
Kate Lao Shaffner
Keystone Crossroads ReporterKate Lao Shaffner was the Keystone Crossroads Reporter for WPSU-FM from 2014-2015. She reports on infrastructure, economic, legal, and financial issues in Pennsylvania with reporters from WHYY (Philadelphia), WITF (Harrisburg), and WESA (Pittsburgh).
Kate began working in public radio as a public affairs intern at WPSU. She then took a position as an associate producer, contributing feature stories and interviews to Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Take Note. She has received awards for her work from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association. Kate also worked with community contributors in the production of WPSU’s This I Believe and BookMark.
Kate earned her Master’s degree from Penn State’s School of International Affairs and her B.A. in English and Intercultural Studies from Houghton College.
Before moving to State College, she lived in rural Tanzania for two years, where she worked with a university study abroad program. She rode a zip-line across a river to get to work every day.
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Did Morning Edition sound different to you today? NPR has changed its "clocks" (the schedule templates stations have to use to time the show's news…
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Financially distressed cities have pressing problems, like how to balance the budget. But then there are also issues like building renewal and long-term…
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Tom Wolf's victory in Pennsylvania—and the GOP sweep nationwide—may be taking over the headlines today, but in many of Pennsylvania's communities, it's…
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In the upcoming election, the citizens of Altoona won't just get to vote for a governor or senator, they'll also decide whether they want to change their…
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Here's a scenario many Americans have experienced first hand: You're loaded with debt. Your checking account's near zero. And you need a lot of cash.What…
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Altoona area residents who came to the Keystone Crossroads/WPSU public forum described their hometown with these words:full of promisesadisolateda nice…
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In August, Terrell Jones, Penn State’s Vice Provost for Educational Equity and a well-known expert on diversity issues, passed away after a bout with…
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Pennsylvania has more local governments than any other state except Texas and Illinois. There are some downsides to this, including the inefficiency and…
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In 1983, a civil war broke out in the Northern African country of Sudan, which is just south of Egypt. And it went on for more than twenty years--with…
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"Five Questions with ..." is a regular Keystone Crossroads feature where we seek to glean wisdom and ideas from some of Pennsylvania's top urban thinkers…