Radio Smart Talk for Friday, May 11:

Times have changed.  It used to be that salary was the major factor when a prospective employee considered his or her compensation package.  Today, healthcare insurance and retirement benefits are in some cases just as important.

There are numerous choices employees have when it comes to benefits too but choices can result in confusion and questions.

On Friday's Radio Smart Talk, two actuaries from Conrad Siegel Actuaries | Employee Benefits and Investment Advisors will appear to answer your healthcare and retirement benefits questions.

Do you understand 401(k) plans and how your investments fit into your retirement?  How will the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or healthcare reform law affect you?

What questions do you have?  We'll get them answered on Friday's program.

(Harrisburg) -- Governor Corbett is speaking out at length for the first time about a recent article analyzing his role in the firing of the late Joe Paterno as Penn State's football coach. The article, published last month in ESPN the Magazine, quotes a source as saying Corbett was proud of his role in the ouster of Paterno this past November. But speaking on witf's Radio Pennsylvania program "Ask the Governor," Corbett says he had a minimal role in the Penn State Board of Trustees' discussion about whether to fire Paterno and then-university president, Graham Spanier. "When somebody said I was relishing, I never relished in the fact," he says. "There was a vote taken, an oral vote taken. There were no objections to it. The only thing I said, and I will stand by this, and I have many witnesses to that, before they voted, I said, 'You have to remember the children.'" Corbett says much of the story by reporter Don Van Natta, Jr. is untrue. "That article is so full of mistakes. I believe that article was misleading, and I believe it was misleading for a number of different reasons, and there was some kind of motive there. I was not the driving force there." However, Anthony Lubrano, who was recently elected to Penn State's Board of Trustees, disagrees. "Do I think he [Corbett] played a significant role? Yes." Corbett also takes issue with the claim by Van Natta, Jr. that he declined to speak with him for the story. Corbett says his spokesman told the writer he'd speak with him after his trade trip to Europe in March, but was not contacted again.

Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, May 9:

One of the most anticipated events after the six tumultuous months since former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's arrest for allegedly sexually assaulting and molesting young boys was the university's Board of Trustees election.  The results were finalized last week and three new board members were elected, including our guest on Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk, Anthony Lubrano.

Lubrano was critical of how the Board of Trustees fired legendary Coach Joe Paterno in the fallout of the Sandusky scandal last November.  College football's all-time winningest coach was terminated in a brief telephone call after the Board voted unanimously to fire Paterno last November.

During his campaign, Lubrano demanded the Board of Trustees offer an apology to the Paterno family.  We'll asked how he plans to proceed and what other issues he would like to see addressed at the university.

Also, as part of witf's on-going Facing Cancer Together initiative, Wednesday's show will focus on the rights adoptees in Pennsylvania have to obtain information about their biological parents' medical histories.

Appearing on the program will be Amanda Woolston, founder of the group Pennsylvania Adoptee Rights.

Sara Ganim, one of the youngest journalists to win a Pulitzer Prize, is our guest on Smart Talk, tonight at 8 on witf TV.  She and the Harrisburg Patriot-News earned journalism's highest honor through their investigative series of reports on the Jerry Sandusky/PSU child sex-abuse scandal.  Share your thoughts on her award-winning investigative pieces and the future of local journalism:  Call 1-800-729-7532, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , post a comment below, or on witf's Facebook page.

Gov. Corbett responded to the ESPN magazine article portraying him as having a major role in the ouster of Penn State's late football coach Joe Paterno and former president Graham Spanier.  Mitt Romney spoke to a rally of Tea Partiers in Philadelphia yesterday and heads to Lancaster today. The first negative ad in the Democratic race for state attorney general has hit the airwaves.

Radio Smart Talk for Tuesday, April 17:

The Patriot-News was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Monday for the newspaper's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.  Last March, reporter Sara Ganim was the first to report that the former Penn State defensive coach was under investigation for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a Clinton County boy several years ago.  Sandusky was arrested in November after a Grand Jury handed down dozens of charges that he had sexually molested or raped nine boys over a period of years.

Ganim's stories consistently provided new information on the case, including remarks from mothers of two of the alleged victims.

At age 24, Ganim is the second youngest person to win a Pulitzer, which is considered journalism's most prestigious honor.

Appearing on Tuesday's Radio Smart Talk will be Patriot-News Editor David Newhouse.

Also, witf's Election 2012 coverage continues as we talk with Republican Pennsylvania Auditor General Candidate Frank Pinto.  Pinto faces John Maher in the Republican primary on April 24.  The winner will compete against Democrat Eugene DePasquale in the November election.  DePasquale is unopposed in the primary.  Both Maher and DePasquale currently serve in the State House of Representatives. 

(Harrisburg) -- The Harrisburg Patriot-News has been honored with its first Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. But its editor says one of the most important things to come out of the case is the attention that's now being paid to child sexual molestation. David Newhouse says he hopes the coverage will help abuse victims find the courage to tell their stories. "No one feels good about this story, but if there's one good that can come out of it, it is the attention that this issue has gotten," he says. "There has been an increase in the calls to hotlines for reporting child sex abuse, so hopefully, this makes it easier for people who may be victims of child sex abuse or their families to feel supported." Newhouse says many states, including Pennsylvania, have looked into strengthening their own laws about reporting child sex abuse as a result of the Sandusky case. Twenty-four-year-old Sara Ganim and the staff won the prize for local reporting for its coverage of Sandusky and the ensuing scandal. Newhouse says the staff is honored and proud to have won the award, which he adds showcases the importance of local journalism. The Pulitzers are the most prestigious awards in journalism.

(Harrisburg) -- For the second year in a row, the witf Multimedia News Department has been honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) with six 2012 regional Edward R. Murrow awards in recognition of the best in broadcast and digital journalism. RTDNA groups witf in a region that includes all of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. witf competed against all radio stations in markets 51 and smaller in the three state region. The six awards were the most in the region among radio and televison outlets in both the large and small market categories. witf was also the only midstate broadcast organization recognized in the region.

Among the stories cited are witf's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and the Flight 93 crash site in Somerset County 10 years after the September 11th attacks.

"2011 was a year that saw major stories like the Sandusky scandal and record flooding put Pennsylvania center stage, nationally." witf's Multimedia News Director Tim Lambert said. "We, as a department, are gratified to have our stories recognized by RTDNA as some of the best work in the country. It just highlights witf's dedication to providing the best public service possible to our audience."

(Wilmington) -- A legal expert says a gag order imposed by the judge in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case aims to ensure an impartial jury is selected. Judge John Cleland's order limits what attorneys on both sides can say publicly and applies to investigators who have worked on the case. Jules Epstein is an associate professor at Widener University School of Law in Delaware and a former Philadelphia criminal defense attorney. With the date of jury selection approaching, he says such a move isn't terribly unusual in a highly publicized case. "If there are articles in the paper, especially articles about issues where a judge has to rule if the information is admissable, it's appropriate for that information not to be before the public," he says. But, Epstein warns the order will not stop more information about the Sandusky case from becoming public. "Because so much of the information being talked about is legitmately in court filings," he says, "So in other words, maybe the attorney can't say it, but she or he can put it into a motion to the judge and all of those motions are of public record," he says. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year span, He has maintained his innocence.

Rick Santorum is back on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, after taking a break over the holiday weekend to stay with his ailing daughter. The Centre County judge presiding over the trial of former Penn State assistance football coach Jerry Sandusky has put a catch-all gag order on anyone involved in the case.  And the ACLU’s Pennsylvania chapter says its promised lawsuit over the state’s new voter ID law is coming in the next month.