COLUMBIA SPY

Rep. Pat Gallagher, a Democrat serving Northeast Philadelphia, introduced legislation in April 2025 that would require inspection stations to measure how much light tinted windows allow to pass through using a tint meter. Windows blocking more than 70% of light — the limit set by Pennsylvania law — would fail. House Bill 1142 would also require window tint businesses that install darker-than-legal tint to inform customers that they will be in violation of state law. Failure to do so would be a violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/legislation-would-make-window-tint-an-inspection-issue-and-a-jarring-journey-on-dillerville-road/article_700134fe-361c-465f-813d-11a739633f02.html  

Brad Chambers billboard just outside Columbia on Route 462

Geraldo J. Maldonado Jr. [Photo: Lancaster County District Attorney's Office] Geraldo J. Maldonado Jr., 43, was found unresponsive in his cell at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon on Monday, Oct. 5, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. MORE: https://dailyvoice.com/article/geraldo-maldonado-jr-dies-in-sci-huntingdon-prison/  

Expect lane restrictions and travel delays on Route 30 during daylight work hours. Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that upcoming inspections will be conducted on the Third Street (Route 3441) bridge over Route 30 in Columbia Borough, Lancaster County. Expect lane restrictions and travel delays on Route 30 during daylight work hours. Weather permitting, work will be performed in the eastbound lanes of Route 30 under Third Street between mile markers 254.2 and 254.4 on Tuesday, October 13, from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Work will be performed in the westbound lanes of Route 30 under Third Street between mile markers 254.4 and 254.2 on Wednesday, October 14, from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/news-and-media/newsroom/district-8/2026/third-st-bridge-inspection-over-rt-30-in-columbia-borough-lancas  

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Columbia Borough will have no updated zoning protections regarding data centers until at least November, it was noted at the October 6, 2026 council workshop. Council originally believed it would need to wait until December, until Code Manager Paula Diffenderfer revealed at the meeting that the proposed change had gone through. Council previously believed the proposed zoning change was not submitted to the Lancaster County Planning Commission in time for review. The change, which the borough planning commission recommended for adoption on July 21, would alter the permitted uses for data centers. The proposal will now return to the borough to be advertised and adopted most likely in November. Harrisburg is considering legislation that would let municipalities declare a moratorium while ordinances are updated. "If that passes, then we'll be in a lot better shape," Mayor Leo Lutz said. Embleton: "I don't see any reason why we shouldn'...

Columbia Presbyterian Church  [Columbia Spy photo] JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Columbia Borough has no zoning that explicitly permits a homeless shelter, and with the pastor who runs the town's only one set to retire at year's end, council members warned Tuesday that the arrangement sheltering people at Columbia Presbyterian Church may not survive. The issue came up at the October 6 Borough Council workshop. The shelter operates at the church at 4th and Locust streets, and Councilwoman Jeanne Cooper said it can do so only because sheltering is treated as part of the church's use. Cooper added that the shelter currently has a waiting list of 14 people. "We need to find a place for homeless people to go and there's no zoning in town for homeless people," Cooper said. That could change if the building stops operating as a church. Pastor David Powers retires at the end of the year and does not expect the congregation to hire a replacement, according to Councilwoma...