COLUMBIA SPY

Albatwitch painting by Eric Tonzola  [Photo by Columbia Spy] Article by NATHAN WILLISON | LNP Staff Writer The Albatwitch, according to local folklore, is a small hairy primatelike creature that lives around Chickies Rock north of Columbia. The creature was described by speakers at the festival as being roughly 4 feet tall and known for stealing apples and throwing their cores at people who get too close. Organizer Rick Fisher, an author and paranormal investigator, said he had a sighting of what he believed to be an Albatwitch in 2002 while he was driving on Route 23 toward Marietta and was inspired to create a festival around it after seeing the success of the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. For over a decade Fisher had organized an Albatwitch festival in Columbia with Chris Vera, president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society. Following disputes between Vera and Columbia Borough Council, the event was moved to Wrightsville in 2025. Fisher bowed out ...

Pennsylvania’s rules are that tinted windows on passenger vehicles must allow 70% of light to go through the glass.  The fine for excessive tint is $25 ($100 in Philadelphia), though related fees would push that cost north of $100. The meters are made by Laser Labs of Pembroke, Massachusetts, and police departments can get the base version for about $100. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/cyclists-safety-question-about-tinted-windows-leads-watchdog-down-a-rabbit-hole-lancaster-watchdog/article_10905aa6-28e5-449b-82ec-93b1ee430a31.html  

Brad Chambers   Recent polling by a national nonprofit that studies trends in state legislative elections suggests Lancaster County’s most competitive midterm races could produce upsets. Columbia Democrat Brad Chambers has a one-point lead over Republican incumbent Brett Miller in the 41st state House District, according to a poll conducted this month by State Navigate. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/politics/brad-chambers-tom-jones-lead-in-latest-polling-of-lancaster-countys-most-competitive-races-this/article_b7dedbcc-0e66-4c01-96a6-0892837554c7.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share  

CHRISTY RAE AMMONS | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE When: Columbia Borough School Board meeting, Sept. 17. What happened: Board members approved the renewal of a dual enrollment agreement with Elizabethtown College. The contract would look the same as the prior agreement, but with altered dates, Superintendent Ashley Rizzo said. Quotable: “We’d update that partnership so that our students who qualify — the school’s juniors and seniors — may enroll at Elizabethtown at a very reduced price for credit and also have the opportunity through the Columbia Ed Foundation for additional financial support to start to earn some college credit while in high school,” Rizzo said. What it means: According to the agreement, Columbia students who are accepted into the dual enrollment program will be able to earn 24 college credits during the academic year. Those credits would simultaneously count toward the pupil’s high school requirements. MORE:   https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-boro...

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Jack Brommer sat quietly while being discussed at Tuesday's meeting.  The announcement of Borough Manager Jack Brommer's resignation was met with praise and criticism at Tuesday's Columbia Borough Council meeting.  Council President Eric Kauffman praised Brommer's dedication to transparency, saying he tried to be "as open as possible" and answered questions honestly even when the answers were difficult. Kauffman said he had planned to deliver a "state of the union" address touting the borough's progress the same weekend Brommer's resignation letter arrived.  Mayor Leo Lutz framed Brommer's departure as the latest in a long line of borough managers, finance managers and other staff who have left the borough. Lutz argued that these people are professionals who won't tolerate being labeled "a thief, a liar" in council chambers, offices or on social media, and warned that any future manager will face ...