The Spark

This week's Journalist Roundtable featured LNP Mike Gross and Jason Guarente and ABC 27 Sports Director Allie Berube. They all sat down with Asia Tabb to talk about their local football coverage. Berube, Guarente, and Gross all shared with Asia the importance of covering local sports, and how it builds community. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Crime and Delinquency has released it’s 2023 survey results. The survey, also known as PAYS, has been administered in the state since 1989. It gathers information on student behaviors, attitudes, knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, drug use, and violence for students between the 6th and 12th grades.

According to Mike Pennington, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission of Crime and Delinquency, there have been some positive findings in the results.

“So, 68% of the students report high levels of attachment to their families. 68%, 6,864% report their families, provide opportunities for positive social engagement activities. And a little over 93% of students in all grades reported that their parents know where they are and know who they're with. And about 86% of the kids reported that there are clear family roles and alcohol and drug use about alcohol and drug use.”

The survey also discovered a rise in mental health concerns and bullying.

“Almost 38% of students reported feeling sad or depressed most days, and 37% of seniors reporting that at times, you know, feeling that they don't think they're good at all. You know, about 16% of eighth graders reported self-harming behavior and 32% of kids reported being bullied. And, and also considered seriously considered suicide over the past year. And just some other concerns to note, 56% of kids reported low commitment to school. 64% of students feel, you know, tired and not ready for school frequently at school. And 20% of students worried that food aid would run out before their families could buy more. You know, some of that food and stability and security.”

These results help to put in place resources and organizations to improve the needs of students in schools and in the communities.

“The Shapiro Davis administration has invested heavily in school safety and especially to support behavioral health needs of kids. So, this year, we just in this year's budget, $100 million was approved to support school safety and school security. And a significant portion of that goes for behavioral health support for kids. So, it gives schools the flexibility to implement the programs that are needed at the local level. So, we're providing resources to help them implement the programs that they need based on what they're seeing at the school level. So we're making a tremendous investment. So, some of that is to continue existing programs and some of that is to implement new programs based on, I think what they're seeing locally as what's needed most to support their students.”

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Amtrak’s Keystone Service takes passengers between Harrisburg and New York, with stops including Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Trenton, NJ. The project to replace the track between Harrisburg and Lancaster began in March.

Ray Lang is the Amtrak Vice President of State Supported Services says it’s an important project to upgrade and modernize the Keystone line.

“It's $122 million capital project. So, it's big and it's replacing the ties, the ballast and the rail, and it's at its own pace. And we're looking forward to completing this project.”

The Project is expected to be completed in November. Lang credits the project being completed in time due to working on the project during the day.

“It's a very innovative project the way that we're doing the work, because historically you tend to tend to do this kind of track replacement projects at night, during the evening, and then do so by putting up these large light posts, these lamp trucks, basically that light up the railroad so that the employees can work. We're doing this largely during daylight hours and primarily because the topography of the land there is very hilly, very narrow in some places, and right away is very narrow. And so, it's very difficult to put those light posts up and light up the railroad. And so, it makes it's easier to do this during the daytime. But what we have really done is we shut down one of the two tracks on that line during the daytime and are doing that work and limiting the number of trains that go through there while the employees are actually on the railroad relaying ties and ballast. And that has meant that we've had to truncate some of the services so that not all of the trains during the daylight hours go between Philly, Lancaster and Harrisburg. Most of them are largely the midday trains are largely Philadelphia just to Lancaster with bus bridges providing a link between the Lancaster Station and Harrisburg. And for those, passengers need to travel all the way through.”

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The Cumberland County Vector Control Office is working to prevent the spread of the West Nile Virus. Marcus Synder, Public Health Specialist with the Cumberland County Vector says his team is proactive in combating the spread of the virus.

“We set data collection traps weekly throughout the county to collect and test mosquito populations for West Nile virus. Whatever we collect, we send to the state of Pennsylvania to the Department of Protection of Environmental Protection, and they test it. They give us back the results. And then based on that, determines how we move forward with specifically adult treatments. Another thing that we try to do is incorporate treating or eliminating any standing water throughout the county. So, there's not an opportunity for those adults to materialize throughout the county.”

The West Nile Virus is asymptomatic according to Synder.

“I believe it's 2% have neuroinvasive, meaning encephalitis within the brain. So, it can be very dangerous if you have that that form of West Nile. And then the other cases where they're not asymptomatic, they're not invasive, it presents its flu symptoms. So, it can be very dangerous. So that's why we try to kind of curb it where we can. So, if we know it's president of population, we're not getting to that point where people are getting sick by it. We're keeping it in the mosquito population.”

Many people struggle to correctly identify mosquitoes. Synder says mosquitos are typically smaller.

“a lot of the times they're going to be smaller. So, the bigger ones that you see that people think of, I heard them called things like hawk mosquitoes. And people will think that they're male mosquitoes. Those are actually crane flies. And they actually are pollinators. They don't bite humans. They don't bite anything, actually. They feed on flowers. So, the mosquitoes are going to be smaller and it's going to have a thing called a proboscis, which is kind of like its nose. That's what it drinks the blood with. So that's what you want to look for when you're looking at a bug. It's going to be definitely smaller in size, but you want to look for that proboscis to see if it has the ability to bite anything. That's what differentiates a mosquito from other insects.”

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According to Tomaso, the the ground has been very dry and will benefit from rainfall.

"So oftentimes when we get into a dry weather pattern, sometimes it can kind of build on itself. And what I mean by that is, you know, a lot of our humidity in the summertime can come from evaporation and can come from the soil holding water. And when you start to eliminate some of that wetness in the ground, you end up with drier air. And then the dry air continues to build and it helps prevent rainfall. So Saturday was very, very dry leading into that front that came through, didn't really produce much rain. Most places under a quarter inch. And so it really did nothing to the ground water at this point. If you've noticed, if you've spent any time in your yard or garden, things are drying up pretty quickly. And this is similar to how we were kind of leading into Debby before Debby did give us a few inches of rain. But outside of Debby, it's been extremely dry and so much so I have some numbers to pass along. "

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On this day 23 years ago, the worst terrorist attack on American soil unfolded. Two highjacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, One hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the fourth United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Somerset County Pennsylvania.

The field is now the site of Flight 93 National Memorial. At 9:28 a.m. on September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was heading from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco. Four men in firs stormed the cockpit and hijacked the plane.

“What happens afterwards, of course, we only know of because of the phone calls that are made aboard Flight 93. And in the next 20 minutes, 13 people aboard Flight 93 are going to make a total of 37 phone calls. And that's going to tell us what was going on aboard the plane. But more importantly, it's going to tell what was going on the ground to the crew and passengers, “said Katie Hostetler, Public Information Officer for the National Park Service.

A lot of the calls were made from an airphone that was in the back of the airplane where the crew had been pushed. Only two calls were made from cell phones. As the members on the plane made phone calls to their loved ones, they learned what happened at the twin towers and the pentagon.

“And then we know that they've taken a vote for Flight 93 because they mentioned that in their phone calls to their loved one. And they decided that they're going to try to get into the cockpit door. There's about six folks. And in a similar way, we're getting ready to do it. It's happening. Everyone's running to first class. And there's two phone calls that are not hung up. They leave the phone on the seat intending to come back to their loved ones and let them know what they've accomplished aboard that airplane.”

The passengers made a heroic attempt to reclaim the plane. During the struggle, the plane lost control and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pa. Everyone on board were killed, however through the passenger’s bravery, the prevented the hijackers from reaching their target.

“The people aboard Flight 93 were just regular people. They were going to visit friends or go to a birthday party or travel and see national parks. And they're all traveling for very different reasons. And they find themselves in this extraordinary circumstance. And they didn't have to do anything. But through the phone calls that they make, they learn about what's going on. And they chose to do something. And that's the power I kind of really hope the next generation takes with us. And then also that, you know, just telling someone this story makes a difference, too. If you tell one person about what this incredible story does and means to a lot of other people, it continues that word-of-mouth association as well.”

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The Franklin County Visitors Bureau held a world premiere of “Fedelta. Solider. Prisoner” at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Chambersburg. It is a documentary of the Italian Prisoners of War that were kept at the Letterkenny Army Depot during World War II. The documentary was created by Stephen Mancini.

“Steve Mancini Productions did a fantastic job shining a spotlight on such a special piece of World War two history. And to have the families bring to life the impact that the experience of being here at Letterkenny Army Depot during World War Two had on their family members. And we look every day we drive by the Letterkenny Chapel. And that's an artifact of that history that forever will make it part of Franklin County and then connect us to those families in Italy. And that was the documentary that just drove that whole, “said Janet Pollard, Executive Director of the Franklin County Visitors Burau.

During the Second World War, the depot was about 20,000 acres of farmland. After the attack on Pearl Habor, the government decided to construct an army facility. About 50,000 Italian POW’s came to America. 150 of the 50,000 ended up at the Letterkenny Army Depot.

“They came here as with at that point in the war, the Italy had which size and become an allied supporter. So those folks that were captured had the opportunity to become cooperators. And most of them, maybe 85% of them of the 50,000 did, they became the Italian service units. So, we had 150 soldiers at the depot. “And as I said, they worked alongside the civilians,” said Dave Sciamanna, Board member of the Historic Letterkenny Chapel.

The POW’s built the Letterkenny Chapel. According to Pollard, it was built out of sorrow.

They didn't know what was happening to their families in the same way that they really wanted to in their hearts. And out of that, they took their well, their desire to do something there, their fear, I think, with feelings of homesickness and sorrow. And they put that into building the Letterkenny Chapel, “said Pollard.

The Franklin County Visitors Bureau is showcasing the Letterkenny Italian POW story in the lobby of the 11/30 Visitors Center. The exhibit will be open from Sept 6 and will be available to the public until November 11.

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The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO is one of the largest labor unions in the state with about 51 affiliates, and 700,000 members. Angela Ferritto is the President of the organization and says there’s unions from almost every sector involved.

“We have public sector unions, private sector unions, manufacturing unions. We have building trades unions. We have nursing unions. We have unions that represent workers from airports to hospitals to teachers to clerical workers in the state offices to the construction workers on the side of the road, construction workers erecting buildings, service workers who are fixing age systems. And so, it really spans all sectors and all different professions we represent.”

Ferritto is also the first female president at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. Since women make up 50 percent of the workforce, Ferritto believes its important for more women to get involved with the labor movement.

“I think that, you know, the importance of it is that women can lend a different voice. We bring a different perspective to the table. We think about things a little bit differently. And so it's really a chance for our voices to be at the forefront and a chance for us to, you know, be, I guess. Role models on models too. To show to show girls and to show, you know, young adults like this is this is what you have the potential to become, and women can do and become anything that a man can.”

Ferritto says Pennsylvania membership is up when it comes to labor unions and offers advice for workers that would like to be represented by a union.

“I think that a lot of workers would be surprised to see how unions, how unions function in the workplace really by becoming a voice, but also by building out that relationship. It gives management a chance to hear the workers’ issues and the workers’ needs and therefore make changes to create a better workplace. And everyone knows that happier workers make for better business and better industry. So, I would say embrace it and, you know, maybe even consider being neutral in it.”

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House Resolution 87 passed with bipartisan support in Spring 2023. It would implement the use of wildlife corridors to keep people and animals safe from collisions. According to Sally Ann Sims, Co-founder and member of the Pennsylvania Habitat Connectivity, the legislation would help to support the state’s wildlife.

“So, all wildlife and we're including mammals that you see the, the rabbits, the raccoons, the deer, the bobcat, and also aquatic animals like, fish and mussels and the hellbender that's now our state amphibian, to move around. So, we're already the, the state, natural resource agencies are already working, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Game Commission and the Fishing Boat Commission in particular, are working to help, make habitat better for these, for these animals. And so, the corridors that the corridors that, that, that they move through are, areas that help them get food, may reproduce, respond to different changes in their environment so they can they can thrive, their populations can thrive. So, the corridors may not be a physical thing. It may be it may be a road crossing. It may be a big culvert that allows fish to go through. It may be just, one parcel of land between two state parks where animals are able to pass through.”

Pennsylvania Habitat Connectivity was established in 2019 to advance wildlife corridors in Pennsylvania. Members of the organization realized there was a lot of activity done in other states, but not so much in Pennsylvania.

“So, there are several natural resource agencies in the state that already their work already overlaps with, with maintaining corridors, building corridors, encouraging wildlife movement. And we wanted to see if we could help in some way to get them to organize and prioritize wildlife borders around the state so that more work could be done in that area. And we could help with habitat connectivity in the state and throughout the region, because Pennsylvania is a really key state in terms of species moving north for climate change and back and forth with several different states to help them maintain healthy populations.”

The wildlife corridors would also slow down the spread of diseases among the animals.

“So, without the corridors, there's a there's the primary the primary, stressors that they're facing now are development for housing and commercial development. So if a subdivision goes in and there's, say, foxes and different animals in that area, they need to be able to move to another area where they can get the resources that they need. Invasive species are moving, into Pennsylvania. We've we've noticed the, the lanternfly in particular. But there's diseases and there's species that are moving in that animals can use that ability to move to, to help regulate that. Like if, if there's a disease among certain mammals, they can move and spread out more. They can move from areas away from where it's concentrated. So mostly there's there's development, there's pollution, there's invasive species, and there's climate change. Those are most of the big stressors that animals that have to seek migration and corridor pathways are dealing with.”

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

Asia Tabb Speaks with Dave Wagner, the Red PA State Coordinator and Gabbi Timmins, The National Coordinator for the American Hope Project.

She also speaks with PA reporter Carter Walker and Editor and Chief Chad Lorenz of Votebeat about their reporting on election and voting related issues.

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