The Spark

Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide for the good of our democratic republic. As we are in an election year, Braver Angels is bringing together “We the People” to find a hopeful alternative to toxic politics.

Linda Beck is a national volunteer with Braver Angels. After the 2016 presidential election, she discovered the organization and wanted to be more involved.

“Braver angels were actually founded after the 2016 election, by three friends… looked at, the state of the political divide and said, let's see if we can bring people together. And so, they ran it as an experiment. And did the first red, what was called a red, blue workshop, where they brought, ten Trump supporters and ten Clinton supporters together and, and just had them in a room. And interestingly, one of those three people is a marriage counselor. And so, the red, blue workshop, which we still offer today, is founded on marriage counseling principles. And they had such great success that the organization has taken off. “And now we have more than I think that last count was maybe around 13,000 members, across all 50 states, “said Beck.

Bill Madway is the Blue Pennsylvania Co-coordinator. He realized there was a need for liberals and conservatives to come together and effectively communicate to better the political system.

“The way to get people to work together is for them to listen to each other, form relationships, and find that common ground, and then we can. You know, find ways to solve problems. But you know, so over the years, I continue to go to programs here and there. And then when I heard about this opportunity, they were looking for a new co-chair. In Pennsylvania. I put my hand up and, you know, they offered me the position. So, I'm really excited about it. It's a great organization and with a great mission, “said Madway.

Melissa Gizzi is the Red Co-chair of Braver Angels Lower Susquehanna Alliance that was founded in 2021 in Lancaster County.

“We started out in Lancaster County, and before we knew it, we had people calling us from some of the surrounding counties who wanted to take part in our programs. So, in 2022, we expanded to include Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties. And we don't intend to expand beyond that. But we offer a variety of programs at the local level, workshops, and also special opportunities for members of bravery and angels to get together and talk to each other about controversial issues, “said Gizzi.

Something that came up a lot during the conversation was language being used to build trust within the organization.

We simply believe that we can get further if we get people to listen to each other. And so in doing that, sometimes people inadvertently use words that might turn off someone of a different color. So a blue might say something and use a word that. Then a red would just say, oh, I'm not even going to listen to that person or vice versa. And so we carefully talk about language and making sure that, that we're using language. And it's not like there's language police. I don't want to make it sound like that. It's just, I teach communications, and so I know that that, that is an important part in communicating with other people. If we want to be heard, we have to talk in a way that others will hear us and want to listen, “said Beck.

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The U.S. Supreme Court decided earlier this year that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors, even in areas where shelter space is lacking. John Leciew, Pennlive Patriot News Reporter has been following the unhoused trends in Harrisburg and Cumberland County.

"It is right here in our backyard. Everyone was seeing it. We definitely saw more homeless, in the Harrisburg area. And we'd like everybody else who would drive into the city and witness it, wanted to know what was going on with them. So we we approached it from very, all angles, looking at the agencies who were coordinating and trying to serve the various needs of the homeless, but also then getting into the shelters and talking to the homeless themselves and actually going to some of the tent encampments along the river and knocking on tents and just trying to get the stories of what led people to homelessness, "said Luciew.

There were nearly 16 homeless encampments along Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. As spring approached, City Spokesman Matt Maisel announced the unhoused people had to vacate the area.

"Well, I do think that is part of the ongoing dialog between the city, which is trying to manage being a livable city for all citizens and all visitors who come to to come to these major events on Riverfront Park and the homelessness, the homeless people and the people who help serve them, "said Luciew.

Two best known Shelters in Harrisburg is the Bethseda Mission and YWCA. While following this story, Luciew found there were more organizations stepping in to help the unhoused people.

"During the winter, there is a drop in shelter run by Downtown Daily Bread, which is the, right across from the Capitol building that provides hot meals, every day of the week, every day of the year around lunchtime. But they also have other services that are focused on the homeless there, including a visiting health program where they they get regular checkups. And if they have chronic issues, they have their issues treated. They also have, mail service. In other words, if you're homeless, living in a tent, you don't get any mail. And but but you can have your mail delivered to Downtown Daily Bread," said Luciew.

Listen to the podcast to hear more of the conversation.

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As we are in an election year, there is a strong need for poll workers. The typical role of a poll worker includes showing up to the precincts at 6 a.m. on Election Day, set up the polls, help check people in to distribute the ballots, and overall make sure those ballots and voters are taken care of.

Sean Drasher, Director of Lebanon County Board of Elections says the county has a waiting list for poll workers.

“We always that waiting list is always there, but we're always churning through it. So, there are some years we've had a waiting list of 100 people waiting to get jobs. But then on when the election rolls around, we might have 20 openings and you start calling that waiting list, and all of a sudden, the first 20 people you call might have moved since they asked to work or they're not available, they're already scheduled for work on that election day, or they can't get childcare. So, you might get through those 100 people on the waiting list. You might get to number 50 before you find somebody that can jump into a role. So that we do have a waiting list. We're very blessed or I'm very proud of our citizens here, but I don't want it to sound like that means we can't constantly be taking more volunteers because we really need to keep restocking that, “said Drasher.

The Lebanon County Board of Elections also encourages college and high school students to get involved in volunteering and signing up to be poll workers.

“We're trying to implement that in our district as well. It's a great opportunity for the kids. They for some of these kids, this is the first time they've ever had a job. And it's little skills. I think for us, it's. Hey, we need help signing people in on election day for these kids. They're learning, “said Drasher.

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Service dogs are more than just pets. They are highly trained working members of the community aiding those with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.

Deb Tack, Executive Director of Susquehanna Service Dogs was a guest on The Spark to talk about the difference between emotional support and service dogs.

“A service dog is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. That means that it is trained at least one. And for our program, we do three specialized tasks to assist an individual who has a documented disability. An emotional support animal is an absolutely fantastic pet, be it either it doesn't even need to be a dog, it could even be a cat or another type of animal. And what that is, is that animal is providing emotional support for its owner. It doesn't mean that it has the rights to go out into public spaces, but it does mean that for an individual who lives in housing that is rented, that they are able to provide documentation to their landlord from a medical professional saying that they need that animal for that emotional support within their home, “said Tack.

In Pennsylvania, if you’re disabled, state law and the federal Americans with Disabilities (ADA) protect your right to bring your service animal to all public accommodations, as well as restaurants and bars, and hotels.

“If I were to have my service dog and I were to say go to the restaurant, and the person wasn't sure about my dog, they could ask me, is this a service dog trained to assist with a disability? If the answer to that is yes, then they can ask what task or task has it been trained to perform? “said Tack.

Under the Americans with Disabilities At, there is not a registry for service dogs. As a result, there’s a growing market for counterfeit service dog certifications, vests, and ID’s making it easier for pet owners to claim their dog as a service dog.  According to Tack, the consequences could be dangerous.

“I think it puts everyone in and it can put people in harm's way. So again, I think people really need to know the temperament of a dog because there are lots of pet friendly places too. But I think just before you take your dog out in public, make sure it's something that they enjoy and make sure that if you are taking a dog in public who has a pet, that you are going places that are pet friendly, there are lots of places that only allow service dogs. And I feel that, saying that the dog that you have is a service dog when it is not, is. It's just not right, “said Tack.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Susquehanna Service Dogs.

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Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, has been affecting wild, commercial, and backyard birds in Pennsylvania since 2022. Highly Pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been affecting wild birds as well as domestic poultry species.  HPAI in birds can have high death rates for domestic poultry such as chickens, quail, and turkeys.

Avian flu has shown up in dairy farms in other states and one dairy worker has been infected in Texas.

However, Dr. Alex Hamberg, State Veterinarian of Pennsylvania said there have been no cases of avian flu in cattle in Pennsylvania.

“Thankfully we have not had in here in Pennsylvania yet, and we’re taking precautions to prevent it from coming into Pennsylvania and set up the infrastructure to detect it, “said Dr. Hamberg.

According to Dr. Hamberg, pasteurized milk products and pasteurized milk is safe and there is no consumer threat.

“We know pasteurization is very effective at destroying the virus. So yes, the virus has been found in milk, but we know that pasteurized pasteurization is extremely effective at destroying it, “said Dr. Hamberg.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued a quarantine to protect the poultry from spread of the virus.

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Upper Allen Township announced that it has officially been recognized as the 57th Bird Town in the State of Pennsylvania. According to the Bird Town Pennsylvania website, their mission is to work in partnership with local municipalities and like-minded organizations to promote community-based conservation actions to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for birds, wildlife, and people.

Heidi Shiver, President of Bird Town Pennsylvania said in 2010, she realized there was a need to protect birds in the state.

“I think we all realized that the bird populations have really been declining…We’ve really been seeing a huge drop on populations anywhere from 30 to 70 percent, “said Shiver.

Shiver says the birds can decline in population due to loss of habitat, pesticide use, bird window collision and cats. She said 2.4 billion birds die by cats.  Through partnerships, Bird Town Pennsylvania is truly making a remarkable impact on conservation of birds and wildlife.

“we work at municipal levels, you know, on passing proclamations, resolutions and ordinances to address these issues. Also working with schools in and also doing youth actions as well. You know, looking at these different issues to how they can be addressed on school properties and also engaging with Scouts and so on, you know, possibly invasive removal, invasive plant removal, or you know, actually planting native plants or putting in demonstration gardens. And we also focus on organizations and collaborations and partnerships with other groups. And also, doing advocacy work, really promoting awareness about these issues and assuring that we have or a thread that goes through all these different strategy areas. It's habitat enhancement, really just focusing on, you know, planting native plants, creating demonstration gardens to inform the public, and then also addressing those threats to birds through all those different strategies, “said Shiver.

Tim Wendling is the Assistant Township Manager for Upper Allen township. Since becoming the assistant manager in February, he’s began touring their 17 different parks, and realized the need for preserving birds thriving in the township. Upper Allen Township is also looking for volunteers from the community to help design and then implement the bird walk.

“We wanted to really explain that and see how we can get the community involved and making sure that, we encourage bird care throughout the whole township by, you know, talking about how we can do little things and talk a little bit more about this later, but by adding birdhouses and being, you know, cognizant of of birds and windows and lighting and those types of things, and because the park system in nature is really important to the residents, I felt like this was something that, you know, we should bring to our township. And the Board of commissioners was very supportive about it, “said Wendling.

Click Here to learn more about Bird Town Pennsylvania.

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A team from the University of South Florida and Pennsylvania State Police has exhumed the body of Dauphin County’s last John Doe in hopes to identify him through DNA samples. Dr. Erin Kimmerle is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Kimmerle began working with Pennsylvania State Police to exhume John Doe and John Cases in the state. Just last week, Dr. Kimmerle was in Dauphin County at Potter’s field where the last John Doe was buried.

“We use heavy equipment to get it started, to take off the top layer of soil and grass, and then the rest is done by hand and excavation, just to make sure, everything is complete, and you just see a big range of in terms of, you know, preservation what’s there based on each case, “said Dr. Kimmerle.

Dr. Kimmerle said the exhumation process was very smooth, and state officials had marked the location prior to getting to the field, and that saved a lot of time. She says DNA has come a long way since the 1980’s.

“We have so many success stories now with DNA testing and specifically genetic genealogy, that I’m just very, very hopeful that we will all be able to figure out who he is and what happened to him, “said Dr. Kimmerle.

Dr. Kimmerle and her team from the University of South Florida is also traveling around the state to help other agencies with solving cases similar to this one.

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The Summer 2024 Olympics have officially kicked off in Paris, and a local doctor has the opportunity to practice medicine during the Olympic games. Dr. Mark Lavallee will serve as one of the International Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) Chief Medical Officers. Dr. Lavallee is a Sports Medicine Physician at UPMC in Harrisburg, Pa. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the medicine field including 27 years as the chairman of sports medicine for USA weightlifting. Dr. Lavallee sat down with The Spark host Asia Tabb about his journey to the Olympics and more in depth about his role as a IWF Chief Medical Officer.

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The 2024 Olympic Summer Games have officially kicked off in Paris and one Pennsylvania company has been tasked with outfitting the U.S. Women's and Men's gymnastics team. GK Elite has as partnered with thee USA gymnastics to provide on-mat attire for athletes include Simone Biles, Yul Moldauer, and Suni Lee. This year's collection drew inspiration from old Hollywood glamour. The custom-made outfits has 10,000 Swarovski crystals and some long sleeved leotards will be embellished with pearls. The gymnastics competition ends on August 5. In the podcast, Erica Schnebel, Director of Marketing at GK Elite was interviewed on The Spark about the company's involvement with the Summer Olympics.

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Coming up on The Spark Weekly;

There's a new tool created by the Pennsylvania State Police for individuals with autism to enhance interactions with law enforcement officers. The cards, which include a person’s name, contact information and emergency contacts, state that the cardholder has autism and urge officers to be patient and direct in their interactions.

As the demand for electric vehicles are on the rise, car dealerships and mechanics are faced with new challenges. Roger Cackovic is a dealer at RJ Cackovic Auto Sales, Service and Rental, and has been in the industry for over 60 years. Cackovic was a guest on The Spark and spoke with Asia about where the auto industry is going now that the demand of electric vehicles. Listen to the podcast to hear his perspective.

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