As vacation season heats up, safety officials are reminding Pennsylvanians to travel smart, buckle up, and never drive impaired — especially with increased traffic expected around the July 4th holiday.

In a recent conversation on The Spark, Kelly Whitaker with the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) outlined critical safety tips and state efforts to reduce crashes this summer.

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As Congress considers what could be the most significant Medicaid cuts in U.S. history, experts are sounding the alarm about the far-reaching consequences—especially for small businesses and rural communities.

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The Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (LSRA) has sounded an alarm for outdoor enthusiasts this summer: several locations along the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg are currently unsafe for recreational activities like swimming, kayaking, and fishing due to dangerously high levels of E. coli and other bacteria.

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As conversations around mental health and social media continue to intensify, one expert says there’s growing evidence that screen time—especially among teens—is doing real harm. On The Spark, WITF’s Asia Tabb spoke with Dr. Yann Poncin, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, about what research is revealing and how families can respond.

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The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is celebrating a major milestone — 25 years of engaging the Central Pennsylvania community with its unique blend of science, art, and education. We spoke with President and CEO Mary Oliveira, who reflected on the center’s legacy and shared how it’s planning for the future.

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Journalists have long risked their safety to report the news — but in today's political and digital climate, that danger is only growing. Whether on the frontlines of protests or facing online harassment, reporters are increasingly “in the line of fire” in more ways than one.

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For children affected by parental incarceration, the trauma can be deep, isolating, and difficult to express. But in Lancaster, a unique nonprofit is helping those children find their voice — through music.

Scaling Walls a Note at a Time (SWAN) was founded in 2011 by violinist and educator Diana Vuolo to serve children impacted by the incarceration of a parent. The organization offers free music instruction, performance opportunities, Bible and trauma management classes, and immediate access to mental health care — all under one roof.

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When Stella Boheme received the first physical copy of her debut book, Read Like a Queen, she was overcome with emotion.

“Oh my gosh… the word that just comes to mind for me is surreal,” she said in an interview on The Spark. “It went from an idea that I had to start writing and every step of the way it just felt like, am I really doing this? And when I finally got the physical advanced copy, it finally hit me that yeah, this is happening.”

Coming out this September, Read Like a Queen is a bold reimagining of the traditional tarot guide, wrapped in the sparkle, empowerment, and self-discovery that defines Boheme's unique life as both a seasoned tarot reader and a dynamic drag performer.

Also, on the program

As Central Pennsylvania faces one of its soggiest seasons on record, gardeners are feeling the effects—and wondering how to keep their plants thriving. On a recent segment of The Spark, WITF’s resident gardening expert Erica Jo returned to share timely tips and tricks for navigating rain-soaked soil, fungal threats, invasive pests, and more.

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On this week’s edition of Journalist Roundtable, the focus turned to a deeply troubling and emotionally charged case that’s raised pressing questions about youth violence, accountability, and the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania.

A 15-year-old York County teen was recently convicted of third-degree murder in the shooting death of a 12-year-old, a case that has shaken the local community and drawn wide attention. Joining the discussion were Jonathan Bergueller of PennLive and Aimee Ambrose of the York Dispatch, two journalists who have been following the story closely.

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What began as a childhood curiosity led to a lifelong career for Season Daugherty, a cheerleader-turned-executive who’s been part of the competitive cheer world for decades. She now works with Varsity Spirit, one of the largest cheerleading organizations in the country. In a recent interview, Daugherty took us behind the scenes of All-Star Cheerleading—a fast-paced, high-stakes sport that’s often misunderstood.

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