing about this program [00:08:00] is the concept of First Step forward from one of the Camp for Emerging Leaders cohort from two years ago. And similarly so that's how most of ARU programs have been. The ARU Youth Center, the ARU Office, that concept also started from the camp for emerging leaders. There are a couple other programs ARU does. Youth Wellness Day. That started from the camp as well. For the First Step Forward, what we do is early winter of, I think January or February we accepted a cohort of 10. These were high school juniors and seniors, and largely the purpose of the program is to make sure that they are well equipped for college and for any other professional avenues they end up going even if higher education is not for them. We did a lot of like leadership sessions, public speaking [00:09:00] sessions, like how to write essays, how to apply for different scholarships. We just concluded it literally last Saturday, we went hiking and went to one of the Six Flags amusement parks. But learning from that program, we are scaling it up. We're taking 20 people next year, and we will do it a year long cohort. So starting from September up until May, June. We'll integrate college tours, not only for the kids, but also for their family because in Bhutanese community and Nepali speaking folks a lot of the times the parents do not understand how the system works, even with their best intent and best intention. So along with the students, it is very important for us to work with the family, the parents as much as possible to take them through the process, right? On education, we also do a lot of cultural navigation training to [00:10:00] different county level and different governance agencies. Some of the cultural navigation trainings that we did in the past year that I can think of is we did one for the. Panel of judges from Dauphin County, which is where Harrisburg is. We did similar thing for different school districts in Dauphin and Cumberland County, different nearby counties for juvenile probation unit, child and youth services. And while we do that, as an organization, it gave us a better sense of where the gaps are, especially for parents to run into difficulties. 'cause a lot of times, for example, if a kid is sent home with a sheet of paper, even when it's bilingual, because their movement happened from Nepal to Bhutan, such a long time ago, a lot of the folks in the community speak the language but do not understand how to read or write the [00:11:00] language. So there are double language barrier, right? When a kid is called into a meeting or a disciplinary meeting, the parents a lot of times don't even look at the sheet of paper or don't know where to show up or how to show up or what to expect. Based on those things we're using that knowledge and experience to design further programs in the future. That's just for education. With civic engagement, for example, this 2024 cycle was the first election for our community members to vote in their lifetime. Back in Bhutan they didn't have that opportunity and then they spent decades in refugee camps, and it took most of them some time to get the green cards and five years after Green card to secure their citizenship. So we saw a lot of even elderly folks show up to voting. That was their first time that they were voting. And when that happens, it's not [00:12:00] just generic voter education. It's teaching the community how to register, where to register, where to show up at the precincts. A lot of precincts we were seeing, 30 to 40% of the folks show up to the wrong precincts. So there's a lot of need, but also in 2024 we saw, unfortunately, a lot of folks fall victim to misinformation and disinformation. So there's that need to do something about that part as well in the future. One of the things we started doing under civic engagement work is not just teach folks where to register, how to register on voter education, but also preparing some of the community members to run for office.  Two or three weeks ago, mid-June, we did our first round of run for office training. We partner up with another organization called Lead PA. And even for the folks who showed up, all of us [00:13:00] are politically inclined, educated to a certain extent, and a lot of the things that were shared in that training, it was mostly new to us, especially around local government. Like what are the positions that they are and how so many important positions, people run unopposed and what kind of ramifications that might have for our daily lives. Right. Starting 2026 election cycle, we're hoping some of our trainees run for office as well, starting from school board to all the way, wherever they want to. And there are wellness focused events, youth wellness Day that I talked about, around mental health is one of the great needs for the community. One piece of data might be very important to mention, based on CDCs 20 12 data, there was a report out, the research was conducted in 2012, and the report came out in 2014, basically what it said [00:14:00] was, Bhutanese folks in the US have the highest of suicide in the whole nation, and that's something that has not received a lot of attention or resources because generally those numbers get mixed up with generic Asian data and the numbers get diluted. Right. So one of the things, what, as an organization, what we are trying to do is bring awareness to that number. And the other thing is like, it's been over 10 years since that study happened and there has not been a follow-up study. What we are seeing is previously how mental health and it's ramifications how it was affecting the community, it was mostly about 10 years ago, mostly affecting older folks. Now we are seeing a lot of younger folks commit suicide or suicidal attempts. So there is a lot of work in that respect as [00:15:00] well. These are also some of the very crucial topics to work on. But as an organization, we are taking baby steps toward being able to efficiently address the community needs. I missed some of them, but overall, our organizational goal is to empower the community in one way or the other. And one of the tools that we use is focusing on youths because youths in the community, similar to other immigrant communities, our youths are mostly bilingual, bicultural, and many times they're the translators and system navigators for their whole family. And in many cases their extended family as well. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Wow. There are so many layers to the work that you all do. From developing leaders to run for office, to supporting mental health, to helping folks navigate voting and helping folks access higher education or career pathways.[00:16:00]  That's such a wide scope, and I imagine it takes a lot to hold all of that. How do you all manage to balance so much, especially with a small team, is that right?  Pratik (ARU): Yes. Technically we only have one full-time staff. Most are part-time, but ranging from. 10% to 80%. Largely we rely on the community members, volunteers, and we pay the volunteers when we can. And other times, I think it speaks to how much time and effort and how genuinely, folks like Robin, who is the co ED of ARU and Parsu who is the office manager, and other folks in Harrisburg, connected with different community leaders, folks of different subgroups over the years. So. When ARU moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania post pandemic, it took them a while to get the hang of the community, the growing community. Back then it used to [00:17:00] be 10, 20,000 max in central PA and now our estimation is like 70, 80,000 in central PA. It took them a while to create space of trust, that ARU are people that they can come for when they run into problems. And even when we don't have a lot of resources, people show up. People volunteer. People volunteer their time, their spaces for meetings and events. Yeah. And that's how we've been running it. I feel like we do five or 10 x amount of work with the resources that we have, but that's largely because of the perception the community has about Robin, about Parsu, about other individuals, and about the organization.  Cheryl (Host): That's so amazing. ARU clearly has such deep community roots, not just through the incredible work that of course Robin, [00:18:00] Parsu and so many others you have named have done to build lasting relationships that now sustain the work in the organization, but also I think it's also evident in the examples you've shared through Camp for Emerging Leaders, how you all really listen to youth and learn from their experiences. And you all shape programs that respond directly to the needs that you're seeing. And in that same spirit of care and commitment that is reflected in ARU's amazing staff and volunteers. I'm curious, are there any moments or memories from camp for emerging leaders that stand out to you? I imagine there must be so many.  Pratik (ARU): Yeah. Many stories. I started attending and facilitating the sessions for the camp I from 2022 cohort and maybe even 23 cohort. I think this is the third one that I'm doing. I'll talk about Kamana. [00:19:00] Kamana joined the 23 cohort and at that time she was still in high school. But you know, she was bubbly, full of energy and she was one of the pretty active members of the cohort and eventually after the cohort, she ended up joining ARU as initially, I think as an intern, and now she is the lead of the education program. She will be a sophomore or rising junior, starting this fall. But now she'll be running the education program, First Step Forward. Primarily it was internally us staff, we see the growth in them with experience. But also I think one of the things that ARU does is we create a sort of non-hierarchical structure within our office space in the sense that anyone can [00:20:00] design a program or any idea, and they do not feel intimidated to speaking up. I think because of that, people like Kamana, I can talk about other folks like Nawal. Them growing within ARU space shows not just with experience, but also I think the kind of open and inclusive and non hierarchical space that we create they feel comfortable enough in leading. A lot of times when we have , X, y, and Z needs to be done in the group chat, people just volunteer. Even when they don't get paid, we see our staff, our volunteer base just show up time and time again. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Wow. ARU is such a special container. You've created this beautiful space where people can grow and then also have agency to shape that container in whatever way that they want. That is so special. How can listeners support your work this [00:21:00] summer? Whether that's showing up or donating or volunteering or spreading the word.  Pratik (ARU): One of the things is for the listeners, I feel like not a lot of folks know about Bhutanese community much. So yes, they speak Nepali. They sometimes they identify as Nepali because it's just easy. , Bhutanese folks normally identify as either Bhutanese or Nepali or American or any combination of those three identities. A lot of folks do not know, including folks from Nepal about the atrocity, the trauma that the community went through had to go through the forced persecution out of Bhutan and then living under very limited means while in the refugee camps in Nepal and even the number of challenges the community still [00:22:00] faces. I talked a little bit about mental health needs. There's. There are needs around, health seeking behavior and similar to other immigrant communities as well, but also, on education. Because of the historical division around caste and class and other demographic details, certain folks in the community are geared towards success versus others aren't. And we see that. We see the pattern quite distinct by their indigeneity, by their caste, by their last names. In our community you can tell what their caste is, what their ethnic background is with their last names. So I would invite the audience to learn a little bit more about this community and if you have that space and resources [00:23:00] to be, if you're a researcher, if you want to do some research studies, if you want to bring some programs. If you have scholarship ideas, if you want to create any scholarship for the kids in the community, or if you have means, and if you can donate, either or. It doesn't have to be just, financial resources. It can be sometimes being available as mentor to some of the kids to show them these are the possibilities. To summarize, learn more about the community if you don't know already including some of the new atrocities, the community's facing right now with ICE detention and deportation, even when the community was brought in to this country after years and years of approval through the process. And if you have resources and means help with knowledge sharing, being available or with [00:24:00] financial means either or. I just wanted to mention that I work with ARU and I work with the Bhutanese community, but like I said, I'm not from the Bhutan community. I grew up in Nepal. I speak the language, I understand the culture to a certain extent, but I definitely cannot speak for the experience of going and living as a refugee. So,, if you have any question, if you want to learn more about that, Cheryl and I, we are happy to put you in touch with folks with incredible stories, inspiring stories of resilience in the community. Cheryl (Host): Thank you so much. All of the links, whether to learn more, donate or get involved, as well as information about the disappearances impacting the Bhutanese American community will be included in our show notes. A huge thank you to Pratik from Asian Refugees United for joining us tonight. We're deeply grateful for the work you do and the love you carry for our [00:25:00] communities. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. We're going to take a quick music break and when we come back we'll hear more about the summer programming happening across the AACRE network with folks from Lavender Phoenix, and Hmong innovating politics. So don't go anywhere. Next up, you're listening to a track called “Juniper” by Minjoona, a project led by Korean American musician, Jackson Wright. This track features Ari Statler on bass, josh Qiyan on drums, and Ryan Fu producing. Juniper is the lead single from Minjoona's newest release, the Juniper EP, a five track p roject rooted in indie rock, 60 throwback vibes, and lyric forward storytelling. You can follow Minjoona on Instagram at @minjoonamusic or find them on Spotify to keep up with upcoming releases. We'll drop the links in our show notes. Enjoy the track and we'll be right back. [00:26:00] [00:27:00] [00:28:00] [00:29:00] [00:30:00]  And we're back!!. You're listening to APEX express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley. 88.1. KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. That was “Juniper” by Minjoona.  Huge thanks to Jackson Wright and the whole crew behind that track [00:31:00] Before the break, we were live with Pratik from Asian Refugees United, talking about the powerful summer programming, supporting the Nepalese speaking Bhutanese community in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Now I'm joined by from Blair Phoenix. From Lavender Phoenix, who's here to share about her experiences as a summer organizer In Lav N'S annual summer in Lav N's annual summer organizer in Lav N'S annual summer organizing program. Hi Mar. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for being here. Do you mind introducing yourself to our listeners? Okay. Mar, do you mind for our listeners out there who are just tuning in, do you mind introducing yourself? Mar (LavNix): Yes. Thank you, Cheryl. Hi, y'all. My name is Mar Pronouns, [00:32:00] she/siya/any! I come from the lands of the Ibaloi people in the Philippines or “Maharlika”. I am a queer Muslim and yeah, I'm just happy to be here. Cheryl (Host): Yay. We're so happy to have you here, mar! For those who might not be familiar, Mar is joining us from Lavender Phoenix as part of this year's summer organizing program. Mar,, could you start by giving our listeners a quick introduction to Lavender Phoenix? And then could you tell us a little bit about the summer organizing program and what it's all about? Mar (LavNix): Yeah, of course. Cheryl. Let's start with Lavender Phoenix. Lavender Phoenix is a really awesome nonprofit over here in the Bay Area who focus on trans queer, API. Work basically. I really love Lavender Phoenix because of their unwavering commitment to collective liberation [00:33:00] and the very specific focus and centering around trans queer API leadership because our leadership is often underrepresented and because there's so many intersections there, we need to have trans queer API leadership to be able to move the work. And so really fond of lavender Phoenix's ethos and mission values. This year for the summer 2025, I'm part of their summer organizer program, which is a cohort of organizers both emerging, established and wanting to learn, and we learn a lot of transformative interpersonal organizing skills, but also building our more technical skill sets alongside with that. So we're actually three weeks from graduation [00:34:00] nooooooooo!. Anyways, yeah, just really happy to be in this cohort. I'm feeling really aligned in that I am here and it is transforming me in the way I had intentions for when I applied for it. Cheryl (Host): Wow. It sounds like this was a really impactful program for you. I wanna know what kinds of projects are you all working on?  Mar (LavNix): Yeah, so it's really beautiful because it's not just like a single project the cohort works on, it's kind of a myriad of things. We have two folks who are doing projects with other organizations, and then we have the rest of the folks working on two projects within Lavender Phoenix's programming. And so for my group, my very awesome group, we are doing the River of Life Project, and the River of Life Project is a five week long cohort where we practice storytelling in a very vulnerable and honest way, and this is for the [00:35:00] purpose to really witness one another and to cultivate our storytelling skills because our stories and narratives is so important. There's whole states and governments trying to take that away from us, and so our project is to guide and facilitate this project and meet with members across rank. It's super cool seeing the different facets of lavender Phoenix come together and be down, to be in the act of vulnerability and honesty and that is their praxis for collective liberation. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Yeah. Yeah. That's so well said. And it's so important that we have these spaces to practice that vulnerability because we are so often punished for being who we are. Right. So, mm-hmm. These programs are so crucial as you have uplifted for us. I am so curious to learn more about this River of Life project, but [00:36:00] also before we even get to that, I wanna zoom out a little bit and focus on your growth and who are you now as you get closer three weeks from graduation?  Mar (LavNix): Ooh, that is such a beautiful question, Cheryl. Yeah. I've been really reflecting on how this program transformed me this summer and to bring us back to when I first applied. I first applied sometime in March, I believe. I remember 'cause it was around Ramadan. I was at a point in my life where I felt stagnant in my organizing journey. I would attend all these workshops, I would keep reading, but there was a disconnect in how my mind wanted to move next. So here we are in 2025, I was accepted into the program. I was like, yay, my people. And you know, [00:37:00] my expectations was met. In fact, it was exceeded. Very exceeded because I didn't know these things that i'm learning now. I didn't know how much I needed them until I learned them. In my time with Lavender Phoenix, as I'm reflecting to this point, graduation being three weeks out, I realized that before joining this cohort, my heart and my spirit was in a really bad place, and I think a lot of people could resonate. There's genocides, ethnic cleansings, and just terrible things happening all over the world, and there's like a dichotomy of people who are trying so hard and then there's a dichotomy of people who are unaffected by it. And so my spirit and my heart was so broken down seems really dramatic, but it wasn't being rejuvenated for sure. And so, being in this space and being in a [00:38:00] container that's just honesty and vulnerability and it's all rooted in each other's liberation really replenish that cup. The teachings and the knowledge and the wisdom that I'm getting, it's helping me add more to my North Star, which I'm really thankful of because I didn't know this is what I needed in March. Cheryl (Host): That is so beautiful. So much of what's going on right now by the systems that be, the powers that be, it's meant to isolate us and to make us feel exactly what you said. Capitalism isolates us and keeps us in that place because that's how it benefits . So Lavender Phoenix is summer organizing program, what I'm hearing from you is this revolutionary space that is counter to that. It's filled with hope and dreaming for a better world. So how is that being informed in River of Life, in the storytelling leadership development that you are developing within Lavender Phoenix's membership?  Mar (LavNix): Oh, yes. I'm [00:39:00] understanding the responsibility on how I move in this space. And so before the cohort of the River of Life project presents, it's actually gonna be me and another facilitator going to share our stories. And so we're also in the act of being vulnerable and honest and really wanting the others to witness us as we will witness them. We've removed kind of that superiority in that space. When I think of this, it brings me back to Freire's idea of an engaged pedagogy, but not necessarily like an educator and a student, but like removing hierarchies, which I think is really, a value that's rooted in, or lavender Phoenix is rooted in that value. There's no hierarchy, but there is ranks and we all see each other as equals. It's really beautiful to be able to see that and then know how I move in this [00:40:00] space to prepare our cohort. I hope that my storytelling, I can only hope, I do not know how it's gonna be received inshallah it's received super well. But I really do hope that they see how vulnerable I also get and how I'm doing this so that I could build deeper relationships with these people as I continue my journey with Lavender, Phoenix and to them as well. I hope these values, if not already present in our people, this project helps them cultivate that even further.  Cheryl (Host): I wanna ask what is something you want to share with our listeners who were in a similar space as you who felt lost and that they wanted something to grow in. What advice would you give?  Mar (LavNix): This is a really beautiful question [00:41:00] and So many things flooded my brain as you were asking this question, but i'm feeling more pulled and called to share this one thing . As I'm going through the summer organizer program, I really realized the importance of tending to myself so that I could show up for others. I have to be able to know how to advocate for my needs and what I need so that I can be in spaces with other people. It's so important that I know how to acknowledge my shame or whatever pain points I'm experiencing and let that not be a hindrance to the work, but integrate it in a way that I will tend to it, and by tending to it, I can continue doing the work. And I know it's really [00:42:00] hard to prioritize yourself when it feels like you should prioritize everything else in the world right now, but I am really learning that that's what I needed to do. When I say prioritize myself, I'm not saying oh, I need to go do this and I need to go drink all my water. Yes, also care for our physical bodies and our mental bodies, but also taking time to know who I am as a person and what I could offer to the movement, and knowing how to communicate to others in the movement so that I could show up as a better organizer. And so the final words that I will have to share is I hope everyone who's hearing this shows the love that they have for other people to themselves [00:43:00] too.  Cheryl (Host): That was so beautiful. What you just shared right now about tending to yourself that's part of the work too. And that's so counterintuitive, I feel. This project that you're leading, the river of life where the focus is so much on your story and honoring who you are, I think that is the true essence of what it means to be trans and queer. Showing up with your whole self and embracing that. And in turn, by doing that, you are holding everybody else too, that very practice. To find out more about Lavender Phoenix Mar, how can our listeners plug into Lavender Phoenix's work?  Mar (LavNix): Follow us on Instagram or check out Lavender, Phoenix website. We post a lot. Sign up for the newsletter. Volunteer. We're really cool. Or just look at the staff and see if anybody calls you and you wanna hit them up. We're so awesome. Cheryl (Host): Thank you for joining us on tonight's show, Mar, and for sharing your experiences on Lavender Phoenix's [00:44:00] summer organizing program with all of All of the links that Mar mentioned on how to stay in touch with Lavender Phoenix's work be available in our show notes as per usual. We are so grateful, thank you again, Mar! Next up, we're joined by Katie from Hmong Innovating Politics. Katie. Welcome, welcome. I'm so happy to have you on our show tonight. Would you mind introducing yourself to our listeners? Katie (HIP): Hi everyone. My name is Katie. I use she her pronouns. My Hmong name is ING and I mainly introduce myself as ING to my community, especially elders because one ING is my given name. Katie is like a self-assigned name. In my work with HIP I've been trying to figure out what feels more natural when, but I do catch myself introducing myself to my Hmong community. And yeah, I'm totally cool if folks referring to me as Katie Oring and my ask is just pronouncing my name correctly. Who are my people? Who's my community? I would say my community is my family. And then the young people that I work [00:45:00] with, the elders in my community, the ones who would like to claim me, my team. I would say Hmong women that I've met through some of the work that I do at my volunteer org, and oh my goodness, there're so many people. My friends, oh my gosh, if my friends are listening to this, my friends are my community, they're my people. They keep me grounded, alive and fun. My siblings. All of the folks in Fresno and Sacramento that have been a part of the spaces that I've shared at HIP and the spaces that we've created together.  Cheryl (Host): You are a community leader through and through . For folks who are listening and don't know, Hmong Innovating Politics is one of the AACRE groups and it has two different hubs basically in Central California, one in Sacramento, and one in Fresno. Katie, do you mind sharing a little bit about HIP and the work that you all do? Katie (HIP): Yeah. So, we are a power building organization and what does that mean, right? One is that we are [00:46:00] a part of empowering and supporting our community to become active change makers in their community. We believe that those who are most impacted by issues should also be the ones that receive resources and training to lead solutions and design, the dreams of their community. A framework that we use is called Belong Believe Become. We want to create space where young people feel their belongingness, know that they are rooted here in their community, and that they have a place. The believing part of our framework is that we want young people to also see themselves and see themselves as leaders. In their community and leadership can mean many forms, right? There's like passive and active leadership, and we want young people to know that there is enough space in this world for everyone in whichever capacity, they're choosing to show up in their community. The important piece of believing is that, believing that you also like matter and that your decisions are also impactful. And then become is that. [00:47:00] we share this framework and it's circular because we notice that some people can come into our space feeling like I know exactly who I'm gonna be. I know exactly what I wanna do, and feel really disconnected from their history and their, and the multiple parts of their identities. belong, believe become is cyclical and it's wherever you're at. And in this third piece of becoming it is that our young people know that they are leading the charge and transforming systems. That they are shifting the narratives of our community, that they get to own the narratives of our community, and that they are a part of the Power building our community as well. Cheryl (Host): Yeah, I love that . As we're talking, I'm noticing that you talk so much about young people and how so much of your work's framework is centered around young people. Do you mind giving context into that? So much of HIP's programming is on youth leadership, and so I'm wondering what does that look like programming wise and especially right now in the summer? Katie (HIP): Yeah, so it's more [00:48:00] recently that HIP has been identifying ourselves as a power building organization. Before we had claimed our work as base building, and this is through our civic engagement work for voter engagement and empowerment, and turning out the vote that, that is like what we, our organization was like centered on. Through that work, what we noticed was that like cycles and seasons after season, it was young people coming back and then they started asking are you all gonna have like consistent programming space for us, or is it just gonna always be around the election cycle? Through our civic engagement work, a framework that we use is the IVE model, integrated voter engagement. And that is that you are relationship building year after year, even outside of the election season. And so then it was how do we be more intentional about centering the people who are coming to us and centering the people who are shifting and challenging and pushing our leadership. And that was to [00:49:00] then move and prioritize the young people in our community. I think it's been maybe four or five years since this shift where we've really prioritized young people and really centered our work around youth justice. So then we had to create these spaces. Civic engagement work had primarily consisted of phone banking and canvassing and through that I think a lot of young people were then getting firsthand experience of this is like what it's like to be angry about these issue in my community. This is also what it's like to hold space for other people to go through and process their emotions. And then it was like, how do we train and skill up our young people to not only listen to their community, but be able to strategize and lead and take their ideas and dreams and put 'em into action. At the time folks working in our civic engagement programs were high school youth, college transitional age, young adults who are not in college. And we even had parent [00:50:00] age folks in our programs as well. In figuring out how do we better support our young folks was that a lot of young people were asking for more like designated space for youth that are in high school. The other request was can you all not be college based because not all young adults go to college in our community, yet we still wanted to access the programs. We had to strategize around these pieces. Also at the time when we were running civic engagement program, we were also building up our trans and queer work in the Central Valley and figuring out like what is HIP's place in this work? So that landed us into three programs. We have a program called Tsev which is TSEV. Um, and that means House in Hmong, but it's an acronym. It stands for Transforming Systems, empowering Our Village, and the reason why we named our youth program that is in the Hmong community, we refer to our community a lot “lub zos” which means village in English. And so that is why we wanted to name our program with something around the word village and then also [00:51:00] home, belongingness, right? We wanted our program to signify belonging. And so that is what landed us in this program. This program is based at a high school and we train cohorts of youth and the curriculum that we cover in all of our programs are pretty similar, but they are adjusted to be more relevant to the age group and the experiences that we are serving. So we have our high school program. We have our trans and queer young adult program called QHIP, queer Hmong intersectional Pride. And then we also have a young adult program called the Civic Engagement Fellowship, but I feel like we're gonna be revamping next year, so we might have a new name next year. And that one is, open to all young adults of all gender and sexuality. The projects that is focused in that is what's coming up on the election. So specific propositions and measures or whatever we are bringing to the ballot. And then with QHIP, it is very focused on intentionally building up leadership in the trans and queer community. [00:52:00] Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): You all tackle power building in so many different intersections, and I think that's so brilliant. You really tailor these spaces to the needs of your community and you're always listening to your community. That is honestly such a theme within the AACRE network. Could you tell us how these groups stay active during the summer?  Katie (HIP): Yeah! During the summer, we close off the cohort in June when the school year ends. And so we're actually in the assessment phase of this program right now. Our seniors throughout the summer go through a one-on-one exit with one of the staff in Fresno or Sacramento. After the senior exit closes out, then we'll be doing a overall annual assessment with all of the young people that were in the program this year. We're actually closing both these pieces out next week. We try to make things fun, right? So for the one-on-ones, we'll all come to the office and we'll have the one-on-one exit interviews and after that we'll go get lunch. somewhere cute, somewhere fun. Then with the end of the year evals, after we complete them for everyone, we'll just hang out. This [00:53:00] year we're planning to do like a paint by numbers night. And then we always somehow end up karaoking. For QHIP, our trans and queer young adult program we actually partner with Lavender Phoenix and have them attend the leadership exchange program that's happening right now. We did our own onboarding and then we celebrated the month of pride. And we also celebrated the trans march. Then after that transition into the leadership exchange program at Lavender Phoenix. After that program, I believe our lead members are going to be designing some projects this summer. And then they'll have the rest of the summer and hours to do their projects, and then we'll eventually close out with a retreat with them. Cheryl (Host): And for our listeners out there, do you mind giving a quick a preview on what lavender, Phoenix's leadership exchange program is and how you all work in tandem with each other?  Katie (HIP): Yeah. Okay. I know in the past, we've sent our more new to organizing leaders [00:54:00] to the leadership exchange program. This year the intention is that we wanted to send leaders from our community who might already have some organizing experience who have some experience in social justice and movement work. And so, during this I think some of my favorite things from the leadership exchange program is teaching folks how to ask for help. I think a lot of our young adults navigate their lives not knowing who to turn to for help and how to formulate and ask that is clear and supportive of their needs. So that's something that we really appreciate through the leadership exchange program. And another piece is mutual aid funding. Lavender Phoenix trains up leaders around fundraising support and that's something I'm really looking forward to our young people gaining. The other piece is ultimately training of trans and queer leaders in our community so that we can continue to sustain this movement and this lifelong work of trans and queer liberation. The leadership exchange program has been able to equip folks with very necessary skills so that they can continue to sustain trans and queer [00:55:00] leadership. I bring in the fundraising piece because, I think a lot of young people that I work with, they're so scared to ask for resource support, especially money. And I think a lot of it comes with our own family trauma around finances, right? So, I'm excited to see what they debrief about and what they reflect on.  Cheryl (Host): That's so amazing. It really sounds like all of these programs that you all do are really building up leaders for the long term of our movements. Asking for help is so related to navigating money, trauma and is so key in shaping liberatory futures. For folks out there who wanna get plugged into some of HIP's programming work, how can we stay in touch with you all? Katie (HIP): Our Instagram is the best spot. And then on our Instagram you can click on the little short link to sign up for our newsletter. We have some volunteer opportunities coming up in the month of August so if folks in the Central Valley wanna support with one of our community engagement [00:56:00] surveys, either to partake in the survey or to support us in doing the outreach and getting the word out so that folks complete the survey. There's two ways that you can participate with us. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Thanks, Katie, and of course all of those links will be available in our show notes. Thanks so much for coming on our show tonight, Katie, and thank you to our listeners for tuning in. We'll see you next time. [00:57:00] [00:58:00]  The post APEX Express – August 21, 2025 Sumer Programming in the AACRE Network appeared first on KPFA.

Welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet, Eastern North Carolina's sexiest conservative talk show! In this lively episode, host Peter Pappas, co-host Joshua Goodman, and guest co-host Laura Musler dive into the pressing issues and energetic debates shaping Fayetteville and the broader Cumberland County community. Special guests Councilman Deno Hondros (District 9) and Gail Morfesis (District 2 candidate) join the conversation, offering insights into local government challenges, election drama, and what it really takes to move Fayetteville forward.The Cabinet tackles hot topics including the controversy around early voting sites, city infrastructure woes, and the delicate balance of public safety versus personal responsibility—especially when it comes to youth curfews and law enforcement technology like ShotSpotter. Both Deno and Gail share their personal journeys into public service, their visions for the future, and the importance of effective communication and transparency in local government.Plus, get ready for a dose of good news from Pastor Josh, some honest talk about homelessness, and a reminder of the rich cultural fabric that makes Fayetteville unique. Whether you're a policy wonk, a concerned resident, or just love some smart local banter over your morning coffee, this episode is packed with candid takes and passionate calls to action for an engaged and unified community.

Welcome to the Carolina Cabinet, Eastern North Carolina's smartest hour of conservative talk radio. In this episode, host Peter Pappas is joined by co-hosts Pastor Joshua Goodman and Laura Musler for a lively discussion about local issues affecting Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and beyond. Special guests Kathy Greggs—candidate for Fayetteville City Council, District 7—and Clifton Johnson—running for Fayetteville Mayor—are invited to share their backgrounds, platforms, and insights on the challenges facing our community.This episode covers everything from city council hot topics like teacher shortages, code enforcement, and transparency in local government, to the personal stories and motivations behind each guest's decision to step into public service. The team dives into the complexities of city and county collaboration, the ongoing need for better infrastructure, and the impact of community engagement on quality of life in Fayetteville.You'll also hear candid reflections on the hurdles facing local schools, thoughts on strengthening the local economy, and some honest talk about the state of public leadership. Plus, there's plenty of friendly banter about backyard gatherings, surviving whitewater rafting, and why it pays to keep a sense of humor when you're pushing for change.Tune in for an episode filled with passion, perspective, and real talk about the people, policies, and possibilities shaping our city—only on the Carolina Cabinet.

A 32-year-old Chinese man has died while in ICE custody in Clearfield County. For the last several months, northeast Pennsylvania Congressman Rob Bresnahan has faced criticism for still trading stocks after calling for a ban on congressional stock trading as a candidate. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity observed Purple Heart Day at Fort Indiantown Gap last Thursday by returning a Purple Heart Medal to the son of a wounded Vietnam War veteran. And a deep dive: Leaders of a religious movement called Messianic Judaism attract followers from around the country each summer to Messiah University in Cumberland County. The movement’s views — which include Zionist policies and deeply conservative social values — give insights into religious justification for policies in President Donald Trump’s administration. In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster sits down with Ben Rogers to discuss Cumberland County's 2025-2026 year growth, and what it means for the county now and in the upcoming future. Hear the Mayor's first hand account of what this will mean for Cumberland County and the surrounding counties around the areas. Listen To The Local Matters Podcast Today! News Talk 94.1

Harry Silverstein spent more than four decades as one of the most successful tennis coaches in South Jersey history. He spent three decades leading the way at Vineland High School in Cumberland County before moving over to Division III Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey to lead the women's program there. His 11-year run with the Ospreys came to a close with his retirement earlier this year. He logged an incredible 628 wins during his stretch at Vineland and went 97-50 at Stockton. In Episode #264 of "1-on-1 with Matt Leon," Matt welcomes Silverstein in studio to talk about his career. They discuss why he decided to retire when he did, what his on ramp to tennis was as a kid, they look back at his favorite memories from his coaching days and much more. “1-on-1 with Matt Leon” is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on X @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

This conversation explores the documenting queer history in Cumberland County through oral histories and archival research. Brittany discusses her project aimed at uncovering the stories of individuals who have been historically underrepresented, while acting as Beacon's to the South Jersey Community. The dialogue highlights the significance of figures like Sylvia Beach and Anne Hampton Brewster, the methodologies used in research, and the role of community organizations in fostering connections. The conversation concludes with a call for contributions from individuals who have been part of these communities.takeawaysBrittany aims to create a queer oral history of Cumberland County.There is a significant lack of representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in historical archives.Historical narratives are often shaped by who is included in archives.Sylvia Beach and Anne Hampton Brewster are key figures in local queer history.Research involves creating terms lists and genealogy searches.Newsletters serve as crucial documentation of queer community activities.Community organizations like LGUC foster social connections and support.Oral history provides firsthand accounts that enrich historical understanding.The importance of ethical considerations in sharing personal stories.Brittany encourages individuals to share their experiences for future documentation.Chapters00:00Introduction to the Queer Oral History Project00:58The Importance of Representation in Archives02:53Exploring Historical Figures: Sylvia Beach and Anne Hampton Brewster06:25Research Methodology: Finding Hidden Histories09:05The Role of Newsletters in Documenting Queer History15:41Community Building Through Organizations17:22The Significance of Oral History19:23Call for Contributions and Conclusion

Welcome to another episode of the Carolina Cabinet, your homegrown hub for conservative talk radio in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. In this dynamic episode, host Peter Pappas is joined by co-host Pastor Joshua Goodman, special guest host Leonard Bryant, and featured guest Emmanuel Jarvis, President of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina.Peter sits down for an insightful discussion with Emmanuel Jarvis. He shares his journey from receiving a simple postcard to leading the Frederick Douglass Foundation, an organization championing strong families, parental choice in education, entrepreneurship, and positive change within the Black church. Emmanuel talks candidly about building bridges in communities, long-term political engagement, and the importance of living out conservative values day by day.Whether you're interested in grassroots conservative activism, exploring the intersections of faith and public service, or simply enjoying Fayetteville's most engaging conservative voices, this episode is packed with thoughtful perspectives and community spirit. Tune in and be part of the conversation!

Over opposition from some residents, Cumberland County's board approves a large new landfill… Virginia's farmers get access to millions in relief funding for damage from Tropical Storm Helene… A group of Mennonites from Harrisonburg talk about their visit to Palestine to learn about life under Israeli occupation and the war in Gaza….

A recent study from scientists at the University of Pennsylvania finds there's a better alternative to throwing out your old leftovers or apple cores. Researchers crunched data from over 90 studies around the world to estimate the climate impacts of different ways to dispose of food waste. York's Habitat for Humanity recently reached a milestone. Transportation is a key issue holding up Pennsylvania's budget, which has dragged on past the June 30 deadline. A Texas-based genetic testing company is opening a new patient service center in Cumberland County. The company - Natera Incorporated - will be located along Walnut Bottom Road in Carlisle. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is breaking ground this morning (Tuesday) on a new roundhouse. The Strasburg, Lancaster County museum is constructing the 16-thousand-square-foot roundhouse in order to protect and display six historic steam locomotives.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another lively episode of Carolina Cabinet, the only homegrown conservative talk show for Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and beyond! This week, host Peter Pappas is joined by co-hosts Pastor Joshua Goodman and Carrie J. as they kick off the hour with reflections on personal growth, forgiveness, and letting go of burdens in their community “good news” segment. From there, the conversation turns local as the team covers everything from busy events at the Greater Fayetteville Chamber and behind-the-scenes looks at community leadership to the nitty-gritty realities of local politics during Fayetteville's bustling election season.The spotlight then lands on special guest John Ashford, candidate for Fayetteville mayor. Ashford shares his journey from single fatherhood and community involvement to his decision to run for office. The panel dives deep into issues facing Fayetteville—youth empowerment, community-police relations, and the importance of grassroots engagement. Together, they debate hot-button topics like the city's youth curfew, the new Office of Community Safety, and the role of government in building stronger neighborhoods.Packed with candid laughs, witty banter, and straight-shooting insights, this episode is your inside track to what's happening in local leadership and why it matters to YOU. Tune in for the smart, thoughtful, and unfiltered conversations you can only get on Carolina Cabinet!

About 18 percent of private wells in Pennsylvania are contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS. That’s according to a new study from Penn State. After finding mosquitoes that have tested positive for West Nile Virus and Jamestown Canyon Virus, Cumberland County is spraying for the insects in various parts of the county. Penn State plans to buy the former fraternity house where a hazing incident led to the death of Timothy Piazza in 2017. It's now been three full weeks without a state budget. State Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin, a Lancaster Republican, tells reporters he feels good about where the closed-door conversations are going. And Governor Josh Shapiro says he feels optimistic about negotiations. However, according to reporting by our partners at Spotlight PA, two Capitol sources are less confident. The pilot of a single-engine plane is dead after crashing shortly after takeoff from Lancaster Airport Sunday morning. He's been identified as 58-year old Musaddiq Nazeeri of Lebanon. You may see low-flying aircraft in parts of Lancaster County on Tuesday. It’s part of a join exercise between the Pennsylvania State Police and Manheim Borough Police. The Dauphin County Department of Public Safety is trying to figure out what caused a 911 outage Saturday morning. Country music star Shania Twain is making a tour stop in Hershey this Saturday, and ahead of her visit, her foundation is making a donation to the Hershey Food Bank. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet, your home for conservative talk in Fayetteville and Cumberland County! In this episode, host Peter Pappas and co-host Pastor Joshua Goodman sit down with Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen for an open, insightful conversation about the city's challenges and opportunities.From the realities of public service and local government to issues such as homelessness, public safety, and the city's evolving needs, Kathy brings her experience as a lifelong resident of Fayetteville and a community leader. You'll hear personal stories, real solutions, and lively discussion about moving Fayetteville forward while staying connected to its roots.Whether you're passionate about local politics or want to learn more about what's happening in your backyard, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in for candid talk, local flavor, and plenty of heart, right here on the Carolina Cabinet!

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.   Important Resources: Asian Refugees United: Website | Instagram | Learn about the Disappearances of Bhutanese American refugees: Website | Toolkit Hmong Innovating Politics: Website | Instagram Lavender Phoenix: Website | Instagram Minjoona Music: Instagram   Transcript: Cheryl (Host): Good evening. You're tuned in to Apex Express. I'm your host, Cheryl, and tonight we're diving into the vibrant summer programming happening across the AACRE network. That's the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality Network. AACRE is made up of 11 Asian American social justice organizations working together to build collective power and create lasting movements .  Throughout tonight's show, we'll be spotlighting a few of these groups [00:01:00] and the incredible work they're leading this summer. First up, we're joined by Pratik from Asian refugees United Pratik. Thank you so much for being here. Do you mind introducing yourself and to kick things off in the spirit of tonight's show, maybe share what's something that's been bringing you joy this summer? Pratik (ARU): Hello, namaste everyone. My name is Pratik Chhetri. He, him. I'm the program manager at ARU, Asian Refugees United in Pennsylvania. I'm originally from Nepal. I grew up in Nepal. I am an immigrant, came to the for college long time ago. And I've been working in social justice, health justice field for over 15 years now. Initially it was mostly around advocacy policy relating to access to medicines, issues, especially in lower and middle income countries, and the past six, seven. More than seven [00:02:00] years. I also started an organization, a nonprofit organization in Nepal, that works at the intersection of social, economic and climate justice. And with ARU, I got introduced to ARU back in 2020. So by that time I had some skills that I felt I could bring to the community. Even though I'm not from Bhutanese refugee community, I speak the language, I understand the culture to a certain extent. So I felt with the linguistic skill I could be of some help. I think right around that time COVID happened, everything and end of 2021 is when I reconnected with Robin and started talking about possibilities. For about two years, I was part of the CAMP for Emerging Leaders, the leadership program ARU has, and [00:03:00] starting last year, early this year formally, I am a staff, for ARU. I'm in charge of programs under wellness, education, and civic engagement largely but depending on time and resources, I become available for other programs as well. It's a joy working with ARU. I was just telling Cheryl earlier that it doesn't feel like work ‘ cause I enjoy it, working with people, getting to work on impactful programs, and being a part of an organization that has so much potential, so much responsibility, but also trying to find new ways to become, useful for the community. That's very exciting. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): That's great. I'm glad that your work is what's bringing you joy this summer. That's so special. And before we get into some of that impactful programming that you've been running this summer, could you [00:04:00] tell us a little bit about, ARU, Asian Refugees United  Pratik (ARU): Sure. ARU started back in 2016 in California and back then all of the programs used to be in California. The community that ARU serves since then, and even to this day are Nepali speaking, Bhutanese refugee community and Vietnamese community, Korean and other Pan-Asian community. After the pandemic, there has been a lot of secondary migration of the Bhutanese folks from across the United States to two major locations. One being central PA around Harrisburg area and Pennsylvania, and the second one around Columbus, Ohio, and other major cities in Ohio. The secondary migration mostly to Pennsylvania triggered a, shifting of ARU programs, to Pennsylvania as well in addition to [00:05:00] California. So at this point in 2025, the Pennsylvania side of ARU caters to the Nepali speaking Bhutanese folks. And the California side of ARU works with Vietnamese, Korean, and other Asian communities. I work with the Pennsylvania, ARU, and here we have four different pillars around health and wellness, education, art and storytelling. And the fourth one is civic engagement, and that is the newest one. I can talk about programs under each of the pillars but for summer the programs that is bringing me joy, not only for me, but also ARU's staffs is this longitudinal five month long leadership program called Camp for Emerging Leaders, where we recruit Nepali speaking folks from all across United States, and they go through virtual sessions every other [00:06:00] week on, history to the story of displacement, intergenerational trauma. How it started, how it used to be back in Bhutan, how it used to be in the refugee camps in Nepal, and now how it is in the US and Canada, wherever they are. So end of summer, end of July, early August is when all of those cohort members, the youth leaders will come physically to Harrisburg and we'll spend a few days here connecting with each other, building that trust, but also working together to build projects for the community, addressing community challenges that's happening. And for that I think five or six of the ARU staff from California are also coming. We have guest speakers. I think one of them is coming from all the way from Australia. It's fun. Largely I think [00:07:00] I'm looking forward to meeting with all of these youth leaders who have so much potential to do, so much good, not only for Bhutanese community, Nepali speaking, south Asian community, but also, their potential goes beyond that, yeah.  Cheryl (Host): It is powerful to hear how ARU's work has evolved and now spans across the nation, and also how Camp for Emerging Leaders is creating space for Nepali speaking Bhutanese youth to reflect their community's history, build deep connections, and grow as leaders. You mentioned that during the summer youth leaders gather in Harrisburg to create community projects. Could you share more about what kinds of projects they're working on and what kind of issues they're hoping to address? Pratik (ARU): For education, one of the main ones that we just concluded is, so we started high school success program called First Step Forward. And the interesting thing, the exciting thing about this program [00:08:00] is the concept of First Step forward from one of the Camp for Emerging Leaders cohort from two years ago. And similarly so that's how most of ARU programs have been. The ARU Youth Center, the ARU Office, that concept also started from the camp for emerging leaders. There are a couple other programs ARU does. Youth Wellness Day. That started from the camp as well. For the First Step Forward, what we do is early winter of, I think January or February we accepted a cohort of 10. These were high school juniors and seniors, and largely the purpose of the program is to make sure that they are well equipped for college and for any other professional avenues they end up going even if higher education is not for them. We did a lot of like leadership sessions, public speaking [00:09:00] sessions, like how to write essays, how to apply for different scholarships. We just concluded it literally last Saturday, we went hiking and went to one of the Six Flags amusement parks. But learning from that program, we are scaling it up. We're taking 20 people next year, and we will do it a year long cohort. So starting from September up until May, June. We'll integrate college tours, not only for the kids, but also for their family because in Bhutanese community and Nepali speaking folks a lot of the times the parents do not understand how the system works, even with their best intent and best intention. So along with the students, it is very important for us to work with the family, the parents as much as possible to take them through the process, right? On education, we also do a lot of cultural navigation training to [00:10:00] different county level and different governance agencies. Some of the cultural navigation trainings that we did in the past year that I can think of is we did one for the. Panel of judges from Dauphin County, which is where Harrisburg is. We did similar thing for different school districts in Dauphin and Cumberland County, different nearby counties for juvenile probation unit, child and youth services. And while we do that, as an organization, it gave us a better sense of where the gaps are, especially for parents to run into difficulties. 'cause a lot of times, for example, if a kid is sent home with a sheet of paper, even when it's bilingual, because their movement happened from Nepal to Bhutan, such a long time ago, a lot of the folks in the community speak the language but do not understand how to read or write the [00:11:00] language. So there are double language barrier, right? When a kid is called into a meeting or a disciplinary meeting, the parents a lot of times don't even look at the sheet of paper or don't know where to show up or how to show up or what to expect. Based on those things we're using that knowledge and experience to design further programs in the future. That's just for education. With civic engagement, for example, this 2024 cycle was the first election for our community members to vote in their lifetime. Back in Bhutan they didn't have that opportunity and then they spent decades in refugee camps, and it took most of them some time to get the green cards and five years after Green card to secure their citizenship. So we saw a lot of even elderly folks show up to voting. That was their first time that they were voting. And when that happens, it's not [00:12:00] just generic voter education. It's teaching the community how to register, where to register, where to show up at the precincts. A lot of precincts we were seeing, 30 to 40% of the folks show up to the wrong precincts. So there's a lot of need, but also in 2024 we saw, unfortunately, a lot of folks fall victim to misinformation and disinformation. So there's that need to do something about that part as well in the future. One of the things we started doing under civic engagement work is not just teach folks where to register, how to register on voter education, but also preparing some of the community members to run for office.  Two or three weeks ago, mid-June, we did our first round of run for office training. We partner up with another organization called Lead PA. And even for the folks who showed up, all of us [00:13:00] are politically inclined, educated to a certain extent, and a lot of the things that were shared in that training, it was mostly new to us, especially around local government. Like what are the positions that they are and how so many important positions, people run unopposed and what kind of ramifications that might have for our daily lives. Right. Starting 2026 election cycle, we're hoping some of our trainees run for office as well, starting from school board to all the way, wherever they want to. And there are wellness focused events, youth wellness Day that I talked about, around mental health is one of the great needs for the community. One piece of data might be very important to mention, based on CDCs 20 12 data, there was a report out, the research was conducted in 2012, and the report came out in 2014, basically what it said [00:14:00] was, Bhutanese folks in the US have the highest of suicide in the whole nation, and that's something that has not received a lot of attention or resources because generally those numbers get mixed up with generic Asian data and the numbers get diluted. Right. So one of the things, what, as an organization, what we are trying to do is bring awareness to that number. And the other thing is like, it's been over 10 years since that study happened and there has not been a follow-up study. What we are seeing is previously how mental health and it's ramifications how it was affecting the community, it was mostly about 10 years ago, mostly affecting older folks. Now we are seeing a lot of younger folks commit suicide or suicidal attempts. So there is a lot of work in that respect as [00:15:00] well. These are also some of the very crucial topics to work on. But as an organization, we are taking baby steps toward being able to efficiently address the community needs. I missed some of them, but overall, our organizational goal is to empower the community in one way or the other. And one of the tools that we use is focusing on youths because youths in the community, similar to other immigrant communities, our youths are mostly bilingual, bicultural, and many times they're the translators and system navigators for their whole family. And in many cases their extended family as well. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Wow. There are so many layers to the work that you all do. From developing leaders to run for office, to supporting mental health, to helping folks navigate voting and helping folks access higher education or career pathways.[00:16:00]  That's such a wide scope, and I imagine it takes a lot to hold all of that. How do you all manage to balance so much, especially with a small team, is that right?  Pratik (ARU): Yes. Technically we only have one full-time staff. Most are part-time, but ranging from. 10% to 80%. Largely we rely on the community members, volunteers, and we pay the volunteers when we can. And other times, I think it speaks to how much time and effort and how genuinely, folks like Robin, who is the co ED of ARU and Parsu who is the office manager, and other folks in Harrisburg, connected with different community leaders, folks of different subgroups over the years. So. When ARU moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania post pandemic, it took them a while to get the hang of the community, the growing community. Back then it used to [00:17:00] be 10, 20,000 max in central PA and now our estimation is like 70, 80,000 in central PA. It took them a while to create space of trust, that ARU are people that they can come for when they run into problems. And even when we don't have a lot of resources, people show up. People volunteer. People volunteer their time, their spaces for meetings and events. Yeah. And that's how we've been running it. I feel like we do five or 10 x amount of work with the resources that we have, but that's largely because of the perception the community has about Robin, about Parsu, about other individuals, and about the organization.  Cheryl (Host): That's so amazing. ARU clearly has such deep community roots, not just through the incredible work that of course Robin, [00:18:00] Parsu and so many others you have named have done to build lasting relationships that now sustain the work in the organization, but also I think it's also evident in the examples you've shared through Camp for Emerging Leaders, how you all really listen to youth and learn from their experiences. And you all shape programs that respond directly to the needs that you're seeing. And in that same spirit of care and commitment that is reflected in ARU's amazing staff and volunteers. I'm curious, are there any moments or memories from camp for emerging leaders that stand out to you? I imagine there must be so many.  Pratik (ARU): Yeah. Many stories. I started attending and facilitating the sessions for the camp I from 2022 cohort and maybe even 23 cohort. I think this is the third one that I'm doing. I'll talk about Kamana. [00:19:00] Kamana joined the 23 cohort and at that time she was still in high school. But you know, she was bubbly, full of energy and she was one of the pretty active members of the cohort and eventually after the cohort, she ended up joining ARU as initially, I think as an intern, and now she is the lead of the education program. She will be a sophomore or rising junior, starting this fall. But now she'll be running the education program, First Step Forward. Primarily it was internally us staff, we see the growth in them with experience. But also I think one of the things that ARU does is we create a sort of non-hierarchical structure within our office space in the sense that anyone can [00:20:00] design a program or any idea, and they do not feel intimidated to speaking up. I think because of that, people like Kamana, I can talk about other folks like Nawal. Them growing within ARU space shows not just with experience, but also I think the kind of open and inclusive and non hierarchical space that we create they feel comfortable enough in leading. A lot of times when we have , X, y, and Z needs to be done in the group chat, people just volunteer. Even when they don't get paid, we see our staff, our volunteer base just show up time and time again. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Wow. ARU is such a special container. You've created this beautiful space where people can grow and then also have agency to shape that container in whatever way that they want. That is so special. How can listeners support your work this [00:21:00] summer? Whether that's showing up or donating or volunteering or spreading the word.  Pratik (ARU): One of the things is for the listeners, I feel like not a lot of folks know about Bhutanese community much. So yes, they speak Nepali. They sometimes they identify as Nepali because it's just easy. , Bhutanese folks normally identify as either Bhutanese or Nepali or American or any combination of those three identities. A lot of folks do not know, including folks from Nepal about the atrocity, the trauma that the community went through had to go through the forced persecution out of Bhutan and then living under very limited means while in the refugee camps in Nepal and even the number of challenges the community still [00:22:00] faces. I talked a little bit about mental health needs. There's. There are needs around, health seeking behavior and similar to other immigrant communities as well, but also, on education. Because of the historical division around caste and class and other demographic details, certain folks in the community are geared towards success versus others aren't. And we see that. We see the pattern quite distinct by their indigeneity, by their caste, by their last names. In our community you can tell what their caste is, what their ethnic background is with their last names. So I would invite the audience to learn a little bit more about this community and if you have that space and resources [00:23:00] to be, if you're a researcher, if you want to do some research studies, if you want to bring some programs. If you have scholarship ideas, if you want to create any scholarship for the kids in the community, or if you have means, and if you can donate, either or. It doesn't have to be just, financial resources. It can be sometimes being available as mentor to some of the kids to show them these are the possibilities. To summarize, learn more about the community if you don't know already including some of the new atrocities, the community's facing right now with ICE detention and deportation, even when the community was brought in to this country after years and years of approval through the process. And if you have resources and means help with knowledge sharing, being available or with [00:24:00] financial means either or. I just wanted to mention that I work with ARU and I work with the Bhutanese community, but like I said, I'm not from the Bhutan community. I grew up in Nepal. I speak the language, I understand the culture to a certain extent, but I definitely cannot speak for the experience of going and living as a refugee. So,, if you have any question, if you want to learn more about that, Cheryl and I, we are happy to put you in touch with folks with incredible stories, inspiring stories of resilience in the community. Cheryl (Host): Thank you so much. All of the links, whether to learn more, donate or get involved, as well as information about the disappearances impacting the Bhutanese American community will be included in our show notes. A huge thank you to Pratik from Asian Refugees United for joining us tonight. We're deeply grateful for the work you do and the love you carry for our [00:25:00] communities. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. We're going to take a quick music break and when we come back we'll hear more about the summer programming happening across the AACRE network with folks from Lavender Phoenix, and Hmong innovating politics. So don't go anywhere. Next up, you're listening to a track called “Juniper” by Minjoona, a project led by Korean American musician, Jackson Wright. This track features Ari Statler on bass, josh Qiyan on drums, and Ryan Fu producing. Juniper is the lead single from Minjoona's newest release, the Juniper EP, a five track p roject rooted in indie rock, 60 throwback vibes, and lyric forward storytelling. You can follow Minjoona on Instagram at @minjoonamusic or find them on Spotify to keep up with upcoming releases. We'll drop the links in our show notes. Enjoy the track and we'll be right back. [00:26:00] [00:27:00] [00:28:00] [00:29:00] [00:30:00]  And we're back!!. You're listening to APEX express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley. 88.1. KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. That was “Juniper” by Minjoona.  Huge thanks to Jackson Wright and the whole crew behind that track [00:31:00] Before the break, we were live with Pratik from Asian Refugees United, talking about the powerful summer programming, supporting the Nepalese speaking Bhutanese community in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Now I'm joined by from Blair Phoenix. From Lavender Phoenix, who's here to share about her experiences as a summer organizer In Lav N'S annual summer in Lav N's annual summer organizer in Lav N'S annual summer organizing program. Hi Mar. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for being here. Do you mind introducing yourself to our listeners? Okay. Mar, do you mind for our listeners out there who are just tuning in, do you mind introducing yourself? Mar (LavNix): Yes. Thank you, Cheryl. Hi, y'all. My name is Mar Pronouns, [00:32:00] she/siya/any! I come from the lands of the Ibaloi people in the Philippines or “Maharlika”. I am a queer Muslim and yeah, I'm just happy to be here. Cheryl (Host): Yay. We're so happy to have you here, mar! For those who might not be familiar, Mar is joining us from Lavender Phoenix as part of this year's summer organizing program. Mar,, could you start by giving our listeners a quick introduction to Lavender Phoenix? And then could you tell us a little bit about the summer organizing program and what it's all about? Mar (LavNix): Yeah, of course. Cheryl. Let's start with Lavender Phoenix. Lavender Phoenix is a really awesome nonprofit over here in the Bay Area who focus on trans queer, API. Work basically. I really love Lavender Phoenix because of their unwavering commitment to collective liberation [00:33:00] and the very specific focus and centering around trans queer API leadership because our leadership is often underrepresented and because there's so many intersections there, we need to have trans queer API leadership to be able to move the work. And so really fond of lavender Phoenix's ethos and mission values. This year for the summer 2025, I'm part of their summer organizer program, which is a cohort of organizers both emerging, established and wanting to learn, and we learn a lot of transformative interpersonal organizing skills, but also building our more technical skill sets alongside with that. So we're actually three weeks from graduation [00:34:00] nooooooooo!. Anyways, yeah, just really happy to be in this cohort. I'm feeling really aligned in that I am here and it is transforming me in the way I had intentions for when I applied for it. Cheryl (Host): Wow. It sounds like this was a really impactful program for you. I wanna know what kinds of projects are you all working on?  Mar (LavNix): Yeah, so it's really beautiful because it's not just like a single project the cohort works on, it's kind of a myriad of things. We have two folks who are doing projects with other organizations, and then we have the rest of the folks working on two projects within Lavender Phoenix's programming. And so for my group, my very awesome group, we are doing the River of Life Project, and the River of Life Project is a five week long cohort where we practice storytelling in a very vulnerable and honest way, and this is for the [00:35:00] purpose to really witness one another and to cultivate our storytelling skills because our stories and narratives is so important. There's whole states and governments trying to take that away from us, and so our project is to guide and facilitate this project and meet with members across rank. It's super cool seeing the different facets of lavender Phoenix come together and be down, to be in the act of vulnerability and honesty and that is their praxis for collective liberation. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Yeah. Yeah. That's so well said. And it's so important that we have these spaces to practice that vulnerability because we are so often punished for being who we are. Right. So, mm-hmm. These programs are so crucial as you have uplifted for us. I am so curious to learn more about this River of Life project, but [00:36:00] also before we even get to that, I wanna zoom out a little bit and focus on your growth and who are you now as you get closer three weeks from graduation?  Mar (LavNix): Ooh, that is such a beautiful question, Cheryl. Yeah. I've been really reflecting on how this program transformed me this summer and to bring us back to when I first applied. I first applied sometime in March, I believe. I remember 'cause it was around Ramadan. I was at a point in my life where I felt stagnant in my organizing journey. I would attend all these workshops, I would keep reading, but there was a disconnect in how my mind wanted to move next. So here we are in 2025, I was accepted into the program. I was like, yay, my people. And you know, [00:37:00] my expectations was met. In fact, it was exceeded. Very exceeded because I didn't know these things that i'm learning now. I didn't know how much I needed them until I learned them. In my time with Lavender Phoenix, as I'm reflecting to this point, graduation being three weeks out, I realized that before joining this cohort, my heart and my spirit was in a really bad place, and I think a lot of people could resonate. There's genocides, ethnic cleansings, and just terrible things happening all over the world, and there's like a dichotomy of people who are trying so hard and then there's a dichotomy of people who are unaffected by it. And so my spirit and my heart was so broken down seems really dramatic, but it wasn't being rejuvenated for sure. And so, being in this space and being in a [00:38:00] container that's just honesty and vulnerability and it's all rooted in each other's liberation really replenish that cup. The teachings and the knowledge and the wisdom that I'm getting, it's helping me add more to my North Star, which I'm really thankful of because I didn't know this is what I needed in March. Cheryl (Host): That is so beautiful. So much of what's going on right now by the systems that be, the powers that be, it's meant to isolate us and to make us feel exactly what you said. Capitalism isolates us and keeps us in that place because that's how it benefits . So Lavender Phoenix is summer organizing program, what I'm hearing from you is this revolutionary space that is counter to that. It's filled with hope and dreaming for a better world. So how is that being informed in River of Life, in the storytelling leadership development that you are developing within Lavender Phoenix's membership?  Mar (LavNix): Oh, yes. I'm [00:39:00] understanding the responsibility on how I move in this space. And so before the cohort of the River of Life project presents, it's actually gonna be me and another facilitator going to share our stories. And so we're also in the act of being vulnerable and honest and really wanting the others to witness us as we will witness them. We've removed kind of that superiority in that space. When I think of this, it brings me back to Freire's idea of an engaged pedagogy, but not necessarily like an educator and a student, but like removing hierarchies, which I think is really, a value that's rooted in, or lavender Phoenix is rooted in that value. There's no hierarchy, but there is ranks and we all see each other as equals. It's really beautiful to be able to see that and then know how I move in this [00:40:00] space to prepare our cohort. I hope that my storytelling, I can only hope, I do not know how it's gonna be received inshallah it's received super well. But I really do hope that they see how vulnerable I also get and how I'm doing this so that I could build deeper relationships with these people as I continue my journey with Lavender, Phoenix and to them as well. I hope these values, if not already present in our people, this project helps them cultivate that even further.  Cheryl (Host): I wanna ask what is something you want to share with our listeners who were in a similar space as you who felt lost and that they wanted something to grow in. What advice would you give?  Mar (LavNix): This is a really beautiful question [00:41:00] and So many things flooded my brain as you were asking this question, but i'm feeling more pulled and called to share this one thing . As I'm going through the summer organizer program, I really realized the importance of tending to myself so that I could show up for others. I have to be able to know how to advocate for my needs and what I need so that I can be in spaces with other people. It's so important that I know how to acknowledge my shame or whatever pain points I'm experiencing and let that not be a hindrance to the work, but integrate it in a way that I will tend to it, and by tending to it, I can continue doing the work. And I know it's really [00:42:00] hard to prioritize yourself when it feels like you should prioritize everything else in the world right now, but I am really learning that that's what I needed to do. When I say prioritize myself, I'm not saying oh, I need to go do this and I need to go drink all my water. Yes, also care for our physical bodies and our mental bodies, but also taking time to know who I am as a person and what I could offer to the movement, and knowing how to communicate to others in the movement so that I could show up as a better organizer. And so the final words that I will have to share is I hope everyone who's hearing this shows the love that they have for other people to themselves [00:43:00] too.  Cheryl (Host): That was so beautiful. What you just shared right now about tending to yourself that's part of the work too. And that's so counterintuitive, I feel. This project that you're leading, the river of life where the focus is so much on your story and honoring who you are, I think that is the true essence of what it means to be trans and queer. Showing up with your whole self and embracing that. And in turn, by doing that, you are holding everybody else too, that very practice. To find out more about Lavender Phoenix Mar, how can our listeners plug into Lavender Phoenix's work?  Mar (LavNix): Follow us on Instagram or check out Lavender, Phoenix website. We post a lot. Sign up for the newsletter. Volunteer. We're really cool. Or just look at the staff and see if anybody calls you and you wanna hit them up. We're so awesome. Cheryl (Host): Thank you for joining us on tonight's show, Mar, and for sharing your experiences on Lavender Phoenix's [00:44:00] summer organizing program with all of All of the links that Mar mentioned on how to stay in touch with Lavender Phoenix's work be available in our show notes as per usual. We are so grateful, thank you again, Mar! Next up, we're joined by Katie from Hmong Innovating Politics. Katie. Welcome, welcome. I'm so happy to have you on our show tonight. Would you mind introducing yourself to our listeners? Katie (HIP): Hi everyone. My name is Katie. I use she her pronouns. My Hmong name is ING and I mainly introduce myself as ING to my community, especially elders because one ING is my given name. Katie is like a self-assigned name. In my work with HIP I've been trying to figure out what feels more natural when, but I do catch myself introducing myself to my Hmong community. And yeah, I'm totally cool if folks referring to me as Katie Oring and my ask is just pronouncing my name correctly. Who are my people? Who's my community? I would say my community is my family. And then the young people that I work [00:45:00] with, the elders in my community, the ones who would like to claim me, my team. I would say Hmong women that I've met through some of the work that I do at my volunteer org, and oh my goodness, there're so many people. My friends, oh my gosh, if my friends are listening to this, my friends are my community, they're my people. They keep me grounded, alive and fun. My siblings. All of the folks in Fresno and Sacramento that have been a part of the spaces that I've shared at HIP and the spaces that we've created together.  Cheryl (Host): You are a community leader through and through . For folks who are listening and don't know, Hmong Innovating Politics is one of the AACRE groups and it has two different hubs basically in Central California, one in Sacramento, and one in Fresno. Katie, do you mind sharing a little bit about HIP and the work that you all do? Katie (HIP): Yeah. So, we are a power building organization and what does that mean, right? One is that we are [00:46:00] a part of empowering and supporting our community to become active change makers in their community. We believe that those who are most impacted by issues should also be the ones that receive resources and training to lead solutions and design, the dreams of their community. A framework that we use is called Belong Believe Become. We want to create space where young people feel their belongingness, know that they are rooted here in their community, and that they have a place. The believing part of our framework is that we want young people to also see themselves and see themselves as leaders. In their community and leadership can mean many forms, right? There's like passive and active leadership, and we want young people to know that there is enough space in this world for everyone in whichever capacity, they're choosing to show up in their community. The important piece of believing is that, believing that you also like matter and that your decisions are also impactful. And then become is that. [00:47:00] we share this framework and it's circular because we notice that some people can come into our space feeling like I know exactly who I'm gonna be. I know exactly what I wanna do, and feel really disconnected from their history and their, and the multiple parts of their identities. belong, believe become is cyclical and it's wherever you're at. And in this third piece of becoming it is that our young people know that they are leading the charge and transforming systems. That they are shifting the narratives of our community, that they get to own the narratives of our community, and that they are a part of the Power building our community as well. Cheryl (Host): Yeah, I love that . As we're talking, I'm noticing that you talk so much about young people and how so much of your work's framework is centered around young people. Do you mind giving context into that? So much of HIP's programming is on youth leadership, and so I'm wondering what does that look like programming wise and especially right now in the summer? Katie (HIP): Yeah, so it's more [00:48:00] recently that HIP has been identifying ourselves as a power building organization. Before we had claimed our work as base building, and this is through our civic engagement work for voter engagement and empowerment, and turning out the vote that, that is like what we, our organization was like centered on. Through that work, what we noticed was that like cycles and seasons after season, it was young people coming back and then they started asking are you all gonna have like consistent programming space for us, or is it just gonna always be around the election cycle? Through our civic engagement work, a framework that we use is the IVE model, integrated voter engagement. And that is that you are relationship building year after year, even outside of the election season. And so then it was how do we be more intentional about centering the people who are coming to us and centering the people who are shifting and challenging and pushing our leadership. And that was to [00:49:00] then move and prioritize the young people in our community. I think it's been maybe four or five years since this shift where we've really prioritized young people and really centered our work around youth justice. So then we had to create these spaces. Civic engagement work had primarily consisted of phone banking and canvassing and through that I think a lot of young people were then getting firsthand experience of this is like what it's like to be angry about these issue in my community. This is also what it's like to hold space for other people to go through and process their emotions. And then it was like, how do we train and skill up our young people to not only listen to their community, but be able to strategize and lead and take their ideas and dreams and put 'em into action. At the time folks working in our civic engagement programs were high school youth, college transitional age, young adults who are not in college. And we even had parent [00:50:00] age folks in our programs as well. In figuring out how do we better support our young folks was that a lot of young people were asking for more like designated space for youth that are in high school. The other request was can you all not be college based because not all young adults go to college in our community, yet we still wanted to access the programs. We had to strategize around these pieces. Also at the time when we were running civic engagement program, we were also building up our trans and queer work in the Central Valley and figuring out like what is HIP's place in this work? So that landed us into three programs. We have a program called Tsev which is TSEV. Um, and that means House in Hmong, but it's an acronym. It stands for Transforming Systems, empowering Our Village, and the reason why we named our youth program that is in the Hmong community, we refer to our community a lot “lub zos” which means village in English. And so that is why we wanted to name our program with something around the word village and then also [00:51:00] home, belongingness, right? We wanted our program to signify belonging. And so that is what landed us in this program. This program is based at a high school and we train cohorts of youth and the curriculum that we cover in all of our programs are pretty similar, but they are adjusted to be more relevant to the age group and the experiences that we are serving. So we have our high school program. We have our trans and queer young adult program called QHIP, queer Hmong intersectional Pride. And then we also have a young adult program called the Civic Engagement Fellowship, but I feel like we're gonna be revamping next year, so we might have a new name next year. And that one is, open to all young adults of all gender and sexuality. The projects that is focused in that is what's coming up on the election. So specific propositions and measures or whatever we are bringing to the ballot. And then with QHIP, it is very focused on intentionally building up leadership in the trans and queer community. [00:52:00] Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): You all tackle power building in so many different intersections, and I think that's so brilliant. You really tailor these spaces to the needs of your community and you're always listening to your community. That is honestly such a theme within the AACRE network. Could you tell us how these groups stay active during the summer?  Katie (HIP): Yeah! During the summer, we close off the cohort in June when the school year ends. And so we're actually in the assessment phase of this program right now. Our seniors throughout the summer go through a one-on-one exit with one of the staff in Fresno or Sacramento. After the senior exit closes out, then we'll be doing a overall annual assessment with all of the young people that were in the program this year. We're actually closing both these pieces out next week. We try to make things fun, right? So for the one-on-ones, we'll all come to the office and we'll have the one-on-one exit interviews and after that we'll go get lunch. somewhere cute, somewhere fun. Then with the end of the year evals, after we complete them for everyone, we'll just hang out. This [00:53:00] year we're planning to do like a paint by numbers night. And then we always somehow end up karaoking. For QHIP, our trans and queer young adult program we actually partner with Lavender Phoenix and have them attend the leadership exchange program that's happening right now. We did our own onboarding and then we celebrated the month of pride. And we also celebrated the trans march. Then after that transition into the leadership exchange program at Lavender Phoenix. After that program, I believe our lead members are going to be designing some projects this summer. And then they'll have the rest of the summer and hours to do their projects, and then we'll eventually close out with a retreat with them. Cheryl (Host): And for our listeners out there, do you mind giving a quick a preview on what lavender, Phoenix's leadership exchange program is and how you all work in tandem with each other?  Katie (HIP): Yeah. Okay. I know in the past, we've sent our more new to organizing leaders [00:54:00] to the leadership exchange program. This year the intention is that we wanted to send leaders from our community who might already have some organizing experience who have some experience in social justice and movement work. And so, during this I think some of my favorite things from the leadership exchange program is teaching folks how to ask for help. I think a lot of our young adults navigate their lives not knowing who to turn to for help and how to formulate and ask that is clear and supportive of their needs. So that's something that we really appreciate through the leadership exchange program. And another piece is mutual aid funding. Lavender Phoenix trains up leaders around fundraising support and that's something I'm really looking forward to our young people gaining. The other piece is ultimately training of trans and queer leaders in our community so that we can continue to sustain this movement and this lifelong work of trans and queer liberation. The leadership exchange program has been able to equip folks with very necessary skills so that they can continue to sustain trans and queer [00:55:00] leadership. I bring in the fundraising piece because, I think a lot of young people that I work with, they're so scared to ask for resource support, especially money. And I think a lot of it comes with our own family trauma around finances, right? So, I'm excited to see what they debrief about and what they reflect on.  Cheryl (Host): That's so amazing. It really sounds like all of these programs that you all do are really building up leaders for the long term of our movements. Asking for help is so related to navigating money, trauma and is so key in shaping liberatory futures. For folks out there who wanna get plugged into some of HIP's programming work, how can we stay in touch with you all? Katie (HIP): Our Instagram is the best spot. And then on our Instagram you can click on the little short link to sign up for our newsletter. We have some volunteer opportunities coming up in the month of August so if folks in the Central Valley wanna support with one of our community engagement [00:56:00] surveys, either to partake in the survey or to support us in doing the outreach and getting the word out so that folks complete the survey. There's two ways that you can participate with us. Yeah.  Cheryl (Host): Thanks, Katie, and of course all of those links will be available in our show notes. Thanks so much for coming on our show tonight, Katie, and thank you to our listeners for tuning in. We'll see you next time. [00:57:00] [00:58:00]  The post APEX Express – July 17, 2025: Summer Programming in the AACRE Network appeared first on KPFA.

Welcome back to another episode of the Carolina Cabinet, Eastern North Carolina's “sexiest” conservative talk show, where we dive into the heart of community conversations and give a voice to local conservatives. This week, host Peter Pappas is joined in the studio by a full cabinet, including Pastor Joshua Goodman and the inspiring team behind Dedicated Fathers: Treishon Wilson, Craig Banks, Dennis Qualls, and Joyce Kenny.In this episode, we jump straight into hot-button local politics—touching on the Crown Event Center debate, rising property taxes, and community development—but this week's focus is on uplifting stories and impactful local work. You'll learn about how Dedicated Fathers got started during the pandemic, how they mentor children in underserved neighborhoods, and the impact of consistent, positive adult influences on young lives. Plus, you'll get to know the real people behind the headlines, their journeys, and the challenges and triumphs of guiding youth in Fayetteville.Whether you're plugged in for local updates or looking for hope-filled stories of community action, this episode highlights the enduring importance of mentorship, family, and doing the right thing, right here in Cumberland County. So, settle in with your morning coffee, and join us for an hour of perspective, humor, and heartfelt conversation on the Carolina Cabinet.

A bill moving through Harrisburg would automatically seal the eviction records of thousands of renters across Pennsylvania. Housing advocates say the legislation would be a game-changer because it would help tenants haunted by their eviction records. Five years after a landmark Pennsylvania grand jury report slammed the Department of Environmental Protection for failing to protect the public from the health effects of fracking, advocates say little has changed. They want Governor Josh Shapiro to do more to protect residents. This Friday, Independence Day, York is hosting a special ceremony. That’s because the White Rose City has a historical connection to the Declaration of Independence. A former Lancaster County treasurer is sentenced to probation for stealing over $180,000 from the nonprofit Columbia Boys Athletic Association over a period of three years. A former Cumberland County borough manager is ordered to pay $32,000 to fix the town's money issues. A judge says 63-year old Fred Potzer needs to make restitution to cover the costs of a financial audit, after the former Newville Borough manager manipulated the borough's finances for the past 20 years. Trees that once stood along Second Street in Harrisburg, behind the Governors Residence, have been cut down. About ten trees were removed, as officials examine and tighten security following an arson attack that burned part of the mansion in April. Long lines at security, flight delays, crowded gates — summer is the busiest travel time of year at Pittsburgh International Airport. But for anxious passengers taking flight this summer, PIT PAWS volunteers have been bringing calm with a wag of the tail since 2017.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) is celebrating a transformative gift that will fund a long-vacant museum director position, thanks to the generosity of longtime supporters Pat and Ron Ferris. The newly endowed position ensures that the organization can better care for its vast collection, curate compelling exhibitions, and deepen community engagement.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another lively episode of the Carolina Cabinet, your go-to source for homegrown conservative talk in Cumberland County. Host Peter Pappas is joined by co-hosts J. Antoine Miner, Carrie J., and special guest Leonard Bryant for a sharp, engaging roundtable on this week's top stories.The team covers everything from their experiences at the recent North Carolina GOP convention to local community updates, including the hotly debated cancellation of the Crown Event Center project. They don't hold back discussing national headlines either—diving into immigration protests, the President's visit to Fort Bragg, and debates over law and order.Packed with smart takes, personal stories, and the occasional side of humor, this episode brings you right into the heart of local issues and national debates. Grab your coffee and settle in for another hour with Carolina Cabinet's fearless talkers!

The Pennsylvania state House has passed new limits on funding for cyber charter schools. The legislation would set a cap of $8,000 per student on reimbursements paid to the charters. Fewer recipients will get farmers market vouchers this summer and their distribution has been delayed. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says that’s because the federal government is holding back money appropriated for the vouchers. Cumberland County has been recognized with a global award from the United States Army. June is Pride Month, with many celebrations and parades taking place around the region. WITF's The Spark recently spoke with Dr. Eric Selvey, President of the Pride Committee of Central PA, who explains the significance of this year's theme, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." We are learning more about the emergency response to a deadly attack at York's UPMC Memorial Hospital on February 22nd. Three Pennsylvania Game Commission wardens recently received commendation awards for their heroic actions during that attack. Logging will increase by ten percent in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest under a directive from President Trump. It's part of a push by the Trump administration to boost domestic lumber supplies. Federal authorities are moving to drop a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Sheetz convenience store chain, as part of the Trump administration's move away from diversity, equity and inclusion. Southwestern Pennsylvania is attempting to recover from flooding and landslides, as the region is set to host the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club with play opening this Thursday and continuing through Sunday. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another episode of Carolina Cabinet, Eastern North Carolina's smartest hour of conservative talk! Host Peter Pappas is joined by co-hosts Pastor Joshua Goodman, Carrie Jackson, and Bishop J. Antoine Miner for a fast-paced roundtable tackling Fayetteville's latest headlines and community challenges.This week, the Cabinet covers everything from childhood summers and library nostalgia to significant community wins, including the release of Bishop Miner's new book. The team delves into hot topics, including the city's new youth curfew, homelessness following the closure of the Regency Motel, and what's next for the Fayetteville Police Department. Expect honest conversation, sharp insight, and plenty of laughs as they break down how policy, leadership, and community action intersect across Cumberland County.Plug in and enjoy a thoughtful, energetic discussion about the issues that matter most to Fayetteville and conservative listeners everywhere!

Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over its attempt to cancel a federally funded food purchasing program. Fewer recipients will get farmers market vouchers this summer and their distribution has been delayed. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says that’s because the federal government is holding back money appropriated for the vouchers. State Senators on both sides of the aisle agree something helpful could be done with leftover money in campaign accounts. A key committee is advancing a bill to allow that extra money to be donated to nonprofits. An explosion was reported at Shell’s ethane cracker in Beaver County Wednesday afternoon. The State Library is offering a chance to imagine what Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward looked like over 100 years ago. The U.S. Department of Energy is ordering an oil and gas power plant in southeastern PA to keep its turbines running through the hottest summer months as a precaution against electricity shortfalls in the mid-Atlantic grid. Cumberland County is a step closer to what would be its first data center. And Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools would see their funding cut under a bill passed by the state House this week. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen in as host Jeremy Wendt sits down with Mary Jane Allen, who is the principal at North Cumberland Elementary School in Cumberland County. Listen to her story as she recounts what led her to this area from Canada originally, how her faith has changed her life, and more. Listen To The Local Matters Podcast Today! News Talk 94.1

Fifteen colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, including HACC, are receiving special designation thanks to a recently created initiative to improve student mental health. A new report calls Pennsylvania's teacher shortage a crisis. About 45 counties are experiencing teacher shortages defined as severe or extremely severe, according to the report, by the group Teach Plus Pennsylvania. A pair of Native American tribes have filed a federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania, accusing the federal government of using trust fund money for the tribes to pay for boarding schools where generations of Native children were systematically abused. They included the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which operated in Cumberland County from 1879 to 1918. A $580,000 cut to programs to combat homelessness in Lancaster County won’t be restored after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development denied an appeal filed by a county agency. One of the most powerful Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Senate is predicting this year’s state budget cycle will be among the most difficult “in a very long time.” Despite recent rainfall, parts of the midstate remain in dry or drought conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest map shows Moderate drought conditions continuing to plague all of Berks County, most of Lancaster County, about half of York County, and about half of Schuylkill County. A Gettysburg College professor has written the first comprehensive history of Yellowstone National Park since the 1970s. And now his book has received a prestigious award; selected from a field of more than 150 historical books, as the 2025 winner of The New York Historical’s annual Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History. We take a deep dive with Randall Wilson who explains how the legacy of Yellowstone continues to impact us today.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long range forecasts are predicting an especially hot summer, and that could mean higher demand for electricity. Federal regulators are warning the margins between electricity supply and demand are shrinking. Recipients of government assistance are increasingly falling victim to electronic thefts. Bipartisan legislation in Pennsylvania would require a report to detail how the state could make the leap to chip cards. Renovations are underway at Sunbury's City Hall. Mayor Josh Brosious says the upgrades are much-needed for the improved safety of city employees. A Cumberland County woman is facing charges after police say she hit a basketball official with a tripod at a Spooky Nook Sports event earlier this month. Thirty-two year-old Taylor Hair is charged with assault on a sports official and disorderly conduct. As the current school year begins to wind down, one state lawmaker is looking ahead to the next school year. A bill introduced by western PA state Rep. Andrew Kuzma would establish an annual sales tax holiday, beginning the first Friday of August and lasting for one week. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penn State is behind its peers when it comes to commercializing its research. Voters will soon head to the polls in the first round of elections for local offices. Primary elections for judges, mayors, school directors and some election workers are on May 20. Secretary of State Al Schmidt says turnout is traditionally low for local elections even though they offer more tangible impact for voters. Pennsylvania’s neighboring states, New Jersey and Delaware are among 17 states [along with the District of Columbia] that are suing the Trump administration over wind energy. Firefighters battled two forest fires for two weeks recently in Cumberland County's Michaux State Forest. Providing more details and context is Mike Kern, the state's Forest Fire Protection Chief, within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another episode of the Carolina Cabinet! This week, host Peter Pappas and co-hosts Joshua Goodman, Carrie Jackson, and J. Antoine Miner are joined by retired Fayetteville Police Chief Kem Braden for an eye-opening conversation about crime, community, and leadership in Cumberland County.Chief Braden shares his experiences from nearly 30 years on the force, offering candid insights into recent crime trends, youth violence, and the challenges police face in today's social environment. The team unpacks tough questions about accountability, the effectiveness of curfews, the impact of family and social media, and how the community and law enforcement can work together.Whether you're concerned about safety in Fayetteville or want an inside look at local policing, this episode pulls no punches—delivering real talk, local perspective, and a few laughs. Tune in for the smartest hour of conservative radio in the region!

Listen to the podcast for the full conversation. This spring, the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) unveiled Contrasting Photos: Behind and in Front of the Camera at the Carlisle Indian School, a groundbreaking exhibition featuring over 300 rarely seen images that reveal how students reclaimed their own representation at the controversial boarding school. Many of these photographs are on public display for the first time, offering visitors a richer, more nuanced understanding of life at Carlisle between 1879 and 1918.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our water tastes great in Millheim. Wanna know why?  Trout.  Trout fishing is a very big deal in central PA, from the Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, to Cedar Run in Lycoming County, the Little Juniata, and Centre County's Spruce, Spring, and Penns Creeks. I talked to a pair of young fishing guides at The Feathered Hook fishing store in Coburn, and to Tom Doman, a licensed guide who's been fishing Penns Creek since 1979.  We didn't just talk about Green Drakes and wet flies, riffles and lies. We talked about how trout fishing and anglers have brought back and preserved the quality of the waterways in central PA, and how that affects every day quality of life here.  Then I went to a couple of Opening Day parties, which also affect the quality of life around here! Everything can be a celebration, and Opening Day is a good one.  What I Drank Today was a bottle I'd misplaced when we moved back in 2021: Paul John Indian Single Malt Christmas Edition. The extra three years sitting in the dark hadn't hurt it at all. If you've never experienced Indian malt whisky, I hope this encourages you to try some.  The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau spot highlighted four Centre County lodging spots that are perfect for anglers.  And I told you more about a small contest we're running: finding a central PA food to star in an upcoming episode! Tell me what you love, and why it should be the winner! (This is your chance to make me cook ham pot pie!) What's next? I promise you, it won't be fish again! See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County!   This episode uses these sounds under the following license: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Water Stream" FX by "SPANAC" on https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/ "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.  

This interview was recorded on Monday, April 28. Two wildfires that tore through the Michaux State Forest last week are now largely under control, even as foresters warn that dry conditions could fan new blazes.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soil health is attainable. Anthony Beery of Beery Farms and Cumberland Hay and Straw LLC shares that message with Mary Sketch Bryant and Jeff Ishee based on his farming experience and journey. Anthony grew up in the Shenandoah Valley where he and his father Danny raised dairy cows and poultry. Anthony benefitted from his father's mentorship and encouragement to be open to new ideas and experimenting.Anthony and his family moved to Cumberland County in 2018 to begin custom crop production and start Cumberland Hay & Straw LLC. Anthony received the 2024 Carl Luebben Soil Health and Water Quality Award at the Virginia Farm-to-Table Conference for his commitment, example, and mentorship of other farmers.  If you are just starting your soil health journey, Anthony emphasizes taking a step and starting with the basics: learn the soil type and previous land use, test for nutrient content and pH, and understand the areas where nutrients are low and high. For Anthony, soil compaction was a limiting factor on his farm that started his commitment to earnest no-till farming, experimenting with diverse cover crop rotations, and continued devotion to core principles of soil health. As always, we encourage you to start your soil health journey and follow the four principles of soil health: 1) Keep the Soil Covered -- Cover crops are our friends; 2) Minimize soil disturbance -- Practice no-till or gentle tillage in your field or garden as much as possible; 3) Maximize living roots year-round -- to improve biodiversity and life in the soil; and 4) Energize with diversity -- through crop rotation and/or livestock integration. Yes, soil health is attainable and we can all be 4 The Soil! To enjoy the recent We Are 4 the Soil song created by the Flip Charts, please visit   https://www.4thesoil.org/#we-are-4-the-soil-video. For questions about soil and water conservation practices and outdoor educational activities for youth, call or visit a USDA Service Center, a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office, or your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office.  

Firefighters are making steady progress fighting a pair of wildfires in Cumberland County... despite gusty winds over the weekend. The fires cover more than 27-hundred acres in Michaux State Forest, between 30-50 miles from Harrisburg. At least 12 Bhutanese refugees and former Pennsylvania residents are now stateless people in India and Nepal after U-S deportations. WITF’s Jordan Wilkie reports the men were sent to Bhutan, despite the fact that they are not considered citizens of the Himalayan nation. Meantime, a suburban Philadelphia sheriff's office is teaming up with US Immigration Customs and Enforcement. Emily Neil from our friends at WHYY reports, if the agreement goes into effect, ICE will provide training to Bucks County sheriff’s office deputies to assist with and carry out arrests for immigration violations and more. It was exactly a week ago... last Monday... when we received the news that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88. The leader of the Harrisburg Catholic diocese attended Saturday’s funeral services for Pope Francis. WITF’s Rachel McDevitt reports the bishop is reflecting on the legacy of the late pontiff. Following Pope Francis’s death, a mural in Philadelphia commemorating his visit to the city of brotherly love nearly a decade ago has become a memorial site. Cory Sharber from our friends at WHYY has more. And the Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House today. Bernie Sanders is coming to Central Pennsylvania this week as part of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. And Selinsgrove would become more walkable, pedestrian and bike-friendly, under a trail connectivity plan. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet, the smartest hour of conservative talk radio in Cumberland County! In this episode, host Peter Pappas is joined by co-host Bishop Miner and special guest Stephen Horn, an independent journalist known for his boots-on-the-ground reporting in North Carolina, particularly covering contentious issues often overlooked by mainstream media.The show kicks off with a dose of "good news" from Bishop Miner, who draws inspiration from scripture to highlight resilience in the face of life's storms. Stephen Horn then shares his journey—from being homeschooled in the Triangle area and witnessing discrepancies in news coverage during the 2020 protests, to becoming a full-time independent journalist committed to transparent, fact-driven reporting. The conversation delves into media bias, the motivations behind mainstream narratives, and the increasing importance of alternative voices in journalism.We'll also discuss navigating media pushback, experiences with censorship on major platforms, and Stephen's account of covering the January 6 event in D.C. The episode doesn't shy away from tackling tough local topics either, addressing issues such as affirmative action in government contracts, illegal immigration, and the sometimes perilous intersection of local law enforcement and federal mandates.With trademark humor, open debate, and insider takes on everything from DEI policies to fake news, this episode promises both thought-provoking dialogue and a behind-the-scenes look at the current media landscape in North Carolina. So hit play, and don't forget to follow the Carolina Cabinet for more smart local radio.

Welcome to another edition of the Carolina Cabinet, where local voices and real stories come together for Fayetteville and Cumberland County's most engaging conservative talk radio! In this episode, host Peter Pappas is joined by co-host Pastor Joshua Goodman and Bishop Antoine Minor, along with a very special guest, Ranger Rick.The atmosphere in the studio is lively as the crew discusses a range of topics, from reflections on Holy Week and neighborhood food banter to the crucial issue of veteran mental health. Ranger Rick shares his powerful journey from military service to personal struggles and community advocacy, illustrating how he transformed his pain into purpose through the initiative “Through Tragedy Comes Light.” He candidly talks about loss, resilience, suicide prevention, and the events his organization organizes to foster fellowship and hope for veterans.With humor, heart, and the camaraderie unique to the Carolina Cabinet, this episode promises inspiration, practical wisdom, and plenty of laughs. Whether you tune in for the faith, the fun, or to learn how you can support local veterans, this hour has something for everyone. So grab a coffee, settle in, and get ready for Eastern North Carolina's most enlightening hour of radio!

Welcome back to another episode of the Carolina Cabinet, where we dive into the heart of conservative talk in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and beyond. I'm your host, Peter Pappas, and I'm joined today by my fantastic co-hosts, J. Antoine Miner and Carrie Jackson. We're excited to welcome our special guest, Kathy Greggs, to the discussion this episode. Kathy brings a wealth of knowledge, and we're tackling topics that matter to our community.Today, we'll unpack the latest happenings, from the spirited protest at the Market House to the buzz around city council elections. We'll touch on the national observance of National Crime Week, highlighting the importance of awareness and support for victims and survivors. Plus, we'll discuss the upcoming pilot program addressing military sexual assault cases and how new accountability measures are shaping workplaces.Grab your coffee, get comfortable, and join us for the smartest hour of talk radio on Carolina Cabinet. Don't forget to follow us on social media and visit thecarolinacabinet.com  for links to all our shows. Let's dive right in!

U.S. Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania defended the Trump Administration on a number of issues during a recent telephone town hall. County health officials are left waiting on federal money that may not come. State Police patrol troopers at every station across the Commonwealth are now equipped with body cameras. The Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster County has launched a year long centennial celebration. The Berks County Prison Board has agreed to detain people for up to 72 hours at the request of federal immigration officials. The board of Pennsylvania’s state-owned university system has named Chris Fiorentino as the system’s next permanent chancellor. A GOP lawmaker from Cumberland County is renewing her push to keep Pennsylvania students' attention off their smartphones and on their classes. Artist Pamela J. Black speaks about where she finds inspiration.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the guest speaker at a ‘Hands Off!’ rally in Northeast Pennsylvania on Saturday. After President Donald Trump announced his plan to place tariffs on most nations, Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation had mixed reactions. Saturday was the first day of Trout Season in Pennsylvania. The man who killed a Cumberland County police officer more than 30 years ago has been resentenced to life in prison without parole. Southern York County school officials canceled a Black chemist’s invitation to mentor fifth graders, raising new allegations of racism amid mounting tensions across the public school district. Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick is facing a DUI charge following a crash last week. A bill in the Pennsylvania legislature to accept millions of federal dollars for solar projects for low-income families has suddenly put the state’s solar industry on edge.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors in Cumberland County, North Carolina say Shana Cloud killed her husband, Clint Bonnell, following his announcement that he wanted a divorce. Cloud was arrested when Bonnell's remains were found in a pond, three months after he was reported missing. Law&Crime's Jesse Weber got some insight on what's next in the investigation and the consequences Cloud could face with North Carolina criminal defense attorney Kevin Marcilliat.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you're ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://forthepeople.com/LCSidebarHOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey there, and welcome back to the Carolina Cabinet! In this episode, we're diving into some truly impactful work happening over at the Partnership for Children. Our hosts, Peter Pappas and Joshua Goodman, introduce their guest, Sharon Moyer from the Cumberland County Partnership for Children. We will explore how the Partnership significantly impacts Fayetteville and Cumberland County children, aiding them in preparing for kindergarten with flying colors. We will discuss workforce development programs that enhance the childcare sector and provide support for families with young children at home. Additionally, Pastor Goodman offers his inspirational perspective on love and community. It will be a packed session filled with insightful conversations and personal stories. So grab your coffee, get comfortable, and join us for this enlightening and heartwarming episode!

Welcome back to another engaging episode of the Carolina Cabinet, recorded live from WFAY and WMRV radio studios. Join your host, Peter Pappas, as he leads Cumberland County's smartest hour of conservative talk radio. This episode delves deep into various societal topics with special guests, Pastor Joshua Goodman and Jim Turner. We explore significant issues like the disbanding of the Department of Education, the effects of going 'woke' on the entertainment industry, and the evolving landscape of the U.S. Postal Service. As always, expect insightful discussions, a dose of good news, and plenty of community engagement updates. 

A Pennsylvania Congressman traveled well out of his district for a public forum in Philadelphia. Shell may be trying to sell a massive chemical plant called an ethane cracker in Beaver County. Pennsylvania is creating the Center for Plant Excellence to increase innovation and address issues in the horticulture sectors. The Shapiro administration expects some Pennsylvania municipalities to become so financially distressed they could require state assistance. The Eastern York school board adopted an anti-LGBTQ+ policy restricting pronoun use in an 8-to-1 vote. Three specialized courts have saved Cumberland County more than $7 million by diverting offenders away from prison. A data breach at the Pennsylvania State Education Association is affecting more than 500,000 people. Soaring costs for volunteer firefighting companies may end up shouldered by taxpayers.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of the Carolina Cabinet, where we come together to deliver Cumberland County's most insightful talk radio. In this episode, Peter Pappas leads a compelling discussion with co-hosts J. Antoine Miner and Pastor Joshua Goodman. They explore various topics, from the power of faith and hope to thought-provoking conversations about personal growth and community dynamics. As they share personal stories and spiritual insights, the discussion flows into the impact of property tax re-evaluations and the importance of financial literacy in our community. Expect a rich blend of wisdom, humor, and practical advice as we tackle these pressing issues together. Grab your morning coffee and join us for what promises to be an enlightening and engaging hour. Enjoy the show!

The Federal Reserve may be steering the economy through another trade war. But this time, the inflation of the last few years complicates its task. Also in this episode: Unemployed Americans struggle to snag new positions, banks’ unrealized losses jump, and an aerospace tech startup sets up shop in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

The Federal Reserve may be steering the economy through another trade war. But this time, the inflation of the last few years complicates its task. Also in this episode: Unemployed Americans struggle to snag new positions, banks’ unrealized losses jump, and an aerospace tech startup sets up shop in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

If you’re a regular “Marketplace” listener, you’ve probably heard of the Fed’s Beige Book. But have you heard of the Tealbook? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the Fed’s fortune-telling report that helps monetary policy mandarins ideate on possible economic scenarios. Plus: AI tools juggle search dominance with profitability, the GDP report shows consumers still haven’t stopped spending and we wrap up our sojourn in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

If you’re a regular “Marketplace” listener, you’ve probably heard of the Fed’s Beige Book. But have you heard of the Tealbook? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the Fed’s fortune-telling report that helps monetary policy mandarins ideate on possible economic scenarios. Plus: AI tools juggle search dominance with profitability, the GDP report shows consumers still haven’t stopped spending and we wrap up our sojourn in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

As America’s population ages, so does its workforce. That’s why this week, Kai and ADP’s Nela Richardson are visiting Cumberland County, Tennessee, where a third of residents are 65 and older. In this episode, we talk to an exterminator, a part-time dance teacher, a hospital president and a minister-turned-shop owner to illustrate that  Cumberland’s aging population brings new opportunities — and challenges.

As America’s population ages, so does its workforce. That’s why this week, Kai and ADP’s Nela Richardson are visiting Cumberland County, Tennessee, where a third of residents are 65 and older. In this episode, we talk to an exterminator, a part-time dance teacher, a hospital president and a minister-turned-shop owner to illustrate that  Cumberland’s aging population brings new opportunities — and challenges.

It’s a demographic reality: The U.S. has an aging workforce. That’s gonna affect our economy, big time. In this episode, Kai takes a trip to Cumberland County, Tennessee, with payroll firm ADP’s chief economist, Nela Richardson. It’s home to one of the oldest labor forces in the country — around a third of residents are older than 65 — meaning this rural nook of Tennessee can give us a glimpse into the future.

It’s a demographic reality: The U.S. has an aging workforce. That’s gonna affect our economy, big time. In this episode, Kai takes a trip to Cumberland County, Tennessee, with payroll firm ADP’s chief economist, Nela Richardson. It’s home to one of the oldest labor forces in the country — around a third of residents are older than 65 — meaning this rural nook of Tennessee can give us a glimpse into the future.