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

For our Good Friday episode, we were so happy to welcome Father Larry Richards to the show to talk about the significance of Good Friday in the everyday Christian life.  Father Larry is known around Erie as the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church-Bread of Life Community, and he’s known nationally and internationally for his work on EWTN TV, EWTN Catholic Radio, and as the founder of The Reason for...

We began our broadcasts in April by talking to officials from the Erie County Public Library.  Now that the Library has reopened, we discussed how they functioned during the Covid closures, how they’re continuing to keep in-person visitors safe while offering their vast resources in-person and online, and received an update on the Idea Lab.  Our guests included Assistant Director Sheryl...

On our Wednesday show, we noted the significance of Holy Week in the lives of thousands of Christians in Erie County. Joining our conversation was Pastor Colby Atkins of Elevate Church and Pastor Jim Hodge of Harborcreek Community Church. In the final hour, Pastor Brian Kelly of McLane Church weighed in on the discussion during his monthly "An Hour With My Pastor" visit with Joel.

On the Joel Natalie Show, we are totally focused on Erie issues, Erie news, and the information that most affects you—the people of Erie.  Tuesday, we were talking about local government with Jessica Horan-Kunco, executive director of the COG, or the Council of Governments.  Local government affects you on a much more personal level than state or federal governments. Jessica brought insi...

On our Monday program, we were talking about that big infusion of cash known as the American Recovery Act. Our guest was Chris Groner, Vice President of Capital Finance and Lending for the Erie County Redevelopment Authority.  Chris shared his take on what the stimulus funds could mean to the municipalities, and to Erie County as a whole. Our conversation centered around needs for economic de...

On Friday, live from the Erie Home and Garden Expo, Erie Mayor Joe Schember stopped by for his monthly visit to the Joel Natalie Show. We talked about the controversy over the Ravine Drive project, the latest on the Bayfront Parkway, and loosening of the COVID rules regarding city parks and playgrounds.

On our Thursday episode of the Joel Natalie Show, we took a deep dive into what is becoming a grave mental health crisis as a result of the coronavirus pandemic's mitigation efforts. Our guests were from the Center for Focused Care, a practice that works with the National Alliance for Mental Health or NAMI. We spoke with Psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Sipple and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Julie Man...

In our Wednesday health focus, we invited Clay Jacobs, the Executive Director of the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Clay shared the latest data from the Alzheimer's Association's 2021 Facts and Findings survey. We learned about how the pandemic has ill-affected patients dealing with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

On our Tuesday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we continued the money talks with a stimulating discussion on banking.  How has banking changed in the past year with the pandemic, and what about the scams that seem to be so prevalent since the stimulus checks were announced?  We went in-depth with representatives from Marquette Savings Bank: Kelly Montefiori, Chief Operating Officer, an...

Did you get your stimulus payment yet?  On our Monday show, we talked about the effects this windfall could have on our local economy with Dr. William McAndrew, Associate Professor of Finance and Economics at Gannon University.  Listen for his take on the American Rescue Act, minimum wage, federal debt, inflation, and other economic issues.

Here at the Joel Natalie Show, we always enjoy conversations with community leaders, friends, and you—the people who live and work here in Erie.  Thursday, we spoke with Fred Williams, co-founder of Climate Changers, a program designed to help former prison inmates, those in recovery, and others to re-enter society and develop life-changing skills.  Fred is also the author of several boo...

On our Wednesday program, we embraced "Personalizing our Plate" as we recognized National Nutrition Month 2021. Our guest was Registered Dietician Jennifer Potthoff of AHN Primary Care. We talked about the recent survey that high percentages of adults acknowledged undesired weight gain (or loss) during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keys to healthful eating.

On our Tuesday episode, we got social…as we welcomed to the microphone Chris Norris, Owner and Strategist of Revox Social. Our conversation focused on how this local entrepreneur built a thriving social media agency, in spite of the pandemic.

On our Monday show, we talked about the American Rescue Plan, and what the stimulus checks will mean to the families of Erie.  Our friends from Kingdom Financial Group, Micah Bowers and Abby Paslowski shared their thoughts on using this windfall to its fullest potential.

Maybe you’re looking forward to relaxing this weekend with a good book.  If so, we have some suggestions for you as we focused on local authors on Friday’s episode.  Our first conversation was with Ashleigh Walters, local manufacturing CEO and author of the new leadership book, Leading with Grit and Grace.  Then, if you’re a fan of The Mystery of Oak Island TV Show, we’re talked to...

If you’ve been to downtown Erie lately, you have probably noticed Gannon University’s impressive new addition: the I-HACK tower.  I-HACK, which stands for Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge, is an innovative new course of study that integrates and protects cyber intelligence and data systems.  We learned all about it, with our guests: Dr. Keith Taylor, President of Gannon Universit...

On our Wednesday focus on health, Stephen Henderson, Director of Pharmacy for AHN St. Vincent Hospital joined us. He explained the efforts of the AHN health system to ramp up distribution of the vaccine amid high demand and low supply.

On the Tuesday episode of the Joel Natalie Show, we caught up with the CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corporation, John Persinger.  The Erie Downtown Development Corporation has been hard at work on the new local cuisine food court, set to open soon on North Park Row.  We also learned about the many other projects and improvements the EDDC has planned for downtown Erie.

Our host Joel Natalie participates in Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper's weekly news conference on COVID-19. But every couple months, we invite her to the program for a more in-depth conversation. To begin the month of February, Mrs. Dahlkemper spoke to questions about the unprecedented year of 2020, the vaccine rollout, and outreach efforts to underserved communities.

On a Fun Friday here on the Joel Natalie Show, we talked about one of our producer Shani’s favorite subjects: our pets!  Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, our pets are like family, showing us love and friendship with every purr and wagging tail.  We were happy to welcome to the microphone Dr. Ben Orozko, veterinarian at Choice Vets in Fairview to talk about our four-legged fri...

On our Wednesday program, Chris Sirianni, the owner of the Brewerie at Union Station checked in to give us an update on the challenges and obstacles facing restaurants in Pennsylvania. Chris was fresh off of testifying before a PA House Committee, and explained how restaurants in Pennsylvania are at a critical disadvantage compared to our neighbors in Ohio. Then, we welcomed back Joel's pastor Bri...

Our guest on our Tuesday program was Matt Martin, Executive Editor of the Erie Times News and GoErie.com. Our discussion surrounded the major news news stories of the past year, all of the changes to Erie’s newspaper, and what we can expect for the future as our community emerges from the pandemic.

On Monday, Lindsay Bach-Moore, Director of Research and Insights at Moore Research Services shared with us the results of the third community survey conducted with Erie County residents regarding COVID-19. Lindsay shared respondent's opinions regarding government interventions, masking, the vaccine and other data points.

On Friday, Erie Mayor Joe Schember made his first visit to the Joel Natalie Show for 2021. We talked snow plowing, diversity in the ranks of public safety and at City Council, and the state of real estate and business growth in the city.

The focus on our Thursday show is on behavioral health.  How is the pandemic affecting treatment options for those struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues? What considerations are given to those suffering from isolation and depression when Harrisburg considers COVID-19 mitigation efforts? We heard from Kristen Houser, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substa...