Pennsylvania Heroes

Nick Yost
  • 5.0 (1)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY

Pennsylvania Heroes highlights stories, benefits, and issues impacting our state's active/former military, first responders, as well as the organizations serving our communities. These are heroes in our everyday life whose passion makes our state a better place to live. Nick Yost is a Pennsylvania native and hosts this weekly podcast. He served in the US Army for 13 years and has been stationed all over the US as well as deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His awards include the Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.

  1. Senator Robert Casey - United States Senator for Pennsylvania

    03/22/2021

    Senator Robert Casey - United States Senator for Pennsylvania

    Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania, a seat to which he was first elected in 2006. He previously served as Pennsylvania Auditor General from 1997 to 2005 and as Pennsylvania Treasurer from 2005 to 2007. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Casey is the son of Bob Casey, a former Governor of Pennsylvania. After graduating from Scranton Preparatory School in 1978, he attended the College of the Holy Cross. He received his J.D. degree from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. Casey practiced law in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before beginning his political career as Pennsylvania's Auditor General, a post to which he was elected in 1996 and re-elected in 2000. In 2002, Casey attempted to follow in his father's footsteps by running for Governor of Pennsylvania, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by eventual general election victor Ed Rendell. After being term-limited out of his position as Auditor General, Casey was elected Treasurer in the 2004 election. Casey defeated two-term Republican incumbent Rick Santorum in the 2006 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. He was reelected in 2012 and 2018, becoming Pennsylvania's first ever Democrat to win a third consecutive term in the Senate.

    32 min
  2. No Barriers - Free Expeditions for Disabled Veterans

    03/15/2021

    No Barriers - Free Expeditions for Disabled Veterans

    No Barriers Warriors helps Veterans redefine their identity, purpose, and community as they face past and present challenges. Our Veterans’ programs serve as both an opportunity for growth and a catalyst for change as these brave men and women stretch physical and emotional boundaries, foster camaraderie, push through adversity, and step up to serve others.  No Barriers Warriors programs are FREE, for Veterans with service connected disabilities.  Learn more about our Essential Eligibility Criteria to see if a Warriors program is right for you. The Problem According to a 2019 Department of Veteran Affairs study, while the Veteran population is declining, the percentage of Veterans with a service connected disability has been steadily rising.  These injuries, both visible and invisible, add to the potential struggle a Veteran can face after transitioning out of military service, and reintegrating into their civilian communities. Our Solution Using the No Barriers life philosophy, we craft an experience that challenges Veterans to critically think about where they are in life, where they want to be, and how to get there.  This experience gives them new tools, strategies, and drive to overcome barriers that are holding them back – as well as a new support team that will be with them throughout the program. Warriors programs are separated into two categories: At-Home and Expeditions. Our At-Home programs are a perfect way to engage with the Veteran community, as well as work through self-improvement, from a space of your choosing.  Expeditions are adventure based trips, where we bring Veterans to us, to take a deep dive into the No Barriers Life, while challenging them to overcome some serious obstacles in the wilderness.

    31 min
  3. Pocono 3C with Brianna Strunk

    03/01/2021

    Pocono 3C with Brianna Strunk

    Pocono 3C is a program designed to give persons who are homeless, or in danger of becoming homeless, a job and case work, to get back up on their feet. These individuals often face difficulties finding work due to not having an ID or address, not having a bank account, or having a minor criminal record, to name a few. To help them overcome these obstacles, Pocono 3C provides them with work picking up litter in Monroe County. This not only gives them an income at the end of every workday but provides them with experience and references for a résumé. In addition to the job, they will be provided lunch the days that they work and case management. Please visit their website to learn more: https://www.poconomountains.com/pick-up-the-poconos/pocono-3c/

    16 min
  4. CDL Waivers for Servicemembers - PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

    02/22/2021

    CDL Waivers for Servicemembers - PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

    The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) announced today that a new Pennsylvania law waives the requirement for Pennsylvania residents who are current and former military members and who operated a commercial vehicle as part of their duties, to take a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Knowledge Test when applying for a CDL. Previous legislation – Act 133 of 2008 – established a waiver of the CDL skills test for these individuals. “We are pleased to announce this important change and hope that it helps military members in their transition to civilian life find good-paying, sustainable employment to begin their new lives,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. Act 131 of 2020 allows the PennDOT to waive the CDL Knowledge Test for Pennsylvania residents on active or reserve military duty or recently honorably discharged veterans, provided those service members have at least two years of experience operating a commercial motor vehicle as part of their military job requirements. The waiver applies to CDL applicants who wish to operate vehicles similar to those they operated in the military. For example, those who drove combination type commercial (Class A) motor vehicles in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for a waiver to drive a combination type vehicle and those who drove a single motor vehicle of commercial type (Class B) in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for the waiver to drive that type of vehicle. Applicants must complete form DL-398, “Application for Military CDL Test Waiver,” to request the waiver. Doubles, triples and school bus endorsements cannot be waived under this program. PennDOT will waive the knowledge test specified, subject to the limitations in the 49 Code of Federal Regulation Section 383.77, to an applicant who meets all the requirements for a waiver. “Service members gain many valuable skills in the military that translate well into the civilian job sector,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general and acting head of the DMVA. “This program is a huge opportunity to assist our veterans and service members with these skills to get good jobs as Pennsylvania is critically short in CDL drivers.” Military personnel and veterans interested in taking advantage of the CDL skills and knowledge test waivers can find further information by visiting www.dmv.pa.gov, click on Driver Services and choose Military Personnel Veterans from the dropdown. Form DL-398 can be found under Forms and Publications on the homepage.

    15 min
  5. Planning for Tomorrow, Today - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    02/11/2021

    Planning for Tomorrow, Today - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    Co-Founder/Executive Director of the LRJ Foundation, Teressa Ruspi was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently resides in Georgia. Graduate of Marywood University, Pennsylvania, with a Bachelors in Nutrition & Dietetics, current grad student at Mercer University attaining her Masters in Leadership with a focus on nonprofit management , a motivational speaker, a mother of three, and in her spare time its an fitness enthusiast and obstacle course racer. Teressa’s vision is to share with you what her unstoppable team strives for each day. A team who’s mission is to transform the attitudes, choices, and behaviors of our youth and community though the most important element we were born for, “connection”. Which they call their most powerful tool to the puzzle pieces of, suicide prevention.  Be sure to follow Teressa on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more great information!

    10 min
  6. Courage Over Fear - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    02/05/2021

    Courage Over Fear - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    Co-Founder/Executive Director of the LRJ Foundation, Teressa Ruspi was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently resides in Georgia. Graduate of Marywood University, Pennsylvania, with a Bachelors in Nutrition & Dietetics, current grad student at Mercer University attaining her Masters in Leadership with a focus on nonprofit management , a motivational speaker, a mother of three, and in her spare time its an fitness enthusiast and obstacle course racer. Teressa’s vision is to share with you what her unstoppable team strives for each day. A team who’s mission is to transform the attitudes, choices, and behaviors of our youth and community though the most important element we were born for, “connection”. Which they call their most powerful tool to the puzzle pieces of, suicide prevention. Be sure to follow Teressa on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more great information!

    9 min
  7. Lycoming County Veterans Court - Judge Nancy Butts

    02/01/2021

    Lycoming County Veterans Court - Judge Nancy Butts

    Honorable Nancy L. Butts is currently the President Judge of Lycoming County. Judge Butts graduated from Lehigh University and California Western School of Law.  She began her career in Lycoming County serving as an Assistant Public Defender with the Lycoming County Public Defender’s Office. She next served as the Law Clerk for Judge Clinton W. Smith and after her clerkship joined the practice of Charles A. Szybist, Esq. After about a year in private practice she then became an Assistant District Attorney with the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Butts was elected to her first term as Common Pleas Judge in 1995 and was retained both in 2005 and 2015. She completed the General Jurisdiction Course at the National Judicial College with distinction in 1996.  She became President Judge in 2010. She currently serves as the Lycoming County Drug Court Judge and has continuously since its formation in 1998. Additionally, she currently presides over DUI Court since 2008. She established the County’s Juvenile Drug Court and served as its judge from 2004- 2016.  She established and worked with the Lycoming County Mental Health Court from 2008 to 2012 and returned to it in 2018. She also presides over the County’s newly created Veteran’s Court. As President Judge, she is the Chairman of the County’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB). She also serves on the CJAB’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Subcommittees. Since 2014 as a member of the Substance abuse subcommittee she considers it her responsibility to increase awareness and education of the public through presentations and community meetings and began that effort through the formation of the Heroin Task Force. She recently completed a training with the National Judicial College on “Drugs in America Today: what Every Judge Needs to Know.” Through her participation on the Reentry Coalition subcommittee she assists with programming and policy governing incarcerated individuals returning back to the community. Judge Butts has represented the Courts on the Lycoming County Prison Board since 1999. In 1998, Judge Butts contributed to the creation of a local American Inn of Court. She was the first President of the Charles F. Greevy, Jr. Chapter of the American Inn of Court and currently serves as its Secretary. Judge Butts was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to serve on the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee from 2007-2014. In her last year on the Committee she served as Chairperson. Based upon an initiative from the PA Supreme Court examining the accessibility of the Courts of elder citizens, in 2015, Judge Butts called together an Elder Abuse Task Force to identify resources and examine obstacles which exist between the Courts and access of the Lycoming County Elder population. All future work will be a collaboration between the public, Courts and Lycoming College. Judge Butts is an active member of the community.  She has been a member of the Community Theatre League for more than 30 years. She currently serves as Vice President and as member of the Board of Directors. She has been an Emergency Medical Technician for more than 25 years and is a Life Member of Old Lycoming Township Volunteer Fire Company along with a former employee of the Susquehanna Health System. In addition, she currently teaches part-time at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

    34 min
  8. Learning by Listening - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    01/27/2021

    Learning by Listening - Midweek Mindset with Teressa Ruspi

    Co-Founder/Executive Director of the LRJ Foundation, Teressa Ruspi was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently resides in Georgia. Graduate of Marywood University, Pennsylvania, with a Bachelors in Nutrition & Dietetics, current grad student at Mercer University attaining her Masters in Leadership with a focus on nonprofit management , a motivational speaker, a mother of three, and in her spare time its an fitness enthusiast and obstacle course racer. Teressa’s vision is to share with you what her unstoppable team strives for each day. A team who’s mission is to transform the attitudes, choices, and behaviors of our youth and community though the most important element we were born for, “connection”. Which they call their most powerful tool to the puzzle pieces of, suicide prevention. Be sure to follow Teressa on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more great information!

    10 min
See All (25)

About

Pennsylvania Heroes highlights stories, benefits, and issues impacting our state's active/former military, first responders, as well as the organizations serving our communities. These are heroes in our everyday life whose passion makes our state a better place to live. Nick Yost is a Pennsylvania native and hosts this weekly podcast. He served in the US Army for 13 years and has been stationed all over the US as well as deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His awards include the Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Yost
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2021
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nick Yost
  • Show Website
    Pennsylvania Heroes