Weather and El Nino, Radon Protection, Cursive Comeback

Cursive is disappearing from schools nationwide, and with an increased demand for digital literacy and keyboard skills, is it time to say farewell?

Air Date: January 9, 2024 12:00 pm

A student practices writing in cursive at St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Hacienda Heights, Calif., bucking a growing trend of eliminating cursive from elementary school curriculums or making it optional, California is among the states keeping longhand as a third-grade staple. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Some strong winds and rain are headed our way. Southeastern parts of Pa. and the South Jersey coastline will be under a flood watch. Rutgers University professor and NJ state climatologist David Robinson joins us to talk about the melting snow in the Poconos, the gusty winds, and another storm just on the horizon.

Cursive is disappearing from schools nationwide, and with an increased demand for digital literacy and keyboard skills, is it time to say farewell? We’ll get into the debate over handwriting in classrooms, brain development, and technology with Arizona State University professor and writing expert Steve Graham, and we’ll hear from Pa. State Rep. Joe Adams, who is proposing legislation requiring cursive in Pennsylvania schools.

It’s Radon Awareness Month. The radioactive gas is responsible for an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Pennsylvania has particularly high radon levels – the EPA says about 40% of homes in the Keystone State have above-recommended levels. Muhlenberg College professor of public health Chrysan Cronin joins us to discuss how to make your house safe.

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