The Spark

There has been a drastic change in weather over the week as students returned back to school. ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso says Hurricane Debbie has changed the weather pattern. While the hurricane is long gone, it essentially disrupted our summer weather pattern to the point that we had somewhat of a cooler weekend temperature wise this past weekend.

We had this deep dive of a broad area of low pressure that brought in some humidity from south, but also showers and thunderstorms. And for some folks, on Sunday of this past week we had some pretty strong thunderstorms, some heavy rain, especially in parts of eastern New York, western Lancaster County that all set the stage for more cooler air to follow. So oftentimes there's several steps to get where we are. And so, once that trough of low-pressure kind of dug in, it allowed cold air to drain southward from Canada. And I don't think anyone's going to totally complain, because this is kind of a taste of what we expect toward the end of September and October, but high temperatures, low to mid 70s. I was looking here this morning. We had 50s to our north and northwest. There could be some 40s and upper 30s that night leading into the next couple of mornings, especially if you're in a sheltered valley location. The air is very dry, but it's also very cool. So overnight, that leads to some chillier conditions leading into the next day. But unfortunately, if you're looking for rain, which we're doing fairly well in that department now, we may not get rain for another week. So, it is very, very quiet and very, very pleasant, which again, I don't think anyone's going to complain about.”

Tomaso predicts the wind will shift by the weekend, which will take us into summerlike weather.

“I expect by Saturday and Sunday will be in the middle to upper 80s and even early next week. So, the first day of school may be pretty hot. For those trying to plan all those new outfits that have been purchased. I think highs near 90 are possible next Monday and possibly into next Tuesday, and then rain chances may pick up Tuesday into Wednesday next week, but that's pretty uncertain at this point. And I guess the bigger story right now is this is moving into the peak of hurricane season. Ernest, though, went out to sea away from us again, leading to all this nice weather locally, but there's nothing really on the horizon for big rain chances from anything tropical.”

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Franco Ordoñez is a White House Correspondent for NPR’s Washington Desk. In the past, he’s reported on foreign policy, and immigration, and has been a correspondent in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Haiti. Ordoñez joined the Spark to speak with host Asia Tabb about his work as a correspondent, and his experience covering the 2024 Presidential election.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the 2024 Sports & Fitness Industry Association Topline Participation report, Pickleball grew in 2023 to 13.6 million players in the United States. Brandon Workotter the Owner of the Central Pa Pro Pickleball League says the sport grew since the pandemic.

“It's on a much smaller court, so you're getting a little bit more of a workout than ping pong, but it's not quite as challenging, etc. so it's really inviting to a lot of older people, as well as the younger crowd who is coming from other sport that has a competitive background, and if it can really be a lot of fun and. Believe it or not, it is a good workout. I recommend people get out there and try it.”

Workotter has been playing pickleball since 2019. Over the years, he found a new passion out of the sport and became a professional pickleball player.

“Two different groups of professionals, so to speak. And often they overlap. You can be a teaching professional and get certified to coach or teach the sport. Or you can play professional tournament. There's a few different leagues now. And if you're good enough to get into this tournament, you can play and travel the country and really get on tour and play some of those tournaments. I've had the opportunity to play a couple, but I mainly pitch here in Pennsylvania Bank Creek Country Club, and I kind of do that as a career.”

The sport grew during the pandemic as people were looking to get some physical activity and fresh fair. The social aspect of the sport is attractive to people of all ages. That led Workotter to create the Central Pennsylvania Pro Pickleball League.

“My goal behind the league was to bring together the top players in the area and help them build brand awareness and get their name out there. A lot of these players either play high level tournaments, some play professional tournament, a lot of them are teaching professionals like me, who teach pickleball lessons and clinics all over central PA. And my other, you know, my other goals or reasons behind this league was to help support local businesses. So, a lot of local businesses are involved in sponsoring this league. And, you know, my goal is to help build a healthy relationship and hope that they can grow a business. And, you know, in return they're supporting a good cause. And, you know, lastly, my goal is to get the community. I apologize. Yeah. So, my last my last kind of gold behind the legal to grow the community in our area. And I wanted to bring the community together and get players out there too not only. Watch and have yet to learn from these players but come on out with their friends and family and provide a nice social atmosphere that's inviting to everyone.”

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Setas Mushrooms was established in January 2020 growing hundreds of mushrooms. Max Justice, CEO of Setas Mushrooms has found a way to create a final resting place made from mushrooms.

“I use fungus to grow alternatives. And in fact, I've been able to grow alternatives to concrete, plastic insulation as well as coffins and urns. Now, my installation, that's a whole different, topical, different industry. But let's just say that it's made from the exact same thing, the exact same process. There is no difference between my installation and my coffins. The only difference is the mold, the shape in which I grow it. So, I grow a sheet of insulation the same way I would a coffin. And I simply take some of our substrate and our substrate.”

Setas Eternal Living was born out of Justice losing so many loved ones. He wanted to create a more heartfelt meaning to the afterlife.

 “I know that our coffins are designed to biodegrade the body of a human in under three years. And I'm halfway through the real world, demonstration of a full-sized pet, a large pet that, being fully, decomposed in less than two years. I just had a chicken that, unfortunately, I lost about a year ago that we exhumed last week. Or maybe it's two weeks ago now, and all I found after a year was two thigh bones and, a few skeletal bones, and that was it.”

Justice explains how biodegradable coffins are made. He says his method was inspired by a company Loop in the Netherlands.

 “So they're grown and, a form factor. And I have created a, a mold. But I've learned a lot from the first couple of designs to where we now have a multi-part mold. Mold that we will. We bring together, and we're still working on how we bring that together. Right now, we screw a couple pieces together. We've tried, doing, bands, and we're still in the middle of refining our process. But what we have is a is a good process that helps us grow mold. Exhuming grows coffins. Now, how we grow coffins, we take that fungal, mass, in this case with this Ricci or oysters, and we colonize that into our substrate and are some straight being hemp or our hemp and, cornstalk mix. And we also throw in a little bit of flour a little bit, gypsum or actually drywall. So, any time that we recycle drywall, or we have leftover pieces of drywall, we use that to get to our fungus to grow either fresh gourmet mushrooms, our medicinal mushrooms, or our coffins. They're great. Part of that process.”

According to Justice, embalming is not necessary for the biodegradable coffins.

“In fact, it's recommended that you don't. Because really, once you embalm somebody, you're putting chemicals into a person, and then those chemicals are leached into the ground. So, from an environmental purpose, we want to be as natural as possible. Going back to the Earth, naturally.”

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the Pennsylvania Tree Growers Association, Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for the number of Christmas tree farms. There are more than 1,400 Christmas trees in Pennsylvania.

The winter holidays are months away, but for the tree farmers, it’s a year long process. Gerrit Strathmeyer Jr, President of the PA Christmas Tree Association says tree farms are a large investment.

“So, from when we plant a tree in the field, when it is, four years old from seed, it takes another 6 to 8 years to get up to 6 to 8ft for when you, put it in your household.”

There is also a lot of future planning when it comes to planting a Christmas tree farm. Farmers must plan 6-8 years in advance when planting trees.

“You kind of look at it as a 9-to-10-year crop rotation. So, you're trying to, portion off, per se, your acreage, your available acreage to plant on, over a ten year span and figure out. So, say you have 100 acres to plant on you at max. You have ten acres to use each year, because by the time you get to that end of the cycle, you're back to the first starting spot. Yeah. The long, long planning process that that it goes. It takes a while, but then it's over before you know it.”

On average, it takes nearly a year for a Christmas tree to grow a foot. That’s why the larger trees are typically more expensive than the petite ones.

“So, each year you're putting in your mowing, your spray, your shearing costs into it. Plus, the chemicals or whatever else equipment costs go into it. So yeah, it's that cumulative ten-year buildup of class.”

Climate change has a huge impact on the Christmas tree farms. Strathmeyer says Pennsylvania has an advantage experiencing all four seasons yearly.

 “It does help plants and trees in this case to go dormant during winter. And not always just be in the heat in the thick of the weather. So that that is a good thing. So, Pennsylvania, location wise, it's been an ideal, growing area. Yeah. For all the seasons to help to contribute with your April quote unquote, April showers, where you get a little bit heavier rainfall those months, and warm up during the warmer months of May and June help push the new growth out. Now, you don't obviously want the dry without rain. You always want some sort of rain off night. But, yeah, I think, Pennsylvania's located in a good spot to shoot for Christmas trees, specifically to, to grow and grow well.”

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pennsylvania School Bus Association is made up of the independent school contractors that transport students every to and from school across Pennsylvania. Gerry Wosewick, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association says there are laws that motorist need to be aware of while buses are back on the roads.

"The most important thing to remember, is that, it is illegal to pass a school bus, when they have either their amber or their yellow lights, engaged or their red lights, flashing and the stop arm activated."

According to Wosewick, between 2000-2022 there were 55 students that died as a result of illegal passing of a school bus. Act 19 in 2023 reinsititued those laws that you cannot legally pass a school bus.

"That's 55 lives that did not need to, that that were lost needlessly, senselessly. And it's absolutely tragic. So when you're approaching a school bus and if you see, you know, their yellow lights and get their amber lights engaged, that indicates you got to start slowing down. If their red lights are engaged, you got to stop. You must stop within ten feet, of a school bus. If they've got their red lights flashing the stop arm engaged. And, when you're at an intersection, you also have to stop."

There is also a hefty fine involved if a person illegally passes a school bus, and a fine increase if you are a repeat offender.

"The most important thing that I always tell drivers, in the event that they are approaching a school bus with their lights that are, either amber or red, or if you just have any questions, you're not sure of whether or not you should stop. Just stop. You know, these are you. We have to remember that there are kids that are going to be passing. There's going to be parents. You don't know if it's a special needs student. You don't know what the situations are. So if you ever are curious about whether you should stop and you're in that situation, it's just best to stop."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming Up on This Week's Edition of The Spark Weekly:

We speak with Richard McGarvey with the PA Gaming Control Board about sports betting.

We also speak with Dr. Carrie Sipes from Shippensburg University and Jeff Ritchie from Lebanon Valley College about A.I. 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM). The Gift of Life Donor Program helps to heal lives by coordinating the recovery and distribution of organs and tissues used in lifesaving and life- enhancing transplants.

The Gift of Life donor program has been serving the community for 50 years, and it’s the vital link between patients who wants to donate with over 100,000 patients who are awaiting transplantation according to Rick Hasz, President and CEO of the Gift of Life Program.

This month provides an opportunity to clear up misconceptions in the minority community regarding donations.

“We also know there's a huge need, in the, in the minority community for transplants. Unfortunately. Especially among communities of color. There's 3 to 4 more times likely to suffer from kidney disease. And need a transplant. You know, right now, 60% of the patients who are waiting for a kidney transplant are people of color. And I think we have to get that information out, so that when families are making that decision about donation, they know that by saying yes, they're going to actually be helping people in their own community. There's such a huge need. Because of that.”

Hasz says the number one misconception is if a person puts donor on their driver’s license, they won’t receive medical help if hospitalized.

 “That couldn't be further from the truth. Hospital staff do not have access, to your driver's license is very rarely found with you at, you know, after you've been in an accident. And it's only after that you have died that that information is accessed, and then shared, with your family. And so, the reality is that putting that donor designation on your license, you let everybody know that at the time, you, you know, you want to help somebody else. And it takes that burden and that decision making, away from your family, and allows them to be able to honor your legacy, after you've passed that.”

Willam Johnson received a kidney transplant in 2022 after being on dialysis for five years. He registered on four separate lists in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and even Baltimore.

“You have to go through a battery of tests to see if you are able to even receive a kidney transplant. So I had to go through the testing basically at four different medical centers. And so then it's a wait, once you accept it on the list, then it's a waiting game for that phone call to come to see if they have an available kidney that matches you. And since there are so many people who are on the list, it doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen overnight unless you have someone who was willing to be an organ donor to donate for you, because you can live with one kidney, “said Johnson.

Cynthia Slater’s son Ezekial passed away at 21 years old in 2022. He registered as an organ donor when he was 16 years old. Through his generosity, he was able to save five lives with organ donations.

“You know that even in death, he still continues on. So it means a lot. As we spoke to earlier, you know, everyone's not always in the family on board with. A donor make a donor's decision. But it was made. It was so much easier for me to make that decision for our family to make that decision, because we knew that that was Ezekiel's specific, decision. So we weren't making thinking about is this something that he would want to do? But he had donated, you know, made himself a donor. Designated donor, "said Slater.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing Editor from the York Dispatch Wallace McKelvey, and reporter Meredith Willse joined the Journalist Roundtable segment. Both spoke about Meredith’s reporting on education in the Central Pennsylvania region. Meredith has ben writing a series of columns about the influence of a conservative organization in Central Pennsylvania School District’s. Listen to the podcast to hear Meredith's findings.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professional and college football is preparing for the season, and that means legal wagers for those games. In May 2018, after a six-year-battle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey in Murphey v. NCAA and struck down a decades-old deferral law that prohibited the state from legalizing sports betting.

Richard McGarvey, Deputy Director of Communications for the PA Gaming Control Board says in November 2018, Pennsylvania began offering sports wagering.

“Sports wagering has evolved to where there are many different ways to bet on any particular sport. Football is a good example. They might bet on, when who's going to which team is going to have the next field goal, or which team is going to have the next touchdown, or what is the quarterback going to throw a touchdown on the next one or an interception? So, there's many options for sports wagering. And that's just football, baseball. You can actually, bet on the particular pitch. Will it be a strike? Will it be a ball. Will it be a home run. So, there's many options compared to what there used to be.”

Sports betting has become popular in Pennsylvania since it’s become legal. There’s currently 18 retail locations where you can walk into a casino or an off track betting facility and place wagers.

So you walk in, they'll have tote boards, in other words, telling you what all the wagers are on, on the board. You can look at them, fill out a card and make your wagers and also collect winnings there. But then the way most people do sports wagering is online.”

If you are someone you know has a gambling problem, please:

• Call 1-800-Gambler
• Text 1-800-522-4700

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.