The Spark

More than 40 million people visited state parks in Pennsylvania in both 2020 and 2021. Those figures represent significant increases from before the coronavirus pandemic.

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February is Black History Month. The African-American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania has plans for a live performance and an exhibit at the Ware Center in Lancaster. Both focus on the city’s history of anti-slavery activities and the Underground Railroad that helped enslaved people escape.

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February is American Heart Month — a time to bring attention to heart health and the steps that everyone can take to fight heart disease.

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Pennsylvania is one of two states that still have complete control over the sale of alcoholic beverages and it’s been that way since the end of prohibition in 1933.

There have been several attempts over the last four decades to change that – to privatize the sale of liquor – all by Republican governors. All have failed to one degree or another.

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Seventy-three people were bitten in unprovoked shark bites worldwide in 2021 and nine of them were killed.

The good news is that being attacked or bitten by a shark is extremely rare.

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A regional high-volume testing site will be open to the public Wednesday at Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

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More money for mental health services tops the list of legislative priorities in 2022 for Pennsylvania's counties.

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More Pennsylvanians identified as Republicans than Democrats in 2021. That’s according to the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster.

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Are we making progress toward sustainability and mitigating the impact of a changing climate? There's more that can be done but what, and in what time frame? Is there agreement on what has to be done? If not, how can we as a society or even as a planet, come together enough to make the changes necessary to slow down or stop temperatures and sea levels from rising -- just to name two impacts?

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The United Way of Pennsylvania says a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit would go a long way toward helping working families, who are still struggling to afford essentials like food and housing.

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