Tag Archives: TheBurg Podcast

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

March 10, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will return to Harrisburg this month. Photo from the 2022 parade, courtesy of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District.

It’s looking like a dreary, cold weekend ahead in Harrisburg—the perfect time to get cozy and catch up on our March issue of the magazine or tune into our newest episode of the podcast. For now, take a minute to get up to speed on our daily news, listed and linked below.

Bob’s Art Blog takes readers on the road to York’s Hive Art Space for a unique exhibit. The show, “A Fine Cuppa (Coffee, Tea, Or),” features work inspired by hot beverages.

TheBurg Podcast this month expands on magazine stories that showcase resilience. Click here, to hear from our special guests and learn about resilience as it relates to health issues and climate change.

A Burg View editorial by our publisher applauds Harrisburg for paying off its once staggering, decade-old debt load. He recognizes former and current city administrations and the state for their accomplishments.

Candidates for three seats on Harrisburg City Council include eight Democrats, our reporting found. Find out who’s running, here.

Gamut Theatre and Narҫisse Theatre have partnered to present “Thistle & Salt,” a grim tale from Ireland. Our reviewer praises the poetic language, acting skills and boundary-pushing performance.

Hamilton Health Center announced that it has a new president and CEO, Terese Delaplaine, our online story reported. The organization also recently hired several additional new top officials.

Harrisburg City Council discussed the use of its millions of dollars in federal COVID-relief funds on Tuesday, our reporting found. Council also approved the final payment towards debt the city carried for a decade.

Pursuit Coworking is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, our magazine story reported. As work culture continues to change post-pandemic, the company is growing and finding new ways to adapt.

“The Quiet Girl,” a film about a timid girl who just wants to be invisible, is “devastatingly beautiful,” according to our movie reviewer. The film is playing this month at Midtown Cinema.

Sara Bozich has some early St. Patty’s Day activities to get you ready for the holiday, along with plenty of other weekend festivities, here.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will return to downtown Harrisburg next weekend, our online story reported. The event will include Irish dance and music groups, characters, fire trucks and more.

Trinity High School’s international students have been recognized for their athletic and academic performance. In our magazine story, read about a few of the students, who hail from Ukraine, the Republic of Congo and France, among other countries.

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Support quality local journalism. Join Friends of TheBurg today!

Resilience Resurfaces: TheBurg Podcast, March 2023

March 9, 2023 | by Karen Hendricks

Resilience is a muscle many of us flexed, or became aware of, amid the pandemic. And it’s very much still in our vocabulary!

How do we build resilience against health issues and disease, especially among Latinos?
And, in a region where many of us see the Susquehanna River and its creeks and streams every day, how do we build resilience against climate change and Pennsylvania’s number one threat, flooding?

Our guests include:

George Fernandez, CEO, Culture & Culture
Jeff Jumper, Emergency Management Program Manager for Resiliency, with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Andrew Dehoff, Executive Director, Susquehanna River Basin Commission

This podcast is sponsored by Fleet Feet Mechanicsburg and their brand-new Fleet Feet Harrisburg location, in the High Pointe Commons shopping plaza.

This episode marks a banner anniversary! It’s been three years since we launched TheBurg Podcast in this magazine-style format. Thanks for listening, sharing and helping the podcast grow!

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Reaching Up, Reaching Back: George Fernandez | A Change in the Weather: Pennsylvania’s emergency management and environmental experts explain climate change | Capital Region Water: Clean Water Plan

And:

April 6 event info: Karen Hendricks hosts Midtown Scholar author chat

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website and subscribe to her free monthly writer’s newsletter at WriterKarenHendricks.com.

TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, 2021.

Interested in sharing your advertising message with TheBurg Podcast’s dedicated audience? Research shows that podcast sponsorships are one of the most effective forms of advertising! Contact Lauren (lmills@theburgnews.com) or contact Karen directly at WriterKarenHendricks@gmail.com.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

February 17, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

PA Latino Convention officials announced that their annual event will come to Harrisburg in September.

At TheBurg, we strive to highlight the good things happening in our community. This week was no different, as we shared lots of positive stories of do-gooders and uplifting events in Harrisburg. Find all of our local coverage, below.

TheBurg Podcast reveals unsung heroes in our midst. For a year, podcast host Karen Hendricks asked guests to identify an unsung hero and she compiled them all here.

Capital Region Water and several governmental agencies have reached an agreement to improve area waterways over the next 10 years, our online story reported. On Monday, the parties filed a modification to a prior “partial consent decree” that functions as a plan to improve Harrisburg’s water/sewer infrastructure.

Harrisburg nonprofits will receive thousands of dollars in annual federal funding after City Council approved the allocations this week. In our online story, see which housing and social service organizations were awarded.

Hershey’s “Therapeutic, Adaptive and Wheels on Ice” group gives special needs participants a chance to find confidence and passion on the ice. In our magazine story, read more about the impact of the program.

The Ice & Fire Festival will return to Harrisburg in March, our online story reported. The event will feature over 60 ice sculptures, fire dancers, vendors and food trucks.

“Into the Woods” will deconstruct your favorite fairy tales and explore the darker nuances behind them, our magazine story reported. The show is playing now through March 11 at Open Stage. In addition, read our review of the show, here.

Judith Hill and Rev. Billy Gray, two long-time community activists, were honored by Harrisburg recently for their work in the city. Two streets received secondary names to recognize the leaders. Read about Hill and Gray’s impact on Harrisburg in our magazine story.

“No Bears” plays this month at Midtown Cinema. In our magazine story, see what our reviewer has to say about the Iranian film.

The PA Latino Convention will be held in Harrisburg in September, our online story reported. The event will include workshops and panel discussions around issues facing the Latino community.

PHFA issued a call for artists to apply to create a mural for its N. Front Street office, our online story reported. The agency is looking for a design that reflects its mission of assisting people with housing needs.

Protesters gathered outside the Humane Society of Harrisburg this week to oppose a scheduled euthanasia of a dog, our online story reported. After several hours, a volunteer took the dog, Pursuit, from the facility.

Rosemary shared a meal perfect for Valentine’s Day in our February issue of the magazine. Find the recipe for Penne alla Vodka, here.

Sara Bozich has a full list of events for your weekend, here.

Theatre Harrisburg’s “Pieces” is a dramatic story of dysfunctional generational dynamics and tragedy, our reviewer says. The show, by Harrisburg playwright Paul Hood, runs through Feb. 19.

Unsung Heroes are all around Harrisburg and our magazine story highlights several of them. Read about ordinary people from the community showing extraordinary kindness and service.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, sign up here!

Support quality local journalism. Join Friends of TheBurg today!

Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg: A bonus edition of TheBurg Podcast

February 13, 2023 | by Karen Hendricks

This special year-long podcast project reveals special people—unsung heroes—in our midst. For a whole year, podcast host and producer Karen Hendricks asked TheBurg Podcast guests the same question: If you could identify an unsung hero in the Harrisburg area, who would it be and why?

Except, instead of airing all their answers, we’ve been saving and compiling them, so that we could release them all collectively in this special Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg Podcast on Valentine’s Day.

Think of this show, released on Valentine’s Day, as an audio Valentine that shares some community love for Harrisburg!

Hosting: Karen is joined by Lawrance Binda, publisher and editor of TheBurg.

Many thanks to two podcast sponsors:

Hero in the Fight, whose mission is to break the stigma often associated with addiction, because living in active recovery is a heroic act, every day. For help, support and facts, visit herointhefight.org/.

Goodwill Keystone Area: And you probably know that the Goodwill store is a great community thrift store. But there’s a story behind the store that puts “goodwill” into action, advancing sustainability in our communities. Check out their story at yourgoodwill.org.

Guests include (but tune in to hear who they reveal as unsung heroes):

Kristin Messner-Baker of The Vegetable Hunter
Chad Eric Smith of Mural Arts Philadelphia
Speaker and historian John Maietta
Otis Harrison of OD’s Fish House
Soccer coach Toan Ngo of Eagle-FC’s USL W team
Kim Rice of the Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society
Local journalist-turned-teacher Dennis Reardon
Elle Lamboy formerly of the Gettysburg Foundation
Peter Leonard of Little Amps Coffee
Lt. Adam Reed of the Pennsylvania State Police
Josiah Peay of the Central PA Kings basketball team
Amy Kaunas of the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area
Weston Kensinger of Penn State Harrisburg’s Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research
Julie Fitzpatrick of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center
Ellen Min of the Harrisburg Asian American and Pacific Islander Community (HAAPI)
Carl Shuman, retiree-turned-children’s book author
David Morrison of Historic Harrisburg Association
Andrea Grove of Elementary Coffee
Greg Czarnecki of Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Jessica Rudy of Gettysburg’s Majestic Theater
Sue Kunisky of Visit Hershey and Harrisburg
Lesa Brackbill, newborn screening advocate
Karen Good, clinical nurse specialist with UPMC Harrisburg
Thomas Sweet, retired pastor of Market Square Presbyterian Church
Nathan Reigner, Pennsylvania’s director of outdoor recreation

Also see our February 2023 magazine feature, “Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg,” expanding several of our unsung heroes’ stories.

For more information on award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks, visit her website and subscribe to her free monthly writer’s newsletter at WriterKarenHendricks.com.

Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because “there’s always more to the story.” TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, publisher/editor. TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, 2021.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

February 10, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

A Harrisburg City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Love is in the air as we get closer to Valentine’s Day. Show some love for your favorite community publication and become a Friend of TheBurg or pick up some of our Burg Gear for your sweetheart. In the meantime, catch up on this week’s news, below.

Affordable housing may be coming to Uptown Harrisburg as the Planning Commission heard two new proposals last week, our online story reported. One of the projects, JMB Gardens, would include 41 affordable apartment units on the 2200- and 2300-blocks of N. 6^th St.

Bob’s Art Blog explores the unique art of a fabric collage creator, a rug hooker, a scrimshander and an assemblage architect. Read about the artists and see their work, here.

TheBurg Podcast focuses on health in Harrisburg. Hear from a fitness trainer, a running shoe store owner and the director of a therapeutic ice skating program, here. And our editor, of course, offers his two cents with his monthly “The Most Harrisburg Thing.”

Dauphin County Prison hired two new top officials as part of its reform efforts, our online story reported. John Bey will serve as the director of criminal justice and Kevin Myers will take the role of internal affairs investigator.

F.L.Y. Fitness helps local women feel confident and lead healthy lifestyles, our magazine story reported. Owner Jelissa Gilmore opened the gym with the goal of creating an empowering atmosphere for women to exercise.

A former encampment under the Mulberry Street Bridge has cleared out after Harrisburg evicted those living at the site. This week, the city finished installing a fence around the area to keep people out while they work to exterminate a rat infestation, our online story reported.

In Harrisburg, 2023 seems hazier than usual, with several significant matters still up in the air, according to our publisher. He hopes to see these issues develop and give us greater clarity by the end of the year.

Harrisburg City Council discussed the allocation and possible recipients of annual federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, our online story reported. Council heard from over 20 applicants hoping to receive funds to support their homelessness prevention and social service agencies.

The Harrisburg School District plans to sell its property at 1001 N. 18^th St., formerly the site of the Woodward School, to Harrisburg developer George Fernandez, our reporting found. Fernandez has proposed building affordable housing, a community center, daycare and food and clothing banks.

Home sales dropped but prices jumped in January in the Harrisburg area, our online story reported. In the three-county region, 389 homes sold last month, compared to 499 in January 2022, but the median sales price rose to $245,000 from $211,900 the prior year.

Two running shoe stores recently expanded, opening new stores in the Harrisburg area. In our magazine story, find out how owners of Fleet Feet Mechanicsburg and Appalachian Running Company have capitalized on the growing running community.

Sara Bozich has her Weekend Roundup with lots of activities happening around Harrisburg. Click here to find them.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman announced that he has taken office space inside Strawberry Square, our reporting found. His Harrisburg-based regional office will be on the fourth floor of the Lerner Tower.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, sign up here!

Support quality local journalism. Join Friends of TheBurg today!

Head to Toe: TheBurg Podcast, February 2023

February 9, 2023 | by Karen Hendricks

Harrisburg’s health, from head to toe: February’s guests explore health from lots of fascinating angles. And just in time for Valentine’s Day, we even talk about the heart of the city via residents’ healthy civic engagement.

Guests include:

Jelissa Gilmore explains how her women-focused fitness studio, FLY Fitness, is taking off—with a message that’s reaching and resonating with Black women.
Fred Joslyn talks about the expansion of Fleet Feet Mechanicsburg into a new Fleet Feet Harrisburg location, giving the small business owner a footprint across both shores of the Susquehanna.
Cindy Thomasson explains how a therapeutic ice skating program provides balance a strength—along with joy—to our local special needs population.
Plus Lawrance Binda, publisher/editor of TheBurg, shares his “most Harrisburg thing” for February and it ties right into Harrisburg’s community health.

Stay tuned for our bonus Valentine’s Day edition of TheBurg Podcast being released on February 14! “The Unsung Heroes of Harrisburg” is the culmination of a year-long project, as more than 25 of the past year’s guests reveal unsung heroes in their midst.

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

New Heights | Expanding their Footprints | Breaking the Ice |Harrisburg Native Robert Lawson Appointed to Fill Open City Council Seat

Special thanks to everyone who responded to our recent podcast survey! Congrats to lucky listener Shawn Westhafer whose name was drawn as the winner of some fabulous Burg swag. And special thanks as always to Harrisburg band YamYam for our podcast music.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Science and Storytellers: TheBurg Podcast, January 2023

January 12, 2023 | by Karen Hendricks

We kick off a new year by talking about climate change, science, as well as storytelling. Climate change is a new subject for TheBurg in 2023, and we look forward to exploring the topic—on the podcast as well as in the magazine—through a special six-part series.

Special thanks to January podcast sponsor, Fleet Feet Mechanicsburg, announcing the grand opening of their Fleet Feet Harrisburg location in February 2023.

Guests include:

Greg Czarnecki, Director of Applied Climate Science for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He explains how his mom influenced his career in climate science (really!), and explains how each one of us has the ability to impact climate change. We look forward to weaving climate change guests into TheBurg Podcast throughout 2023, in conjunction with TheBurg magazine’s 6-part climate change series.

Jessica Rudy, Director of Marketing & Group Sales for Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater. She describes the incredible significance and impact of filmmaker Ken Burns’ 40-year body of work—because the first-ever Ken Burns Film Festival will be held in Gettysburg this February.

John Maietta, who has segued into a thriving career as a speaker/presenter. He’s mastered a plethora of history and pop culture topics—at the age of 72. On the podcast, he evens talks about his brush with “Jeopardy” fame.

On this month’s “Most Harrisburg Thing” by Lawrance Binda, publisher/editor of TheBurg: Harrisburg’s newly-elected state lawmakers are marking a milestone in diversity.

And special thanks to you, our listeners! We are excited to announce that podcast listenership continues to grow, as we recorded the highest number of downloads in the history of the podcast in 2022. As we grow, we’d like to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please participate in TheBurg Podcast’s listener survey, and you’ll be in the running for a swell Burg prize pack. (One winner will be randomly selected from all completed responses, with the winner notified by email on February 1, 2023.)

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Change Agent | Saluting America’s Storyteller | Past Life

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Life Lessons: TheBurg Podcast, December 2022

December 8, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

It’s a great time of year for reflection and perspective. This month’s podcast guests offer their life wisdom on career paths, retirement, and what makes Harrisburg a great place to live.

Guests include:

Freelance writer Diane McCormick, who previews her upcoming story about Harrisburg ranking #2 on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Retire in the U.S.

Thomas Sweet, newly-retired pastor of Harrisburg’s Market Square Presbyterian Church, who shares the best advice he ever received—and much more.

Carl Shuman, a retired Harrisburg lawyer who has found a new career as a writer and children’s book author.

Plus Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg, pops in for his monthly feature, “The Most Harrisburg Thing”—and ties into this theme of beginnings and endings in a very Harrisburg way.

Special thanks as always to Harrisburg band YamYam for our podcast music.

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

A Real Joy | Timeless Tales | Editorial: Greetings, Governor

Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because “there’s always more to the story.” TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor. TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, 2021.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website, WriterKarenHendricks.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Kick-A** Women: TheBurg Podcast, November 2022

November 10, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

We are thrilled to share conversations with three Harrisburg-area women who have forged nontraditional or unprecedented career paths:

Lesa Brackbill, who successfully advocated for updated newborn screening laws in Pennsylvania, and is continuing her advocacy journey across the country and world, driven by the death of her daughter.
Andrea Grove of Elementary Coffee on why there are so few women coffee roasters and woman-owned coffee shops.
Sandy Lockerman who created an environmental education career as the field evolved. She currently volunteers with a saw-whet owl research project operated by the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art.

Many thanks to the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau and Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation, Pennsylvania’s destination for business—and leisure, for sponsoring this episode of TheBurg Podcast. For more information, see cumberlandbusiness.com.

Backstories that coordinate with this episode include:

Birthing a Legacy | Support Us | Night Watch | Editorial: Mind Your Businesses

Every month, TheBurg Podcast expands stories from the pages of TheBurg magazine because “there’s always more to the story.” TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor. TheBurg Podcast has received three prestigious podcast journalism awards over the past two years, including First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter, 2021.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by award-winning Harrisburg-area journalist Karen Hendricks. Visit her website, WriterKarenHendricks.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

October 14, 2022 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg opened to two-way traffic this week.

TheBurg was honored this week to receive numerous awards for writing, reporting and art at the Keystone Professional press awards ceremony. Thanks to you, our readers, for your support so that we can continue to provide quality content. On that note, find all of this week’s news below.

Bike share is back in Harrisburg, as the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission unveiled the new program on Monday, our online story reported. People can now rent a pair of wheels at six locations across the city.

TheBurg Podcast for this month features stories of people and organizations around Harrisburg doing the right thing and helping others. Listen to the podcast, here.

Free trees are available to the community as Harrisburg-based Pasa Sustainable Agriculture plans to distribute 10,000 next weekend, our online story reported. The giveaway is in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Ten Million Trees initiative, which aims to plant 10 million trees in the state by 2025.

Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square opened last month, housing local food vendors like Yianni’s Gyro, Kimchee Girl and Taylor Chip Cookies. Find out more about what the new market has to offer, in our magazine story.

Harrisburg’s N. 2^nd Street made the switch from one- to two-way traffic on Thursday after a year-long construction project, our online story reported. The corridor, from Forster to Division streets, features roundabouts, speed bumps and other traffic calming infrastructure.

The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC announced its 2022 Catalyst Award winners this week, our reporting found. M&T Bank and the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harrisburg University were among this year’s honorees.

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire presented its annual awards and swore in five new firefighters, our reporting found. The bureau distributed awards for heroism, CPR saves and bravery, among other honors.

Home prices rose in the Harrisburg area as sales decreased in September, our online story reported. Find out how many houses sold in the tri-county region compared to this time last year.

Jumping rope builds a bond between members of Harrisburg’s 40+ Double Dutch Club, our magazine story reported. The club provides local women with exercise, fellowship and fun.

Mini food pantries are popping up around Harrisburg, our magazine story reported. With the community’s help, businesses and organizations have found a unique way to assist their neighbors in need.

Open Stage’s “Treasure Island” is showing from now through Oct. 29. In our magazine story, read about what to expect from the adventurous and action-filled performance.

The PA National Horse Show returned to Harrisburg this month, our magazine story reported. The 2022 show runs Oct. 13 to 22 at the PA Farm Show Complex, where it began in 1946.

Sara Bozich has gathered all of the best events happening this weekend in Harrisburg. Find her list, here.

Volunteers are needed to help Harrisburg plant trees in the city’s Allison Hill and Bellevue Park neighborhoods, our online story reported. Volunteers will plant 70 trees from Oct. 28 to 30.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, sign up here!

Support quality local journalism. Join Friends of TheBurg today!

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