On today’s episode of The Confluence:
Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates exchanged criticisms during last night’s debate
(0:00 - 9:05)
Last night, U.S. Senate Candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz squared off in their only debate of this election campaign. Both candidates took the opportunity to attack each other’s platform.
“The moderators, to their credit, tried to flesh out some of the positions of the candidates and question them about things that they've said in the past to see how that squares with their current positions,” says Marc Levy, reporter with the Associated Press.
Levy spoke to stroke experts who said Fetterman appears to have no cognitive effects from the stroke, but the format of the debate itself is difficult as it’s fast-paced, and Fetterman has been using closed captioning to help him process spoken words.
“It's not clear that people were necessarily waiting for this debate to make up their minds. I think a lot of people who watched that were stunned at watching John Fetterman in such a difficult format for someone who is recovering from a stroke,” says Levy. “But people who are undecided may not necessarily even be watching the debate.”
Report finds lack of standardization among county coroner offices across the commonwealth
(9:11 - 17:48)
Only five counties in Pennsylvania have accredited medical coroner's offices, which are critical in determining if there was foul play involved with a death. Those counties are Lehigh, Lancaster, Cambria, Adams and Washington Counties.
A report from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania looked into the state of these offices across the commonwealth, and they found there was a lack of standardization of training, education and resources across the state.
“[The role of coroner is] a very administrative duty to some degree, but they also investigate and rule on deaths, determine whether there are suicides, homicides. They complete the death certificates. They gather crucial data for public safety issues, for public health issues. They also initiate autopsies, but usually rely on a forensic pathologist,” says Ashad Hajela, a rural affairs reporter for Spotlight PA.
Allegheny County has an appointed medical examiner, who must be a licensed physician, and that office is accredited.
Why can you address letters to ‘Pittsburgh’ when they’re going to municipalities outside of the city?
(17:58 - 22:30)
If you live in the City of Pittsburgh, your mailing address reflects that. But some residents in neighboring boroughs and townships can also use “Pittsburgh” when they’re sending a package or postcard. For our Good Question! series, WESA’s Katie Blackley reports on why.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
