What A Week!

Episode 116 of What a Week! features Cara and Kyle Barthold in a raw, unfiltered conversation about a multi-year ordeal that began with a couple of dates in 2018. Cara describes how a short-lived acquaintance turned into persistent stalking and harassment—including a lengthy personal letter, uninvited appearances near her work and community, and behavior that required police involvement. Years lat...

Episode 115 of What a Week! features Brian DiMattia, host of DiMattia’s Food Fight podcast and one of NEPA’s most active food content creators. Brian talks about building his platform around local restaurants — including his multi-day review approach that helps small places get noticed — and the realities of growing on social media, from algorithm issues and account problems on TikTok to dealing w...

Episode 114 of What a Week! features Dwayne McDavitt — longtime NEPA resident, 27-year law enforcement officer, founder of Bikers for Trump in Pennsylvania, and leader of Thunder and Liberty PAC — in a wide-ranging, no-spin conversation. Dwayne shares the story of meeting Donald Trump in Harrisburg in 2016 (the day Prince died), how he built a local Bikers for Trump group focused on community supp...

In Episode 113 of What A Week!, Joe Sabia of Archbald sits down for a long conversation that starts with a data center in his backyard and ends in a yurt. He is running for Pennsylvania’s 112th House seat. He says he never planned on it. The project is about four-tenths of a mile from his house. He went to a meeting, got furious, and joined neighbors in a lawsuit. When a council seat opened he put...

Jessica from the Pennsylvania Coalition for Informed Consent sits down on What A Week! and does not start with a slogan. She starts with a kid who was always sick. She grew up fully vaccinated. Allergies, sinus infections, a list of antibiotics that made her break out in hives, sinus surgery at ten. Three miscarriages by 25. Pregnant with her oldest, her doctor said get the flu shot or the baby co...

In Episode 111 of What A Week! , Rik Little sits down for a long, looping conversation that starts in Wheaton, Illinois and ends in a Scranton housing fight. Born in Dallas and raised outside Chicago — Billy Graham’s town, Goldwater signs in the yard, his father on city council and selling Haloid machines before they became Xerox — Rik talks about growing up inside “the rectangle.” TV, Twilight Zo...

Chef Ryan “Von” Smith is back on What A Week! with cousin Marcus Moody. They eat, talk trash, and then go where a chef interview usually will not. This episode is about coming home after you’ve already seen the rest of the world, growing up Black in Scranton, East Side versus West Side, family history that does not make the brochure, and why Von still will not pretend the city is easy just because...

In Episode 109 of What A Week!, longtime Northeast Pennsylvania family physician Dr. William Dempsey sits down for a wide-ranging conversation on medicine, family, and community. A University of Scranton grad and board-certified family doctor with more than four decades of experience, Dempsey serves as medical director of The Wright Center’s Clarks Summit practice and chief population health value...

Chris Kelly and I don’t see the world the same way. We’ve been on opposite sides of more than a few issues over the years. That’s exactly why this conversation needed to happen. In a country (and a region) that keeps hardening into tribes, too many people have stopped talking to anyone who doesn’t already agree with them. This episode is a deliberate refusal of that habit. Chris Kelly, longtime co...

Shane Repasky is back on What A Week! Podcast for a deep, unfiltered conversation that goes way beyond the surface. The NEPA carpenter who first woke up during COVID returns to unpack the ancient roots of modern control systems — from Mesopotamian deities and the god “El,” to water memory, structured water, toroidal biofields, frequencies, and how technology (including 5G and algorithms) is being...

On this episode of What A Week! NEPA, Mark talks with Walter Griffith — former Luzerne County Controller, auto mechanic, and government watchdog — about the explosive battle over Ordinance 202611, the sweeping anti-discrimination law passed by the 8-3 Luzerne County Council. Walter explains how this imported boilerplate ordinance (pushed via groups like Action Together) adds expansive "protected c...

In this special episode of What A Week!, we sit down with Paige Balitski of Diva Productions and music director/actor Max Roche to discuss their upcoming production of the Tony Award-winning musical 1776. Northeast Pennsylvania’s only America250PA SemiQuin Grants-supported production, this show brings the debates, sacrifices, humor, and humanity surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Indepe...

In Episode 104 of What a Week!, Pennsylvania State Rep. Jamie Walsh and State Senate candidate Tyler Myers sit down with Mark for a powerful, no-holds-barred discussion on the aggressive data center expansion threatening rural Northeast PA.They break down House Bill 952 — the 2021 sales & use tax exemption that opened the floodgates — and how it’s driving massive electricity, water, and land d...

In this raw Episode 103 of What a Week!, Mark talks with TJ Fitzgerald of NEPA Republicans about his viral Super Bowl outburst at Spanish-speaking crowds during the halftime show. TJ unpacks the moment (booze, Bad Bunny comments, cultural frustration), his strong views on assimilation, English as a common language, illegal immigration, job impacts, and preserving the American melting pot. Honest,...

Frank Scavo — former Old Forge School Director, January 6 participant, and one of the most outspoken conservatives in NEPA — returns to the show for a powerful, no-holds-barred conversation. In this wide-ranging episode, Frank opens up about why he organized buses and traveled to Washington D.C. on January 6, driven by deep concerns over election integrity in Pennsylvania, including issues with la...

Tara Gallucci joins us for one of the most raw, unfiltered conversations we've ever had. Born into a world of 1% motorcycle clubs, family trauma, violence, and generational chaos, Tara shares her journey through addiction, abusive relationships, crystal meth, multiple arrests, and ultimately landing in Muncie State Correctional Institution. What happened in that prison changed everything. Toda...

We sit down with Tyler Meyers — U.S. Army veteran, father, and conservative Republican candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate District 20.Tyler enlisted after 9/11, trained as a HIMARS rocket crew member, later moved into military intelligence, and served until COVID-era vaccine mandates forced a difficult choice. In this raw, wide-ranging conversation, we cover:- His journey from field artillery...

Guest Kyle Popish brings raw, unfiltered insights to Episode 99 of What A Week!, exploring the health experiments we run on ourselves and the spiritual/mental payoffs that come with them. We dig into nicotine pouches like Zyn (face-on-fire reactions, flavors gone wrong, hidden ingredients), caffeine/nootropic pouches for sharper focus and clarity, the surprising power of placebo effects (why feeli...

In this heartfelt, no-holds-barred chat on What A Week! Podcast, Congolese immigrant Uhsu Mukelo opens up about his wild journey from stateless refugee in Uganda to proud U.S. citizen – calling naturalization his "rebirth." We dive into the struggles of building a life from scratch, the grind of raising a family, and why immigrants often outpace native-born folks in hustle and heart. Uhs...

In this raw, unfiltered episode of What A Week! Podcast, NEPA carpenter-turned-viral-truth-teller Shane Repansky pulls no punches as he lays out how COVID woke him up and sent him down the rabbit hole. From realizing the Spanish Flu experiments proved viruses aren’t contagious, to connecting “COVID” symptoms to 5G radiation and exosomes, Shane breaks down why he believes the entire pandemic narrat...

Episode 96 of What a Week! features Rob Coco and Carson Bushta from Turning Point USA for a high-energy, 3+ hour conversation on mobilizing Gen Z conservatives in Northeast Pennsylvania. The duo shares how Turning Point Action is building grassroots power in NEPA, recruiting young voters, and pushing back against cultural and political shifts. We dive into election integrity concerns, the role of...

Episode 95 of What a Week! features Fern Leard, Shannon Groshek (campaign manager and nonprofit founder), and Hannah Butterwick in a passionate discussion about the growing threat of data centers to rural Pennsylvania communities. The guests share their experiences organizing against these massive facilities, highlighting concerns over farmland loss, skyrocketing energy demands, environmental impa...

Episode 194 of What a Week! features Alyssa Fusaro, former Vice Chair of the Luzerne County Board of Elections and Registration, in a candid discussion about her 4-year term and the end-of-term report she released detailing election vulnerabilities. Alyssa shares why she joined the board after witnessing 2020 issues, her role as a liaison between voters and the Bureau of Elections, and the challen...

Episode 93 of What a Week! features Bailey Simrell, a NEPA technologist living on the bleeding edge of innovation, for a deep dive into AI, data centers, and their massive impact on Pennsylvania. Bailey breaks down his origin story—from growing up in a marketing agency to building apps in real estate, construction, government, and finance—before unpacking data centers: their massive power needs (o...

Episode 92 of  What a Week!  brings together PA State Rep Jamie Walsh and PA resident John Zola for a serious, eye-opening discussion on the data center invasion in Pennsylvania. They recount a trip to "Data Center Alley" in Ashburn, VA, where endless giant, windowless buildings sit in eerie silence, destroying farmland and communities. Walsh and Zola explain the "Stop the Line" movement, the envi...