Coming up on The Spark Weekly:

Our Braver Angels segment for the Month of February was about the Braver Angels stye debates. Karen Ward, Debate Chair and Past Bloomsburg Alliance Red Co-Chair and Past PA Red State Coordinator, and Terry Webb, Co-founder of the Braver Angels Alliance in Lancaster, and coordinator of their first debate in 2021, gave insight into the debates. They also shared how the BA debates are different from political debates we watch on TV and from competitive debates that a high school or college team tries to win.

but upfront...

Each service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike now contains a mural depicting landscapes and attractions in their areas. The murals were created by local high school students under a program called Art Sparks, a joint effort of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Turnpike Commission.

Coming up on The Spark Weekly:
Our&nbsp;<a href="https://braverangels.org/">Braver Angels</a>&nbsp;segment for the Month of February was about the Braver Angels stye debates. Karen Ward, Debate Chair and Past Bloomsburg Alliance Red Co-Chair and Past PA Red State Coordinator, and Terry Webb, Co-founder of the Braver Angels Alliance in Lancaster, and coordinator of their first debate in 2021, gave insight into the debates. They also shared how the BA debates are different from political debates we watch on TV and from competitive debates that a high school or college team tries to win.
but upfront...
Each service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike now contains a mural depicting landscapes and attractions in their areas. The murals were created by local high school students under a program called Art Sparks, a joint effort of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Turnpike Commission.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark Weekly 2.09.2025: Art Sparks and Braver Angels

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.

On this week's edition of The Spark Weekly;
Logan Gehman and Dan Nephin of LNP/Lancaster Online will discuss last Sunday&rsquo;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&rsquo;s too small, can lead to the tree&rsquo;s death or stunted growth. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ericasgarden/">Erica Jo Shaffer</a> shared a breakdown of the common pitfalls to avoid when planting a tree.

The Spark Weekly 3.16.2025: Small Plane Crash in Lancaster and How To Not Kill A Tree

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.

 

 

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

Upper Allen Township celebrates 175 years

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.  

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.
&nbsp;
Where did the phrase, beware the Ides of March, where did that come from?
&nbsp;"Beware the Ides of March is a line from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar&hellip; 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."
&nbsp;
&nbsp;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."
&nbsp;
&nbsp;Why do you think Julius Caesar&rsquo;s assassination still captures people&rsquo;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. &nbsp;

The Spark Weekly 2.09.2025: Art Sparks and Braver Angels

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