Capital Blue Cross’ Commitment to Harrisburg

August 31, 2022 | by Todd Shamash

Todd Shamash

As the only health insurer headquartered in central Pennsylvania, Capital Blue Cross has called Harrisburg home and provided peace of mind to individuals and families in the greater Harrisburg region and the Lehigh Valley for nearly 85 years.

While our primary focus is on building strong communities by promoting health and wellness—and providing the products and services to help everyone live their healthiest—we also realize educational opportunities are critical to our collective success and growth as a community. That’s why we have such strong relationships with schools, educational foundations, and arts and civic organizations that help our children learn and grow.

We are proud to be the health plan of choice for more than 85 school districts, intermediate units, and technical schools in Pennsylvania. Our involvement with the education community goes beyond the traditional carrier-customer relationship. Capital also makes ongoing community commitments to help our children benefit from quality learning opportunities and resources that help them achieve.

Our education-focused contributions to the Harrisburg region include:

Volunteer involvement and financial support for the Big Brothers Big Sisters “Beyond School Walls” mentoring program for minority students from the Harrisburg School District. Capital was the first company in central Pennsylvania to participate in this research-based mentoring model, which was designed to create a trusting relationship between young adults and professionals, inspiring the students to see a future beyond high school.
Financial assistance and support of the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
Investments in the Dauphin County Library System’s ongoing library renovations.
Support for the Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg, the Hannah Education Foundation, the Lower Dauphin Falcon Foundation and other entities across central Pennsylvania through the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program.
Live Healthy School grants that support schools looking to implement health and wellness initiatives that help students stay physically active, improve their nutrition, or provide nutrition education. In 2021 alone, Capital awarded $60,000 through these grants to 33 districts, schools or intermediate units.
Support of arts and culture opportunities for our young people, including funding for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, the CASA Charter School, Open Stage of Harrisburg, and the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.

Of course, our support of our region’s children goes beyond learning opportunities. We also make continuing investments in their overall health, safety and wellness. For example, we donated 150 infant CPR kits to Hamilton Health Center to help prevent injury or death due to choking, suffocation or sudden cardiac arrest, which affects more than 7,000 children a year, according to the American Heart Association.

Over the years, we have donated millions of dollars to support countless events and organizations in and around the capital city, and we will continue to support the community we call home. We recognize the important role education plays in promoting good health, and we are committed to helping our schools and educators improve the wellbeing of our students, their families and the neighborhoods we serve. Never has there been a more important time to thank our educators for the tough years we’ve endured and their critical role in the promise of our future.

Capital Blue Cross has an unwavering commitment to Harrisburg, and we have never forgotten our roots here. We will continue to be an active participant in the region’s vibrant growth and continued success.

Todd Shamash is president and CEO of Capital Blue Cross.

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Dauphin County residents can learn about emergency services at “After the Disaster” showcase

August 30, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

A Harrisburg Fire Bureau informational table at a past event in Strawberry Square

If the unexpected happens, would you know what to do?

Dauphin County and Strawberry Square are partnering next month for “After the Disaster,” an event designed to help educate residents on emergency resources available in the county.

On Sept. 8, 10 governmental and nonprofit organizations will participate in a showcase of emergency services in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.

“Harrisburg is fortunate to have a multitude of service agencies that stand ready to serve our community during and after events,” said Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which owns Strawberry Square. “Having them share information to proactively help individuals and families is invaluable.”

The following organizations plan to participate to help the public learn, ask questions and receive information:

American Red Cross, Central PA Chapter
Baptist Resource Network
Dauphin County Department of Human Services
Dauphin County Department of Public Safety
Harrisburg Bureau of Fire
NOAA and the National Weather Service
PEMA
Salvation Army
Susquehanna Disaster Response Ministry
Team Rubicon Disaster Response

“We are proud of our emergency responders and their commitment to public service,” said Mike Pries, chair of the Dauphin County commissioners. “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, residents can count on our emergency response teams to answer the call.”

“In many ways, we hope no one ever needs these services,” Jones said. “But, realistically, we know the need is very real.”

“After the Disaster” showcase will take place on Sept. 8, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.

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Harrisburg artist’s work featured as part of Sony’s “The Woman King” movie marketing campaign

August 29, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Artist Dionn Reneé

Harrisburg artist Dionn Reneé was already looking forward to next month’s release of the movie “The Woman King.”

So when her artwork was chosen in a contest to be featured as part of the movie’s marketing materials, she was ecstatic.

“It’s the biggest project that I’ve achieved this far,” Reneé said. “This is a dream come true.”

Movie poster for “The Woman King,” by artist Dionn Reneé for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.

“The Woman King,” a Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. movie, is set to premiere in theaters on Sept. 16. The film is based on a true story of the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey during the 1800s. Actress Viola Davis plays the lead role as General Nanisca who leads her warriors into battle.

In anticipation of the movie’s release, the company launched a contest to receive movie poster designs submitted by artists around the globe. The contest was organized in partnership with artist-promoter Talenthouse and Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, Inc.

A friend of Reneé’s told her about the contest, and she decided to enter. She had nothing to lose, she said.

“I wanted to see the movie, and I like what it stands for,” she said. “I never in my life tried a competition like that. I took a chance.”

A few weeks later, Reneé was chosen as one of the top-10 winners of the contest and so will have her illustration featured as part of the movie’s marketing campaign. This could include social media, print materials and merchandise.

According to Reneé, a graphic designer and painter, she has created designs for movie posters, CD covers, book covers and flyers before, but never for a project on this scale.

“It feels like winning the lottery,” she said. “I’m officially on a new level.”

Find Artist Dionn Reneé’s work on her Facebook page or on Instagram @dionn_renee.

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Harrisburg’s Kipona Festival to return with food, music, laser light show over Labor Day weekend

August 29, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

A wirewalker performs at the 2021 Kipona Festival

Continuing a longstanding Labor Day weekend tradition, Harrisburg will celebrate the end of summer with one of its largest annual events.

This year’s Kipona Festival will feature food trucks, live music and a laser light show during the event, which runs from Sept. 3 to 5 on City Island and Riverfront Park.

“Kipona offers something for everyone,” said Cortney Ranck-Cameron, manager of special events for the city, during a meeting with the press. “It’s a good opportunity for people to come to the downtown area.”

The three-day event has historically featured Native American cultural experiences. This year on City Island, attendees can enjoy a Native American Pow-Wow, ax throwing, Aztec fire dancing and cultural foods.

Over in Riverfront Park, musical acts will perform on two stages, 28 food trucks will line N. Front Street, artists will sell handmade wares, and beverages will be available in a beer and wine garden.

Several popular experiences will return, as well. Wirewalkers will make the journey across the Susquehanna on a wire suspended from the Walnut Street Bridge to the lower river walk during all three days. There will be a special illuminated walk on Sept. 3 at 8:15 p.m. The Dick Reese canoe and kayak races are also back this year, continuing an over 80-year-old Kipona tradition, according to Ranck-Cameron.

On Sept. 4, at 8:15 p.m., a laser light show, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, will display laser effects choreographed to music.

For families attending the festival, there will be a UPMC Family Fun Zone with crafts, face painting, magicians, balloon animals and live theater performances. The Bubble Festival will also return, on Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with entertainer Grandpop Bubbles creating up to 70-foot long bubbles.

Ranck-Cameron said that she expects around 70,000 attendees from across the region at Kipona over course of the multi-day event. According to Lt. Kyle Gautsch, the Harrisburg Police Bureau will have a “significant police presence” at the festival.

Street parking in the city is free on Sunday and Monday. On Saturday, downtown street parking is free after 5 p.m. and the code LUVHBG can be used before then to receive four hours of free street parking. The Market Square Garage is discounted to $10, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., courtesy of Park Harrisburg. Recycle Bicycle will provide free bike parking along N. Front Street, near Market and Forster streets.

For more information about Kipona Festival, visit the city’s website.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

August 26, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Local artist Linda Billet showed off her community mosaic, now displayed in the Harrisburg High School-John Harris campus.

Our Friends of TheBurg Bash is coming up, and we can’t wait to celebrate! If you’re one of our supporters, make sure you buy your ticket this weekend to join us. Now, here’s your weekly news digest. Everything you need to know from this week in Harrisburg is listed, below.

The Broad Street Market is looking for a new executive director, our online story reported. The position has remained open since Josh Heilman, the former director, stepped down.

The Capital Area Beekeeper’s Association spreads awareness about the importance of bees to the environment, our magazine story reported. Over 200 Harrisburg-area residents belong to CABA, and the group continues to grow.

Capital Region Water board of directors approved a plan to reduce pollutants flowing into waterways, our reporting found. The agreement includes projects to help the city’s sewer infrastructure capture at least 85% of system flow during wet weather.

Construction on N. 2^nd Street in Harrisburg is moving forward, as the portion of the roadway from Maclay to Division streets will convert to two-way traffic early next month. The city expects the total project to be completed by mid-fall, our online story reported.

Our editor says that the announcement that Knead Pizza in Harrisburg has closed is a lose-lose situation. In his editorial, read why he sees the closure as a big loss for the city.

Hall’s Ice Cream in Perry County has crafted flavors for ice-cream lovers for 75 years, our magazine story reported. Most recently, owner Matthew Hall stepped up to continue operating the family business.

Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday night approved a land development plan for a five-story residential and retail structure at 512-514 N. 2^nd St., our online story reported. Developer Derek Dilks plans to demolish the two dilapidated buildings that currently sit on the property and build a new structure with first-floor retail space and seven apartments above.

Harrisburg School District officials unveiled a new mosaic in the Harrisburg High School-John Harris Campus, our online story reported. The mosaic was created with help from community members and students at the city’s Artsfest and assembled by local artist Linda Billet.

Harrisburg will host a parade on Saturday to celebrate World Series champions, the Michael Stepp RBI of Greater Harrisburg softball team, our online story reported. A celebratory picnic will follow the parade.

The Journey Church in Harrisburg held a “Back to School Block Party” on Saturday, our online story reported. The church offered free haircuts, clothing and 375 backpacks full of school supplies.

Knead Pizza decided that it would close both its N. 3^rd Street and Broad Street Market locations, our online story reported. The news came shortly after Knead employees announced a plan to form a union.

Midtown Redevelopment LLC held the first of three public information sessions to share its plan, for dozens of long-empty lots in the unfinished Capitol Heights and MarketPlace neighborhoods, our reporting found. The plan includes apartments, townhouses, a grocery store and commercial spaces.

Sara Bozich’s Weekend Roundup has lots of ways to spend the weekend in Harrisburg. Click here to find them.

Shamaine Daniels launched her general election campaign for congress on Saturday in Harrisburg, our online story reported. More than 100 people came to meet the candidate and help kick-start her campaign.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg will host an anti-violence event, “PA Prays: Forging Justice and Peace out of Violence,” on Sept. 18, our online story reported. At the event, a blacksmith will reconfigure guns into gardening tools and jewelry.

Ten Thousand Villages in Mechanicsburg will celebrate its 30^th anniversary with a community event featuring music, food and shopping. In our online story, read about the store’s history of promoting fair trade.

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State press association names TheBurg “2022 News Organization of the Year”

August 26, 2022 | by TheBurg Editor

TheBurg has been named “2022 News Organization of the Year,” a statewide honor presented by the state press association.

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation announced the award, which recognizes news organizations “for overall excellence across all departments,” according to the foundation.

“This is a very special honor,” said Lawrance Binda, co-publisher and editor-in-chief of TheBurg. “It speaks to the talent of our staff and helps affirm the work we put in each day to make TheBurg a high-quality news product for the greater Harrisburg area.”

TheBurg won News Organization of the Year in the “weekly” category. This is the second straight year that TheBurg has won this statewide honor.

The Pittsburgh Business Times was runner-up for the award.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette won News Organization of the Year in the “multi-day” publication category, with the Philadelphia Inquirer as the runner-up.

Overall, nearly 130 news organizations across Pennsylvania competed, according to the PNA Foundation.

“It’s remarkable to receive this recognition in Pennsylvania, which has so many high-quality newspapers and news organizations,” Binda said.

The award is comprehensive, recognizing excellence in all aspects of a news organization’s operations, including for editorial, art, design and sales.

“News organizations are judged not only on their journalism and writing, reporting, photography, video, digital products and design, but also for their sales strategies, innovation, community impact and their relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers and audiences,” according to the PNA Foundation.

TheBurg began publishing in 2009 as a monthly community magazine for the greater Harrisburg area and since has expanded into daily news reporting. It also sponsors and supports many events in the area, including 3^rd in the Burg, the monthly cultural and nightlife event in Harrisburg.

Over the past seven years, TheBurg has received over 100 individual press awards for reporting, writing, opinion, art, design, photography and advertising. TheBurg also received the 2018 Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC and the 2022 Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region from Theatre Harrisburg.

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Blacksmith will turn guns into gardening tools, jewelry at interfaith anti-violence event

August 26, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral

At an upcoming Harrisburg event, community members will come together to promote peace.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral will host “PA Prays: Forging Justice and Peace out of Violence” on Sept. 18 with the goal of inspiring unity and advocacy.

“The level of gun violence in Harrisburg this year is astounding,” said Rev. Amy Welin of St. Stephen’s. “We are inviting people to put legs on their prayers and do something about this.”

According to Welin, the event is an interfaith gathering, open to those of all religions or of no religion.

In a unique demonstration at 1 p.m., James E. Curry, a blacksmith with the nonprofit Swords to Plowshares, will reconfigure guns into gardening tools and jewelry. Curry, from Connecticut, works with police departments to collect firearms taken off the streets or gathered through gun buyback programs. He then transforms them and donates or sells the pieces.

Following the demonstration, at 4 p.m., there will be readings from religious texts, music by a community choir, prayer, memorial candle lightings and discussion on ways to advocate for safety through public policy.

Harrisburg artist Vivian Sterste will also organize a community mural project for the event. She plans to provide a large canvas and paint supplies for community members and other local artists to create a mural around the themes of gun violence and peace. The mural will then travel around to city churches interested in displaying the work for a period of time.

“I’m extremely thrilled that there will be an interfaith coalition that will be addressing this issue,” Sterste said. “I just want to encourage people. It’s about spreading hope.”

St. Stephen’s is one of five episcopal dioceses in the state that will take part in prayer services responding to gun violence on Sept. 18. Harrisburg’s cathedral took the lead in starting “PA Prays” and encouraging the other four dioceses to join, according to Welin. This is the first year of the event.

“Our humanity binds us,” Welin said. “This is an opportunity for us to be human together. I’m looking forward to being with our neighbors.”

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral is located at 221 N. Front St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website.

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Burg Blog: Everyone Loses

August 26, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

In the business world, there’s an old cliché called the “win-win.”

A win-win means that some deal or transaction is so good that everyone’s a winner—all parties leave happy.

In Harrisburg this week, we had the exact opposite of the win-win: the lose-lose.

On Tuesday, Knead Pizza abruptly shut its doors. The closure came just days after some of their dozen or so workers announced that they had filed to join a union.

Personally, I don’t know the full story behind the employees’ decision to unionize or the owners’ decision to shut down, so I’m unable to add anything meaningful, much less factual, to the ensuing online brawl. If conjecture is what you want, you can visit any number of Facebook pages (including ours) to feast on speculation and conflict.

However, I do know this—everyone has lost.

The owners lost their business. The employees lost their jobs. The customers lost their excellent food—and beer. The community lost its corner pizza place. The city lost yet another small business.

Again, I can’t speak to such issues as the viability of the business or the needs of the workers or the intentions of the Philadelphia-based union. My own two-cents worth of guessing is that, if all parties could have foreseen what would happen, the outcome would have been very different.

But it went down as it went down.

Knead is no more. Everybody has lost.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher and editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

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Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market puts out call for new executive director

August 25, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

The Broad Street Market

Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market is searching for a new person to lead its everyday operations.

The nonprofit market announced on Thursday that it is accepting applicants for its executive director position, which is currently vacant.

“We are looking for someone who has strong interpersonal and communication skills, has management experience and who has a passion for markets,” said John Sygielski, chair of the market’s board of directors.

The position has remained open since Josh Heilman, the former director, stepped down about six months ago.

According to Sygielski, the director is “key” to implementing the board’s vision for the market and interacting with vendors, community members and customers.

Candidates must have experience with nonprofit and facilities management, strong decision-making and conflict resolution skills and excellent internal and external communications capabilities.

Those who are interested in applying can send a brief cover letter and resume to [email protected], by no later than Sept. 2.

“With the support of the board of the directors—a group of dynamic community leaders from throughout the region—the new director has an opportunity to lead the market into the future,” Sygielski said.

For more information about the executive director position at the Broad Street market, visit their website.

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Capital Region Water board approves plan designed to slash pollutants into area waterways

August 25, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda

This sign on the Susquehanna riverbank warns people to avoid contact with the water during “heavy rainfall events.”

Harrisburg’s utility authority has approved a long-term plan intended to significantly reduce pollutants flowing into area waterways.

On Wednesday, the Capital Region Water (CRW) board of directors voted unanimously to accept changes to a prior agreement that details a course of action to improve the quality of local waters, including the Susquehanna River.

Specifically, the agreement outlines projects that CRW will undertake over the next decade so that the city’s sewer infrastructure will capture at least 85% of system flow during wet weather.

“This is a very good thing,” said board chair Marc Kurowski. “It helps us to find a path to get through, over the next 10 years.”

The goal, Kurowski added, is not just to meet, but to exceed, the 85% capture rate. In 2021, CRW reported a capture rate of just 43% during wet-weather periods.

Like in many older cities, much of Harrisburg has a combined sewer system that handles both wastewater and stormwater flowing to its treatment plant. When it rains, the system is easily overwhelmed, sending untreated water directly into area waters, including the river.

In 2015, CRW agreed to a partial consent decree with several governmental agencies—the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection—to begin to address the problem. The board’s approval on Wednesday represents a key step in finalizing that agreement.

According to CRW, the mitigation plan includes various types of projects, such as system repairs, rehabilitation and replacement.

For instance, this fall, CRW expects to re-start the $17 million rehabilitation of the Front Street interceptor, which runs through about three miles of Riverfront Park.

In 2019, CRW began installing new pipe liner in the 108-year-old, 30-inch diameter main. The next phase, which will take about a year, will complete the project from about Seneca Street to the pumping station in Shipoke.

CRW’s system improvement plan also includes the continued build-out of green infrastructure, which is designed to capture stormwater before it enters the sewer system.

The authority estimates the plan’s 10-year cost at about $200 million.

“We made sure that this particular modification to the partial consent decree was affordable to our ratepayers,” said board member Andrew Enders. “These are important projects, but we have to be able to afford them in order to continue to provide the services that we do.”

In 2020, CRW imposed a stormwater fee to help pay for system improvements. It stands at $6.15 a month for most residential customers.

With board approval, the agreement—technically termed a modification of the existing partial consent decree—needs to be executed by all parties and then lodged in federal court. After publication in the Federal Register, a 30-day public comment period will begin.

Following consideration of public comments and any final changes, the U.S. Department of Justice will request court approval for the agreement. If the court grants the motion, the agreement will be considered final.

The process should be complete this fall, according to CRW board members.

“This has been seven-plus years in the making,” Kurowski said. “We’re almost there with the official-official version, but it took a long way to get here.”

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