The Spark

Alexandra Hardy, a Licensed and Registered Dietary Nutritionist with Pennsylvania Nutrition Services, and Stacey Woodson, a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, entrepreneur, and author on nutrition and wellness talk about the differences between processed and ultra-processed foods and how to establish healthy and sustainable eating habits.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Craig Chapman shares the inspiration behind his book The Resurrected Pirate which details the extraordinary life of George Lowther. Once a pirate captain who trolled the Caribbean and North Atlantic for two years, Lowther was thought to have committed suicide while marooned in 1723. However, sixteen years later he emerged from obscurity to earn a pardon from the king and commission in the Royal Navy during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a time of increasing polarization, religious leaders and scholars are coming together to address one of the most pressing and complex issues in modern faith: Christian nationalism. This movement, which intertwines national identity with religious belief, has sparked deep conversations about the role of faith in public life and the risks of conflating Christianity with political power.

A discussion took place earlier this month in Gettysburg, “Hope in a Divided World: A Faithful Response to Christian Nationalism. Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Dr. Lori Brandt Hale, Amanda Tyler, and Rev. Erin Jones joined the spark to share the impact of Christian nationalism and how people of faith can respond with hope and justice.

Listen to the podcast to learn what is Christian nationalism and why it is a concern, how it differs from a health expression of faith in public life, the historical context of religion and nationalism, including lessons from Bonhoeffer, the impact of religious freedom and democracy, and how faith communities can respond with hope, action, and advocacy.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 3 was World Wildlife Day, a day to celebrate and raise awareness about plants and animals that also share our planet. Conservation isn't just for one day. It's something that we all can take part in every day. Quinn Heist, Environmental Education Specialist with the Bureau of State Parks shared the importance of conservation.

Quinn: Yeah, so World Wildlife Day was created on the anniversary of the passing of CITES, which is the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species. So, it was a day that was created after that to kind of, you know, mark the importance of wildlife and, you know, the flora and fauna that we share the planet with and, to talk about the importance of conserving them.

Asia: So, Quinn, like we said, conservation it's important and it should matter to every person. How does it impact our daily lives?

Quinn:  It's important not only because plants and animals have intrinsic value, they deserve to be here just because we share the planet with them and they have just as much right to the planet as we do, but also ecological value. They provide ecological services to us. Can you imagine how hard it would be for farmers to pollinate all of their plants if they didn't have bees to pollinate them for them? Do you know, trees provide runoff assistance? So, when it rains, it doesn't take all of our soil, and you know into the rivers you know we have our roots from our trees that you know slowdown that water and provide you know storm mitigation which is really important. Conservation is just something that we need to do to maintain our planet and to you know make sure it's okay for the future.

Asia: They need us as much as we need them. Pennsylvania has a rich variety of plants and animals. What are some of the unique species that people may not realize that's here in our state?

Quinn: The wildlife of Pennsylvania is great, and its wildlife is so cool and I'm so into it because it changes seasonally, right? Right now, it's the spring, so we have Woodcock that are doing their sky dances, so you can go out and see their mating rituals where the male Woodcock, you know, tries to attract a mate. We have vernal pools, so all of the amphibians are, you know, making their down there to give birth, to lay eggs. For the future of amphibian kind. We have so many awesome things, a variety of mammal species, you know, bobcats are super awesome, black bears, so many things that are out there to explore if you just get out into nature, state parks, or even just your backyard, right? There's some awesome wildlife, even in urban environments, opossums and raccoons and fun things running around to see and to experience.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Grann, New York Times bestselling author is back with another book, The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder. For March 17, The Spark brought an exclusive conversation between Grann and WITF alum and current NPR’s Scott Detrow about this epic true story that has captivated readers everywhere. During this discussion, you’ll hear how Grann approached research, the narrative, and the questions at the heat of the wager.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of The Spark Weekly;

Logan Gehman and Dan Nephin of LNP/Lancaster Online will discuss last Sunday’s crash of a small plane shortly after takeoff from Lancaster Airport which injured 5.

also, on the program.

The weather has been warming up and spring is getting closer. Planting a tree improperly, especially burying the root flare too dee or planting in a hole that’s too small, can lead to the tree’s death or stunted growth. Erica Jo Shaffer shared a breakdown of the common pitfalls to avoid when planting a tree.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Upper Allen Township is celebrating 175 years in 2025. Tim Wendling, Assistant Township Manager, joined The Spark to share more about this milestone.

What is the history of the Upper Allen Township and how it came to be?

"So back in 1766, Allen Township was formed from East Pennsboro. And then that encompassed what is currently Monroe Township, Upper Allen Township, and Lower Allen Township. And then in 1825, Monroe Township separated and became its own. Then in 1850, the remaining land was split between Upper and Lower Allen Township. So, 1850 is really the founding date of Upper Allen Township. Now we're up to about 24 ,000 residents. And we're just really excited about celebrating this 175th anniversary with the whole."

How has the township changed over the years?

" So early farming was a huge thing here in Upper Allen Township. Since then, throughout the 1800s- early 1900s, there were some whiskey distilleries. They were trading whiskey through Baltimore and down through Philadelphia for groceries, hardware, dry goods, things like that. But since then, Upper Allen Township has really become a balance of residential, commercial, and industrial development, along with some farmland. So, we're trying to preserve that farmland, while still accommodating all of the residents that want to live here. We're one of the fastest growing areas in the state."

Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ideas of March is March 15, a day in the Roman calendar that became infamous for the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Jacob Sider Jost, Associate Professor of English at Dickinson College, joined The Spark to share more about the Ides of March.

Where did the phrase, beware the Ides of March, where did that come from?

 "Beware the Ides of March is a line from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar… And so, Shakespeare wrote, he wasn't the first to write a tragedy on this topic, but he wrote a tragedy about the assassination of Julius Caesar, and it's really two tragedies because it's the story of Caesar and his death, and then the sort of greatest conspirator Brutus, and then he dies at the end of the play."

 What was the reasons behind the plot to kill him?

"Rome had for the couple of centuries up to the life of Caesar had been a Republic, and it had a Senate, and it had some things that sound a bit like modern American democracy, but it was basically an oligarchy, a powerful elite of inherited senators sort of dominated Roman political life. But it was unstable. There were power struggles through the first century BCE where individuals tried to sort of take full power in Rome. And when Julius Caesar came back to Rome in that fifth decade BCE, he had just defeated Pompey, who was another sort of general fighter. And it looked to the conspirators that Caesar was going to take over, become a single ruler just in himself, become an emperor, and abolish the republic. Now, in the end, that's what happened. His grandnephew Augustus Caesar took over, became emperor, and the Roman Empire went for hundreds of years after that. But that's what the conspirators were trying to prevent. They were trying to keep Rome a republic."

 Why do you think Julius Caesar’s assassination still captures people’s imaginations hundreds of years later?

"It's been performed on multiple stages in multiple countries and has been with us for almost, you know, over 400 years. And so, the language of Shakespeare and the power of the story keep people coming back to Julius Caesar in the Ides of March."

Listen to the podcast to hear the entire interview.  

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our journalist roundtable for March 15, we sat down with Logan Gehman and Dan Nephin of LNP/LancasterOnline to discuss the small plane crash that occurred last Sunday shortly after takeoff from the Lancaster Airport. The crash, which left five people injured, has raised questions about flight safety, emergency response, and what comes next for the investigation.

During our conversation, Gehman and Nephin shared insights into the details of the crash, the condition of those on board, and the response from local authorities. They also provided updates on what we know so far about the aircraft involved, possible causes, and what aviation experts are saying about the incident.

Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting May 7 all U.S. flyers will need a real ID to get through security and federal buildings. Aimee Inama, PennDOT’s spokesperson joined The Spark to share what we need to know before the deadline.

Asia: Okay, so let's start with the basics. What exactly is the real ID and why was it introduced?

Aimee: A real ID is a federally acceptable photo ID or driver's license. And it's a convenient way for people to use to fly domestically, enter certain federal buildings that require a federally acceptable ID or military bases. The federal government set a deadline of May 7th for the enforcement of the of the Real ID Act. and it is a federal act. So in Pennsylvania, real ID is optional. And what that means is Pennsylvanians can choose whether or not they want to get a real ID. So they can say, I'm gonna get the real ID and they'll be set. Or they need to have another form of federally acceptable ID, such as a passport on or after May 7th to do, to fly domestically enter certain federal facilities, as well as military bases.

Asia: What are the key differences between a standard Pennsylvania driver's license and Real ID?

Aimee: You do have to do this anyway for a regular driver's license as well. You have to show certain documentation. But for a real idea, you need to show proof of identity, which is in the form of a birth certificate or a valid passport. You have to show proof of social security number, which could your social security card or a W -2. And the key is that proof of social security number has to show all nine digits. You do have to show two proofs of Pennsylvania residency. So that could be a driver's license, a vehicle registration, utility bill, something like that. And you also need to show proof of legal name change if you had one. And all of those documents are on our website so people can see the list of the acceptable documents that we take.

Asia: Who needs to get a real ID and is it mandatory for all Pennsylvanians?

Aimee: In Pennsylvania, it's optional, so that means you Pennsylvanians can choose whether or not they want to get a real ID. So, we have a little quiz on our website, so people should go to that quiz, take it, and that will determine whether or not a real ID is right for them. So, and like I had mentioned before, a real ID is needed in order to... It's a convenient way for people to fly domestically, enter certain federal buildings that require a federally acceptable ID. or inter -military bases. So, and like I said, in Pennsylvania, it's optional. So that means if you don't want a real ID, you just need another federally acceptable ID, which is a passport. So, if you don't have a real ID and you wanna fly domestically and you have a passport.

Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.