Benjamin Illkanoff is the owner of Persian Cat Vintage. A store that offers a variety of antique furniture, clothing, and more. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Illkanoff was a student at Moravian University studying political science and psychology.

“I definitely was on track to doing something like, you know, with the law and I had in planning for that. But in the back of my head and the back of my mind, I, I've always really loved clothing. Like, I started out with streetwear back in 2016 and, you know, just from high school all the way to, you know, even post College, you know, looking at graduate school and stuff.”

There are currently two Persian Cat Vintage Stores. The first location was opened in Lancaster, and the second was opened in February in Elizabethtown. Both stores offer different products to shoppers.

“So the store in Elizabethtown is an it's kind of like what I would call like a college nook, a college closet. It really, really encapsulates a 1990s and a really heavy like Y2K, 2000s vibe, whether it be like the plushies. And I'm like, I'm in the store right now, so I'm kind of just looking around and reciting back to you what I'm what I'm seeing. But it's a lot of like NASCAR stuff and toys and Pokemon and, you know, Looney Tunes and more like college crew snacks and sports memorabilia. It definitely is geared towards a college crowd versus my Columbia store is geared towards a crowd of anywhere from like the college high school crowd that I get in town to, you know, the oldest collector that I guess could walk in to the shop.”

Benjamin Illkanoff is the owner of <a href="https://www.persiancatvintage.com/about">Persian Cat Vintage</a>. A store that offers a variety of antique furniture, clothing, and more. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Illkanoff was a student at Moravian University studying political science and psychology.
“I definitely was on track to doing something like, you know, with the law and I had in planning for that. But in the back of my head and the back of my mind, I, I've always really loved clothing. Like, I started out with streetwear back in 2016 and, you know, just from high school all the way to, you know, even post College, you know, looking at graduate school and stuff.”
There are currently two Persian Cat Vintage Stores. The first location was opened in Lancaster, and the second was opened in February in Elizabethtown. Both stores offer different products to shoppers.
“So the store in Elizabethtown is an it's kind of like what I would call like a college nook, a college closet. It really, really encapsulates a 1990s and a really heavy like Y2K, 2000s vibe, whether it be like the plushies. And I'm like, I'm in the store right now, so I'm kind of just looking around and reciting back to you what I'm what I'm seeing. But it's a lot of like NASCAR stuff and toys and Pokemon and, you know, Looney Tunes and more like college crew snacks and sports memorabilia. It definitely is geared towards a college crowd versus my Columbia store is geared towards a crowd of anywhere from like the college high school crowd that I get in town to, you know, the oldest collector that I guess could walk in to the shop.”

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>.

Vintage store opens second location in Columbia

There has been a stretch of warm weather which is unusual for the month of November. WHTM ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso says the weather is due to a lack of rainfall.

“If you go back and look at some of our rainfall, it's been very, very dry since late pretty much late summer through fall. And so, when you get such a dry weather pattern and it's not just dry here, it's dry across most of the eastern United States, dry east of the Rockies. And you get warmth on top of that. You have a recipe that, again, dry air begets dry air. Wet air begets wet air in many ways. So, when you stay this dry consistently, it affects everything. And so even our, you know, weekly or even semiweekly rain chances that we've had have really fallen apart by the time I get to Pennsylvania. So that just leads to more sunshine. Not as many clouds. A lot less rain. And so, the process kind of repeats itself.”

In addition, just last month, we were the fourth driest on record. So, it's gotten worse progressively as we've gone through fall. So now we're in a four-inch hole just in the last 30 days. So, we need a lot of rain, and we need it somewhat soon to alleviate these drought conditions again.

“We're talking about over several months. And so it takes a long time to now get out of those drought conditions. And why do we care about such things? Well, our drinking water response to this that we have to start conserving water so we make sure we have it for critical needs. Our reservoirs start to get lower, our creeks, our streams start to get lower, and that all plays into it.”

There has been a stretch of warm weather which is unusual for the month of November. WHTM ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso says the weather is due to a lack of rainfall.
“If you go back and look at some of our rainfall, it's been very, very dry since late pretty much late summer through fall. And so, when you get such a dry weather pattern and it's not just dry here, it's dry across most of the eastern United States, dry east of the Rockies. And you get warmth on top of that. You have a recipe that, again, dry air begets dry air. Wet air begets wet air in many ways. So, when you stay this dry consistently, it affects everything. And so even our, you know, weekly or even semiweekly rain chances that we've had have really fallen apart by the time I get to Pennsylvania. So that just leads to more sunshine. Not as many clouds. A lot less rain. And so, the process kind of repeats itself.”
In addition, just last month, we were the fourth driest on record. So, it's gotten worse progressively as we've gone through fall. So now we're in a four-inch hole just in the last 30 days. So, we need a lot of rain, and we need it somewhat soon to alleviate these drought conditions again.
“We're talking about over several months. And so it takes a long time to now get out of those drought conditions. And why do we care about such things? Well, our drinking water response to this that we have to start conserving water so we make sure we have it for critical needs. Our reservoirs start to get lower, our creeks, our streams start to get lower, and that all plays into it.”

Mild air for Friday, seasonable for the weekend

Temperatures are unseasonably mild for November and along with that comes a lack of rainfall and drought watch for over 30 Pennsylvania counties. The dry conditions have also increased the risk of wildfire, with more than 100 reported statewide in the last several days.

Mike Kern, Chief of Division of Forest Fire Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Conversation and Natural Resources says the wildfires have not been following those dry areas.

“So, the wildfires, not surprisingly, have been following those dry areas, the areas of drought especially. There's been a concentration in the southwest and also along the southern tier, but in the southeastern part of the state and then even up towards the Poconos.”

As a result, the agencies have resulted in banning campfires in state parks and forests. Kern says the fires in Pennsylvania are being caused by people.

“that's usually either burning at your home or using fire or some other manner campfires or wine. That's those are usually some of the biggest causes. There are some miscellaneous causes of fire, anything from power lines and high wind to equipment use and sparks and fireworks and a lot of that stuff. But burning by humans is a main cause of fires in Pennsylvania. So, we're just. Looking to stop campfires is a way to ensure that we don't have any, you know, anything that's abandoned or not put out. Right. And we're asking people not to not to burn until we get some significant rainfall at this point.”

Temperatures are unseasonably mild for November and along with that comes a lack of rainfall and drought watch for over 30 Pennsylvania counties. The dry conditions have also increased the risk of wildfire, with more than 100 reported statewide in the last several days.
Mike Kern, Chief of Division of Forest Fire Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Conversation and Natural Resources says the wildfires have not been following those dry areas.
“So, the wildfires, not surprisingly, have been following those dry areas, the areas of drought especially. There's been a concentration in the southwest and also along the southern tier, but in the southeastern part of the state and then even up towards the Poconos.”
As a result, the agencies have resulted in banning campfires in state parks and forests. Kern says the fires in Pennsylvania are being caused by people.
“that's usually either burning at your home or using fire or some other manner campfires or wine. That's those are usually some of the biggest causes. There are some miscellaneous causes of fire, anything from power lines and high wind to equipment use and sparks and fireworks and a lot of that stuff. But burning by humans is a main cause of fires in Pennsylvania. So, we're just. Looking to stop campfires is a way to ensure that we don't have any, you know, anything that's abandoned or not put out. Right. And we're asking people not to not to burn until we get some significant rainfall at this point.”

Drought watch declared in 33 Pennsylvania counties

Comedian Nurse Blake will be performing at Shippensburg University on November 22. Blake Lynch is a nurse, creator, advocate, viral sensation, and touring comedian.

Being born into a medical family, he followed suit by joining the healthcare field.

“My dad is a respiratory therapist. He's been a respiratory therapist for over 30 years. And my mom is medical device sales. And so, I had no other choice that night. Like that was my only option. I didn't consider anything else.”

His nursing journey includes roles in Surgical ICU, Live Transplant, Pulmonary Step Down, Injury Prevention, and Care Coordination. He realized he was funny when dealing with a patient while he was at work.

“I had a patient. I was telling her a joke and she went on, had a full asthma attack. And I'm like, You know what? I'm funny. Like, I'm funny. She was okay, by the way. She was fine.”

Being a comedian was never something Blake set out to do. Through comedy, he advocates for better working conditions for healthcare professionals.

“Being understaffed contributes to a lot of burnout. And nurses and nurses leave the profession at really, really high rates even after only a few years of being a nurse. Nurses also work, like I said, 12-hour shifts, right? We don't get lunches necessarily. We don't get breaks, but we still have to clock out for them. So, it looks like we got a break or a lunch. So, a lot of times, you know, your health care workers are working extended periods of time without going to the bathroom or without eating. And it just becomes really unsafe. And our health care in America is so expensive to other countries, you would think we would be able to provide, you know, higher quality care.”

Blake also insists those not in the medical field can enjoy his show as well. By telling his story, he believes anyone can relate to his experiences.

“I hope they realize that as nurses or people too, we have feelings and emotions. And if a health care worker is watching my video, I hope you feel less alone because it is a really, really hard job. And I hope that you watch the video and read the comments and realize that you're not the only one going through it. There's other people that can relate to you.”

Comedian <a href="https://www.nurseblake.com/pages/tour">Nurse Blake</a> will be performing at Shippensburg University on November 22. Blake Lynch is a nurse, creator, advocate, viral sensation, and touring comedian.
Being born into a medical family, he followed suit by joining the healthcare field.
“My dad is a respiratory therapist. He's been a respiratory therapist for over 30 years. And my mom is medical device sales. And so, I had no other choice that night. Like that was my only option. I didn't consider anything else.”
His nursing journey includes roles in Surgical ICU, Live Transplant, Pulmonary Step Down, Injury Prevention, and Care Coordination. He realized he was funny when dealing with a patient while he was at work.
“I had a patient. I was telling her a joke and she went on, had a full asthma attack. And I'm like, You know what? I'm funny. Like, I'm funny. She was okay, by the way. She was fine.”
Being a comedian was never something Blake set out to do. Through comedy, he advocates for better working conditions for healthcare professionals.
“Being understaffed contributes to a lot of burnout. And nurses and nurses leave the profession at really, really high rates even after only a few years of being a nurse. Nurses also work, like I said, 12-hour shifts, right? We don't get lunches necessarily. We don't get breaks, but we still have to clock out for them. So, it looks like we got a break or a lunch. So, a lot of times, you know, your health care workers are working extended periods of time without going to the bathroom or without eating. And it just becomes really unsafe. And our health care in America is so expensive to other countries, you would think we would be able to provide, you know, higher quality care.”
Blake also insists those not in the medical field can enjoy his show as well. By telling his story, he believes anyone can relate to his experiences.
“I hope they realize that as nurses or people too, we have feelings and emotions. And if a health care worker is watching my video, I hope you feel less alone because it is a really, really hard job. And I hope that you watch the video and read the comments and realize that you're not the only one going through it. There's other people that can relate to you.”

Vintage store opens second location in Columbia

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