Podcasts about Pennsylvania Turnpike

Happy Monday! Timmy is back from his vacation, and he tells us about his trip to the Jersey Shore and his hatred for the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Thunder beat the Pacers in Game 7 to win the NBA Finals, and Tyrese Haliburton's injury brings up the discussion of which Ohio State Football injury felt as close to that. We talk about Elly De La Cruz's magic vomit and Antonio Brown has left the country. We do Foodgasm with some food Timmy brought back for Man to try & we chat about Jayson Stark's trip to Italy in Jayson's Beef.

Voters across the state are telling lawmakers what they want for the future of state policies. A sample of Pennsylvanians across geography, race, age and politics are weighing in on the biggest issues of the day — with some help from an elite university and a rich backer. Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen is critical of President Donald Trump’s proposed Medicaid cuts. The Pennsylvania Turnpike continues to modernize, as tollbooths begin to come down and interchanges are reconstructed. Homer C. Floyd, one of Pennsylvania’s premier civil rights leaders, has died at the age of 89. The long-time executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission died last week in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County after a prolonged illness. Five Lancaster County farms are among 35 Pennsylvania farms in 18 counties being preserved through a 10-million dollar investment by local governments and the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Program. Researchers are seeing a rise in the tick population in Pennsylvania. That climb is also driving up emergency room visits for tick bites. You may have heard them in parts of Pennsylvania — periodical cicadas are out in force. And they’re loud. WPSU’s Anne Danahy reports on a recent walk through Bald Eagle State Park with the cicadas. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A university is just the latest to settle a COVID learning lawsuit. It's tick season, so please pay mind when you're out and about. Traffic has increased on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Also, these breweries are World Beer Cup champions.

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.

The state has expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine. SEPTA has branched out its contactless payment system. The weather this weekend delayed construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Finally, these 100-year-old tortoises just became first-time parents.

Coming up on The Spark Weekly: Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of February was about the Braver Angels stye debates. Karen Ward, Debate Chair and Past Bloomsburg Alliance Red Co-Chair and Past PA Red State Coordinator, and Terry Webb, Co-founder of the Braver Angels Alliance in Lancaster, and coordinator of their first debate in 2021, gave insight into the debates. They also shared how the BA debates are different from political debates we watch on TV and from competitive debates that a high school or college team tries to win. but upfront... Each service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike now contains a mural depicting landscapes and attractions in their areas. The murals were created by local high school students under a program called Art Sparks, a joint effort of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Turnpike Commission.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike now contains a mural depicting landscapes and attractions in their areas. The murals were created by local high school students under a program called Art Sparks, a joint effort of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Turnpike Commission. Mark Compton, CEO of the Turnpike Commission, says they want to make the service plazas more welcoming to visitors. “As we see it, about 550 ,000 travelers use this system every day and very few ever get off the system other than where their destination is. So, we wanted to make sure that some of the beautiful places around the Turnpike were able to be viewed from the service plaza, and that really was why we did what we did.” Jamie Dunlap of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts says this project had a huge impact on the students. “It's given them a chance to be a part of the creation of public art that is community driven and to work with a professional artist and to have that experience and to work with a client to then have amazing artwork produced at the end that is installed.” Dana Attivo is an art teacher on the very first mural project. The project took a few years, however, it brought the students together while creating the mural. “It's been quite a few years since we've done this, but we were super excited to participate, and one of the things that, speaking of the benefits that I noticed in my classroom is that group specifically, we had some small groups. We had a couple of friend groups that would come in and hang out with each other, and most of them were juniors that were working on the project. And by their senior year, it created such a different, tight -knit community in our classroom, because they all had to work together with each other. They weren't just coming in and doing their own thing. So we really loved the opportunity to put some work out into our community. We really loved the community that it created in our own classroom, and we loved the opportunity to work with a professional artist.” Katie Trainer and her students were the final group to create their murals. Trainers believe it forced her students to learn about local landscapes in their religion. “So getting them involved with the design, like what's important to you guys? You can't like at first all the students seem to be hesitant, like, oh, what do you mean Shippensburg is important? And it's like, well, no, it's what's like good. What's the value of your heritage or your town? What are some of the iconic buildings or what do you guys like to do? And so, getting them invested in the community aspect is always a very big deal. And from there, I can kind of find the common themes of what they've chosen to express and merge them together, figure out how it makes sense and then get painting.” Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our first Friday news roundup of the new year, and we're catching up on a bunch of stories, from detention and deportation to the governor's sports tickets to higher turnpike tolls. Plus, we've got the latest on the PA Farm Show butter sculpture, an important “I Voted” sticker contest, and ways to watch Pittsburgh on TV while you're staying in and staying warm. Notes and references from today's show: This week's Hey Pittsburgh trivia! Marc Fogel's family says they have “more hope than we have ever” after “wrongfully detained” designation [KDKA] Fetterman cosponsors GOP-led Laken Riley bill, one of the few Democrats backing it [The Inquirer] The House GOP's first bill of 2025 could enable a Ken Paxton power grab [MSNBC] This year's 5% Pennsylvania Turnpike toll increase comes with new toll gantries and rate calculations [Union Progress] Campaign funds, secretive nonprofit pay for Josh Shapiro's sports tickets [SpotlightPA] Under Shapiro, half of clemency recommendations remain unsigned [SpotlightPA] Josh Shapiro wasn't on the ballot this year, but still spent millions campaigning. Here's where the money went. [SpotlightPA] Allegheny County Councilman Sam DeMarco resigns to work for Sen. Dave McCormick [KDKA] Iulia Vann named as Allegheny County health director [PublicSource] Advocates ‘hopeful' about change under Allegheny County Jail warden nominee [WESA] "I Voted" Sticker Contest [Allegheny County]  Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're also on Instagram @CityCastPgh! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Daily Boost - Episode 5,004 "Why You Shouldn't Trust Your Brain" Host: Scott Smith Episode Description Scott explores the fascinating relationship between our brain's chemical rewards system and decision-making. He explains why our brains, while essential for survival and success, shouldn't always be trusted blindly due to their addiction to neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Scott shares his unorthodox yet practical approach to managing this relationship for better decision-making. Key Takeaways - Your brain is naturally addicted to chemical rewards, making it an unreliable partner in decision-making without proper verification - The brain takes 10% of daily caloric intake regardless of performance, so it's best to learn to work with it effectively - Emotional decisions aren't always the best decisions, even when they feel right at the moment - Taking time for clarity, such as during a peaceful drive, can help bypass the brain's emotional responses Featured Story Scott shares a listener's experience finding mental clarity during solo road trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The story illustrates how removing ourselves from regular environmental triggers can help achieve better mental clarity and decision-making capabilities, contrasting with the "poop show" of regular daily life when our brain's chemical responses are in complete control. Scott's Three-Step Approach 1. Accept that you can't completely control your brain's chemical responses 2. Learn to recognize which activities trigger positive feelings and consciously choose them 3. "Trust but verify" - like Ronald Reagan's approach, acknowledge your brain's influence but verify its decisions Memorable Quotes - "No matter how successful you feel, there is a day when you'll get out of bed wondering if you're successful." - "Your brain is an addict, it's junky. Say it as it is; it's addicted to every possible chemical it can find." - "Do more of what you like and less of what you don't like. Keep those feelings coming." Connect With Scott Search for The Daily Boost on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. #DailyBoost #Motivation #PersonalDevelopment #MentalClarity #BrainScience #DecisionMaking #Mindfulness #PersonalGrowth #MotivationalPodcast #SelfImprovement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Steelers pulled off the home victory against the Baltimore Ravens behind the sure fire leg of Chris Boswell.  Now the Steelers have a short weekend as they travel up the Pennsylvania Turnpike and head north to take on the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.  Join your hosts Jeremy Kohlman, Will Masisak, and Korey Karbowsky as they review the Ravens game, highlight some matchups against the Browns, and pick some winners around the NFL in Week 12.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will soon convert its tolling system to Open Road Rolling east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension. The Open Road Tolling system will be in place in January 2025. The turnpike was opened in 1940 with a cash collection system, then in the 2000's the EZ pass was added. Craig Shuey, Chief Operating Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, says the Open Road Tolling (OTR) system will be safer for drivers, and will be better for the environment. “When we remove the toll plazas, the 6 or 7 lanes that exist in many of those areas will be shrunk down to a smaller number of lanes, moving the same amount of traffic more efficiently with less, less impervious surface. So, we'll be able to pull up the pavement, refocus the lanes, you know, recede and allow a more natural environment to, to, to be a part of the, of the landscape than all of the buildings and structures that go along with our existing toll plazas, “said Shuey. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) believes the OTR system is what their customers prefer. According to PTC, more than 86 percent of drivers own an EZ pass, indicating a preference for electronic payments. “So, what our customers are telling us is they don't really want to stop anymore. They for a while, they were really, you know, struggling. They weren't carrying cash. So that was becoming a bit of an issue. But by and large, the motoring public wants to keep going to get to this destination. So, what this allows us to do is really shoulder in with the majority of our customers and give them the free-flowing experience that I think they've been looking for, “said Shuey. This summer, PTC has also been focused on warning the public of the rise of Smishing Scams. It's basically a text message claiming to be from PA turnpike. “So, what was happening is you were getting a text to your phone that said, you owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike $8 or something to that effect. And if you pay it now, it will grow to $86. And they give you a, a fake website that looks like the words PA turnpike.com, which is not, but enough to close enough to fool your eyes. And when you click on that and give them your credit card information, they then use your credit card for, for, to make charges that obviously you are not, authorizing, “said Shuey. Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. That is a site dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agenciesSupport WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spending bills in Congress would stop any speed limiter requirement, and also deal with truck parking, ELDs and independent contractors. Land Line Now also updates you on a partnership that includes Daimler Truck is working on a nationwide network of EV charging stations for heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles. And the Pennsylvania Turnpike is moving to open road tolling, following several other toll roads that have done so. 0:00 – Newscast.  10:14 – Partnership aims to plug in electric trucks. 25:09 – Another turnpike goes to open road tolling. 40:09 – Spending bill would ban speed limiter requirement.

Hey all! Welcome to another episode of Mr. P.'s Tales from the Road! In this edition, we head out to central Pennsylvania to dive into one of the biggest pieces of American highway history and tell the tale of the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. Thirteen miles of crumbling asphalt, still-intact bridges, two very dark tunnels and rusting, hidden maintenance areas await the intrepid explorer, shedding light on a certain time in American history before the Interstates! Tales and history abound, so spray yourself with a few gallons of tick repellent, load up on several large Gatorades, stock up on some granola bars, get comfy, listen in and enjoy the show! Have a great weekend and we'll see you in next week's episode! -Mr. P. Also now available on APPLE PODCAST!: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mr-p-s-tales-from-the-road/id1717990959 MR. P. INFO: The majority of my work gets published at the Mr. P. Explores Facebook Community:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/MrPExplores/⁠  Stop by for full photo explorations, history and stories told from the road! Mr. P. Explores Instagram (extras that never make the site or videos, and much more!):⁠ https://www.instagram.com/mr.p_explores/⁠@mr.p_explores TWITTER (X?):⁠ https://twitter.com/ExploresMr⁠ @ExploresMr  (come on over and say hello!)  Thanks all, and have a great week! I am also now on VERO, @mrpexplores or directly at:⁠ ⁠⁠https://vero.co/mrpexplores⁠

Live from the Pennsylvania Turnpike

SMS phishing warnings by the FBI and innovative skimming tactics exposed by Sucuri experts. Discover actionable tips to shield yourself and your digital platforms from these sophisticated threats. Join the conversation by sharing your cybersecurity challenges and solutions. 00:00 Kickoff: Live from Cape Canaveral 00:59 Deep Dive into the FBI's Warning on SMS Phishing 06:14 Protecting Yourself Against Smishing and Phishing 13:13 Exploring the Dangers of Default WordPress Credentials Related Articles: FBI warns of massive wave of road toll SMS phishing attacks: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warns-of-massive-wave-of-road-toll-sms-phishing-attacks/ https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2024/PSA240412 Sneaky Credit Card Skimmer Disguised as Harmless Facebook Tracker: https://thehackernews.com/2024/04/sneaky-credit-card-skimmer-disguised-as.html https://blog.sucuri.net/2024/04/credit-card-skimmer-hidden-in-fake-facebook-pixel-tracker.html Hackable Intel and Lenovo hardware that went undetected for 5 years won't ever be fixed: https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/04/supply-chain-snafu-causes-intel-and-others-to-ship-hackable-hardware-for-5-years/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_daily_decrypt/ Thanks to Jered Jones for providing the music for this episode. https://www.jeredjones.com/ Logo Design by https://www.zackgraber.com/ Tags for the episode: FBI, SMS phishing, cybersecurity, Sucuri, credit card skimming, Meta Pixel, WordPress, Magento, digital threats, personal data protection, cyber attacks, scam awareness, online security, toll fraud, phishing alerts Search Phrases: FBI SMS phishing alert 2024 How to protect against SMS phishing Sucuri finds credit card skimmer in Meta Pixel script Preventing credit card fraud on WordPress and Magento Latest cyber scams and digital threats Protecting personal information from online scams Understanding toll service phishing scams Cybersecurity tips for digital platforms Identifying fake toll debt notices Enhancing website security against skimmers Transcript: Boyz offsetkeyz: Let's do this so we friggin rocket launch Welcome back to the Daily Decrypt. Coming to you live from Cape Canaveral, Florida. got offsetkeys and dogespan. dogespan: hello. offsetkeyz: we're going to bring you some tasty news. Up first, the FBI has sounded the alarm on a massive SMS phishing wave sweeping across the U. S., targeting unsuspecting individuals with bogus road toll debt notices as part of a sophisticated scam aimed at harvesting personal data. What can you do to protect yourself from falling victim to these SMS phishing scams? dogespan: Cybersecurity experts at Securi have unearthed a cunning credit card skimmer disguised within a fake Metapixel tracker script. Cleverly hidden in customizable code sections of widely used platforms like WordPress and Magneto. How can website administrators safeguard their platforms against such stealthy credit card skimming attacks? offsetkeyz: Alright, so the first story comes to you straight from the FBI, and what better way to deliver the news than to just read the memo that the FBI released. So, here we go. Since early March of 2024, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, has received over 2, 000 complaints reporting smishing texts representing road toll collection services from at least three states. The FBI does not mention which three states, so, good luck. The IC3 complaint information indicates the scam may be moving from state to state. Nice. The texts will look something like this. We've noticed an outstanding toll amount of 12. 51 on your record. To avoid a late fee of $50, visit some URL to settle your balance. dogespan: true. And offsetkeyz: true. dogespan: part offsetkeyz: part of the reason dogespan: that so many users have gotten hit, is because If I got a bill for 12, I'd click and pay. And offsetkeyz: the mail. The road department is going to know your phone number. They're not. Your license plate is linked to your address, and then they mail it to you there. dogespan: you there. So, offsetkeyz: So, any text you're getting probably isn't coming from them unless you signed up for it, in which case you would know. The texts claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language. The outstanding toll amount is similar among the complaints reported to the dogespan: the IC3. offsetkeyz: However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state's toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states. ok so they're at least like masqurading as that state Yeah, they are, they are targeting specific states, yes. Which is an easy tactic to take, probably takes the attackers very little time, dogespan: oh yeah offsetkeyz: and is very effective. dogespan: Yeah. So if you receive one of these texts, the following is suggested file a complaint with the IC3 at www.IC3.gov texts I'm gonna admit, I'm actually really guilty of never reporting those names, those scams. I get them all the time. Text messages for like UPS deliveries and stuff. But also like, yeah, I never think of reporting it to the IC3. But I do tend to put on my security researcher hat and offsetkeyz: on dogespan: go click the link. On a safe device, it is always, don't try it at home unless you, you know, know how to virtualize and segment and all that stuff. Um, But yeah, that's usually my approach is I just want to learn what they're doing and I offsetkeyz: report it as dogespan: guess I need to report it as well because it's stopping at me if nobody else reports it. offsetkeyz: I, until you said that, I didn't even consider reporting anything to whom I didn't, I don't know. So I think I've mentioned before on the podcast that you can report things to the FBI, but I personally have never done it. So, yeah, I think both of us, both dogespan and I's takeaway is that we're going to start reporting stuff and imagine how many people also don't report things. So 2, 000 reports came in to the FBI. dogespan: in to the offsetkeyz: Is probably hitting hundreds of thousands of dogespan: people. Yeah, like a, I don't know, what is that, 10%? Yeah. offsetkeyz: What's the reporting rate? How do you study that? I don't know. Not my problem, but if it does happen to you, it really helps dogespan: FBI offsetkeyz: the FBI understand the severity of the situation by you reporting it and they can gather the information. That's your tax dollars hard at work. So make sure you get your bang for your buck there. dogespan: so there. offsetkeyz: So, Pennsylvania Turnpike officials have reacted to these threats by advising customers to avoid clicking on any suspicious links sent via text that claim to resolve outstanding toll amounts. So, by hearing that article, that's mentioned in the article from Bleeping Computer, so Pennsylvania is one of those states. Thanks. They emphasize the importance of deleting the phishing texts immediately, which is interesting. Additionally, the Pennsylvania State Police have issued warnings about these deceptive texts, stressing that the links lead to counterfeit websites designed to harvest personal information. So, they're not coming after money at this point. They're trying to get your credentials to unlock even more than dogespan: credentials to unlock even more than 12. Yeah, this is very offsetkeyz: Yeah, this is very smart, because those types of things keep a lot of people up at night. Unpaid debts, that people are very scared of the banking systems and the credit scores and all that stuff. So if you have this threat of an unpaid debt. And you have the means to afford to pay that unpaid debt, You're gonna go on and hastily pay that so that you can sleep well at night. So in the spirit of security awareness, what can you do as the listener to identify these types of smishing, it's a fun word to say, you should say it, smishing, smishing attack text messages. This podcast, I often mention hanging up the phone and calling the source or the claimed source of text messages or phone calls. So if you're getting a call from, or if you're getting a text message from this toll company, one way to verify is to go Google it, right? Google that toll company, find the website, don't click on the Google ad. Go find the actual listing for the website, go to that website, fill out a contact us form, And say, hey, I received a text that says I have unclaimed debts. Is that real? pro tip from someone who hasn't paid most of their toll fees. They don't. It's not urgent They they'll keep that debt on ya for a while and yeah it might go up a few pennies a couple pennies but honestly I don't think it does I think they come after that toll and that's it the only times I've seen it is if they're tied into the registrationl so when you go to renew your registration it. guys, dogespan: toll. Yeah. offsetkeyz: It might seem easy to pay 12, but you know, there's a lot more at risk than just 12 for your data. I'm, I'm curious if these attackers have infiltrated some sort of toll system, or if they're just shooting them off at random. Because the only other attack, which you had mentioned earlier, is the USPS or UPS package incoming, and what's crazy about that one, dogespan: about offsetkeyz: a family dogespan: one is I always have a package incoming when I get those. offsetkeyz: why are they texting me about my package? Oh, it's not them. I'm going to have to do some research into that because it's just occurring to me now that dogespan: me now offsetkeyz: I always have a package on the way. But luckily the attackers who have purchased that information, or the ones who are conducting the smishing of the UPS, haven't figured it all out yet. I have a screenshot from one of my most recent ones that came from a sexyboy69 at gmail. com text. That's the dogespan: That's the trend. Yes, they've been compromising email accounts to send these out. offsetkeyz: send these out. dogespan: Or they are making bogus. But I've gotten an AOL and a Yahoo before. offsetkeyz: Interesting. there's always some typos, so keep your eye out for typos. In the age of chat GPT and, and large language models, you don't really even have to speak English to get a coherent, smishing message out there. So like, honestly, attackers, there's no excuse for this. Come on, but dogespan: Keep offsetkeyz: keep, yeah, keep an eye out for those indicators. Check with the source. Don't click any links unless you're absolutely positive. Um, if anyone calls you, try to hang up. Like, I, I, you know, moment of truth, I received a call from, I believe it was Pretty Litter, cat litter delivery service, because I cancel my credit card once a year just to, you know, shed all the subscriptions and have to re subscribe, and right after I canceled it, they called and asked for 80 bucks, and I just gave them the new credit card number without calling back, and I felt icky about it. So, dogespan: Did your litter offsetkeyz: anyways, if someone calls you, doesn't matter who it is, Don't give them your credit card information, call them back. It's like, it's inconvenient, but it's going to save you a lot of hassle on the backend. dogespan: I was in that generative AI. Red teaming talk this morning. This, uh, this talk goes into a quick demonstration on a phishing text, er, a phishing email that was created to target a cyber security professional as a test. . So, they targeted Dave Kennedy in this phishing email. And What they did is they sent several GPT agents Scouring the web for personal information about Dave Kennedy. And one of the things that I think has been very prominent in his more recent endeavors is health and, offsetkeyz: know, taking dogespan: um, weight management, you know, taking care of your body, fitness, all of that. So it actually crafted up a really good phishing email that was like, hi, Dave. Um, This is the bodybuilding. com community representative or whatever, and we want to bring you on as a offsetkeyz: you on dogespan: community advocate offsetkeyz: advocate dogespan: or something. And it, it totally like spoke to his interests, and he even, he even said, like as he received that, they were tweeting him, like they gave him a heads up and everything, but he was like, I 100 percent would have clicked on offsetkeyz: have clicked dogespan: And it's a, that's a cyber security offsetkeyz: cyber security dogespan: Yeah. So these generative AIs are getting better and most attackers may not be using it to the full extent, but there will be ones out there that are going to be really good, like the lego. com one we talked about previously. Yeah, that might get me. offsetkeyz: lego. com one we talked about. You're probably going to get me, so there you go. What was that? Did they use ChatGPT officially? I'm mostly curious because, yeah, ChatGPT has built in, safeguards against any malicious activity, so if you ask it for anything that can be used maliciously, like craft a phishing text or craft something that someone would be manipulated by, it's gonna say no, so, dogespan: That goes into just tricking the AI, because you could very easily just say, Hey, you know, this person, here's a couple social media profiles, go find more info on them. And then you say, okay, you know, how can I appeal to this person's interest in an email or something? And offsetkeyz: that's a whole nother conversation we could get into where you can actually give prompts to ChatGPT to make it do whatever you want because large language models like ChatGPT are very smart and very dumb. And they are not very refined. So that's, that's super interesting. The talk that dogespan was mentioning is called Red, Blue, Purple AI, practical AI for security dogespan: security practitioners. offsetkeyz: the speaker is Jason Haddix. dogespan: Yeah, it was a really good presentation. offsetkeyz: Great job, Jason. Cybersecurity experts have uncovered a deviously camouflaged credit card skimmer masquerading as a seemingly harmless metapixel tracker script. Researchers at Sikuri have pinpointed this malware, which sneaks onto websites through seemingly benign tools that permit custom code. plugins such as Simple Custom CSS and JS. dogespan: or offsetkeyz: the miscellaneous scripts section of the Magento admin panel. So that's a little bit of technical jargon. to do a bit more research to figure out like what the heck is even a metapixel tracker. but if you've ever had a business or a website, and you've subscribed to Google Analytics, It's a little snippet of code that you can place in the HTML that allows Google Analytics to track web page visits and other data points on web traffic. And Facebook or Meta has the same sort of thing for your website. They do Facebook analytics. And so this Meta pixel tracker script is essentially that. You add it to your website and Meta is allowed to track it. So that. That isn't what's happening here, but it is what it's being disguised as. These little scripts are coming in and they're trying to look like Metapixel tracker scripts so they don't get picked up by signature detectors or things like that. But what they're actually doing, which is pretty interesting, is it's a piece of code that identifies if you're on a checkout page. So if your WordPress site has a shop, and that shop, Allows you to pay inside the WordPress app. That little snippet of code is able to identify that this is a checkout page. And it just turns on and starts listening for your credit card number. security Researcher at Securi. Securi, Highlighted the risk posed by custom script editors. Custom script editors are popular with bad actors because they allow for external third party and malicious JavaScript and can easily pretend to be benign by leveraging naming conventions that match popular scripts like Google jQuery. dogespan: Google Analytics or libraries like jQuery. offsetkeyz: Lol. dogespan: law, yeah, where the attacker will try to replicate what is normal within an environment. So in this case, it is the website. So they're masquerading as a typical analytics, but it has a malicious intent of scraping of the credit cards. So as mentioned before, this bogus script mimics the legitimate megapixel tracker. offsetkeyz: However, a deeper inspection revealed a sinister twist. It stealthily replaces references to the authentic connect. facebook. net with a malicious beconnected. com. This rogue domain is then used to load a harmful script, fbevents. js, which targets victims on checkout pages by deploying a fraudulent overlay designed to capture their credit card information. I see, I see. So, it may look exactly the same as the regular checkout page, but it's an overlay, and you're actually entering it into some sort of dogespan: sort of iframe or offsetkeyz: iframe, or div, or something else that's sending the information somewhere else. So it's crucial to note that beconnected. com itself is a legitimate e commerce website, which at some point was compromised to serve this skimmer code. WordPress is notorious for going, unup updated. There's so many plugins that all require separate security updates, and you're lucky if that plugin is still maintained and offering security updates. But since it's a commercial tool and often free, WordPress I mean, the people running their WordPress sites aren't the most security minded, or they don't have time to go in once a week and update their plugins. So, spoiler alert, the best way to combat this type of attack is to go into WordPress. And we're using WordPress as an example to go into WordPress and update your plugins, but also take a look at the users tab and just see if there are any users in there that shouldn't be in there. That would be a pretty key indicator. If there are, delete that user, revoke all login sessions. dogespan: yeah, offsetkeyz: don't know either. I bet they do. Or you can enable more verbose logging to get that information. But I think they do. And there are a lot of free security plugins out there. I don't know which one we use. But every time I go into the WordPress dashboard, it says 15, 000 login attempts blocked. And I said, great, keep blocking them. dogespan: Let me know when they get in. offsetkeyz: Yeah, let me know if there are any that weren't dogespan: are any that weren't blocked. Um, offsetkeyz: this is my first WordPress website. TheDailyDecrypt. com. Plug, plug, plug. Have you ever worked with WordPress before? Yeah, dogespan: experiment. Yeah, offsetkeyz: which is how this started out too. And when we started this, we started this together. dogespan: WordPress offsetkeyz: creates a default account for you. And the username is user and the password is always the same. I don't remember what it is because I promptly deleted that, but you can Google it and it will say, this is the default WordPress credentials. And I would imagine that many WordPress administrators out there without any technical expertise, continue to use those default login credentials. And so if you do. dogespan: do, offsetkeyz: It's very easy to access your WordPress admin portal and set this type of credit card skimmer up. dogespan: you remember if it prompts you at any point to offsetkeyz: It does not. dogespan: not. Fantastic. offsetkeyz: It does not, and it's actually kind of complicated to delete an account. I had a hard time. I don't know if I actually could delete it, but I did change the password if I didn't delete it and revoke admin privileges and do all this stuff, but yeah, WordPress is not designed around security. And I, I think it's just not talked about enough how bad it is to use default credentials. It's significantly worse than reusing passwords, even if those passwords have been compromised on the dark web. Using default credentials. Well, first of all, if you have a WordPress site. top The domain, followed by the top level domain, which is the daily decrypt, and then dot com, slash admin. A script can easily navigate, do a get, for all of these things, to check even if it's a WordPress site. And then once, if they've determined that it is, They can plug in the default credentials and get a count of how many they have now access to. It's very just, automatable. And that is the enemy of defense. You don't want any sort of attack vector to be automatable. You're gonna get got, you just are. So anyways. dogespan: gonna getcha. offsetkeyz: They're gonna get ya. dogespan: getcha. Literally, offsetkeyz: please reach out to us if you're a novice tech person who owns a WordPress site, especially if there's e commerce on there. Either of us would be happy to donate one of our evenings to helping you secure that. It would be mutually beneficial, and your consumers would have a lot more confidence in you. dogespan: And yeah, it'd be great. Yep. Oh yeah. That's true. We offsetkeyz: true. We should. We can replace the metaskimmer's web overlay. With uh, this skimmer has been taken down by the Daily Decrypt, and now all your credit information goes to us. Ha ha ha ha. Just kidding, that won't happen! dogespan: won't happen. Yeah, you offsetkeyz: Yeah, you just got to be our first subscriber to Patreon, which I do not want to do. dogespan: to do. It offsetkeyz: That sounds like a lot of work. you know what, we're not gonna do Patreon, we're gonna do OnlyFans. So, when we get our OnlyFans up, you better subscribe, as I mentioned at the beginning, we are here in Florida, we both flew in from our respective locations. We're visiting the Kennedy Space Center for HackspaceCon. dogespan: Center offsetkeyz: Day one, amazing. Loved it. But we have insider information that SpaceX is doing a launch in 30 minutes. and so we gotta go dogespan: We out. offsetkeyz: We got to make sure everything's safe in the in the low earth orbit or LEO So huge thanks to dogespan for being on as always huge. Thanks to me and uh Hey, dogespan: this. We'll talk to offsetkeyz: for being a part of it. dogespan: more offsetkeyz: We'll talk to you some more later

Primary voters who make a mistake on the date section of their mail-in or absentee ballot return envelopes will not have their votes counted. So, the American Civil Liberties Union  of Pennsylvania represents a coalition of groups suing in federal court to get rid of the date requirement. Pennsylvania drivers may soon face harsher penalties for using their cellphone while driving. State lawmakers have approved a bill requiring that consumers be notified when artificial intelligence is used to generate content.  Ten million dollars in student teacher stipends is being released today, putting thousands of dollars into the pockets of young people training to work in schools. Pennsylvania's 64th trout season is open, now... through Labor Day.  Republican state lawmakers have rolled out a counterproposal to Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro's plan to boost college enrollment in Pennsylvania.  The Pennsylvania Turnpike is warning people about a scaminvolving the EZ-Pass System.   One of the region's minor league baseball teams has been sold. Debate over transitioning away from coal has been going on for years in Pennsylvania. But, how have communities in other states dealt with the issue? StateImpact Pennsylvania's Rachel McDevitt takes you to Centralia, Washington, where the economy is transitioning away from coal.  Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creepy old-time radio episodes from a variety of different shows! Get full-length pulp audiobooks, pulp eBooks, and old-time radio shows ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD by emailing WeirdDarkness@RadioArchives.com!00:00:00.000 = INTRODUCTION00:01:54.632 = The Black Museum (1950s), “The Notes”00:27:29.996 = Chet Chetter's Tales From The Morgue (1990s), “Elmer Versus The Invaders”00:54:16.875 = The Creaking Door (May 18, 1964), “The Dummy”01:25:11.488 = Creeps By Night (July 11, 1944), “Six Who Did Not Die”01:54:14.223 = Crime Classics (December 30, 1953), “Coyle And Richardson – Why They Hung…”02:22:16.274 = Dark Fantasy (March 20, 1942), “Pennsylvania Turnpike”02:47:48.927 = Dark Venture (August 14, 1945), “Ten Dollar Bill”03:16:51.554 = Devil and Mr. O (September 24, 1971), “Neanderthal”03:45:38.115 = Dimension X (April 15, 1950), “With Folded Hands”04:13:38.810 = Dreadful John at Midnight, “Born of Man And Woman”04:23:11.868 = Eleventh Hour, “Accident On Curve / AKA Actor”SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…This episode is sponsored by http://RadioArchives.comWeird Darkness Retro Radio theme by Storyblocks.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarknessWeirdDarkness® - is a registered trademark. Copyright, Weird Darkness, 2024.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/miscellaneous-marathon-002

Ronald Adams is a young man embarking on a cross-country drive from his mother's home in Brooklyn to California. Minutes after getting underway in a steady rain, a hitch-hiker steps into the path of Adam's car on the Brooklyn Bridge and he swerves to avoid hitting him. The incident slips his mind until later that day, when he's startled to see the same man hitch-hiking along the Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey. Adams shrugs it off as a coincidence until he sees the same hitck-hiker along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, then several more times along highways in Ohio and beyond. Though the man looks like an ordinary hitch-hiker, Adams cannot understand how he keeps getting ahead along his route, and he's especially unnerved that his coat is always splattered with fresh rain even though the weather has been dry since he left New York. After an unnerving encounter with the man at a lonely railroad crossing, Adams becomes reluctant to stop for the night. He's exhausted and desperate for company by the time he reaches Oklahoma, so he picks up a different hitch-hiker, a young woman heading to Amarillo, Texas. They make conversation until Adams sees the mysterious man again and almost crashes into a fence while attempting to hit him with his car. His passenger hadn't seen anyone, and after Adams admits that he'd tried to run someone down, she calls him crazy and flees the vehicle. She's soon picked up by a passing truck, and a shaken Adams decides to take a nap before continuing. However, the mysterious man soon reappears in a nearby field and Adams speeds away. The hitch-hiker appears even more frequently as Adams races faster and faster through the American west too afraid to pause for longer than it takes to refuel his car and buy a sandwich. Eventually he spots a payphone outside a campground in New Mexico and stops to call his mother, feeling that he would be able to pull himself together upon hearing a familiar voice. However, he's confused when the phone at her residence is answered by a woman he doesn't recognize. After confirming that he has reached the correct number, the woman explains that Mrs. Adams was hospitalized with a nervous breakdown after the death of her son Ronald, who was killed six days ago in an auto accident on the Brooklyn Bridge. Ronald Adams is too shocked to reply or insert more coins to continue the long distance conversation, and the call drops. The play ends with Adams expressing a new-found determination to find the hitch-hiker: "Somewhere I will know who he is – and who I am."

RV thefts are on the rise. An RV GPS tracker will help recover your investment if thieves decide to steal it. Here's what to look for in choosing a tracker and how to install it. This week on Episode 474 of the RV Podcast: Why your RV needs a GPS tracker Why you may want not to take your RV on the Pennsylvania Turnpike! Apps to help RVers easily send out their holiday greetings All this, plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #474 of the RV Podcast

The state House has passed a bill that would lower fitness standards for new cops. A township that was trying to prohibit the display of the “thin blue line American flag” — one associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement — was denied that prohibition. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is one of the nation's “most loathed highways.” Lastly, soup's on for the Souper Bowl.

A state policy on historical reenactments is “moving in the right direction” with its latest draft. A number of Starbucks in Philadelphia have gone on strike as of Sunday. State police are keeping a sharp eye out for any drivers who violate work zone safety speed limits on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. And fairgoers will get to feast their eyes on the world's largest bologna sandwich.

A bill that's on its way to the Senate would allow for non-U.S. citizens to teach in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Public Schools' proposed code of conduct policy has gotten some pushback. Bees are getting a little help from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and PennDOT. And Knoebels' Haunted Mansion turns 50.

This time on The Horror, Dark Fantasy brings us its broadcast from March 20, 1942.  Here's their story, Pennsylvania Turnpike. Listen to more from Dark Fantasy https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/rr12023/TheHorror1127.mp3 Download TheHorror1127 | Subscribe | Support The Horror

A man with a “jihad” journal who drove a stolen school bus from Jersey toward Pennsylvania has been deemed not competent to stand trial. Porch pirates may get tougher penalties in the future. In an effort to become the country's first sustainable superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is “slowly but surely” removing paper towel dispensers from its service stations. Also, these local farmers' markets have been nominated as some of the top in the U.S.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were few paved roads in America, but the proliferation of the automobile demanded a highway system. Over the next forty years, roads were developed that connected cities and states through commercially named roads while the Pennsylvania Turnpike set in motion the desire for that new concept of a “superhighway.”  

A narrow-gauge steam railroad that once carried coal, the East Broad Top is a Central Pennsylvania tourist line that brings passengers back to a bygone era. The railroad, which also transported lumber and limestone, survived floods, strikes, and strife between the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads. With its original roadbed now supporting the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the East Broad Top is still thriving as a people-carrier, especially during the warm-weather months. Here more on TRAVEL ITCH RADIO June 1 when Jonathan Smith visits with Dan Schlossberg and Maryellen Nugent Lee. Listen live at 8p EDT on iTunes or BlogTalkRadio.com or check out the archived show on Facebook anytime.

On this episode of They Walk Among America… Dawn was just beginning to break in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at around 5:30AM on June 25th, 1979, when a phone call was made to the police. The 911 operator picked up the phone to be met by a man's voice. He ominously commented that police could find a woman's body in a parked car at a local motel. The officers were dispatched to the parking lot of the Host Inn hotel, a large convention centre motel located around 3 miles from Pennsylvania Turnpike's Harrisburg Interchange. They approached the red 1978 Plymouth Horizon hatchback and immediately observed that the trunk was partially open. As the officers got closer, they saw a pale arm hanging out of the vehicle. They slowly opened up the trunk to reveal the naked body of a woman…*** LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED *** ‘They Walk Among America' is a Law & Crime podcast network production.This episode was hosted by Nina Innsted.Researched and written by Emily G. Thompson.Editing and scoring by Kory Hilpmann. Script editing, additional writing and production direction by Rosanna and Benjamin Fitton.MUSIC: Shadow Passage by Cody MartinA Most Sinister Kind by Dresden, The FlamingoTension Rising by Third AgeSussex by Stephen KeechDown to the Wire by Rhythm ScottAt the Stroke of Midnight by MomentsDarkness Approaches by Louis LionUnworld by Lost GhostsBlackstone by Lincoln DavisJun by Kevin GrahamSpooked by JshirtsCaffeinated Marimba by JCarInto by HillRecognize by Grant BorlandTitan by GhostbeatzMutual I'm Sure by Fleece MobAdditional musical compositions by Kory Hilpmann.For more information, visit https://lawandcrime.com/podcasts/ or https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2023 Legislative Sessions are underway in Albany and Harrisburg. Dan Bartkowiak of the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Jason McGuire with New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms discuss the legislative items “on the docket” at the state capitals this year, including abortion pills and the March for Life, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and school choice options.

SRU student Sgt. David Duffey recounts his story about rescuing a driver of a crashed tractor tracker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike seconds before the truck exploded.

A Philadelphia Councilman has said that Wawa may be reconsidering future locations in Philadelphia due to the city's “ongoing violence.” Pennsylvania had the highest amount of power outages its ever seen on record last year. A portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed this weekend. Lastly, did you know Pennsylvanians have a favorite M&M's flavor?

Welcome to a very special episode of I Am Christina DiArcangelo.  I know I say that all of our episodes are special and they are.  We have specially curated guests that are woven throughout my personal and professional life.  Today I am joined by John Delricci, of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and a family friend to honor my father.Guest: John Delricci, Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Family FriendHost:Christina DiArcangeloAffinity Bio Partners, LLCSpectral AnalyticsSpectral Analytics Precision Tele-MonitoringI Am Christina DiArcangelo

In today's show, we discuss lots of new stuff: Cummins' new hydrogen engine, new money for driver training, a new biodiesel, a new speed trap, new road closures and toll increases, and a first-ever demonstration of an autonomous vehicle being pulled over by the fuzz. Oh, and of course, truckers have found a new thing to be pissed off about the speed limiter proposal. This episode of Trucker Dump is sponsored by: Porter Freight Funding - So many services to offer, including Factoring, Dispatching, Freight Brokering, Fuel Cards, Insurance, and Compliance. Call 205-397-0934 to learn more. News Links: Oakland truckers claim ‘small victory' after judge seeks more time to review AB5 suit from FreightWaves.com FMCSA announces $3.1M in grants to recruit veterans into trucking from LandLine.media Bureau of Prisons Expands CDL Training for Women from ttnews.com (Transport Topics) Speed limiters contradict driver retention goals, OOIDA says from LandLine.media You can now watch the ‘first-ever public demonstration of an autonomous truck being pulled over by law enforcement' from CDLLife.com Cummins hydrogen engine offers more capability, lower cost over all-electric from OverdriveOnline.com Texas researchers' new breed of peanuts may boost biodiesel production from FreightWaves.com Tolls to increase by 5% on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from CDLLife.com Starting Aug. 1, Louisiana doubles fines on Atchafalaya Bridge from LandLine.media Three-week closure of I-70 in Topeka begins soon from CDLLife.com Listener Feedback Links: Eric Lindeau writes in to tell us about two more McDonald's in Minnesota that have big rig drive thrus. Cool! Show info: You can email your comments, suggestions, questions, or insults to TruckerDump@gmail.com Join the Trucker Dump Podcast Facebook Group Join the Trucker Dump Slack Group by emailing me at TruckerDump@gmail.com Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein

Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls to increase and more. 

Google. Nike. Starbucks. The NFL. Combined they're a $130 billion dollar industry yet human trafficking alone is a $150 billion dollar industry worldwide! If someone is in trouble and forced into human trafficking, would you recognize the hand sign for help? The chicks from Chick2Chick learn about the "Signs for Help" from the Pennsylvania Turnpike which has launched a Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign. You can also watch Chick2Chick on the DB&A TV Network on Roku, Amazon Fire, and On Demand! Clothes courtesy Three Little Birds. #podcast #letschirp #realtalk #womensvoices #humantrafficking #signs #help #discussion #Pennsylvania

A business in Pittsburgh shuttered its doors due to violence that one official calls “overwhelming.” The Pennsylvania Turnpike is hoping its new partnership with a retail network will help make paying toll bills a whole lot easier. The state Department of Agricultural revealed there's some funding available for a recycling program. And some super good news: the rare whiskeys up for grabs during the PCLB's latest lottery have been announced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Photo: #Keystone: The cattle drive and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. SalenaZito.com https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/insight/2022/05/08/back-to-the-land-family-farms-flourish-amid-food-uncertainty-salena-zito/stories/202205080052

A man was sentenced to four years in federal prison for being involved in the largest-ever fentanyl bust to take place on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A survey has found that over 90 percent of hospital workers in Pittsburgh are considering leaving the profession altogether. A longstanding pizza vendor at Knoebels is retiring. And a York County man celebrates his one-year anniversary of receiving a double lung transplant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Philadelphia man is facing charges for using a 3D printer to make “ghost guns.” A lawsuit has been filed to remove the mayor of York City from office. Drivers, please know that some tunnels will be closed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike today and tomorrow. Lastly, the Tiger King asked Big Ben for a signed jersey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Photo:  Tunnel mouth -- Looking into entrance of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Pa.              [Note:this is an exciting drive.] #Keystone: Pennsylvania in the political news: John Fetterman and Rick DeSantis. Salina Zito, CNN, New York Post; author,The Great Revolt. @SalenaZito  SalenaZito.com @DCExaminer https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/dont-underestimate-john-fetterman

Let's take a ride! Be it on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (“America's First Super Highway,” and a model for the national interstate highway system), the massive Brilliant Viaduct over Washington Boulevard, or Skybus (futuristic transit system that never took off), we'll explore all the different ways to get around Pittsburgh past and present. (The Good Question! Podcast is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and CASTUS.)

We watched THE DOBERMAN GANG, one of the many 1970s movies about a gang of Dobermans who rob a bank under the direction of a bad man in a turtleneck who beds a waitress and wields color-coded dog whistles. At the end of the episode, we share an important extracurricucritters that is also a public service announcement about a truck of monkeys that crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.Don't email us, we'll email you: cinemanimals@gmail.com

  Choice Classic Radio presents to you Dark Fantasy, which aired from 1941 to 1942. Today we bring to you the episode titled “Pennsylvania Turnpike.” We hope you enjoy the show! Please consider supporting our show by becoming a patron at http://choiceclassicradio.com

The Pennsylvania Turnpike's price hike on tolls has officially gone into effect. Even though it's ways away, experts are predicting that drivers could be shelling out as much as $4 a gallon at gas pumps by Memorial Day. The Penguins' sale to Fenway Sports Group got hit with a lawsuit. And if you're up early enough, you could catch a glimpse of some fireballs today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pittsburgh Penguins partner attempts to block sale of team, Pennsylvania Turnpike to increase tolls and more. 

A recent poll has shown that Pennsylvania residents' disapproval of how President Joe Biden and Governor Tom Wolf are handling COVID-19 has gone up. One state senator wants to bring back workers to the Pennsylvania Turnpike's toll booths. Harrisburg will have to pay a former cop disability for the “psychological injury” she received while on the job. Lastly, a number of towns in the Keystone State were deemed some of the best Christmas towns in the nation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

7 a.m. Hour - KDKA has found a solution to the Pennsylvania Turnpike woes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sermon from the Rev. Barbara Ballenger for the First Sunday of Advent. Today's readings are: Jeremiah 33:14-16 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36 Psalm 25:1-9 Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Advent/CA... Let us pray. In our family, we are the relatives that travel home. We have always tended to live several hours away from the family core, and so rather than being the ones that host Thanksgiving or Christmas, we're the ones that drive - in our case to all the way to Northeastern Ohio. Now, when we lived in Rochester, New York, we made the arduous trek through Erie, PA every December - for which we should get a special family medal. When we lived in Baltimore MD, the six hour trip home could sometimes become 12 hours because of the curse of The Pennsylvania Turnpike. And as any of you know when you are traveling with young children on such journeys that are long and boring year after year you search for those signs that will help them to know that the journey is nearly over. Are we there yet? "No, but look, it's the Sapp Brothers Coffee Pot. That means we're near Clearfield, we only have an hour to go." And there it would be rising up out of the mountains of Central Pennsylvania , as a sign that we were almost done with that trip home from Cleveland back to State College where we lived at the time. Now apparently that coffee pot is a landmark from Omaha to Pennsylvania and it will lead you if you follow it to a truck stop. I appreciated it more as a sign that better coffee lay ahead if we were only patient. Regardless, it was a sign of hope on a long car trip home. Signs are essential to the upkeep of hope - especially in the long journey that we're on with God. That's because a big part of the life of faith is waiting - waiting for delivery from exile, waiting for an end to oppression and injustice, waiting for the Messiah to arrive, the Kingdom to Come, waiting for Christ to return. Today's Scriptures are a good example - they acknowledge that longing of God's people. "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah," promises Jeremiah. "Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith," writes Paul to the dear community of the Thessalonians; the first community he founded. "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near," Luke's Gospel quotes Jesus as saying, after he enumerates the various things that will happen before God's glory is fully revealed. Advent is a season that relishes waiting - waiting for a coming Christmas that we know has already arrived. Waiting for a second coming of which we know not the time or the place. To help us through, God sends signs that acknowledge our longing. Burning Bushes and 12 plagues. Oil that does not run out. Transfigurations. The Scriptures also offer us prophetic performances and veiled apocalyptic imagery like we have in today's Gospel. And people of faith are notorious for misreading them. God's signs are characteristically inexplicit in their timing, and when made into predictions, they invariably let us down. There is an art to reading God's signs. Now, when my husband Jess and I met in college and began to spend lots of time together, we often found ourselves looking for someplace to eat. We'd leave a class wondering which of the half dozen dining establishments in Kent, Ohio, would we choose that day. Let's follow the signs, Jess would say. A fallen branch on the sidewalk would suggest we go left. A crumpled piece of notebook paper sent us forward. A shadow pointing a certain way would steer us in another direction. Inevitably we'd end up at Wendy's. I would not say that this was God's will. Divine signs don't work like that. Now the Apostle Paul, on the other hand, was very good at reading God's signs. I think he saw them everywhere, especially in the communities of faith that he helped to found. Listen to his delight in the Thessalonian community that he is separated from and longing for: "How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?" he writes to them. They are the sign that Paul turns to in order to endure the long slog of his work as an apostle. They give him hope as the Body of Christ in action in real time. The Thessalonians are not perfect - he knows that their faith is lacking in places. But that doesn't limit his joy. They are enough for him, because they speak to the presence of Christ among the faithful, even as they await Jesus' coming in glory. Here is the true power of God's signs; of Christ's promises. They answer some of our most persistent questions, though not the one we usually find ourselves asking. More often than not, we cry out with the psalmist, "How long O Lord?" And we think what we want is a day and a time. But the questions that God answers are: Are you still with us, Lord? Will everything be OK? And to those questions God answers: "stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." The Kingdom of God is at hand. Redemption is drawing near. God is with us. This is what God's signs reveal as we journey from the now of God's will to the not yet of God's promises. Because God knows that it hardly helps us to know how much time it will be exactly before our longing ends, when it's the present moment that feels like an eternity and seems so hard to endure. Often when things are very near their completion, time seems to slow down and stand still. I remember this from when I was in labor with my kids, and in that last week before they were born, everything just stopped and the inevitable seemed like it was never going to happen. Waiting for news - good or bad - can feel like this. Keeping vigil at a death can feel like this. And then in an instant everything changes, and the end begins. So we can't really trust our sense of time, and the impatience we find ourselves in because of it, but we can acknowledge our longing for the fullness of God's love to be revealed, for the return of Christ in glory, for the new world coming. And at the same time, we can relish the evidence of it along the way. And very often it is not in the earthquakes or the roaring of the seas that God's presence is signified, as much as it's in communities of faith, like Paul's dear Thessalonians or our faith community here. God's signs abound here. Quotidian maybe, but astonishing to me all the same - the compassionate listening, the waiting by the bedside, the checking in on one another, the sharing at morning prayer, the ability to forgive or to try something new. These too are God's signs. They answer the questions: Are you still with us, Lord? Will everything be OK? And in these signs God answers:" I am here. I am with you. And all will be well." Amen. Permission to podcast/stream music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187 and CCLI with license #21234241 and #21234234. All rights reserved. Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org

Ken's guest is Lou Jasikoff, investigative journalist and publisher of the Wilkes Barre Independent Gazette, discussing numerous scandals in northeastern Pennsylvania, such as Kids for Cash, Custody for Cash, nepotism, cronyism, blatant intimidation, and worse.  What sticks in Ken's craw is the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Guest Toastmaster Narrator: Cheryl Jenkins, SEPTA Toastmasters in Philadelphia Guest Toastmaster Cohort:  Distinguished Toastmaster Art Farnsworth of We The Speakers Toastmasters in Plymouth Meeting More Information:Guests:https://www.paturnpike.com/business/act44.aspxhttps://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/03/how-high-will-pennsylvania-turnpike-fares-go-and-other-numbers-you-should-know.htmlhttps://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/12/pa-turnpike-tolls-are-about-to-rise-again.html  Commercials:Petition to teach the Pennsylvania Constitution to our kids: https://www.pennsylvaniaproject.com/petition-in-support-of-teaching-the-pennsylvania-constitution-to-our-children/Amendment 16: http://AmendmentSixteen.comFreedom Financial Tax: 866-401-1090Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania: http://LpPa.orgIron Will Tattoo Club: https://ironwilltattoo.clubSteven Werley Digital Marketing: https://www.stevenwerley.comToastmasters International: http://toastmasters.org

Rob Maaddi, head Eagles sportswriter for the Associated Press, checks in to talk faith, family, and football (including the Bears’ kicker Cody Parkey’s post-missed kick reaction this past Sunday in the Eagles’ 16-15 win…and the upcoming game @ the New Orleans Saints). Carl Defebo, spokesperson for the PA Turnpike Commission, rings up the show to talk about the 6% toll increase that took place across the board (cash, EZ-Pass, and PA Turnpike Toll By Plate) this past weekend and shares interesting angles on why the increase took place, where the funds go, and additional insight on the EZ-Pass system as well. “Now That’s Punny” also made its humble debut, with host Tim DeMoss rolling out a dozen or so puns—along with Joe Harnett (the hardest working producer in Philadelphia radio between 4 and 5) “rating” the puns with a range of sound effects J.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim talks with Amy Robertson, an old high school friend. She sadly developed stage 4 Lung Cancer and, during National Cancer Awareness Month, she shared her story with our audience. It is interesting she never smoked and never worked in a building where hazardous chemicals were used. Her cancer has spread and she is doing somewhat better. During this time, her faith has really helped her and she has grown closer to the Lord. Tim also spoke with Cecila Manuela, a singer songwriter from Lancaster. She will release her first CD soon and Tim played the title song on air. The music was birthed in the thought that she wanted to square her life with the Lord. Tim also talked with Rosanne Placey, Manager of Media and Public Relations for the PA Turnpike. She spoke of traffic and construction on the turnpike this holiday season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.