The Pennsylvania State Police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE) is responsible for far more than checking IDs at bars or inspecting bottles at restaurants. Officer Kristyn Plowden, who works in the bureau’s Training and Recruitment Unit for the Central Section, joined The Spark to share the behind-the-scenes role BLCE officers play in promoting public safety across the Commonwealth.

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Now in its 58th year, Art of the State continues to serve as a cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s rich and vibrant arts community. Hosted by the State Museum of Pennsylvania in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, this annual juried exhibition features an impressive range of work—painting, photography and digital media, crafts, sculpture, and works on paper—highlighting the diverse artistic voices from across the Commonwealth.

This year’s exhibition includes 94 works selected from a staggering 2,344 entries—the second-highest submission count in the exhibition’s history. Ninety-five artists from more than 30 counties are featured in the 2025 show, which runs from June 8 through September 14 at the State Museum in Harrisburg.

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From the rich scent of homemade vanilla ice cream to the creak of wooden barn doors, farm life runs deep for Brittany Snyder and Charlene Espenshade—two Pennsylvania women working to make agriculture education more accessible for the next generation.

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With thousands of dams scattered across its waterways, Pennsylvania has a complicated relationship with its aquatic infrastructure. But a growing number of those dams—especially small, aging, and obsolete ones—are being taken down. And for good reason.

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As more women seek answers about the physical and emotional changes that come with aging, UPMC Nurse Practitioner Melissa Laidacker is helping lead the conversation through a new podcast series dedicated to menopause and perimenopause.

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

David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

also, on the program.

More than a decade after the loss of 19-year-old Peyton Walker to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the foundation created in her name is saving lives across Pennsylvania and beyond.

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David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

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As Americans get ready to celebrate Independence Day, the bald eagle—a powerful symbol of freedom and the nation itself—continues to be a soaring success story in Pennsylvania. Once nearly wiped out due to pesticide use, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback across the Commonwealth.

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