The Spark

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps education has been the aspect of our lives that has been disrupted the most. The end of the 2019-20 school year and the entire 2020-2021 year have been unlike any that schools, teachers and students have ever experienced. In most cases, educators have tried their best to … Continue reading "The impact of learning loss on the horizon as schools set to reopen"

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has been nothing short of a disaster and tragedy for the people of Afghanistan and the United States. America’s longest war ended after 20 years when the Taliban reclaimed what it lost when the U.S. sought to drive the extremists out of power for harboring Al Queda, the terrorist group … Continue reading "The swift collapse of the Afghan government foreshadows a dark future for the country"

Transparency in government is what every taxpayer expects, but there are limits to what they actually get. Recent reporting by SpotlightPA and The Caucus highlighted how difficult it is to uncover how lawmakers spend millions of taxpayer dollars, on perks and on daily business. The investigation called the Hidden Tab illustrates how burdensome and time-consuming … Continue reading "Legislation to track state government spending introduced in state Senate"

One in five people who haven’t returned to work during the ongoing pandemic say it’s because they can’t find affordable, reliable childcare. Women workers have been especially impacted. The effort to create more jobs and improve the nation’s “traditional” infrastructure is playing out in Congress, now, as Democratic lawmakers work to push through the Biden … Continue reading "Economic recovery hinges on women in the workforce but many struggle with childcare"

The number of COVID-19 cases are breaking records in Florida. Hospitalization rates are, as well. In fact, the number of patients hospitalized this month with the Coronavirus has surpassed the numbers from a year ago when there were no vaccines available. Governor Ron DeSantis is doubling down on his position banning mask mandates for schools, … Continue reading "Florida Governor digs in against mask mandates while the state sets infection records"

The COVID-19 virus continues to make headlines and lead newscasts. The Delta variant of the virus is now predominant throughout the country, causing an increase in positive cases and hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. One positive note is that vaccination numbers are starting to inch up, which may help in the long term. Full FDA approval … Continue reading "Is progress lost in the fight against COVID-19?"

The writing is on the wall, so to speak. The advent of electric cars signals the impending end of Pennsylvania’s lucrative gas tax, so coming up with alternatives is crucial to funding future transportation needs. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is tasked with developing options and recently submitted their recommendations to the Governor and … Continue reading "Finding alternatives to the gas tax"

Airdate: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 Artist Rebecca Rutstein is well-known for her large scale public mural Convergence, prominently featured on the AT&T building along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. For her most recent work, Rutstein is taking a “smaller” approach. Her exhibition, titled Socius, at the Science Center presents the culmination of Rutstein’s three month … Continue reading "Philadelphia artist explores the intersection of art, science and technology"

Last week, the York County SPCA announced its Animal Resource Center was holding more than 320 animals waiting to be adopted in a space designed for 240. Did people just stop adopting animals, especially when we heard that more people were adopting pets during the pandemic? The cause of the overcrowding and slow adoption rates … Continue reading "Area animal protection and adoption organizations facing a significant increase in animals"

Conestoga Valley rising senior Casey Kaufhold returned from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this week to a parade and hero’s welcome. She may not have medaled in the games, but that doesn’t diminish the accomplishment of earning a berth at the highest level of competitive archery. The women’s individual archery event was one of five … Continue reading "Local Olympian returns home from Tokyo games"