FILE PHOTO: A road passing beneath the Delaware River Bridge is barricaded in Bristol, Pa., Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Billions of dollars for transportation diverted away from construction projects
Also on the program: Central Pa. Pekingese wins top prize at Westminster Dog Show
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Merideth Bucher
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: A road passing beneath the Delaware River Bridge is barricaded in Bristol, Pa., Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
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Airdate: Thursday, June 17, 2021
Pennsylvania pays the second highest gas tax in the nation at more than 58 cents per gallon. The money generated by the tax is earmarked for the state’s highway fund to pay for transportation infrastructure construction and repair.
But since the early 2000s, billions of dollars from the fund have been used to pay for State Police operations away from their intended purpose.
Transportation advocates offer a plan that would use the funding for transportation projects only, freeing money to fill significant PennDOT construction budget shortfalls.
Robert Latham, Executive Vice President of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors joins Smart Talk Thursday with the organization’s plan.
Central Pa. Pekingese wins top prize at Westminster Dog Show
A local pedigreed pooch brought home top honors from Sunday’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Wasabi is a Pekingese whose handler and owner David Fitzpatrick hails from East Berlin, Pennsylvania. Fitzpatrick appears on Smart Talk Thursday to talk about the achievement.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
A Pekingese walks with its handler in the Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Sunday, June 13, 2021, in Tarrytown, N.Y. The dog won the blue ribbon in Best in Show.
How fear, isolation, and worry impact mental health
Some have called the COVID-19 pandemic an equalizer – a shared experience – in that every single one of us has been impacted.
We have all experienced in some way – fear, isolation and worry. What remains to be seen is how these feelings will impact mental health.
Keira McGuire, WITF health reporter and multimedia producer, appears on Smart Talk Thursday to offer details about Transforming Health: Mental Health after a Pandemic, a WITF-TV original production airing tonight.
The Associated Press and WITF’s democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie are partnering to tell stories about how Pennsylvania elections work, and to debunk misinformation surrounding elections.
