The world is facing a chocolate shortage due to climate change, supply chain issues, and rising production costs. Bill Yoder with Dutch Valley Food Distributors says this has been an issue for a few years. “The main reason behind the shortage is cocoa beans, the weather has impacted it. Also, the yield they're getting out of the crops isn't what they want, “said Yoder. Nicole and Isaac Bucher, owners of Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium had to get creative to comba...
Feb 19, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Strawberry Square in Harrisburg has announced the launch of it’s all new music series. The music series is in partnership with the Harristown Development Corporation. Sara Bozich produced the series and has been working with Harristown for about 10 years. She believes Strawberry Square is the perfect venue for the series, especially during the Third in the Burg event. “So it is you know essentially a mall. And so, you have this beautiful open atrium. We actually decorate it for Third...
Feb 19, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Callahan Walsh is an advocate for the cause of Missing and Exploited Children and is the leading voice in the fight to protect children and support families. He’s also the Executive Director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children . In 1981, Callahan’s brother Adam was kidnapped in South Florida and his remains were found two weeks after his abduction. “It's a sad story, but Adam's disappearance changed the way we look for missing kids in America. I've come to...
Feb 18, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coming Up on The Spark Weekly: Asia speaks with two journalists about Govenor Shapiro's Budget address. also, on the program: A preview of the 2025 Economic Forecast for the Harrisburg area. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 16, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our Journalist roundtable for Feburary 14 included WVIA agriculture reporter Isabela Weiss and LNP's Jaxson White. Isabela discussed the budget address and its effect in agriculture in western Pa. Jaxson discussed an overview of the budget address and a look ahead to the legislative budget hearings in Harrisburg. Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 15, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our weekly weather segment, ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso shared an update about Valentines Day weekend weather, an overview of next weeks weather, and how soon until we can spot spring weather. Listen to the podcast to hear the full weather report. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 15, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Couples are invited to renew their commitment to one another and celebrate the Valentine’s season in what’s been called the most romantic small town in Pennsylvania. Mary Grace Kauffman, Media Relations Manager with Destination Gettysburg, joined the spark to share more about the event. Gettysburg Loves Love will return to historic Gettysburg on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. inside the Hotel Gettysburg (1 Lincoln Square). Gettysburg Mayor Rita C. Frealing will lead married...
Feb 14, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hershey Gardens opened in 1937 with Milton Hershey’s request to “create a nice garden of roses.” More than 85 years later, the small rose garden has blossomed into 23 acres of botanical beauty providing visitors with unique experiences and enriching opportunities. We spoke with Amy Zeigler, Senior Director with the M.S. Hershey Foundation about Hershey’s Gardens history, the butterfly atrium, how the gardens are maintained, renovations taking place, and how you can get in...
Feb 14, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Job scams have been on the rise in recent years. Scammers have been using artificial intelligence, also known as AI, to create fake job listings and steal personal and financial information from job seekers. Julie Shore, President and owner of Career Development Advisors, was a guest on The Spark Feb 13 and shared some tips to protect ourselves from scammers. Shore says with the rise in technology, there’s been more than 20,000 jobs a year that have been reported as scams since 2020. &ldqu...
Feb 13, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show is themed “Gardens of Tomorrow.” Seth Pearsoll, President and Creative Director of the flower show says they wanted the event to be timeless. The event is set to take place from March 1-9 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “We like all of the different people who create something with us There's thousands of them. We want them to have something they can get excited about and do their thing at the show And then we also want the show to be ki...
Feb 13, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast February may not seem like peak gardening season, however some gardeners are probably itching to get outside in their gardens. Horticulturalist Erica Jo Shaffer was on The Spark, and talked about seed starting tips for this time of year, how to improve soil quality, common mistakes gardeners make this time of year and how they can be avoided, plus good projects for beginner gardeners to start in February. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/...
Feb 13, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC are gearing up for the Harrisburg Regional Economic Forecast February 13 . The Harrisburg Regional Economic Forecast offers local business leaders and finance professionals a must- attend luncheon featuring a keynote from a leading economist on local, national, and global financial trends. Ryan Unger, President and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC says the capital region has a strong and vibrant economy. “Our unemployment typica...
Feb 12, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast People of African descent lived in medieval Europe, and Europeans were aware of the power of contemporary kingdoms in Africa. This shaped the way that people from African were depicted in the art and literature of medieval Europe in different ways. Dr. Chrissie Senecal, Associate Professor at Shippensburg University, shared about their presence during that era. “it's really an erroneous idea that people of color actually of African descent were not present in Western Europe. Just a big exa...
Feb 12, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we celebrate Black History Month, we turned to Wesley Union A.M.E Zion Church . Wesley Union A.M.E Zion Church is the oldest black church with deep roots in the fight for justice and equality. According to Joyce Scott Parker, church historian, Wesley Union was the first African American church in Harrisburg and played a role in the Underground Railroad. Our second church is the church that housed people who were trying to get of the life that they were living and get to a new life, and we had...
Feb 12, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Lancaster Asian American and Pacific Islanders (LAAPI) began with a group of Asian Americans searching for a larger community. According to Brian Nguyen, Communications chair of LAAPI, says the organization began post pandemic after the Atlanta, Georgia shootings. “ There was a pressing need to amplify AAPI voices and foster connections and wanting to at least celebrate our identities and the contributions that the Asian community has and not just have these stereotypes of us out there...
Feb 11, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coming up on The Spark Weekly: Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of February was about the Braver Angels stye debates. Karen Ward, Debate Chair and Past Bloomsburg Alliance Red Co-Chair and Past PA Red State Coordinator, and Terry Webb, Co-founder of the Braver Angels Alliance in Lancaster, and coordinator of their first debate in 2021, gave insight into the debates. They also shared how the BA debates are different from political debates we watch on TV and from competitive deb...
Feb 09, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Friday we featured The Burg Magazine’s journalist Diane McCormick. The segment featured her latest article, “ A Better World: Harrisburg’s W. Justin Carter spent a lifetime fighting racial injustice ." In this episode, she shares how his legacy still lives on in Central Pennsylvania. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 08, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of February was about the Braver Angels stye debates. Karen Ward, Debate Chair and Past Bloomsburg Alliance Red Co-Chair and Past PA Red State Coordinator, and Terry Webb, Co-founder of the Braver Angels Alliance in Lancaster, and coordinator of their first debate in 2021, gave insight into the debates. They also shared how the BA debates are different from political debates we watch on TV and from competitive debates that a high school or coll...
Feb 07, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Up to 110 teachers are recognized each year. The PAEMST awardees receives a $10,000 award, a citation signed by the president and a visit to the White House . Six Pennsylvania teachers have been recognized for their dedication to STEM...
Feb 07, 2025•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Susquehanna Art Museum is a non-collecting art museum. They also have multiple shows, and world class art that travel through Harrisburg. “We're located in Midtown, in the new Harrisburg Arts Corridor, and we are near the Broad Street Market and the Midtown Scholar. We are, as a non-collecting entity, we're always bringing something new, lots of something new, “said Alice Anne Schwab, Executive Director of the Susquehanna Art Museum. There are two exhibits that are opening on Feb...
Feb 06, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Each service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike now contains a mural depicting landscapes and attractions in their areas. The murals were created by local high school students under a program called Art Sparks, a joint effort of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Turnpike Commission. Mark Compton, CEO of the Turnpike Commission, says they want to make the service plazas more welcoming to visitors. “As we see it, about 550 ,000 travelers use this system every day and very few e...
Feb 06, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg will have a few programs to offer the public for the month of February. On Presidents Day, they will have actor James Haney, who will portray Abraham Lincoln. “He is going to be talking about Abraham Lincoln battle with slavery and how he got to the 13th Amendment, “said Jeffrey Nicholas, CEO of the National Civil War Museum. Haney, will present Lincoln’s Battle with Slavery. “It was a long journey from his early days in his lif...
Feb 05, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The City of Johnstown has very rich immigrant and industrial history. Shelley Johansson, Director of Marketing and Communications of the Heritage Discovery Center says the building was built in 1903. “It was built as a brewery in 1903. Of course, we all know what happened to breweries very quickly after that. Prohibition came along, and they were not breweries, and basically it became several other things until my organization bought it. The first phase of the exhibit opened with America t...
Feb 05, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast VOICES of Black Women is a long-term study working in conjunction with the Population Science team and American Cancer Society (ACS) that aims to enroll at least 100,000 black women in the United States over the next few years. According to ACS researcher, Alpa Patel, there has been an underrepresentation of black women in their studies historically. “So, we are launching this new study called Voices of Black Women to build on that legacy of population studies where we can really understan...
Feb 04, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast PennDOT is embarking on a long-term project to make major improvements along Interstate 83 in the Harrisburg area. This multi-phase project will have a major impact on motorists in the Capital region for the next several years. Richard Reisinger, Design Chief of the project, shared an overview about the improvements planned for the I-83 Eisenhower interchange. “Specific to the Eisenhower interchange, it will be a brand-new interchange constructed. That will include new connections to all t...
Feb 04, 2025•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Few theatres in the world bring stories to like quite like Sight & Sound Theatre . Sight and Sound is known for its set, immersive storytelling, and larger than life productions. Glen Brodersen, Senior Technical Director of the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, says there are key differences between the locations in Lancaster, Pa and Branson, Mo. “ So, the Lancaster location is actually our design and build primary locations or our story team. Most of our creatives work out of th...
Feb 03, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly. Today we are honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s a day to reflect on the lives lost, resilience of survivors, and lessons we must never forget. Dr. Mark Glick is the only living child of Polish Holocaust Survivors. and Jennifer N. Sellitti is a lawyer and shipwreck hunter. She is also the author of The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-And-Run Off the Coast of Nantucket . The book will be released on February 28. The boo...
Feb 02, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Groundhog Day is this weekend and if Phil does not see his shadow, winter will not end early, and we will have another six weeks of it. Sara Perrault is the managing editor at the Farmer’s Almanac. The Farmer’s Almanac has been around since 1792, and Sara says they’re still using the same formula by their founder Robert B. Thomas. “His formula was based on three scientific disciplines, which include solar science, which is the study of sunspots and other solar activity, c...
Feb 02, 2025•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Lafayette da Marqis Bicentennial commemoration is taking place all throughout the country. However, this weekend, there’s a special event taking place in Harrisburg and York this weekend. According to Elizabeth Zucker, with the Historical Society of Dauphin County , says Lafayette’s visit to Harrisburg was not originally planned. “He had been invited to come to the U.S., and he met with the governor of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and that was Governor Andrew Schultz. Gov...
Feb 01, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our Journalist Roundtable segment for January 24 included WVIA’s Isabela Weiss and WPSU’s Anne Dannehy. Isabela shared her report of a Library Administrator Layoff in Susquehanna County. Anne spoke about her recent report on Trump’s Plan to freeze federal funding & it’s impact on Central PA childcare providers. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 31, 2025•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
