Central Pa. dining trends and a push for recorded interrogations.

Central Pa. dining trends and a push for recorded interrogations.

From The Spark by WITF

May 6, 2026 · 52 min

About this episode

The episode discusses dining trends in central Pennsylvania and a push for recorded interrogations in criminal justice.

First, we sit down with Sue Gleiter , longtime dining reporter for PennLive and The Patriot-News , to talk about how the central Pennsylvania restaurant scene has changed—and where it may be headed next. With more than 25 years covering restaurant openings and closings, food trends, and beloved local institutions, Sue brings deep perspective on what’s thriving, what’s disappeared, and why. Then, we take a close look at a critical criminal justice reform effort in Pennsylvania: a pending bill supported by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project that would require law enforcement to electronically record custodial interrogations for certain serious crimes. While many states already mandate recorded interrogations, Pennsylvania does not—despite strong evidence that recordings reduce false confessions, strengthen the integrity of investigations, and protect officers from unfounded claims about what occurred behind closed doors.

People in this episode

Guest: Sue Gleiter

Topics covered

  • dining trends
  • restaurant scene
  • criminal justice reform
  • recorded interrogations
  • false confessions

Keywords

  • central Pennsylvania
  • restaurant trends
  • criminal justice
  • interrogations
  • false confessions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PennLive, The Patriot-News, Pennsylvania Innocence Project

Places: Pennsylvania

More episodes of The Spark

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Spark podcast page.