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

We’re glad you joined the Joel Natalie Show for our Tuesday episode, where we are always focused on the important topics that hit home in Erie.  Speaking of home, our guest is Bob Henninger, real estate agent with Howard Hanna. Is it still a sellers’ market? Our conversation centered around the very unusual housing boom in Erie, the prices, availability, and financing, and the issues surround...

On our Monday show, we talked about public broadcasting—the history, importance, and continued relevance of this invaluable communications resource. We welcomed into the studio Erie broadcast veteran Tom New, President and CEO of WQLN Public Media.  Our conversation centered around about WQLN TV and Radio, and Tom's significant career, which has spanned four decades of broadcasting in the Eri...

On the Joel Natalie show, Friday edition, we checked in with Erie Mayor Joe Schember for our monthly meeting with the mayor. Along with getting caught up with American Rescue Plan city investments, and LERTA, we reviewed the city's "Activating Our Vision" action plan and how Erie was doing on meeting the plan's stated goals in a range of areas of our economy and community life.

Thanks for listening to the Joel Natalie Show for our Thursday episode. September is National Addiction Recovery Month. To learn more about recovery, and the help that is available here in Erie, we had a conversation with friends from the Erie City Mission.  We spoke with Darryl Smith, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Men’s Ministries; and Mary Gollmer, certified drug and alcohol couns...

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month. We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.  On our Wednesday program, we caught up with representatives from the Multicultural Resource Center: Executive Director Katie Kretz, Deb Pazmino, and Eddie Ocasi...

On our Tuesday episode, we welcomed back to the microphone: Erie County Executive, Kathy Dahlkemper. With just a few months left to go in her final term in this role, our conversation with the County Executive centered around all of the hot topics affecting Erie: Covid-19, the infrastructure bill, the Community College, distribution of the American Rescue Plan dollars, economic development, and mu...

We began the week at the Joel Natalie Show talking to the plant manager for one of the biggest manufacturers in Erie.  Haris Halilovic moved to the U.S. in 1999 from Bosnia, started working in maintenance at the Lord plant on 12th Street in 2004 as a teenager, and today is the plant manager for Parker LORD. During Joel's interview, we learned Haris's inspiring personal story, his views on the...

Friday was one day before the anniversary of September 11th…20 years since that day that changed America in so many ways.  To commemorate that day, we arranged an exclusive interview with Erie County's two elected officials that were charged with leading Erie through that time of crisis. Our guests were former Erie Mayor Joyce Savocchio, and former Erie County Executive Dr. Judy Lynch. They s...

On our Thursday edition, we had a one-on-one conversation with Samuel “Charlie” Bayle, as he runs for Erie County Council to represent District 6.  We  heard about the issues he feels are most important, as he opposes Lydia Laythe for the position on November 2, just a mere 55 days away. Ms. Laythe was our guest two weeks ago.

Welcome to the Joel Natalie Show after a long Labor Day weekend. On our back-to-work Tuesday, we talked about cultivating careers in manufacturing.  Joining us was Jim Willats, the co-founder and president of Machining Concepts.  Jim and Joel conversed about careers in the manufacturing industry, the college debate—whether to go to go to college or enter the workforce after high school,...

Local theatres are planning to reopen the stages and welcome in-person audiences this fall.  To find out how they’re planning to keep audiences and performers safe, we invited three local theatre directors to join us for a fun Friday edition of the Joel Natalie Show. With us were Kate Neubert-Lechner, Executive Director of the Erie Playhouse; David W. Mitchell, Artistic Director at All An Act...

With the federal unemployment benefits ending on September 4th, many Pennsylvanians—and Erieites—are affected by the reduction of weekly benefits. On our Thursday program the Pennsylvania Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier, and Department of Human Services Deputy Secretary Inez Titus joined Joel Natalie to explain what help is still available to unemployed Pennsylvanians.  Then we...

As Covid cases are back on the rise and the Delta variant continues to gain momentum, hospitals all over the country are experiencing nursing shortages, and Erie is not immune. Sallie Piazza, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at AHN St. Vincent Hospital joined us for our Wednesday health focus to talk about the staffing issues among nurses here in Erie. Sallie brought to light the reality of what an outbr...

On our Tuesday broadcast, we engaged the heavy subject of Afghanistan, and we were pleased to welcome Brian Lasher back to the microphone.  Lasher is currently a teacher at Northwest PA Collegiate Academy, and previously served the US Navy as a helicopter pilot and joint qualified staff officer in the Naval Reserves. He shared his thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan and the importance of...

On our Thursday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we had a conversation over complex issues facing Erie County. Lydia Laythe, the Democratic candidate for Erie County Council's District 6, brings some issues to the public's attention, not only here, but in her public remarks and in the newspaper. They include what she regards as unfair treatment of inmates and their families at the Erie County Pri...

On our Wednesday show, we had a conversation about the Erie International Airport, as we welcomed Executive Director Derek Martin to the microphone. We talked about the Delta issues—both the outgoing airline and the incoming variant, COVID mitigation efforts, capital improvements, staffing issues, and if bluer skies are in the future.

Thanks for checking out the Joel Natalie Show, where we are always focused on the things that matter most to you, the people living and working in Erie. On our Tuesday episode, we focused again on the American Rescue Plan, and how the City of Erie, and even smaller municipalities are making the most of the ARP windfall. Joining us to talk about stretching those dollars was Kathy Wyrosdick, Directo...

On a back-to-work-Monday on the Joel Natalie Show, we were looking at back-to-school plans. What should parents expect when returning our kids to the classroom this fall?  Two perspectives: first, Brian Polito, the Superintendent of the Erie School District, the most urban and largest district in NWPA. Then we spoke with Ken Berlin, Superintendent of the Wattsburg School District, a far-flung...

On the Joel Natalie Show we focus on the important topics facing Erie.  On our Friday episode, we engaged in our monthly meeting with the Mayor of Erie, Mayor Joe Schember.  We talked about the Census results, what this potentially means to Erie, an investment strategy with ARP funds, and we celebrated the success of 814 Day.

As the Erie County Community College gets set to open in just a few weeks, on our Thursday program we were pleased to welcome the founding president, Dr. Christopher Gray, to the microphone.  We learned more about Dr. Gray’s background and career, and about Erie County’s newest accessible avenue for higher learning. 

The COVID-19 virus is back on the increase nationwide and in Erie County, especially with very contagious Delta variant. To explain the challenges and the returned call for universal masking was Dr. Howard Nadworny, an epidemiologist with AHN St Vincent, followed by Dr Wei-Shin Lai of Acoustic Sheep LLC/Sleep Phones, who is a trained epidemic investigator.

The long-awaited Census 2020 results are in, and Erie—both the city and the county—has diminished in size.  For a closer look at the Census results, the numbers, and what this could mean to people that have stayed in Erie, we talked to Michelle Jaggi.  She’s the Public Information Officer for Erie County, and served as the Census Outreach Coordinator throughout the 2020 data collection p...

So many businesses in Erie are family-owned and operated, so on our Monday episode we put our focus on Penn State Behrend’s new Center for Family Business. The Center offers support to family-owned businesses on how to hire and retain family members, how to manage employee turnover among non-family employees, and how to develop a succession plan. Joining us were: Dr. Greg Filbeck, director of the...

What many adults in Erie knew as the "history museum" has become a transformed regional destination renamed the Hagen History Center. The Joel Natalie Show took a tour of the new and remodeled facilities, including the Watson-Curtse Mansion, the Wood-Morrison House, and the brand new Exhibit Center, then spoke with senior staffers tasked with moving the Erie County Historical Society/Hagen History...

We began the Thursday episode of the Joel Natalie Show with a conversation with Erie County Council President Carl Anderson, who walked us through some of the investments that Erie County will be making with the Federal American Rescue Plan funds. From revenue replacement, to investing in minority communities, some $26 million will be distributed.