The Spark

PennDOT is embarking on a long-term project to make major improvements along Interstate 83 in the Harrisburg area. This multi-phase project will have a major impact on motorists in the Capital region for the next several years.

Richard Reisinger, Design Chief of the project, shared an overview about the improvements planned for the I-83 Eisenhower interchange.

“Specific to the Eisenhower interchange, it will be a brand-new interchange constructed. That will include new connections to all the legs for traffic, so it will be connections to Interstate 283, 322 to the Hershey area, the main line of Interstate 83 along with local road connections in that vicinity, “said Reisinger.

According to John Bachman, Project manager, this will be a long-term, multi- phase project.

“Well, I guess we go back to the master plan that was done and started in 2001 and finished in 2003. We have East Shore Section 1, which is union deposit to 81. That's already through design and construction. Right now, we have in final design the Eisenhower interchange and also East Shore Section 3, which is down in the city of Harrisburg, and that piece there is under construction right now. Construction again, as we said, is kind of jump from Section 1 to Section 3. Until we get everything done, it's probably going to be around 2038 up at the Eisenhower, “said Bachman.

Bachman says they are working to keep the interstate flowing during the construction.

“So we're going to maintain the lanes we have out there now. That varies as you drive through the corridor from the Susquehanna River up to the Eisenhower interchange. There will be detours. As people are familiar with the Eisenhower, it is a multi -level interchange with ramps connecting, as Rich noted, between 83, 283, 322, and then you have the local streets”

However, Reisinger, believes these upgrades overall will improve safety and traffic flow once completed.

“Well, anyone who travels the corridor knows. There are several bottleneck areas where traffic queues and has heavy volumes and slows down, so the intention here is to, in basic terms, provide three lanes of travel, three through lanes of travel in each direction. Certain areas, there will be additional auxiliary lanes that will serve as ramp connections, so to make that improvement, to keep the traffic that really wants to flow through the area continuing to flow, not providing or not having those backups and queuing and a lot of lane change potential should help with safety greatly, along with, as we mentioned, that local road connection, so Paxton Street, Union Deposit, trying to clean up some of those connections and make the local road network also more user friendly, “said Reisinger.

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Few theatres in the world bring stories to like quite like Sight & Sound Theatre. Sight and Sound is known for its set, immersive storytelling, and larger than life productions. Glen Brodersen, Senior Technical Director of the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, says there are key differences between the locations in Lancaster, Pa and Branson, Mo.

“So, the Lancaster location is actually our design and build primary locations or our story team. Most of our creatives work out of the Lancaster location. And then we share some of the build with our Branson location. They have a shop as well, and they would help build parts of our shows. But when we actually premiere a brand-new production, it premieres on the Lancaster stage and runs about a year. And then we transfer that show to our Branson location, about 60 tractor trailer trucks to move a show from one location to another. And the stages are almost identical. So, when we design a show for the Lancaster stage, we design it with the Branson stage in mind as well. So, when we tear that show down and put it on the other stage, it actually fits mostly correctly all the time.”

It takes nearly 48 months for Sight & Sound to develop a new show concept to opening night.

“So, two years of that is actually sitting and figuring out all the elements of the show and how they're going to impact the story. And then the other two years of that is actually building the physical sets and costumes and effects for a show. So about four years from when we have our first design meeting to when it actually hits the stage for the first time.”

Listen to the podcast to hear more.

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

Today we are honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s a day to reflect on the lives lost, resilience of survivors, and lessons we must never forget. Dr. Mark Glick is the only living child of Polish Holocaust Survivors.

and

Jennifer N. Sellitti is a lawyer and shipwreck hunter. She is also the author of The Adriatic Affair:  A Maritime Hit-And-Run Off the Coast of Nantucket. The book will be released on February 28. The book tells the story of the collision that sane Le Lyonnais and its aftermath.

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Groundhog Day is this weekend and if Phil does not see his shadow, winter will not end early, and we will have another six weeks of it. Sara Perrault is the managing editor at the Farmer’s Almanac. The Farmer’s Almanac has been around since 1792, and Sara says they’re still using the same formula by their founder Robert B. Thomas.

“His formula was based on three scientific disciplines, which include solar science, which is the study of sunspots and other solar activity, climatology, which is just the study of weather patterns over a certain amount of time, and meteorology, which is the study of the atmosphere. So that's the basis of the formula and of course, it being 2025, we have modern scientific calculations and radar, all this great stuff to add to that already wonderful formula.”

The almanac is located in New Hampshire and is predicting spring to be a bit warmer than usual in the Central Pa region.

“Well, as spring for your area of the country is forecast to be warmer than normal. So that might be good news with above normal precipitation. And we usually say, you know, in the spring, above normal precipitation is a gift because you're starting to garden, and you don't have to worry about rain. So that's what's going to happen in the spring. And then in the summer, it's also going to be warmer than normal. But precipitation is going to be below normal and then some of the hottest periods. So, if you're not enjoying the cold right now, just think about these hot periods that are becoming in early to mid -July and then again from late July into early August.”

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The Lafayette da Marqis Bicentennial commemoration is taking place all throughout the country. However, this weekend, there’s a special event taking place in Harrisburg and York this weekend. According to Elizabeth Zucker, with the Historical Society of Dauphin County, says Lafayette’s visit to Harrisburg was not originally planned.

“He had been invited to come to the U.S., and he met with the governor of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and that was Governor Andrew Schultz. Governor Schultz said to him, this was September 1824, we have this brand-new Capitol in Harrisburg. We just built it four years ago. We'd love to show it to you. And General Lafayette, being the very hospitable, kind, and warm person that he was, said, sure, I'll come to Harrisburg, “said Zucker.

Lafayette kept his word and came to Harrisburg. He even stayed at the Governors mansion.

“At that time, it was a residence that's still intact today, 27 North Front Street. It's now part of the Dauphin County Library System, the Riverfront Library. And we're very excited because we're going to get to revisit that spot, that very spot-on Saturday with the General Lafayette reenactor.”

Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of the American Friends of Lafayette says his visit to the United States 200 years ago was significant.

“I feel is that Lafayette was here when we decided that all people were created equal. And when he came back in 1824, he saw that maybe our country wasn't exactly doing those things, creating people equally. And Lafayette was an abolitionist. He was a feminist, and he was a friend of the Native Americans. And he showed these feelings right open to the American public. And it was very important in 1824 and 1825 to see the last living continental American general do these things, hug African Americans, treat women like intellectual equals that they are. Seek out to have conversations with Native Americans. These were things that Lafayette did in 1824 and 1825, and Americans watched him do it. And we feel it really did help heal the nation a little bit and bring back some more patriotic feelings, “said Schwam.

Here is what is taking place this weekend in Harrisburg and York.

“So we have some what we think are very fun events planned. As I mentioned, we have a wonderful reenactor for playing General Lafayette, who will be in town all weekend, starting with a photo op in front of the state capitol. During General Lafayette's visit 200 years ago, he spent most of his visit with the governor, the governor's administration and the House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Senate. And so we thought it would be very fitting to start this commemoration with a trip back to the capitol. This is a new capitol, the capitol he visited, of course, unfortunately burned down, but we're going to have a photo op. It's open to the public. Come meet General Lafayette, take a picture, post it on social media, bring a very family friendly kind of event at four o 'clock on the state capitol steps right there at State Street and Third Street. That evening, we're going to have what we're calling a bicentennial reception commemorating the Marquis de Lafayette's historic visit to Harrisburg. It will start at six o 'clock at the Dauphin County Library, the McCormick Riverfront Library. This is a chance to mingle with Lafayette himself. We'll also have the reenactor that plays John Harris Jr. on whose land the capitol was built, as we know, and who himself was instrumental in making sure that Harrisburg was the state capitol of Pennsylvania, “said Zucker.

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Our Journalist Roundtable segment for January 24 included WVIA’s Isabela Weiss and WPSU’s Anne Dannehy. Isabela shared her report of a Library Administrator Layoff in Susquehanna County. Anne spoke about her recent report on Trump’s Plan to freeze federal funding & it’s impact on Central PA childcare providers.

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Spiral Path Farms is celebrating the 31st season of its Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA). This farm is also one of two big organic farms in Perry County. Bethany Hinkle has been the CSA manager for two years.

“So, a CSA is a relationship of mutual support and commitment between a local farm and its community. So as a member, you help support the farm for the duration of the growing season. And then the cost of your produce is locked in at the time you join and in return, our family and farm crew do all the work necessary to plant, grow, harvest, wash and deliver your produce.”

CSA offers a medium and full share size for CSA members.

“So, if full shares are getting, say, four pounds of potatoes, mediums might get two pounds of potatoes or in corn season, they might get a dozen years versus six years or a bigger watermelon versus a smaller watermelon. And then aside from size, you can also choose how long you are signing up for.”

The season lasts for about 35 weeks and runs from April to December.

“It’s another one of those things that often sets us apart as a lot of local farms aren't able to quite extend their season that late into the winter or early into the spring. So, it's very seasonal in the spring. We'll have our leafy green. We'll have spinach, arugulas, strawberries, rhubarb. And then in the summer we'll have tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, our melons, our sweet corn. And then we have a third option that summer season is the 20 weeks from June to mid -October. And then we have a third option for people that just want to try us out. It's called our sampler and they can just sign up for one month and see if they like receiving the produce and if they can use the produce and if they want to continue on with the program.”

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Mental health experts say there’s been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD, since the covid pandemic. OCD is an anxiety disorder marked by fear, that if you don’t engage in a particular action, something awful is going to happen.

Dr. Rafat Omar, psychologist with UPMC says we are using the term ‘OCD’ casually.

“It kind of diminishes the severity of the actual disorder because that in and of itself does not mean you have OCD or maybe you're just particular or maybe you have a certain personality style where you can't see, can't stand seeing things out of order.”

The safety measures during the pandemic shutdown contributed greatly to the rise of OCD symptoms, even for those who did not have a history.

“I mean, it's you know, kind of a breeding ground for OCD type thoughts because we have a specific action tied to a really negative outcome that you can't see or predict, right? We couldn't see or predict when we were catching COVID, you know, obviously because it's an airborne illness. So, you know, just the very nature of how it played out and the restrictions we had to take lined up unfortunately really perfectly with OCD type symptoms.”

There are a couple of treatments available for those dealing with OCD symptoms. Therapy and medication could help reduce those symptoms.

“It is an anxiety disorder. So, we're still targeting the actual anxiety level, but if we want really long -standing relief from it, there's a technique called exposure and response prevention. Basically, we're exposing the person to the thing that makes them anxious but not letting them do the compulsion.”

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There’s been reports of a surge in cases of a respirator virus in China that has evoked dark echoes of the start of the covid-19 pandemic almost five years ago. The Chinese cases are reported to be infectious with Human Metapneumoia Virus known to doctors as HMPV. Dr. Richard Jackson, Adjunct Professor of Biology and Chemistry at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology says the virus is similar to a cold.

“HMPV is actually a rather common virus that causes cold symptoms. So, think of the fall, early winter, midwinter and you get a cold. About 10 to 15 % of cases are actually caused by HMPV.”

The symptoms of an HMPV infection are also similar to the common cold.

“Runny nose, cough, tiredness, sore throat, swelling in your throat, sneezing, maybe low-grade fever.”

Dr. Jackson shared a misconception about HMPV.

“I think that one thing we need to realize is China, they did not come from what we would say a verified source was, and so it caused a lot of fear. About two or three weeks after those first reports came out, the World Health Organization came out with a report that said the increase in HMPV in northern China, which is happening this time of year in all the northern climates, was within the expected range. And so just like we were talking about two weeks ago here in the United States, the range was, we had some people that were a little above the average, some areas that were a little below. What happened in China was within the expected range, so it shouldn't have caused fear. And the other thing to remember is that when people hear virus out of China, they immediately think of COVID. And this was completely, this virus is completely different from COVID.”

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For our weekly weather segment, ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso shared an overview about this week’s weather, the chances for early spring, and Groundhog Day. He also shared about a potential unusual pattern he’s been seeing heading into spring.  Listen to the podcast to hear the report.

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