The Spark

From the rich scent of homemade vanilla ice cream to the creak of wooden barn doors, farm life runs deep for Brittany Snyder and Charlene Espenshade—two Pennsylvania women working to make agriculture education more accessible for the next generation.

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With thousands of dams scattered across its waterways, Pennsylvania has a complicated relationship with its aquatic infrastructure. But a growing number of those dams—especially small, aging, and obsolete ones—are being taken down. And for good reason.

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As more women seek answers about the physical and emotional changes that come with aging, UPMC Nurse Practitioner Melissa Laidacker is helping lead the conversation through a new podcast series dedicated to menopause and perimenopause.

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Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly.

David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

also, on the program.

More than a decade after the loss of 19-year-old Peyton Walker to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the foundation created in her name is saving lives across Pennsylvania and beyond.

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David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

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As Americans get ready to celebrate Independence Day, the bald eagle—a powerful symbol of freedom and the nation itself—continues to be a soaring success story in Pennsylvania. Once nearly wiped out due to pesticide use, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback across the Commonwealth.

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In the heart of downtown Lancaster, a new museum is preparing to open its doors — one that highlights a powerful, and often overlooked, chapter of American history. The Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy is set to open next spring, led by LancasterHistory, the organization behind the museum's development.

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As temperatures soar and heatwaves become more common in Pennsylvania, health experts are urging people to understand the dangers of extreme heat — and how to protect themselves and others.

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Mount Gretna may be a small Pennsylvania town, but it’s home to something historically unique: the only remaining Chautauqua in the state. For more than 130 years, the Mount Gretna Chautauqua has championed the same four foundational pillars—arts and culture, education, religion, and recreation—that began with the movement’s founding in 1874.

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More than a decade after the loss of 19-year-old Peyton Walker to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the foundation created in her name is saving lives across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.