Hit-and-run driver flees after striking bollard, street sign at Fifth and Chestnut

A gray pickup truck fled the scene after colliding with a bollard and a "Do Not Enter" sign at the clock plaza at Fifth and Chestnut Wednesday evening.

The crash occurred around 7:50 p.m. Witnesses told police the pickup was traveling east on Route 462 and attempted to drive onto the 500 block of Chestnut Street — a one-way block — as a white van was heading west on Chestnut. To avoid the van, the driver of the truck veered into and struck a bollard and a "Do Not Enter" sign marking the one-way block.

Witnesses report seeing the front end of the truck lift off the ground as it struck and ran over the obstructions. The bollard was knocked loose from its brick base, scattering and cracking several bricks.

A block away, at Sixth and Chestnut, police recovered a vehicle bumper believed to have come off the truck during the collision. Police collected the bumper as evidence.

Based on the damage at the scene, the truck likely sustained front-end damage, as well as damage to the right (passenger) side.

Small kitchen fire in the 700 block of Walnut Street quickly contained

Firefighters from several companies responded Wednesday afternoon to a reported fire at a two-story dwelling on the 700 block of Walnut Street.

According to dispatch, the call came in around 4:03 p.m. Arriving units initially reported nothing showing from the outside of the dwelling, but crews located a small gas-fed fire behind the kitchen oven. Crews had water on the fire within a few minutes of arrival.

No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.

 

Vehicle crash prompts spill response Wednesday afternoon

Emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of North 2nd and Chestnut Street Wednesday afternoon. 

According to Lancaster County dispatch, the incident was logged as a "spill control" call at 2:08 p.m. Units dispatched to the scene included Traffic 80, Rescue 80, Assistant 801, Assistant 91-4, and a duty officer designated 50 LEB.

Photos from the scene show a gray Mazda with extensive front-end damage on a flatbed tow truck near the intersection. Workers spread absorbent powder across the fluid slick and swept up.

No injuries were reported

Celebrate the Albatwitch — Saturday, September 26th| TownLively

https://townlively.com/celebrate-the-albatwitch/ 

Boy, 17, to stand trial in July fatal stabbing in Columbia | Local News | lancasteronline.com

A 17-year-old Columbia boy charged with fatally stabbing a man in July will have his criminal case decided in Lancaster County Court.

Joshua D. Flores, 17, waived his preliminary hearing on homicide and evidence tampering charges in the July 8 stabbing of Anthony Stoy Velazquez on Tuesday.

At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors must present sufficient evidence that a crime was committed and that the defendant probably is responsible and, therefore, that a jury or judge should hear the case in county court. The hearings are often waived.

Stoy-Velazquez, 26, was found with a single stab wound to his chest after midnight on July 8 at Third and Linden streets in the borough. A passerby saw him in the street and called the police.

Flores was arrested July 27, based in part on multiple tips, according to prosecutors.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/boy-17-to-stand-trial-in-july-fatal-stabbing-in-columbia/article_3680a0c3-7317-4c97-87b3-4cbe74881daa.html 

Former Columbia strip club site to become pregnancy ministry

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

A building at 425 Union Street that has spent over a decade at the center of a local controversy as a nude dance club is about to begin a new chapter as a pregnancy resource center.

Club Good Times, which has operated since 2002, and was known for its adult entertainment, will become Align Life Ministries in the near future. 

425 Union Street 

[File photo]

Public records confirm that Cassandra L. Fisher conveyed the 425 Union Street property to Align Life Ministries for $275,000.

Align Life Ministries, formerly known as Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services, is a faith-based, pro-life nonprofit that provides pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting classes and other support services. The organization currently operates out of a smaller office at 462 Chestnut Street in Columbia. In announcing the purchase, the ministry said it had outgrown its former space and needed a larger facility (the Union Street building is roughly twice the size) to accommodate a growing number of clients and expand its services in the Columbia community.

The Columbia Borough Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) is set to consider a motion to recommend a Certificate of Approval for the property Wednesday evening.

HARB Agenda — September 9, 2026

Agenda — Columbia Borough Council Meeting — September 8, 2026

Council will consider approval of a resolution  to authorize the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors to file a project management proposal for an RACP grant in the amount of $500,000.00 for the museum renovation project.

See the meeting packet HERE.