The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau is a statewide Public Affairs program airing on all of the Seven Mountains Media Pennsylvania radio stations.
Episodes
121 episodes
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 126 - 08/16/2026
It seems like trains are having a moment in America these days, and a very well-funded startup rail company is hoping to capitalize on that moment. On this edition of The Commonwealth Beat, a look at a bold prop...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 125 - 08/09/2026
Dipping into The Commonwealth Beat archives, the spotlight shines on a state-provided service that gives victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking an opportun...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 124 - 08/02/2026
A "behind the headlines" look into the miraculous rescue of "The Quecreek Nine." They were the team of nine coal miners who accidentally penetrated an underground wall separating an abandoned, flooded mine adjacent to the active coa...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 123 - 07/26/2026
A little old, a little new. We'll hear a "Best Of" segment on TICKS from last summer, with a look at East Stroudsburg University's Tick Research Center and everything you never new you wanted to know about ticks and Lyme Disease, with the...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 122 - 07/19/2026
Is a college degree still necessary in today's workforce? Between shifting corporate demands and the rising appeal of specialized technical fields, the traditional academic path is under the microscope. H...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 121 - 07/12/2026
Summer’s in full swing, and for many, it’s a chance to pack some shorts and a t-shirt in a bag and hit the road for a much needed weekend getaway. If you’re into handmade art - and independent film - the...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 120 - 06/28/2026
Best of The Commonwealth Beat: The Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 steam locomotive is making a historic trip this summer, and Pennsylvania has a front row seat! Hear all about this historic event with the Conductor of the Big Boy 4014, ...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 119 - 06/21/2026
Sometimes, reality can be stranger than fiction, and other times, it's just downright fascinating. On this edition of The Commonwealth Beat, there's a little bit of both all wrapped up in...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 118 - 06/14/2026
If it feels like Pennsylvania has become the center of the sports universe this year, that's because it has. From a record-setting NFL Draft in Pittsburgh to the PGA Champ...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 117 - 06/07/2026
School's out for summer and vacation is on the mind! This edition of The Commonwealth Beat is a bit of a best-of-mash-up, featuring two previous reports from earlier editions of the show, featuring destinations not too far...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 116 - 05/31/2026
As officials in cities and towns across the nation finalize their plans to mark America's 250th birthday this July 4th, a marvel of 20th Century industrial and technological innovation is on a historic tour east of the Mississippi. It's Union P...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 115 - 05/17/2026
With school ending in a few weeks and summer on the horizon, many Pennsylvanians are counting the days until their much-anticipated summer vacation. But while there's plenty of concern over the economy, health experts worry that rising me...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 114 - 05/10/2026 Data Centers - Part 2
Part 2 of an exclusive interview with Igal Feibush, Founder and CEO of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners. He discusses the energy consumption used by data centers, and why he believes they won't drain the grid dry of electricity, while ja...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 113 - 05/03/2026 Data Centers - Part 1
How much do you really know about DATA CENTERS? What they do, what's inside them, who works there, and why do we need them? Igal Feibush, Founder and CEO of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners will break it all down in an extended, two-part...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 112 - 04/19/2026
It's a reality we all must face at one time or another: the death of a loved one. And whether it's expected or not, it can still be an emotionally charged time. But when the death comes because they are incapacitated, and some...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 111 - 04/12/2026
Founded on ground purchased by Richard Allen, a freed slave who became a prominent Methodist pastor in the late 1780's, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia is one of the Pennsylvania Historic and Museu...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 110 - 04/05/2026
If you're old enough to remember "Must See TV," then you remember that 8 to 11 Thursday night time frame when you were parked in front of your television, watching your local NBC affiliate. One of the most legendary shows from that period...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 109 - 03/22/2026
America is in the midst of the largest bird flu outbreak in its history. As birds migrate this spring, avian influenza is spreading along the major flyways used to get to their spring and summer destinations. As they travel, these w...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 108 - 03/15/2026
Training Pennsylvania's physicians of the future has been a major part of the mission for the Penn State College of Medicine, based at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Derry Township, Dauphin County. Since graduating their fi...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 107 - 03/01/2026
America is gearing up for a celebration 250 Years in the making! And if you're even remotely interested in how the very first Americans lived, there's a little-known historical site in Philadelphia just waiting to share one of the most au...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 106 - 02/15/2026
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has been in office for a year, and in that time, he has brought forth a number of new initiatives for the prosecution of crimes in this Commonwealth, while also advocating for programs that give Pennsyl...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 105 - 02/08/2026
The first Tuesday of February is set aside for the Pennsylvania Governor to address a joint session of the General Assembly, and bring forth their budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. Governor Josh Shapiro offered quite a proposa...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 104 - 01/25/2026
Pennsylvania and its citizens are preparing for the first major winter storm of the season, now dubbed Winter Storm Fern. From border to to border, snow is expected. That means the men and women who work at PennDOT are gearing up fo...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 103 - 01/18/2026
The 110th Pennsylvania Farm Show is now one for the history books, after finishing its eight day run on January 17th at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The annual celebration of Pennsylvania's agriculture industry took on an even gre...
The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 102 - 01/11/2026
With more adverse effects of social media on adolescents coming to light almost daily, a move by the Australian government to ban social media for youth under the age of 16 is being looked at very closely around the world. And it begs the...