The Spark
When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.
Episodes
In the heart of Harrisburg, there’s a hidden gem — 24 miles of scenic trail connecting neighborhoods, natural spaces, and historic landmarks. It’s called the Capital Area Greenbelt, and it’s more than just a path. At the center of its most festive celebration is Tour de Belt, the annual bike ride that brings thousands of riders together and highlights the Belt’s significance.
Our journalist roundtable segment for May 16 included Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA and Kara Jeffers of Lilly Broadcasting, who discussed the latest developments in Pennsylvania's push to legalize recreational cannabis.
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In his in-depth investigative podcast Death County, PA, PennLive journalist Joshua Vaughn dives deep into a troubling pattern of deaths and alleged abuse at Dauphin County Prison (DCP) — a facility many incarcerated individuals describe as so inhumane, they’d rather die than remain inside.
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On this week's edition of The Spark Weekly;
Ashlie Crosson, an English and journalism teacher at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, has just been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year — and while the spotlight may be on her, she’s making it clear her mission is still focused on the students she serves.
Also, on the program.
A Pennsylvania Senate panel has rejected a bill advanced by Demo...
As the debate over public education funding continues in Pennsylvania, a concern from school administrators and business officials are calling for urgent reform of how cyber charter schools are funded. At the heart of their concern: a decades-old funding formula they say unfairly drains resources from public schools and lacks accountability.
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History buffs and curious visitors alike will have the rare opportunity to experience early American industry in action during the upcoming Open House at the Bowmansville Roller Mill on May 17, hosted by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County.
Built in 1850—and with roots going back to 1737, even before George Washington was born—the Bowmansville Roller Mill stands as one of Lancaster County’s last tw...
In a new exhibit, York College students are breathing life back into one of York’s long-silent landmarks: Zion Lutheran Church. The church, which has been vacant for more than 30 years, is the centerpiece of a student-led public history project that uncovers not only its architectural grandeur but its deep-rooted legacy of community outreach, social justice, and cultural connection.
Ashlie Crossan, an English and journalism teacher at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, has just been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year — and while the spotlight may be on her, she’s making it clear her mission is still focused on the students she serves.
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In Harrisburg, a small team is taking a new approach to curb gun violence—one that places empathy, community engagement, and early intervention at its core. Group Violence Intervention (GVI), led by Angelo Bailey and Gina Vasquez, aims to interrupt cycles of violence by connecting high-risk individuals with resources, not just repercussions. The program, supported by law enforcement but driven by community partnership, is act...
Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly.
This week, Dickinson College President John Jones and Susquehanna University President Jonathan Green joined more than 300 higher-education leaders in publicly condemning what they described as “unprecedented government overreach and political interference endangering American education and public research funding."
also, on the program,
This week’s journalist roundtable dove into the growing staffing shortages impacting all corners of the justice system—from sheriff’s deputies to public defenders.
Joining the conversation were Dan Nephin, reporter for LNP/LancasterOnline, and Kara Jeffers, multimedia journalist at
Listen to the podcast for the full conversation.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, author Dan E. Hendrickson joins The Spark to share a story rooted in love, legacy, and liberation. His latest novel, Brandy, Dame of the Caribbean, continues the saga of a woman pirate turne...
This spring, as we look forward to harvesting homegrown produce and gifting fresh flowers for Mother’s Day, horticulturalist Erica Jo Schaffer joined The Spark to share her expert advice on everything from planning your first vegetable patch to reviving cut blooms.
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Paralegal-by-day and debut novelist by night Doug Peiffer joined us on The Spark to discuss his six-year labor of love, Big Blue, “a parable of modern-day migration” that explores the fraught relationship between the United States and Mexico through the eyes of ordinary—and extraordinary—individuals.
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Listen to the podcast for the full conversation.
This spring, the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) unveiled Contrasting Photos: Behind and in Front of the Camera at the Carlisle Indian School, a groundbreaking exhibition featuring over 300 rarely seen images that reveal how students reclaimed their own representation at the controversial boarding school. Many of these photographs are on public display for the first...
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.
This week, Dickinson College President John Jones and Susquehanna University President Jonathan Green joined more than 300 higher-education leaders in publicly condemning what they described as “unprecedented government overreach and political interference endangering American education and public research funding.” In a statement circulated nationally, the sign...
On The Spark, Asia Tabb sat down with Paul Schaeffer—longtime spokesperson for ENIAC, the world’s first general-purpose electronic computer—to explore how a 1940s Army weapons project gave birth to the digital age and why its lessons still matter. ENIAC, unveiled in February 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Engineering, was originally built “to solve a problem the Army was havin...
LancasterHistory is a nonprofit museum preserving the county’s heritage since 1886. We dove into Lancaster’s rich past with Robin Surratt, President and CEO of LancasterHistory.
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For the past three years, Woodward PA’s 90-mile-from-Harrisburg action-sports summer camp has been forging a unique blend of elite coaching and genuine camaraderie. Camp Program Director Eric Brown and Olympic gold-medalist Charlotte Worthington joined The Spark to explain what makes Woodward’s “wheeled sports” experience unlike any other—and why campers keep coming back for more.
Last Thursday, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to halt federal funding for NPR and PBS. For WITF and hundreds of other public media stations nationwide, that order—and a pending congressional budget vote—could have serious implications. WITF’s Chief Impact Officer Cassie Farrelly and Vice President of Media and Production Fred Vigeant joined The Spa...
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