Smart Talk: Capitol week; Cold could hurt fruit; PA Dutch

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, April 8, 2016:

Low temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-20s Saturday night.  The numbers could break records for all-time lows for April 9 and 10.

Fruit growers throughout Central Pennsylvania are concerned that their crops may be damaged.

On Friday’s Smart Talk, we’ll speak with Brad Hollabaugh of Hollabaugh Brothers in Biglerville, Adams County about preparations that can be made to protect their fruit trees and what damage freezing temperatures could bring.

Outside of the Keystone State, Pennsylvania Dutch is often synonymous with the Amish or Mennonites.  Many visualize buggies, no electricity and handmade furniture. But within Pennsylvania’s borders it is more nuanced than that. For many Pennsylvanians, there’s a cultural history and ancestry connected to Pennsylvania Dutch.

The Pennsylvania Dutch language is also part of Friday’s Smart Talk.

Appearing on the program is Mark L. Louden, professor of Germanic linguistics and co-director of the Max Kade Institute for Germanic-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He’s also the author of a new book, Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language.

Louden, a leading scholar and fluent Pennsylvania Dutch speaker discusses the origin, evolution and linguistic features of Pennsylvania Dutch, which he has found is a booming language even in the 21st century.

Finally WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Mary Wilson will have Capitol Week-in-Review and provide insight into discussions in the legislature of changing the statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases, the mandatory retirement age for judges, and abortion laws.