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

On our Wednesday program,  Rick Scaletta, superintendent of General McLane School District, joined us for an update on how their students and staff are doing at this point in the pandemic. Rick weighs in on the PA Department of Education's new guidance, the need for teachers and staff to be vaccinated, transportation challenges and other important issues.

Throughout the pandemic, the work of Erie's neighborhood community centers has been critical to serve the needs of residents in the city, with food, virus testing, and education. To get an update and to learn about their plans for vaccine deployment, on Tuesday we invited Shantel Hilliard of the Booker T. Washington Center, Gary Horton of the Urban Erie Community Development Corporation/Quality of...

Have you been watching Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City on the Discovery Channel?  Self-made billionaire Glenn Stearns returned to Erie to give a boost to some of our local businesses, and Friday we spoke with a couple of the owners featured on the hit TV program.  We welcome Michael Hooks back to the microphone as he continues his mission of Michael Making Lives Better.  Then...

Recent events have us all exploring ways that we can address our grievances to government in a peaceful, productive way. The Constitution of the United States guides our way. To lead that conversation we invited Marshall J. Piccinini, Judge of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas to talk about the Rule of Law, a very timely conversation indeed.

Take a listen to our extensive General Election Day coverage on the Joel Natalie Show, featuring guests such as political consultant Jezree Friend, and our go-to political expert, Harborcreek Township Supervisor Dean Pepicello. You'll also hear conversations with voters at the polls, and candidates calling in.

Before the show began Friday, we were struck with the news of a major jump in COVID-19 cases in Erie County. To help us sort out the data was Erie County Public Health Director Melissa Lyon. Then we spoke with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, about the economic drivers in Pennsylvania while protecting the environment.

On our Monday edition of the Joel Natalie Show, we learned about Erie Homecoming 2020: Erie's Economic Evolution.  This two-day virtual event focuses on growing, mentoring, and investing in Erie.  Our guests included Brett Wiler, Capital Formation Lead at Flagship Opportunity Zones and Erie Homecoming Change Agent with the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, and Jordan Fuller,...

We finished the week with our monthly meeting with Erie Mayor Joe Schember.  Our conversation centered around the city’s Covid-19 response, LERTA, the Census wrap-up, Halloween in the city, and more from the 5th Floor .

On Thursday's program, we had two special guests joining us.  First, we talked to Donika Gunther, Transformational Coach and Motivational Speaker. She shared some tips for reducing stress and anxiety, particularly for parents who are trying to balance their careers while also homeschooling their kids.  Next, Joel interviewed Dr. Adrienne Dixon, the newly appointed President and CEO of Sa...

On the Joel Natalie Show, we are continually focused on the news and issues that relate directly to the people of Erie. How is the travel industry doing during amid encouragement to stay at home to avoid Covid-19?  We talked to Derek Martin, Executive Director of the Erie International Airport, as well as Lisa Cappabianca, co-owner of Cappabianca Travel, to find out how the travel industry is...

Thursday, two representatives in support of President Trump made appearance in Erie, and both of them joined Joel on this episode. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette spoke with Joel about the importance of the President's energy policy in Western Pennsylvania. Then Scott Presler, activist and Trump supporter called in before an appearance at the Republican Headquarters in Erie.  Finally, Cou...

October is traditionally known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Joel invited two guests to illuminate this issue and share their stories. First, Heather Stempka who is a breast cancer survivor and founder of Linked By Pink, shared about her journey and how she helps patients navigate their illness through cancer wellness and support programs at AHN. Then Tina Caldwell of the American Cancer So...

On Tuesday, Joel had a one-on-one conversation with Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper.  The extensive discussion focused on the budget, the upcoming election, the Community College, and of course, the latest on the Covid-19 pandemic and how it’s affecting the people and businesses in Erie.

The second Monday in October is recognized as Columbus Day. Joel talked to local leader Ron DiVecchio about the significance of Columbus Day for Italian Americans and the community in the west side of Erie known as Little Italy. Following Ron's call-in, Joel's brother Pete Natalie shared his memories of growing up in Little Italy, as well as TalkErie regular Stephanie Lindenberger provided some of...

Friday, we welcomed Bishop Lawrence Persico to the microphone, as he celebrates his eighth anniversary as Bishop of the Erie Roman Catholic Diocese. Joel discussed with the Bishop the state of in-person and online worship, along with racial reconciliation, and Bishop's reflections on eight years of service in Erie and Northwestern Pennsylvania.

The countdown to the General Election continues, and our Thursday show reflected that. Joel first interviews Andrew Wheeler, the current Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Then we connected with Doug Smith, the Erie County Clerk of Elections to discuss preparations for this highly scrutinized General Election. Finally, former Senator Heidi Heitcamp phoned into the show.

SleepPhones®, which is based in Erie, has now developed an app that uses artificial intelligence to create sounds, tones, and rhythms that are scientifically shown to calm the brain and promote relaxation. Dr. Wei-Shin Lai joined Joel to talk about how her company is trying to improve sleep, while creating knowledge-based jobs right here in Erie.

Did you know October is Cyber Security Month?  With so many of our daily activities now taking place online and safely socially-distant, are we doing everything we can to protect our digital privacy?  On Tuesday, Joel interviewed Dr. Christopher Montsour, leading cyber security expert at Mercyhurst University, to find out more about online safety.

On Friday's program, we addressed a range of breaking news items, starting on a heart-warming note. We spoke to Scott Mitchell of the Erie Zoo about how the Zoo is navigating the pandemic and the arrival of a new red panda. Then we turned to the bayfront as Joel interview David Brennan about the ongoing decision-making on the changes PennDOT is proposing for the connection between the Bayfront Par...

On the Thursday program, it was all about Law and Order. Joel profiled Marshall J. Piccinini, Judge of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas, appointed by Gov. Wolf in 2019.  However, first we spoke with PA State Trooper Michelle McGee about the latest slew of cell phone, email, and text message scams that citizens deal with everyday.

The presidential election is just five weeks away, and Erie will again be in the spotlight as we cast our votes for the next President.  The first presidential debate happened Tuesday, so we talked a little pre-game with Dean Pepicello, Supervisor for Harborcreek Township.  Then we turned to Representative Bob Merski about what he hoped for from the first debate between President Donald...

Our Monday focus on economic development began with a conversation with officers of Onex, a local industrial furnace company who recently underwent an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Our guests were Ashleigh and Drew Walters, President and Vice President of Onex, along with Kevin McPhillips, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Center of Employee Ownership. Then Brian Slawin of the Ben Franklin Techn...

Friday was our monthly meeting with Erie Mayor Joe Schember.  We’ll get the latest updates from City Hall, including Erie’s new anti-violence initiatives, LERTA, Coronavirus response, and why it is so vitally important to our city that everyone completes the Census. 

On our Thursday program, we welcomed back to the microphone Dr. James Hodge, Director of the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation, or CORE, at Penn State Behrend.  Our conversation surrounded how CORE has been reaching out to the youth in our community with its mentoring programs during this era of “social distance.”  Then Bishop Dwane Brock continued t...

Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, held a small rally at the Bayfront Convention Center on Monday. Joel Natalie Show Producer Shani Bills, and intern Sydney covered the event live for the program, sharing the mood and context of the event, and talking to several attendees about their support for the President in his reelection.