Podcasts about pennsylvania department

The more time I've spent outdoors, the more I've learned about the threats our trees face here in Pennsylvania. It seems like every other day I'm finding out about a new disease or invasive plant or insect that's come to our shores and is devastating our trees. It's sad to see our forests choked by kudzu vines. To see our trees impacted by the emerald ash borer, spongy moth and hemlock woolly adelgid. To see the once mighty American Chestnut tree wiped out by blight. And lets not forget about other issues like over foresting, wildfires and climate change. All taking a bite from our forests. One tree at a time. We will never have the forests that our ancestors would have seen. Old growth trees are limited to a few areas in the Commonwealth. And development has sliced most of our forests into bite-sized pieces. But that doesn't mean we just give up. No way. A dedicated group of scientists and foresters are working to address these issues, protect our forests and stay ahead of the future threats that may try to take even more trees from our landscape.  They are testing out new methods and processes that could save the trees that we have and, hopefully, prevent more species from being taken from us. But it's not easy work. They are constantly having to adapt to new threats present in an ever-connected world. It's incredibly important work. Anyone who cares for the outdoors – whether you're a hunter or a hiker – needs to know about what each of us can do to address these threats on our property and help these scientists protect our forests. On this episode, I speak with Rosa Yoo. Rosa is a Forest Health Manager with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry. Be sure to support our 2026 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersDiscover Clarion CountyGo Laurel Highlands Support the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

Our special guest on today's Bonus Episode is Christian Boyer. Christian is a Tick Specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.During the episode, Christian discusses the growing tick problem and explains why the cold winter did not significantly reduce tick populations. He also highlights that ticks can transmit many illnesses beyond Lyme disease and examines how warming trends have expanded the geographic range of ticks. In addition, Christian shares practical strategies for preventing tick bites and offers advice on how to better protect your yard and pets from ticks. If you want to gain a better understanding of this growing problem this podcast is for you.

This week on the show we talk with Ken Meyer of Complete Hemp Processing in Winfred, South Dakota. As of last week, Meyer is also a co-founder of Renewabuild Great Plains — the first U.S.-licensed manufacturer of structural hempcrete blocks. We've been telling the story of these structural blocks for a long time on the podcast. We first encountered them back in 2019 — they look like giant Lego blocks and work much the same way — at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, where the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council had them on display. Back then, the blocks were made by a Canadian company called Just BioFiber in Alberta. Today, the technology is licensed and administered by another Canadian company, Renewabuild Field to Form, which has made improvements to the original design of the block. The structural hemp blocks differ from traditional hempcrete construction because their internal frame makes them load-bearing in a way that spray-applied or cast-in-place hempcrete cannot offer. "It has a frame inside it. It's a glass-filled biocarbonate frame ... and then the hempcrete is pressed around it," Meyer said. "And that frame provides a structure in the wall. So that makes the block a structural block, and the block itself in a wall system replaces the sheet rock, the insulation and the timber." The story of the blocks continues now, as the first U.S. company prepares to manufacture them at a plant in Rock Valley, Iowa. "At Complete Hemp Processing in Winfred, South Dakota, we decorticate hemp stocks. And we need a place to sell the hemp hurd. And our farmers need us to have a place to sell hemp hurd so they can put hemp in rotation with corn and soybeans," he said. This is how an industry scales. Dedicated, passionate people working tirelessly to build a supply chain. Learn More Renewabuild Great Plains Complete Hemp Processing Dakota Hemp South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association Renewabuild Field to Form The Harmless Home Sponsors HEMI - The Hemp Education and Marketing Inititive hempinitiatives.org Forever Green hempcutter.com The Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast returns this week with an interview featuring Ken Meyer, owner of Complete Hemp Processing in Winfred, South Dakota, and one of three co-founders of Renewabuild Great Plains — the first U.S.-licensed manufacturer of structural hempcrete blocks. Host Eric Hurlock sits down with Meyer to discuss the new hempcrete block factory being built in Rock Valley, Iowa, the long journey of the structural hemp block from Canada to the United States, and what this milestone means for the American industrial hemp industry, hempcrete construction, and the future of sustainable building materials. Renewabuild Great Plains is the first U.S. company to license the structural hempcrete block technology developed by Just BioFiber of Alberta, Canada, and now administered by Renewabuild Field to Form. Unlike traditional hempcrete construction methods — including spray-applied hempcrete and cast-in-place hempcrete — the Renewabuild block features an internal glass-filled biocarbonate frame, making it a load-bearing structural wall component. A single block replaces sheetrock, insulation, and timber framing in one product, offering builders, architects, and engineers a scalable, lower-carbon alternative to conventional wall systems with improved fire resistance, durability, and building-envelope performance. The new Rock Valley, Iowa hempcrete block factory is scheduled to receive its equipment in December 2026 or January 2027, with the capacity to produce two blocks a minute, more than 900,000 structural hempcrete blocks per year running three shifts. At full production, the facility will manufacture enough wall material for roughly 500 perimeter walls of 2,000-square-foot homes annually. The factory's entire production equipment fits inside two shipping containers, making the model regionally scalable across the United States — a key part of Renewabuild's strategy to support local farmers, local hemp processors, and local hempcrete construction supply chains. Meyer is joined as co-founder by John Peterson of Dakota Hemp and Bill Brehmer of Renewabuild Great Plains, alongside a group of Iowa farmers who have invested in the project. This episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast also revisits archival audio from January 2019, when Pennsylvania hemp historian Les Stark first introduced the Just BioFiber structural hempcrete block at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, alongside the original podcast interview with Just BioFiber co-founder Michael D. Champlain. Listeners will also hear from David Geertz of Renewabuild, recorded at the International Hemp Building Symposium at Kansayapi in Minnesota. Plus, host Eric Hurlock follows up on last week's interview with Pennsylvania farmer Steve Groff with a statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture regarding agricultural innovation grant reimbursements. Subscribe to the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast for in-depth coverage of industrial hemp, hemp farming, hempcrete construction, hemp processing, and the people building the American hemp supply chain.

A guy walks into a hardware store with vinegar, borax, copper mesh, a propane torch, and tweezers. If you have Morgellons, you know exactly what he's building — and exactly why he can't tell the kid in the orange vest. This episode opens with that scene, then goes somewhere most coverage of Morgellons disease refuses to go: the staged, recognizable progression of what people think they have before they arrive at Morgellons. Scabies. Worms. Springtails. Collembola. Lyme. Nanobots. Smart dust. The Oklahoma study at 2 AM on PubMed.Crystal Clear lays out why that sequence itself is data — not delusion. Diseases have stages of symptoms. Morgellons has stages of misidentification, marched through in roughly the same order by thousands of strangers across continents who've never spoken. That pattern requires an explanation. “Mass delusion” isn't one.Plus two records updates worth your attention:        •       A new Oklahoma Open Records Act request submitted to the State Department of Health regarding the 2000 Collembola study (Altschuler, Crutcher, et al.) — the one with the manipulated photographs.        •       An IRS 4506-A request for the Morgellons Research Foundation's final 990 filings (2009, 2010, 2011) came back denied with three stacked, internally inconsistent reasons — while the Pennsylvania Department of State has a complete eight-year paper trail for the same organization, including the dissolution filing. Schedule N would document where the money went on the way out. Schedule N is what's missing.You are not crazy. What you have is.Keywords / tags:Morgellons, Morgellons disease, Crystal Clear, More Morgellons podcast, Morgellons fibers, Morgellons stages, Morgellons symptoms, Collembola Oklahoma study, Morgellons Research Foundation, MRF 990, IRS 4506-A, Schedule N, nonprofit dissolution, Altschuler Crutcher, springtails Morgellons, Lyme Morgellons, nanobots smart dust, CDC Morgellons 2012, Mick West, contested illness, medical gaslighting, patient communities, investigative podcast

HOLTWOOD, Pa. — This week on the Hemp Podcast we take a short road trip to southern Lancaster County to catch up with farmer Steve Groff. "What we're looking at here, Eric, is a metaphor for the hemp industry. We're looking broken promises and contracts that didn't come to be," Groff said, leaning against a stack of round bales of hemp at his farm in Holtwood. Twelve hundred round bales. Four bales wide. Three bales high. It extends into the field for about two tenths of a mile. It's covered in black tarps and you can see it from the road. You can probably see it from space too. Steve Groff's Great Wall of Hemp. This is his 2025 hemp crop, roughly 80 acres of fiber hemp, cut and baled last fall. His 2024 crop of 60 acres sits in silage bags, on the north side of the Great Wall like sleeping giants. "You know, you add it all up, it's a million, little over a million pounds," Groff said. And so the hemp sits. Waiting for the processing infrastructure to be built in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, one of the silage bags was torn open by some birds, so Groff is using the hemp from that bag as mulch for his tomato operation. "I grow heirloom tomatoes in high tunnels, I have over 12,000 tomato plants, it's like, well, let's use up some of this hemp mulch here." Hemp makes a great mulch, but certainly there are better uses for a million pounds of Pennsylvania-grown fiber hemp than mulch. Denim. Houses. Paper. 8 years after the 2018 Farm Bill and we're still talking about building processing infrastructure, instead of manufacturing products. But Groff is an optimist with an eye on the future. "I still believe in the plant and hemp and what it can do. And it looks like for the fiber and grain guys, it looks we might have a decent Farm Bill coming along here." Learn More Steve Groff Pennsylvania Flax Project PA Department of Agriculture Agricultural Innovation Grant Rodale Institute — Mulching Guide News Nuggets Farm bill draft eases some rules, imposes others on hemp fiber and grain, squeezes CBD House Approves Farm Bill Without Controversial Pesticide Rules Republicans Raise Objections to Pennsylvania's Ag Innovation Fund Sponsors IND Hemp Americhanvre Forever Green A field visit with Lancaster County hemp farmer Steve Groff at Cedar Meadow Farm, where more than a million pounds of unsold hemp fiber, a four-acre seed treatment trial, and a four-inch precision planter under construction tell the story of an industry waiting on infrastructure that hasn't arrived. This episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast features a field visit with Lancaster County hemp farmer and innovator Steve Groff at Cedar Meadow Farm in Holtwood, Pennsylvania. The conversation centers on more than a million pounds of unsold hemp fiber stacked along the farm lane — what Groff calls a metaphor for the broken promises and stalled contracts that have defined the U.S. industrial hemp industry in recent years. Across the road, blueprints for a 16,000-square-foot processing facility sit fully permitted, awaiting funding that hasn't materialized. The visit walks through a four-acre research plot where Groff is testing five biological seed treatments against a control, replicated four times, with 2,000 colored flags tracking individual hemp seedlings from emergence to harvest. The experiment targets a long-standing mystery in industrial hemp agronomy: the gap between expected and harvested plant populations, sometimes called phantom yield loss. The episode also covers Groff's heirloom tomato operation, where unsold hemp from the 2024 crop is being used as mulch on more than 12,000 plants under high tunnels. Additional topics include a four-inch precision hemp planter under construction with farmer-inventor Charlie Martin, designed to singulate seeds and produce uniform stands at a row spacing already standard in China and Europe but rare in the United States. The project came out of a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture innovation grant. The episode also visits 30 acres of flax — Groff's first cash crop foray as part of the Pennsylvania Flax Project — and provides an update on the Green Decorticator, which has reached the CAD-drawing stage and is headed for commercial testing this summer, targeting plant-length long fiber for high-end textile markets. The episode opens with a cold open from the host's backyard garden in southeastern Pennsylvania, where a truckload of hemp mulch from Groff's farm sets up the show's central question: why is a million pounds of hemp fiber being spread on tomato beds instead of woven into denim, processed into cardboard, or manufactured into bioplastics? A news segment covers the U.S. House passage of the 2026 Farm Bill, which formally separates industrial hemp from cannabinoid hemp and tightens regulation on intoxicating products, with the Senate version still pending.

Here's why Mr. Twenty Twenty believes in the Science of MiraclesRead at your own risk.....My pants were full of poop... And I couldn't move my arms.... And my hands were numb.... Blood was trickling down my throat and that's when I decided....."I won!"That's when I imagined - being free! Hiking in the woods, making babies, swimming naked in that lovely waterfall....."I won...."Meanwhile....My body died....And I was revised....And I still, couldn't move my arms....And blood was now caked in my mouth.....And I took a moment to imagine....What implied I still had all my teeth.....(I like my teeth....)Now....About six more hours went by....Where I was moved by my captors from one cell block to another - for my protection from the other inmates.....And it was getting close to morning, and I knew.... This is when, hostages DIE.And here I was, a prison guard taken hostage in one of the worst prison riots in United States history. Knowing that if I lived for 60 more minutes, I'd be fine....."I won...."That's when I imagined AGAIN - being free! Hiking in the woods, making babies, swimming naked in that lovely waterfall.....When the Pennsylvania State Police and the Hostage Rescue Team attacked the cell block I was being held in, all the inmates ran to the back of the block.....I was in a cell near the front doors, I made a good shield....They left me behind in the panic.... "for some reason".I wiggled my head out of the pillow case it was trapped inside for hours.... and saw the main doors to the cell block being closed.....FUCK.....I'm gonna get locked in here with these fucking animals, if I don't RUN NOW!I found my body slamming against the cell block doors, they burst open, and there they were.....The GOOD guys.....And one of them shoved a 12 gauge shotgun into my belly....."I won...."Any millisecond now.... I'm either walking out with a little help from my friends.....Or I am gonna be a blood splatter on the cell block doors..... GAME OVER...Better luck next time.... That's when I imagined AGAIN - being free! Hiking in the woods, making babies, swimming naked in that lovely waterfall....And that's when a buddy of mine identified me as a GOOD GUY.....And I jogged out of the prison.... And into freedom.....So don't tell me this doesn't work.I don't want to hear your excuses.I want you to be free.And you don't need to go to the depths of hell like I did.....to BUY THE PEARL - to USE THE TOOLS.You can in this moment - FIND FREEDOM.But don't tell ME that it's gonna be difficult....Because I'm just gonna sit here, and smile.....

The Onion's plan to take over Infowars looks to have succeeded at last.A judge in Rhode Island became the fifth to reject the DOJ's voter roll grab. But Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, is undeterred. Now she's trying to snatch ballots from Wayne County, Michigan. Trump's Justice Department is negotiating with Trump's lawyers to decide how much taxpayer money to pay Trump for the illegal disclosure of his tax returns in 2020. The statutory max is $1,000 per return. He wants $10 billion. The DOJ has hired Joe diGenova, a Reagan-era US Attorney, to spice up the grand conspiracy investigation into all Trump's enemies taking place in Florida under the watchful eye of Judge Aileen Cannon.And Pennsylvania's intermediate appellate court rules that the state's ban on abortion coverage under Medicaid violates both the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment and the state constitution's equal protection provisions.MAIN SHOW:FBI Director (for now) Kash Patel is big mad over an article in The Atlantic reporting that his drinking is freaking out everyone around him. He's rounded up wonderweasel lawyer Jesse Binnall and filed a defamation trollsuit in DC. This will be amazing content, and we are grateful in advance!And we'll break down the blockbuster article from the New York Times on Chief Justice Roberts' invention of the modern shadow docket ten years ago to stop the “emergency” of states being asked to come up with a way to reduce carbon emissions. The Times got the receipts, and they are ugly. So much for Mister Balls and Strikes!SUBSCRIBERS:Alan Dershowitz is indulging his humiliation kink at the Supreme Court. He's asking the justices to overturn the actual malice standard from New York Times v. Sulllivan so he can sue CNN for reporting what he said during Trump's first impeachment. Are his arguments good? NO. Are they hilarious? HELL YES.The Onion Has a New Plan to Take Over Infowarshttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/business/infowars-alex-jones-the-onion.htmlUS v. Amore [Rhode Island voter rolls]https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71982644/united-states-v-amoreAG Nessel, Governor Whitmer, Secretary Benson Denounce DOJ Demand for 2024 Ballotshttps://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/04/19/ag-nessel-governor-whitmer-secretary-benson-denounce-doj-demand-for-2024-ballotsTrump v. IRShttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72207870/trump-v-internal-revenue-service/U.S. Installs a Trump Loyalist to Lead ‘Grand Conspiracy' Case Into Trump Foeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/digenova-trump-lawyer-conspiracy.htmlAllegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Serviceshttps://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/26MD19_4-20-26.pdf?cb=1Patel v. The Atlantic Monthly Grouphttps://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73213220/patel-v-the-atlantic-monthly-group-llc/The FBI Director Is MIAhttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/“The Shadow Papers: The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court,” New York Times, April 18, 2026https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket.html“Read the Supreme Court's Shadow Papers,” New York Times, April 18, 2026https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/18/us/politics/supreme-court-shadow-docket-papers.htmlDersh at SCOTUShttps://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-770.htmlShow Links:https://www.lawandchaospod.com/BlueSky: @LawAndChaosPodThreads: @LawAndChaosPodTwitter: @LawAndChaosPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One way Pennsylvania is marking America's 250th anniversary is through a geocaching trail which includes 25 state parks. The GPS-driven scavenger hunt has sites in several state parks located in the midstate. York County Commissioner Julie Wheeler hailed the announcement as a great way to tie recreation together with local history. More news from Pennsylvania’s state park system: Pennsylvania is adding its 125th state park this month — and this one is entirely underground. And in Blair County, Hollidaysburg Borough Council members are compromising on their vision for a Slinky museum. The iconic spring toy will soon share exhibit space with another part of the borough’s history. Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers are forming a new reconnaissance unit designed to counter modern battlefield threats, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Even though the weather turned unseasonably warm this week, many Pennsylvanians continue facing financial challenges paying for this past winter's heating bills. That's why Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh has extended the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program - or LIHEAP - season through May 8th. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is launching a new program designed for small business owners - and to help craftspeople become entrepreneurs. 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. And thank you.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sign up for our newsletter! On this week's episode:   An environmental engineer is starting a new act as a storyteller and educator for local waterways. A state legislator in Ohio wants to bring back the state's elk. We take a peak into the springtime mating dance of the elusive American woodcock.   The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing to gather comments about a new permit for the Shell plastic production facility in Beaver County. A new report card gives Pennsylvania an F grade for how it governs rooftop solar permitting. Pennsylvania state lawmakers have introduced a flurry of legislation to address data center growth. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.  Donate today.  Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.  And thanks! 

As wildfire season ramps up across the state, The Spark spoke with Mike Kern, Chief of the Division of Forest Fire Protection, and Matt Reed, Chief of Wildfire Operations and Planning with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, about what residents need to know. They explained that most wildfires in Pennsylvania are human-caused—often the result of debris burning, unattended campfires, or discarded cigarettes—making prevention a critical part of safety. With dry conditions and shifting winds increasing fire risk, they emphasized the importance of following local burn bans, properly extinguishing fires, and staying aware of changing weather conditions. Kern and Reed also highlighted how their teams prepare year-round to respond quickly and protect both people and natural resources, urging Pennsylvanians to stay informed and take simple precautions to help reduce wildfire risk. On a recent episode of The Spark, we discussed the future of hemp fiber in Pennsylvania with Gabriella Fioravanti of Thomas Jefferson University and Mike Roth of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The conversation focused on how hemp fiber can be used in products like textiles and building materials, the environmental benefits it offers, and the challenges—like processing infrastructure—that are shaping the industry's growth in the state.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection cleared a backlog of 2,400 permits in less than two years by focusing on transparency and customer experience. Mark Harmsworth of Washington Policy Center outlines actionable steps for Washington. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-pennsylvanias-payback-success-is-it-a-blueprint-for-washingtons-counties-and-cities/ #WashingtonPolicyCenter #Permitting #Business #PublicPolicy #SmallBusiness #LocalGovernment #Transparency #GrowthManagement #Housing #Opinion

(00:00:00) Jack Graham—Executive Director with the Keystone Marker Trust—specializes in preserving Pennsylvania’s historic cast‑iron keystone markers, which once stood at entrances to towns and along bridges across the state. Beginning in the 1920s, the Pennsylvania Department of Highways installed these distinctive blue‑and‑gold markers at nearly every community large enough to have a post office. Although thousands once existed, only a small number remain today. The Historical Society of Perry County is hosting Jack for a presentation on the markers’ history, significance, deterioration, and the ongoing work to restore and protect them. (00:22:23) Gettysburg College has announced the addition of three new women’s varsity sports: Women’s Wrestling – launching Fall 2026 as the 25th varsity sport Women’s Acrobatics & Tumbling – debuting in 2027–28 Women’s Flag Football – debuting in 2027–28 These are the first new varsity programs since women’s golf in 2000–01. The new additions strengthen Gettysburg’s nationally competitive Division III athletics program, which ranked 29th nationally in the Learfield Directors’ Cup last year.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak with Stephen Madrak, Director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and Jennifer Ridolfi, AAMVA's Program Manager of Vehicle Programs & Strategic Operations, about AAMVA's new Vehicle Title, Registration, and Records Management Working Group. Host: Ian Grossman Producer: Claire Jeffrey, Chelsey Hadwin, and Kayle Nguyen Music: Gibson Arthur

Elections are happening across Sullivan County (Weds).Burn bans starting across the state.A couple of men got into a tussle in Middletown, and both were stabbed. A request has been made to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to replace the Skinners Falls Bridge.

During last week's budget address, Governor Josh Shapiro pushed for more housing construction, in part to make homes more affordable. In his budget address, Governor Shapiro also said the state’s electric utilities are making too much profit at the expense of ratepayers. The governor laid out a plan to tackle rising electricity rates. Officials in Chester County pledge to do better as they continue to navigate fallout from an poll book error last Election Day. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry reports a surge in labor law complaints in 2025. Pennsylvania agriculture secretary Russell Redding recently announced the state is awarding $2.2 million in grant funding to support 17 research projects. Did you know that if every sustaining circle member gives as little as $12 more a month, we'd close the gap caused by federal funding cuts? Increase your gift at https://witf.org/increase or become a new sustaining member at www.witf.org/givenow. And thanks!Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slavery exhibits removed from the President’s House site on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall are still intact and in storage at the Constitution Center. A federal judge confirmed that fact during a site visit Monday. Almost three quarters of Americans rarely get together with others, even people they care about. That's according to the inaugural Social Connection in America report, issued by the Barnes Family Foundation, based in Bethlehem. https://omny.fm/shows/the-spark/scanning-prices-measuring-belonging-a-look-at-pa-consumers-and-communities As climate change forces wildlife to relocate, The Nature Conservancy is working to help species adapt. The organization just acquired 280 acres in Cambria County to serve as a critical rest stop for increasingly rare, migrating grassland birds. The Trump Administration has purchased a 520,000-square-foot Berks County warehouse for more than $87 million. The deed shows it was sold to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, as the administration continues to convert facilities across the country into immigration detention centers. More than 300,000 Haitians nationwide were expected to lose federal immigration protections yesterday (Feb. 3) - but a federal judge issued a 6-month extension. Those protections allow them to work in the U.S. and shield them from deportation. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed five cases of measles in Lancaster County. Officials say all five cases involve people who were not vaccinated. And a deep dive: Independent and third-party voters are the fastest-growing voting bloc in Pennsylvania. Yet these voters are currently barred from participating in the commonwealth’s primaries. Did you know that if every one of WITF’s sustaining circle members gives as little as $12 more a month, we'd close the gap caused by federal funding cuts? Increase your gift at https://witf.org/increase or become a new sustaining circle member at www.witf.org/givenow. And thanks!Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our ears, nose, and throat (ENT) work quietly together to shape how we hear, breathe, taste, and even defend ourselves against the outside world. From the often-misunderstood role of earwax to why dry air and seasonal changes make nosebleeds more common—and how inflammation and mucosal irritation contribute to sore throats—many everyday ENT issues are actually signs of smart protective design. But with such a complex system, how simple can effective treatments really be? Can warm tea with honey actually soothe throat irritation? Are cotton swabs really bad for our ears? Can spicy foods truly clear sinus infections?In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Chris Park, MD (known online as ChrisP.MD), an Otolaryngology (ENT) - Head & Neck Surgery Chief Resident Physician.Dr. Park received his B.A. in Biology and Computer Science from Dartmouth College and his M.D. with Distinction in Research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he was a Researcher at the Laryngology Lab. Dr. Park is currently completing his ENT residency at the Indiana University Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and recently matched into the Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Online, Dr. Park has amassed over 350,000 followers, beginning his journey on TikTok, sharing his life surrounding medicine.Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, FacebookFollow Christian Franz (Host): Instagram, YouTube

As of this week there are eight counties in northwestern Pennsylvania without a hospital where a person can give birth. Warren County is the latest addition to the region’s expanding maternity care desert. Some public health experts worry the Trump administration's new vaccine guidelines could harm immunity from highly contagious diseases. An analysis of school vaccination data finds that vaccine rates were already declining. A new program being developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging would create community-based groups to address protective services cases for older adults. The pilot program includes several central PA counties. Police have charged an 11-year-old Perry County boy with homicide after they say he shot and killed a 42-year-old man that neighbors identify as his father. Dina Powell McCormick, the wife of U.S. Senator Dave McCormick is the new president and vice chairman of Meta, the parent company of Facebook. The Mike Tomlin era with the Pittsburgh Steelers is over. The longest tenured head coach in major American professional sports stepped down Tuesday after yet another quick playoff exit. Latvia is the first country that will have to make an injury replacement for the men's hockey tournament at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Forward Eriks Mateiko was sliced by an opponent's skate blade while playing in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears. Did you know that if every sustaining circle member gives as little as $12 more a month, we'd close the gap caused by federal funding cuts? Increase your gift at https://witf.org/increase or become a new sustaining member at www.witf.org/givenow to help build a sustainable future for WITF and public media. Thank you.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania election officials are calling for reform to voter registration drives. Some advocacy groups parachute in during presidential election years and cause headaches for elections offices and voters alike. The Chester County Board of Elections voted Friday to certify the results of the 2025 General Election. the vote comes amid an investigation into how third-party voters were left out of poll books. Republican Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe was the lone vote against certifying those results. US Steel has agreed to pay a $135,000 fine in a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for pollution in the Monongahela River in western PA. Eligible Pennsylvanians can now begin applying for help paying their heating bills or buying fuel oil for the winter. the state had delayed the program because the federal government shutdown held up funds. the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is gathering public input on a proposed rate change from PPL Electric Utilities. York County Commissioners are proposing a 293-million-dollar budget for 2026. It includes a 14% property tax increase. The Pennsylvania town of Bethlehem is often in the spotlight through the holiday season due to its nickname as "the Christmas city." That's because it was founded and named by the Moravians almost 300 years ago in 1741. Public media's federal funding has been revoked. Your support is now more vital than ever. Help power the independent journalism and trusted programming you find on WITF by making a gift of support now at www.witf.org/givenow.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our end-of-year membership drive! Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount. Donate today.  Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.  And thanks!  On this week's show: Drilling for oil and gas creates waste that can contain heavy metals and radioactivity, and much of it is sent to the same landfills as our household trash. An investigation into how contamination from shale drilling waste can move from landfills into waterways without much oversight. Treating drinking water to prevent lead contamination might have the unintended consequence of higher phosphorus levels in urban waterways. Researchers are working to figure out the balance between how much carbon forests emit and how much they absorb. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has reached a $3.3 million agreement over decades-old contamination at a petroleum storage facility in Pittsburgh. U.S. Steel has agreed to pay a fine in a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for pollution in the Monongahela River. The Trump administration has reversed course again on a new air pollution rule for coke oven plants. Older adults who live in southcentral Pennsylvania have higher rates of melanoma skin cancer, according to a study by Penn State researchers.   Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story. 

Time is running out to take advantage of a tax credit for home improvements that help you use less energy. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit partially reimburses homeowners when they get an energy audit, weatherize their home, install new windows or buy a heat pump. Four western Pennsylvania school districts, including, have asked the courts to halt tuition payments to the state's largest cyber charter operator. The recently enacted state budget does not include changes to the way skill games are regulated, but that may not be the end of the story A state House committee has approved a proposal designed to standardize and expand programs that provide juveniles alternatives to the criminal justice system after they’re arrested Motorists traveling along US Route 222 in Lancaster County are advised to expect delays. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has announced that dog licenses for 2026 are now available for purchase. Under state law, dogs must be licensed at the point of adoption or purchase, or at three months if no transfer of ownership has taken place. The youngest age at which a dog can be purchased or adopted in Pennsylvania is eight weeksSupport WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a long time, there's been this mostly unspoken rule that “real” outdoor experiences have to be rugged. You've got to rough it, hike ten miles in the rain, sleep on the ground and eat beans from a can — or else it somehow doesn't count. Luckily, that's changing. More and more people are discovering that you don't have to give up comfort to connect with the outdoors. Here in Pennsylvania – especially in state parks - that change has been evident. Instead of only offering tent sites, state parks have cottages, cabins, yurts and other accommodations. Many offer amenities like stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, tables and chairs.No longer are you forced to pack up everything you own for a weekend in the woods. You can book a comfortable accommodation AND still be in nature. However, these upgraded accommodations still have rubbed people the wrong way. It isn't “real' camping. What does that even mean anyway? Real camping? Does it mean sleeping on the ground. Waking up with a sore back and condensation in the tent. Cold and miserable. No thanks. It's that sort of attitude that I despise in the outdoors. You're not a real hiker unless. You're not a real hunter unless. You're not really camping unless. It's such a pointless and divisive way of thinking. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources does not think that way. They are more considered with getting people outdoors and meeting them where they are in their outdoor recreation journey. As opposed to bending them to their will.That's why I was so excited when they announced in 2025 that they were partnering with Timberline Glamping Company to bring glamping to seven Pennsylvania state parks in 2026. The public would have the chance to reserve one of the 54 fully outfitted sites —no gear needed. Glamping will be available in Pymatuning, Hills Creek, Promised Land, Hickory Run, French Creek, Codorus and Laurel Hill State Parks. Timberline will provide the beds, heat, air conditioning, coffee maker, linens, pillows and comfortable accommodations. All you have to bring is an open mind and a sense of adventure. These wonderful glamping spots are creating space for everyone to experience the magic of nature in their own way. By making the outdoors accessible for everyone- from people who don't own camping gear to those physically unable to sleep in a tent - glamping is opening doors, breaking down barriers and reimagining what it means to “get outside.” Because nature belongs to all of us — whether you're sleeping under the stars or under a heated canopy.On this episode I speak with Nathan and Rebeka Self, founders of Timberline Glamping Company, and Kaitlyn Gundersen-Thorpe, manager of the French Creek State Park Complex. Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersSupport the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

Abby Smith is the President and CEO of Team Pennsylvania, where she leads statewide efforts to build strategic public-private partnerships that address long-term challenges no single sector can solve alone. With more than 20 years of experience in policy, strategy, and cross-sector collaboration, Abby has held leadership roles advancing economic development, education, and workforce initiatives in Pennsylvania and beyond. She previously served as Team Pennsylvania's Vice President of Policy & Programs and Senior Advisor to the Foundation, and earlier in her career worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Teach For America, and as a 7th grade social studies teacher. Abby holds degrees from Yale University, The Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University. A recipient of the Above & Beyond Award honoring Pennsylvania women of public and civic leadership, she also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg and the Jewish Community Center, where she led the acquisition of the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life. She lives in Hershey, Pennsylvania with her husband, twin sons, and dog, Comet.

On this Election Day, Pennsylvanians will decide whether three state Supreme Court Justices should keep their seats. The unprecedented spending and polarization this year has put off some voters. Partisan control of the court could have major implications for the 2028 presidential race, since justices might be asked to rule on election disputes, as they did in 2020. Republican lawmakers across the mid-Atlantic met in Harrisburg last week to discuss rising electricity bills. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a draft air permit to a natural gas fired power plant in Westmoreland County. Environmental groups say the draft has several flaws. American Water and Essential Utilities are merging. They’re the two largest municipal water and wastewater management companies in the United States. Both the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg released statements in response to a controversial float in the Hanover Halloween parade last week. Seven hundred faculty members at Harrisburg Area Community College - HACC - went on strike yesterday. The Lancaster Stormers are under new ownership. Prospector Baseball Group acquired the minor league baseball team from four Lancaster-area businessmen who owned the Stormers for the past 12 years. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've had a lot of listener requests related to ghost towns, so this Halloween season, we've got six places in the U.S. that could be labeled as such. But not not all are empty today. Research: Knutson, Julie. “The End of Centralia’s Abandoned, Colorful, Anarchic ‘Graffiti Highway.’” Atlas Obscura. 9/14/2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/centralia-graffiti-highway-buried California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509 California State Parks. “Bodie State Historic Park.” https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/509/files/BodieSHPFinalWebLayout2016.pdf Severn, Carly. “This Ghost Town’s 'Curse' Isn't What You Think.” KQED. 7/12/2018. https://www.kqed.org/news/11640709/how-this-ghost-towns-curse-backfired-on-park-rangers Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail. “The Mound at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.” https://alabamamoundtrail.org/mound-site/old-cahawba/ Alabama Historical Commission. “History of Old Cahawba.” https://ahc.alabama.gov/CahawbaHistoryFacts.aspx Jones, James. “Cahawba Listed as One of World’s 10 Spookiest Ghost Towns.” Selma Times Journal. 10/19/2023. https://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2023/10/19/cahawba-listed-as-one-of-worlds-10-spookiest-ghost-towns/ Pykles, Benjamin C. “Iosepa, Utah’s Pacific Islander Pioneers.” Utah Historical Society. https://history.utah.gov/iosepa-utahs-pacific-islander-pioneers/ Chapman, Hannah. “Iosepa: Utah’s Little Hawai'i.” Intermountain Histories. https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/388 Fitisemanu, Nafanua. “Iosepa: Utah Ghost Town.” https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a9e6a54ef1124c4e80d8eecfac09263d Schirer, David L. “Iospa.” Utah History Encyclopedia. https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/i/IOSEPA.shtml Utah American Indian Digital Archive. “History: The Goshutes.” https://utahindians.org/archives/goshute/history.html Atkin, Dennis H. “A History of Iosepa, the Utah Polynesian Colony.” https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4489/ Heinrich, Kieth. “Pithole City.” Pennsylvania Heritage. Fall 2015. https://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/pithole-city/ Comet, Jorge Navarro. “Pithole: The Rapid Rise and Sudden Fall of an Oil Boomtown.” AAPG. 7/1/2022. https://www.aapg.org/news-and-media/details/explorer/articleid/63602/pithole-the-rapid-rise-and-sudden-fall-of-an-oil-boomtown Town of Jerome. “Jerome: Then and Now.” https://jerome.az.gov/jerome-then-and-now Penn State. “Anthracite Coal Mining Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.” https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/anthracite Turino, Mitchell. “Centralia Mine Fire.” Environment and Society. https://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/centralia-mine-fire Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “The Centralia Mine Fire” https://files.dep.state.pa.us/mining/Abandoned%20Mine%20Reclamation/AbandonedMinePortalFiles/Centralia/CentraliaFrequentlyAskedQuestions.pdf Blakemore, Erin. “This Mine Fire Has Been Burning For Over 50 Years.” History. 5/27/2025. https://www.history.com/articles/mine-fire-burning-more-50-years-ghost-town Currie, Tyler. “Zip Code 00000.” Washington Post. 4/2/2003. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2003/04/02/AR2005033108150.html Lewis, Herbert J. “Cahaba.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 5/20/2008. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/cahaba/ Shahin, Alexandra Kennon. “Alabama's Ghost Capital.” 9/21/2018. https://countryroadsmagazine.com/travel/getaways/alabama-s-ghost-capital/ Alabama Tourism. “Tour of Old Cahawba.” 10/25/2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L18GAP-vQY Splain, Shelby Weaver. “Pithole or Bust!” 7/24/2024. https://pahistoricpreservation.com/pithole-bust/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania’s fall foliage season is officially underway, and according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), it’s shaping up to be one of the most colorful — and longest — in the country.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pete Scobell is a former U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant with 17 years of service, including six combat deployments, best known as the real-life member of the SEAL team that rescued Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009, inspiring the film Captain Phillips. Scobell served in the United States Navy as both an enlisted and officer in the SEAL Teams. He served at SEAL Team EIGHT, ONE, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE and Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Prior to the Navy, Pete was a ski racer in New York State and the Pennsylvania State Champion in the Pole Vault. While working as a lifeguard for the state of Pennsylvania, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Heroism Award for a rescue he made at Presque Isle State Park. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a BS in Political Science, he was the third (and last) enlisted SEAL selected to attend the United States Naval Academy. After a four-year hiatus from pole vaulting, he walked onto the Naval Academy Track Team (Division I), set the freshman record, and placed in the IC4As. He was also a starter on the A-side Naval Academy Rugby team. Scobell suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010, which ended his active duty career. After rigorous rehabilitation at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, he transformed his experiences into advocacy for TBI and PTSD recovery, speaking to military audiences and veterans' groups. Transitioning to civilian life, Scobell pursued passions in music, releasing country-Americana albums like Wild (2015) as the Pete Scobell Band, acting in films such as Plane (2023) alongside Gerard Butler, and competing as a professional skier after a 17-year hiatus. A father of three and husband, he consults on security, writes, and motivates others through resilience stories, emphasizing mental health and second chances. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get 25% off your family plan. https://blackbuffalo.com https://meetfabric.com/shawn https://shawnlikesgold.com https://helixsleep.com/srs https://hillsdale.edu/srs https://ketone.com/srs Visit https://ketone.com/srs for 30% OFF your subscription order. https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://prizepicks.onelink.me/lmeo/srs https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://simplisafe.com/srs https://trueclassic.com/srs Pete Scobell Links: IG - https://www.instagram.com/pete.scobell X - https://x.com/PeteScobell LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-scobell-a066b0285 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/62k89pP03yln7cMANadnQ1 YouTube (Pete Scobell Band) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKtdjkBgRv20sxrUre5QSg IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14533987 Speaker Profile - https://speakerpedia.com/speakers/pete-scobell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of What a Week, Dave Stutzman and Elias Saltz unpack a full-circle moment for Conspectus and the broader specification community — how the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) has officially adopted a UniFormat-based Project Design Criteria requirement, seemingly inspired by Conspectus' paper Evolving Specifications.The Surprise from DGSDave shares the backstory: after presenting to DGS in 2024 about Uniformat and sharing Evolving Specifications, he recently discovered that DGS now mandates architects to submit Project Design Criteria documents organized by Uniformat — language and structure closely mirroring the Conspectus approach.UniFormat™ as the Common LanguageDave and Elias dive into why this is a smart move:UniFormat aligns perfectly with Revit/BIM assemblies and estimators' frameworks, creating one-to-one consistency between model, description, and cost.The system encourages early, structured documentation that can evolve throughout the design process, leading to better-informed cost analysis and decision management.Alternates, Value Engineering, and Smarter BudgetingDGS's policy also introduces a structured method for alternates, requiring three cost-reduction options at 5% each. Dave critiques the rigidity of forcing alternates in order, suggesting a more strategic approach:“Why not price viable options early, balance the budget, and eliminate the need for alternates altogether?”He references independent estimator Marcine Taylor, who once delivered a hospital project within 2% of her eight-year-old estimate — proof that disciplined, early cost alignment works.The Role of Conceptual EstimatorsElias and Dave stress that subcontractors often price what's drawn, while conceptual estimators price what's needed. Engaging estimators from the start helps owners and architects make realistic budget decisions — and reduces the endless value-engineering loop.From Design Criteria to OPRThe hosts envision DGS's design criteria as a proto-Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) — a living foundation for scope, cost, and performance. Over time, this could evolve into a powerful database for cost benchmarking and assembly-level decisions across project types.A Win for Clarity and CollaborationUltimately, DGS's adoption of UniFormat isn't just a technical change — it's a validation of transparent, data-driven specification practices.Dave applauds the department for “formally adopting a process that defines intent and criteria early — not as a throwaway outline, but as the backbone of design documentation.”Conspectus already delivers this kind of document daily — and we're ready to help bring that experience directly to DGS projects.Key TakeawayEarly alignment between design, cost, and intent eliminates chaos later. Uniformat isn't just a framework — it's a roadmap to smarter, more predictable building outcomes.

On Thursday, we were talking about strategies for solving the teacher shortage, both locally and in the Commonwealth, as Pennsylvania Department of Education's Chief Talent Officer, Rick Levis joined us.

Presented by Lauren S. Hughes, MD, MPH, MSc, MHCDS, University of ColoradoSTFM Conference on Practice & Quality Improvement 2025 Opening Session | Monday, September 8, 2025As value-based care (VBC) continues to reshape the health care landscape, it is critical that family medicine residency programs prepare the next generation of physicians to not only adapt to policy changes but to lead them. This session explores how physician engagement at the state and federal levels can directly influence primary care transformation—and how those lessons can be brought back to the clinic and the classroom.Drawing on firsthand experience from launching the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model, a multi-payer global budget model focused on rural and frontier hospitals, and co-chairing the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Standing Committee on Primary Care, Dr Hughes will share insights on how to drive high-impact policy change through coalition building, data-driven decision making, and visionary leadership. These experiences will be directly tied to strategies for training future family physicians to navigate and influence the evolving world of VBC.Special attention will be given to the implications of VBC in rural and underserved communities, where innovation leverages robust community partnerships, deep knowledge of local health care needs, and a strong commitment to well-being. The talk will also explore how the current federal administration's policy directions may influence VBC and graduate medical education – and how training programs can remain agile and proactive in this shifting environment.Attendees will leave better equipped to train, support, and inspire future family physician leaders, those who can bridge the gap between policy and practice to deliver high-quality, equitable primary care.Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this session, participants should be able to:Describe how physician leaders can influence health policy at the state and federal levels by exploring examples focused on rural health and primary care.Identify effective strategies to teach residents about the evolving value-based care landscape, especially in rural and underserved communities.Discuss the potential impact of the current federal administration's policies on value-based care initiatives and residency training.Copyright © Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 2025Lauren S. Hughes, MD, MPH, MSc, MHCDSLauren S. Hughes, MD, MPH, MSc, MHCDS, FAAFP, is the state policy director of the Farley Health Policy Center and associate professor of family medicine, both at the University of Colorado, where she researches how to strengthen primary care infrastructure, transform rural health care delivery, and advance behavioral health integration. Dr Hughes previously served as deputy secretary for health innovation in the Pennsylvania Department of Health, where she launched the state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model, a new payment and delivery model co-designed with the CMS Innovation Center that transitions rural hospitals from fee-for-service to multi-payer global budgets.Dr Hughes is a former chair of the American Board of Family Medicine and an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program. She currently serves as chair of the Rural Health Redesign Center Organization Board of Directors and is a member of the Primary Care Payment Reform Collaborative convened by the Colorado Division of Insurance. In 2018, she was selected as a presidential leadership scholar by former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr., and in 2023, she was named as the co-chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, a

When you stand on the ridgeline of South Mountain and look out across the valleys, you see more than just trees and farmland. You see orchards stretching toward the horizon, you see trails that have carried travelers for centuries and you see small, thriving towns that grew out of rocky soil.This beautiful ridgeline is the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a billion-year old mountain range that stretches 550 miles across eight states. South Mountain isn't just a line on a map—it's the beating heart of south-central Pennsylvania. But here's the thing: landscapes like this don't stay special on their own. They face pressures from development, from climate change, from people loving them a little too much—or sometimes not enough.That's where the South Mountain Partnership comes in. The organization serves as a public-private partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  Over time, it's grown into an alliance of citizens, businesses, non-profits, academic institutions, and local, state and federal government agencies and officials collaborating to envision and secure a sustainable future for the South Mountain landscape.This unique coalition is working together to protect not just the forests and farms, but the culture, the history and the very sense of place that makes South Mountain what it is. Because when you talk about protecting a landscape, you're really talking about protecting people's lives, their heritage and their future.And in South Mountain, all those things are tightly bound together.On this episode, I speak with Katie Hess and Julia Chain. Katie is the director and Julia is the program manager at the South Mountain Partnership.Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersSupport the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

Voter registration trends suggest Republicans could turn Pennsylvania red for the first time in decades. Observers also see a rise in the power of voters who don't support either party. Northeastern Pa. Congressman Rob Bresnahan has unveiled legislation to support food bands and farmers, as well as lay the groundwork for the next nationwide Farm Bill. This is in response to the USDA's decision to eliminate a $13 million dollar food aid program. This weekend the Steamtown National Historic Site will celebrate RailFest and the park's 30th anniversary. Governor Josh Shapiro's office is proposing a 49.9-billion-dollar budget to Pennsylvania lawmakers, as an attempt to end the state's two-month stalemate. A central Pennsylvania woman who helped spread lies about the 2020 presidential election is now a member of the Trump Administration. heather Honey has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, where her role will be to oversee election integrity. A whistleblower within the Pennsylvania Department of Aging says the Shapiro administration is retaliating against him, after he raised alarms about elder abuse system failures. Law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania and 20 other states are calling on the federal government to declare an emergency in response to a drug know of the streets as "designer Xanax." Labor Day weekend brings colorful arts festivals to the region's major cities. In Harrisburg, the 109th annual Kipona Festival runs Saturday through Monday, featuring "art in the park", along with a giant puppet parade, the Keystone Dock Dogs competition, food trucks and music. In Lancaster, the 47th annual Long's Park art Festival features 200 artists across the city park, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Did you know that if every one of WITF's sustaining circle members gives as little as $12 more a month, we'd close the gap caused by federal funding cuts? Increase your gift at https://witf.org/increase or become a sustaining member at www.witf.org/givenow. and thanks!Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for Governor in next year's election. In-home care agencies say the leading state budget proposal doesn’t go far enough to fix Pennsylvania’s growing staffing crisis. Agencies argue Pennsylvania’s low rates are forcing caregivers out of the workforce, leaving more than 100,000 shifts unfilled each month. West Nile Virus cases are climbing in Pennsylvania. Even though only two human cases have been reported in Pennsylvania this year, officials are encouraging people to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, which could lead to infection. A long-term closure and detour is set to begin this weekend along northbound Interstate 83 in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania state police and law enforcement in Texas are asking for the public's help as they seek to solve a murder case dating back to 1984. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is issuing another advisory regarding raw milk being sold in the state. Consumers are advised to discard Sunshine Dairy brand raw milk, purchased between August 5 and August 15, 2025, in Berks, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. It's back to school season and that means school buses are back on area roadways. According to state data, York County has one of the highest rates of bus citations. 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.

July 22, 2025 - In this meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense explores: (1) core requirements for effective national biodefense; (2) Administration biodefense priorities; (3) impacts of department and agency realignment; and (4) strategies for addressing future biological threats.   Speakers include: Michael Place, MD (Major General, US Army – Retired) – Former Chief of Staff, Office of the Surgeon General, US Army Command, US Army Erica Pan, MD, MPH – Director and State Public Health Officer, California Department of Public Health Alex Hamberg, VMD, PhD – State Veterinarian, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Clint Osborn – Director, District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Lori Tremmel Freeman, MBA – Chief Executive Officer, National Association of County and City Health Officials Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP – President, Infectious Disease Society of America Ali S. Khan, MD, MPH – Dean, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center Richard J. Hatchett, MD – Chief Executive Officer, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Matthew Hepburn, MD – Executive Vice President, Research and Development, Panther Life Sciences Leonard J. Marcus, PhD – Co-Director, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, Harvard University Taylor Sexton, MPH – Executive Director, Medical Countermeasures Coalition David Stiefel, MA – Director, Global Biological Policy and Programs, Nuclear Threat Initiative Joe Buccina, MA, MS– Policy and Research Director, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology Patricia R. Bright, DVM – Former Senior Science Advisor, One Health/Global Health Security, US Geological Survey Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/biodefense-in-crisis-danger-and-opportunity/  

This week on the Hemp Show we're talking about flax, a fiber plant with remarkable similarities to industrial hemp when grown for textiles. There's a fair amount of flax growing this year in southeastern Pennsylvania. The last time this much flax grew here, tractors hadn't even been invented yet. By the late 1800s flax production was in rapid decline in the Keystone State, pushed out by cheap cotton and forgotten by a country racing toward synthetic fiber — which makes 2025 a special year in Pennsylvania. Thanks to the PA Flax Project, spearheaded by Heidi Barr and Emma de Long, there are 30 acres of flax for fiber production in Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster counties this year. Thirty acres sounds small, but it's a far cry from the eighth of an acre the organization started with in 2022, or the zero acres for generations before that. When they harvest their 30 acres of flax next week, de Long said, this will be the first flax for fiber ever mechanically harvested in Pennsylvania. “When flax became no more in the United States, thanks to cotton and free labor and synthetics, the linen industry was destroyed. And since then, it has mechanized in other parts of the world. So now that we are having a resurgence of growing fiber flax and bringing this industry back, we have imported equipment from Belgium and we're ready to rock and roll,” she said. Barr said the Pennsylvanian Department of Agriculture has been instrumental in helping further the nascent flax industry in the state. “We advocated for and they added fiber flax to Pennsylvania's specialty crop list, which made us eligible for a specialty crop block grant, which we received,” Barr said. The organization also received an Organic Market Development Grant through USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, which they are using to implement their business plan and scale acreage, educate and support farmers, and to develop a plan for a scutching mill, Barr said. She said the mill will be a worker- and farmer-owned cooperative, based on flax-producing co-ops in Europe. The podcast this week shares a handful of voices from the PA Flax Project's Flax Flower Picnic, held June 14 at Lundale Farm in South Coventry Township, Chester County. In order of appearance on the show, we hear from Emma de Long and Heidi Barr from the PA Flax Project; Natalie Horvath, design director at F. Schumacher and Company, a family-owned textile and interior design powerhouse in New York; Bill Schick, director of agriculture for the PA Flax Project; Mike Roth from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Paul Turner, chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at Rowan University; Leslie Davidson from the Pennsylvania Fibershed; and PA Flax Project member Rachel Laramee. After flax, we check in with Dr. David Suchoff from NC State University in North Carolina about the Global Fiber Hemp Summit in Raleigh later this month. Learn More: PA Flax Project paflaxproject.com F. Schumacher & Co. schumacher.com Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture www.pa.gov/agencies/pda.html Pennsylvania Fibershed pafibershed.org North American Linen Association (NALA) northamericanlinen.org Thanks to our sponsors! IND HEMP Indhemp.com Forever Green, distributors of the KP4 Hemp Cutter hempcutter.com

What exactly does the Pennsylvania Auditor General do—and why should you care? Deputy Chief of Staff Hayden Rigo joins the Back in Session podcast to demystify the work of this essential state office. Learn how audits protect taxpayer dollars, how Rigo's lobbying past informs his present role, and what priorities shape the office's future under Tim DeFoor. A must-listen for anyone curious about government transparency and good governance in Pennsylvania.Learn more about the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General:https://www.paauditor.gov/

Next year's Pennsylvania gubernatorial race is already on the political horizon. So far, the Republican field is shaping up with three prominent figures expressing interest. EMTs could soon be authorized to give caregivers medication that would reverse opioid overdoses, as a bill is quickly moving through the state Capitol. Pennsylvania could receive as much as 200 million dollars as part of a massive settlement with drug maker Purdue Pharma. That's according to PA Attorney General Dave Sunday. The payout is part of a $7.4 billion deal, stemming from the opioid crisis, in which prosecutors and addiction experts say Purdue and its owners the Sackler family played a major role. A portion of land in Somerset County is now protected through a recent acquisition by The Nature Conservancy. The land is part of a critical ecosystem, and it's being added to State Game Lands 82. Police say an 18-year old stabbed his father to death with a machete-style knife during an early-morning argument Tuesday in their West York home. Raw milk sold in Lancaster County and throughout Central Pennsylvania is contaminated and should be thrown out, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The milk is contaminated with an infectious intestinal disease. The affected milk is Meadow View Jerseys brand raw milk purchased since April 1 with sell-by dates between April 15 and July 8. A Pennsylvania college is addressing its growing financial issues by auctioning its art collection. Albright College, located in Reading, Berks County - according to a report by our partners at Spotlight PA - is preparing to auction more than 2,000 pieces of art. Gov. Josh Shapiro was joined by Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer LeSean McCoy, at the official ribbon-cutting for a new 41-unit housing complex in Harrisburg, to benefit low and moderate income home buyers. And comedian and actor Shane Gillis, a Mechanicsburg native, will be hosting this year's ESPYS awards show. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Central Pennsylvania, LGBTQ+ youth are navigating increasingly complex and often dangerous environments at home, in school, and in their communities. Advocates Amber Roadcap, Executive Director of the LGBT Center of Central PA, and Hope Dehnert, a local LGBTQ+ youth advocate and researcher, joined The Spark to speak candidly about the challenges these young people face—and what all of us can do to support them. also, on the program; As concerns about student mental health continue to rise, two Pennsylvania colleges—Bucknell University and Pennsylvania College of Technology—are being recognized for their leadership in suicide prevention and mental health services. Both institutions recently received the PA CARES designation, a recognition from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for campuses that demonstrate a strong commitment to student mental wellness.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

Michaux State Forest is the place I spend the most time outdoors. Located about 30 miles from where I live, it's where I hike and camp. It's where I bring visitors to show off the South Mountain region. It's where I breath in fresh air and explore the beauty of the Commonwealth. It's my safe place away from the goings-on of Harrisburg. But that safety was shattered in April 2025. I received text messages from friends telling me that Michaux was on fire. Then, news came that there were two fires. And they were spreading. With wind and no rain in the forecast it became evident that the situation could get bad quickly.Over the following two weeks, I'd see photos and videos of the fires spreading across the forest I loved. Friends were evacuated from their homes. Roads were closed. Massive clouds of smoke billowed across the area. People were scared. The beautiful landscape I loved was on fire and there was nothing I could do but watch. But thanks to incredibly brave firefighters and with a little help from the weather, the Thompson Hollow and Hammond Rocks fires were extinguished in 14 days. Over 150 fire companies from 10 Pennsylvania and Maryland counties battled the blaze. Approximately 2,700 acres were destroyed by the wildfires. Luckily, no homes or private property was damaged and only two people suffered minor injuries. And, predictably, a determination was made that the fires were human caused, like 99 percent of all wildfires.Here's the thing. While the situation was scary for many in the area – even for us 40 minutes from the fires – this is a common occurrence in Pennsylvania. There's between 1,000 and 2,000 wildfires every year in Commonwealth. And the majority of those wildfires occur in the spring. These fires so close to home was a sobering reminder of the ever-present danger of wildfires. With Michaux still charred from the fires, I wanted to know more about wildfires and the wildland firefighters that have to put them out. On this episode, I speak with Mike Kern. Mike is the Chief Forest Fire Warden for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersSupport the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

The U.S. Senate is considering a budget bill to slash taxes and federal spending. WITF's Jordan Wilkie explains Pennsylvania’s senators are split on support for President Donald Trump’s budget bill due to its reduction in social safety net programs. We hear from both Sen. Dave McCormick and Sen. John Fetterman. State Democratic leaders are urging their Republican colleagues to oppose Donald Trump’s federal spending bill, warning the plan could hurt Pennsylvanians. We hear from State Senate leader Jay Costa and emergency physician and PA House member Arvind Venkat. The Harrisburg School District is set to exit receivership. Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education Carrie Rowe made the announcement Tuesday, calling it an historic milestone, since Harrisburg is the first Pennsylvania district to ever emerge from receivership. The district was first put under state control in 2019 in order to improve its finances and academic results. Harrisburg's former Bishop McDevitt High School is headed to sheriff’s sale this summer due to failed mortgage payments. That sale is slated for July 17th at the Dauphin County Administration Building. According to Dauphin County court documents, owner of the school's holding company, Jeremy Hunter, failed to pay off debt from two mortgage loans... totaling $2.2 million. An Ephrata man facing a 30-day sentence for disorderly conduct has now been charged with vandalizing an American flag outside a Lancaster County magisterial district judge's office. And water rates in Selinsgrove borough are increasing by 120 percent next month. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment's new Health and Environment Laboratories improve the state's ability to respond to disease outbreaks and health threats; Get to know Catherine Murphy; the impact of the Public Health AmeriCorps program at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services; the Pennsylvania Department of Health celebrates 120 years; and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands has been awarded a 2025 Network of Practice Grant from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.   New Kansas Health & Environment Laboratories AmeriCorps in Action: Strengthening Public Health in Iowa PA Department of Health Celebrates 120 Years of Service The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands awarded a 2025 Network of Practice Grant

I've known my guest Wes Robinson for more than a decade, beginning when we started at our new jobs together at PennLive/The Patriot News.When it comes to friends, I tend to seek out fun, critical thinkers. Someone that can challenge me and make me laugh. Someone who will get right to the line and roundly cross it. Someone who has a strong moral character and a diabolical sense of humor.After I left journalism, I worked to bring Wes with me to the Pennsylvania Senate. He joined me at the Capitol for several years. We'd see each other at press conferences, events and at our semi-regular “journalism survivors guild” lunch. Then in 2021, Wes took an amazing opportunity to become the press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. During that same time, I decided to run a mile in all then 121 Pennsylvania State Parks. So, as I was discovering the outdoors, Wes was doing much of the same thing professionally. Wes was one of only three people to joined me on my 121 In 21 Challenge.  On a sweltering day in July, Wes ran one mile at seven state parks with me. It was yet another example of him being a great supporter and going the extra mile – so to speak – for a friend. As I was developing this podcast in 2022, I knew its success depended on whether I could get guests. From the very beginning, Wes worked hard to make sure I was able to find guests that would highlight our amazing outdoor spaces. Wes is the sort of person that loves seeing his friends succeed. And he'll do as much as he can to introduce you to the right people, send the email to the right organization or bring you along to a networking event. Not to curry favors. Not to make himself look good. But to make you look good. This podcast would not exist without Wes. His generosity, hard work and legitimacy in the outdoor space is the only reason I can make Hemlocks to Hellbenders. So, what is this episode about? How awesome Wes is? A little. What work is going on at DCNR? Absolutely.But it's also about two friends whose journey of falling in love with the outdoors is connected. It's about what can be done with the right people at the right time. And it's about what we can all do to support each other and our wonderful public lands.On this episode, I speak with Wes Robinson. Wes is the press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and my very good friend. Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersSupport the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

The Pennsylvania House is broadening and advancing a consumer data privacy bill. WITF’s Jordan Wilkie reports it would allow Pennsylvanians to ask companies to not collect certain data and have them delete other data already on-hand. A Johnstown-based mining company has gotten the go-ahead to expand an underground coal mine in Westmoreland County. LCT Energy operates the 2800-acre Rustic Ridge “Number One” coal mine in Donegal, just south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit there. The company recently got approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to expand the mine northward, underneath the Turnpike. Reid Frazier, from our friends at the Allegheny Front, reports opponents of the project worry about the potential for environmental damage. Dauphin County officials admit a 911 dispatcher did not appropriately escalate a call in accordance with county policy, early Sunday morning, April 13th, an hour after an arson attack on the Governor's Residence. Campgrounds, boat ramps, welcome centers and other recreational facilities run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in six states are being closed or seeing hours reduced due to funding cuts by the Trump administration. The cuts include Blue Marsh Lake located near Reading, in Berks County. Mike Sullivan’s nearly decade-long tenure running the Pittsburgh Penguins is over. The team announced Monday that it was parting ways with the two-time Stanley Cup winning coach just over a week after the Penguins missed out on the playoffs for a third straight season. And the Hershey Bears open their Calder Cup playoff run this week. Game one is Wednesday night in Hershey, versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in an Atlantic Division best-of-five semifinal series. Hershey is seeking its 14th AHL championship overall. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sign up for our newsletter! President Trump gives coal power plants an extension on complying with new mercury pollution standards. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is looking to roll back many other climate and environmental regulations faster than the normal process of appealing these rules allows. Invasive plant species like thorny multiflora rose are damaging Pennsylvania forests. A Pittsburgh natural history museum is taking a closer look at the problem. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has begun its annual Black Fly Suppression Program. Camping reservations are up at Pennsylvania's state parks and forests. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.  Donate today.  Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.  And thanks! 

A Harrisburg man has been arraigned on six felony charges for allegedly setting fire to the state governor’s residence. Some state lawmakers worry the timing of the arson – during Passover – is not coincidental. Pennsylvania officials worry that President Trump’s tariff policies are making global trade more expensive, threatening local businesses and jobs, and hurting affordability. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed that a patient who tested positive for measles visited Lancaster County's WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital. Students at Lebanon Valley College recently got the experience of recording and producing an album.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penn State’s faculty senate is alarmed about the possibility of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking action on the university’s campuses. A look at the impacts of the Trump administration's sudden cut of billions of dollars worth of grants to state and local health departments nationwide. The Philadelphia Eagles will wear their Kelly green jerseys more often next season. Three Elizabethtown Area School District parents are suing the district for allegedly violating state open meetings laws. A lawsuit filed by a Muslim prisoner has prompted the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to improve religious meal accommodations. A Dauphin County Commissioner has been stripped of his responsibilities overseeing county departments.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Dr. Stephanie is joined by Dan to talk with Dr. Naseef about the impact of passive or engaged fathers on children, especially their autistic children. Dr. Naseef discusses the psyche of a man and how to engage fathers for a positive impact on their marriage, family system, and the autistic child.About our Guest:Robert Naseef, Ph.D., has a distinct voice as a psychologist and father of an autistic adult son. He has spoken nationwide and trained professionals internationally in treating autism and other developmental disorders and supporting families. He has a special interest in the psychology of men and fatherhood.Along with Stephen Shore, Ed.D., Dr. Naseef served as a lead consultant to the Arc of Philadelphia and SAP's “Autism at Work” program, which involved collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation to develop the curriculum, “Preparing Neurodiverse Youth for the Workplace.”Dr. Naseef's 2013 book, Autism in the Family: Caring and Coping Together (Brookes Publishing), integrates advances in research and treatment with clinical experience to help families navigate the emotional landscape and the practical roadmap through the lifespan. Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Parenting a Child with a Disability (1996), his first book, received international recognition. He has appeared on radio and television. He is the co-editor with Cindy N. Ariel of Voices from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with Autism, and Professionals Share Their Wisdom (2006).In 2008, Robert Naseef was honored by Variety, the Children's Charity, for his outstanding contributions to the autism community. On World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2017, Dr. Naseef gave a TEDx talk entitled “How autism teaches us about being human,” which you can see on YouTube. Dr. Naseef is also a member of the Panel of Professional Advisors of the Autism Society of America. He also serves on the Leadership Council of the AJ Drexel Autism Institute.

Sign up for our newsletter! The future of nuclear energy might be microreactors. With new air monitors, an environmental group is publishing real-time pollution data for people who live near the ethane cracker and other industries in Beaver County. How bird flu and the price of eggs are influencing Pennsylvania consumers. And, the new head of the EPA announced sweeping plans to roll back 31 separate environmental protections. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and a crypto mining company have agreed to speed the cleanup of the company's unpermitted coal ash dumping. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.  Donate today.  Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.  And thanks!