The Spark

A year-long investigation by journalists with Spotlight PA and The Caucus uncovered an uncomfortable truth behind Pennsylvania campaign finance laws. The truth is that while candidates must keep records of their expenses, they don’t have to offer any spending details unless specifically asked. The implication is that hiding in the law’s ambiguity are questionable financial transactions, according to the reports. The investigation found high-price dinners, … Continue reading "Shining a spotlight on PA campaign spending"

The forest products industry in Pennsylvania is big business, with a state-wide economic impact of $19 billion. Pennsylvania leads the nation as the largest producer of hardwood lumber and as an exporter of wood products. Hardwoods are deciduous trees that have broad leaves and produce a fruit or nut. Types of hardwood trees include oak, … Continue reading "Pennsylvania’s forests; our woods at work"

The statistics are alarming: nearly one in eight U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over her lifetime. This year it is estimated that 268,600 new cases will be diagnosed. For Pennsylvania, the CDC ranks the state 11 out of 50 in breast cancer occurrences.   Although, breast cancer is the most common and one of … Continue reading "Breast Cancer Awareness; are we making progress?"

In early 1992, the government of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia and ethnic tensions in the country rose to a crisis point. Bosnian Serb forces, with the backing of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army, began a campaign to expel all Bosnian Muslims and Croatian civilians, resulting in the murder and disappearance of thousands … Continue reading "Bosnian enclave thrives far from the shadow of genocide"

Bird watchers and scientists are sounding the alarm over the findings of a recently released assessment of North American bird populations. The study was published in the October edition of Science and it details a wide-spread bird population decline over the past 50 years.The bird population has gone from roughly 10 billion to just over … Continue reading "Where have all of the birds gone?"

Halloween is fast approaching and trick-or-treaters will be ringing doorbells for candy. However, due to a rise in food allergies in young children, not all candy is suitable. A food allergy a medical condition in which exposure to a food triggers a harmful and potentially deadly immune response. Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include … Continue reading "Food allergies can be life-threatening"

Recreational marijuana is a hot-button issue in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf recently came out in favor of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. Wolf arrived at this position following Lt. Governor John Fetterman’s 67-county listening tour. As part of the tour, Fetterman participated in town-hall style meetings to gauge the support for legalizing marijuana and found that of those who “voiced their opinions, the majority supported legalization.” Justin Kocis Lt. Gov. John … Continue reading "Recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania – what happens next?"

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of abuse and how to prevent it from happening. More than 1,600 Pennsylvanians have died from domestic violence in the last decade, and last year alone there were 123 victims in Pennsylvania. Sixty-seven percent of those victims were killed by a current … Continue reading "Domestic violence — ending the abuse"

In a matter of weeks, events in Syria have taken a global spotlight. President Trump announced U.S. troop withdrawals from Syria in early October. As U.S. forces began pulling back from positions along the border, Turkey targeted the Kurds in northern Syria — an American ally in the battle against ISIS. The situation on the … Continue reading "Syria, what is happening now?"

This past summer saw an unexpected visitor to the city of Harrisburg. In June, residents were shocked to see a small black bear roaming the city streets. Although, the black bear weighed a mere 100 pounds, small compared to the largest recorded in Pennsylvania that weighed a whopping 733 pounds. While the chances of encountering a black bear are unlikely, they … Continue reading "Myths and misconceptions about black bears"