Cat's Candid Conversations

Cat Makino

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Arts

Cat interviews interesting people from the Lancaster County, PA area and beyond.

3d ago

Matt Weaver, a Clinical Operation Coordinator with Blueprints for Addiction Recovery, talks about youth vape users plus its addiction and health risks.

Matt Weaver, a Program Counselor and Program Therapist at Blueprints for Addiction Recovery in Lancaster County, talks about the dangers of addiction and health risks of vaping, especially among the youth, one in five high schoolers has tried vaping. It's a growing critical issue in Pennsylvania and across the nation, causing many school districts to install vape detectors to try and stop it, according to Public health data Recently authorities confiscated illegal vaping products valued at $80 million in a nationwide crackdown called Operation Red Mist. It mainly targets our youth and comes in a vast array of delicious flavors. It’s big business. Weaver earned his Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Health–Addiction Studies at Alvernia University, graduating summa cum laude in 2015. He has spent 11 years in addiction prevention and youth leadership development. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about helping individuals recognize their strengths, build protective factors and create meaningful, lasting change.
Jun 22

A Watts Township, PA, resident is working with locals to fight AI data center being built in their community.

Watts Township, PA, resident Josh Gerber has been working with locals that would experience the negative impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Using policy, and advocacy, he is committed to making sure the harms to locals and the environment don’t outweigh the proposed benefits. There are more than 4,000 operational Artificial Intelligence data centers in the US, with hundreds more being built. However, according to national polls, 77 percent of Americans are against having them being built in their communities. Here in Pennsylvania there is a massive wave of data center development. Tech and investment companies said at Senator McCormick’s Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in 2025 that there are over $90 billion in center-related projects statewide, including Cumberland County, Montgomery County, Luzerne & Bucks Counties. In Lancaster County Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group are building two data centers at the former R.R. Donnelly plant at 216 Greenfield Road and will be leased to CoreWeave. While these multi-billion-dollar developments want to boost infrastructure and state revenue, they are also drawing significant local organizing and pushback. Residents and local towns have raised concerns over the massive power, some using the power of a small city, some large-scale centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, and there also the environmental disruptions during construction. who he says would also experience the negative impacts of the centers.
Jun 4

Vanessa Acosta is running for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. "I'm running to ensure every vote is heard and every family has the chance to thrive..."

First -generation Dominican American Vanessa Acosta is the Republican Candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for District 49, encompassing the southern half of Lancaster City, Lancaster Township, and Millersville. She’s running against incumbent Democrat Ismail Smith- Wade-El She describes herself as a single mother, child trafficking survivor, and licensed insurance agent who understands firsthand the power of resilience and opportunity. She says her experiences have shaped her commitment to protecting and uplifting her community. “I’m running for State Representative to ensure every voice is heard and every family has the chance to thrive. I will fight for safer communities, stronger economic opportunities, and policies that bring people together to build a brighter future for our state.”
May 6

Rabbi Jack Paskoff is a rabbi at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster, PA and travels often to Israel to meet with peacemaking groups. He says ,"building trust is not an overnight task..."

Rabbi Jack Pastkoff is a rabbi at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster, PA, a Reform congregation with approximately 320-325 member families that serves as a major hub for Jewish life in the area. He often travels to Israel and meets with approximately 10 peacemaking groups, which includes volunteers from Israel and Palestinian. Rabbi Pastdoff graduated from Brandeis University, and then spent his first year of Rabbinical School in Jerusalem, before returning to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York campus. He was an intern at Temple Judea of Manhasset. After he was ordained in 1988, he became the associate rabbi at the Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, NJ, where he spent 5 years there and completed a unit of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education. Rabbi Pastkoff says, “building trust is not an overnight task. When I met with Yoav Hass, the chairperson of Torat Tzedek, an Israeli human rights nonprofit, I asked him if he and his organization’s Palestinian partners saw one another as friends. He wasn’t sure, suggesting that there was still too much suspicion. That still didn’t keep them from doing the work." He has lived in Lancaster with his wife, Risa since 1993.
Apr 18

Rev. Bradley Mattson, a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of the Susquehanna, talks about ICE and changing denominations..

Rev. Bradley Mattson, a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of the Susquehanna, talks about ICE plus changing denominations and the reasons for it. He enjoys exploring the ways the Gospel intersects with public life and current affairs. He also serves on the board of the Episcopal Evangelism Society. He is a frequent op-ed writer in the local press and was featured by Deutsche Welle’s Living Planet, an environmental podcast. He has helped lead grant-supported projects that bring church and community together throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Besides being a priest he leads a financial service organization. He lives in Lancaster with his wife and four children.
Apr 16

CDR Michael (Mike) Zimmerman, USN Ret. 3X Defense Meritorious Service Medal recipient brings Iran, POTUS, and current military intel into Sharp Focus!

Our guest Michael Zimmerman is a retired Navy Commander, who talked about his support of the Iran War, POTUS, plus he answered questions from Lancaster residents. He has been decorated with several awards, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three times. He is currently a Data Scientist contractor for the US Army and President of Maztech Consulting. He lives in Lititz with his wife and three children.
Apr 10

Marc Scaringi: MAGA conservative podcaster talks Iran, his politics, Trump relationship, and the state of our union

Podcaster and Attorney Marc Scaringi, owns and manages a law firm with his wife, Melanie, and often speaks about the U.S. Constitutional law. He has assisted with several senatorial campaigns and was a former attorney for President Trump who endorsed him as a delegate to the 2016 Republican Convention. He is outspoken about opposing the War in Iran but still considers himself MAGA He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and now lives in Harrisburg. Mr. Scaringi writes a bi-weekly column for http://pennlive.com /The Harrisburg Patriot News and is regularly published in The Western Journal http://westernjournal and The American Thinker http://americanthinker.com. He also hosts his own weekly talk radio show, The Marc Scaringi Show, Saturdays at 1PM on WHP 580 AM “News Talk Radio” and I Heart Radio. His talk show has been featured on Voice of America and international news media such as Le Figaro, La Repubblica, The Welt and Good Morning Costa Rica. His political commentary has appeared on MSNBC and PCN and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Mar 31

Cindy Sheehan: world renowned peace activist, locked horns with presidents, senators and the media... Always in search of the truth

Cindy Sheehan is a peace activist who opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after her son was killed in Iraq in 2004. Sheehan camped outside U.S. President George W. Bush’s ranch in Texas in 2005 wanting to talk to him about the reasons we went to war. He refused to talk to her. She then received national and international media coverage which established her as one of the most visible and controversial figures in the antiwar movement at that time. Today she’ll talk about her views on the war, how we can come together in our communities regardless of our political views, and what she’s up to these days.
Feb 5

First elected Latina Councilwoman Janet Diaz talks about the ins and outs of politics in Lancaster

Democrat Janet Diaz was the first Latina city councilwoman to be elected twice in Lancaster. She unsuccessfully ran for 49th Pennsylvania House District and the Pennsylvania State Senate, despite garnering endorsements from Barack Obama, Joe Biden and other high profile Democrats. She accused the Democratic leaders in Lancaster of turning against her and not supporting her in the elections because she refused to rubber stamp all of their policies. She was called to resign after what her colleagues called a pattern of xenophobic behavior. Yet she persevered and served 2 full terms on Lancaster city council from January 2018 through 2025. She recently ran for mayor but lost to Jaime Arroyo. Born in The Bronx, she moved to Lancaster when she was 9 years of age, where her family experienced homelessness and poverty. Diaz overcame these obstacles to establish a successful career in healthcare, where she worked for 18 years. Diaz attended Thomson Institute and Lancaster Bible College. She has served as a member of the PADems State Party, the Farmers Union, and the PADems Latino Caucus. She is currently writing a tell-all book about her experience in politics.

9 Episodes

Cat interviews interesting people from the Lancaster County, PA area and beyond.

Creator

Cat Makino
Years Active

2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Cat's Candid Conversations
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Cat's Candid Conversations