TalkErie.com - The Joel Natalie Show - Erie Pennsylvania Daily Podcast

Any casual watcher to the news knows that it was a very difficult winter and early spring for the US airline industry. We asked Erie Airport Authority Executive Director Derek Martin to join the show on Monday, to discuss how the national turmoil has affected the airport, and what efforts are being made to enhance service out of ERI.

The fifth floor of Erie City Hall was represented on Friday's episode as Mayor Joe Schember was joined by Community Liaison Michael Outlaw to discuss solutions to the youth violence crisis Erie is experiencing, including the renewal of the Unified Erie anti-violence initative.

The Superintendent of Erie's Public Schools, Brian Polito, joined Joel for an update on the security measures put in place in the aftermath of the Erie High School shooting on April 5th.

Erie's institutions are emerging from the pandemic, and that includes in a big way the Jefferson Educational Society. Joining Joel to discuss the extensive Spring 2022 season was Angela Beaumont, Program Director, Raven Clark, Satellite Program Coordinator, and Adam Welsh, Civic Leadership Academy Program Coordinator.

On our Tuesday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we sat down with Ben Speggen, contributing editor of the Erie Reader, for a nonpartisan discussion and preview of the political primary. It's the all-important mid-terms, and there are a lot of candidates vying for a few but important posts.

On our Monday show, we went back to talking about workforce development, and making solid career moves. Our expert was Anthony Brown, Operations Manager at Penn Union Corp. to talk about job training and new career seasons.

On our Thursday episode, Bishop Dwane Brock to discuss the new Athletic Center being built by the Eagle's Nest Leadership Corporation with help from American Rescue Plan dollars allocated by the City of Erie. Bishop Brock also weighed in on the current situation with youth violence in Erie and how all citizens can be part of the solution.

Erie community members continue to ask ourselves how a school shooting could have happened in our own city, and we’re looking for solutions. On the Tuesday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we talked to Pastor Daryl Craig, also known as Brother D, co-founder of the Blue Coats, to get his unique perspective on the troubling recurrence of teen violence in our neighborhoods and in our schools. It was...

On Monday, the Joel Natalie Show did a profile on Diamond Hospitality Services LLC. The company recently announced its acquisition of WHG Management, adding 60 additional Cobblestone Hotels to its portfolio. Joining Joel was Paul Leroux, President and Co-Founder of Diamond Hospitality, and Laurie Woolslayer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, for a look at this successful company based right h...

April is National Autism Acceptance Month, and with us was Tish Bartlett, Executive Director of the Autism Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania. We learned about the Autism Society’s clubs, their new Family Center, and discussed how you can get involved in the upcoming in-person Walk for Autism on April 23.

Our community continues to reel from the shock of a shooting at Erie High School Tuesday. The program began Wednesday with a conversation with representatives from the Erie Education Association and Erie High: EEA President, Mary Therakauf; Vice President of the EEA and Erie High Engineering Instructor Mike Beiter; Erie High Math Teacher and EEA Union Rep Luke Wilmoth, and Stephanie Domowitz, teac...

We met the new director of the Erie County Health Department, Erin Mrenak.  We learned about her background, covid updates, and her goals for the health of the people of Erie.

On this Tuesday edition of the Joel Natalie Show we welcomed back Marc Turner, President of Career Concepts Staffing Services in Erie.  With over 2800 jobs available locally, why is anyone still unemployed?

On this Thursday episode, we had a tough conversation about the rise in fentanyl usage in Erie County. David Sanner, the Director of the Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, gave us his expert opinion on the subject. He shared his experiences as our community battles this deadly drug.

On our Monday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we welcomed recent graduates of the Jefferson Civic Leadership Academy. The JCLA prepares up-and-coming Erie professionals to become change-agents for their community, focusing on civic leadership and local economics.  Joining us around the microphones were Adam Welsh, JCLA program coordinator; and recent JCLA graduates Karin Wickwire and Jacob...

On Friday, we welcomed Mayor Joe Schember for our Monthly Meeting with the Mayor. Our conversation was an overview of the important issues facing the community today.

On our Thursday education focused episode, we circled back into the subject of state testing results. Pennsylvania saw lower participation rates in tests like the Keystones and PSSA’s in 2020-2021 school year, and the scores overall reflected the effects of the pandemic on our students. On the program were Dr Ian Roberts, superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District, and Matthew Lane,...

For our Wednesday health focus, our guest joined us from the other side of the ocean. We first met Dr. Thomas Falasca back in May of 2020, when he checked in from the COVID-19 hotspot of Bergamo, Italy. Dr. Falasca returned to talk about healthcare in Erie and what Italian health infrastructure can teach us, as well as provide an update on the pandemic from his location in Italy.

Joel returned on Tuesday to welcome long-time first-time guest Marsha Marsh, president of the Greater Erie Board of Realtors and owner of Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services. Pennsylvania Association of Realtors named Erie one of the most affordable places in the US to buy a home so Marsha explained the realities behind the Spring 2022 residential market.

On our Thursday education focus, we had our first discussion about the K-12 student testing in Pennsylvania. Joining us to talk about the results from the Erie School District was Karin Ryan, Director of Educational Services for the Erie School District. The pandemic wreaked havoc on the educational system, and we want to do what we can to set our students up for future success.

On our Wednesday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we talked baseball with Greg Gania, Assistant General Manager and Communications for the Erie Seawolves. We discussed the landmark season in 2021, and learned what's ahead for this year, including new suites and stadium club programs, as well as the clubhouse renovation project and other amenities at UPMC Park.

On our Tuesday program, we sat down with Gary Lee, Chief Administrative Officer of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission for Erie County, PA. We covered housing, education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development, as well as fighting despair in communities of color. 

Now that we’re settling into our new home downtown, we are talking about real estate.  Chuck Peters joined us, the managing partner of Alltair Real Estate, as he gave us the lay of the land with regards to commercial properties, residential homes and apartments.

On our Thursday show, we played host to one of our closest neighbors: Ainslie Brosig, Executive Director of the Experience Children’s Museum, located just around the corner at 5th and French Streets. We learned more about the new exhibits and opportunities for educational playtime as the 25 year-old museum is about to break ground on a massive expansion project, while continuing to inspire creativ...

On this episode of the Joel Natalie Show, we welcomed back Brian Lasher, retired navy commander, history and international affairs teacher at Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, to get his perspective on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.