COLUMBIA SPY

Columbia Borough School District would see the highest per-student increase in Wolf's plan: $331.  It would receive the second highest per-student increase under the GOP plan, but less than half of what Wolf proposed: $112. Business Manager Amy Light said Columbia didn't count on Wolf's increase in the 2015-16 district budget. School boards must pass their budgets by June 30, before state funding is solidified. "We can't submit on what we hope. We have to submit on what we are relatively certain of," said Light. Columbia's budget included a 2 percent tax increase. MORE: http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/wolf-budget-vs-gop-budget-how-much-money-would-your/article_00f51578-1f58-11e5-858a-273135d2c6b5.html?mode=jqm

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Francis Simmons, age 41, is alleged to have robbed banks and businesses located in Lewisburg, Fogelsville, Dillsburg, Allentown, Wyomissing, Tannersville, Lancaster, Columbia, Hellertown, Hanover, Pennsylvania and Marathon, New York, Swedesboro, New Jersey, Hagerstown, Maryland and Asheboro, North Carolina. The wave of robberies occurred between November 6, 2013 and November 29, 2014. Simmons was allegedly identified by witnesses and surveillance video. The investigation involved close coordination and cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Cortland County, New York Sheriff Department, and the Police Departments of Upper Macungie Township, Carroll Township, Logan Township, New Jersey, Spring Township, Hagerstown, Maryland, Pocono Township, Lancaster City Bureau of Police, Asheboro, North Carolina, Columbia Borough, Hellertown and Hanover Borough. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant ...

"Our patrolmen encounter it at least once a shift now," said Columbia Borough Det. Matt Leddy. "There's been a  sharp spike in the amount of people using it." Sometimes users are hallucinating and it's affecting people very differently, said Leddy. MORE: http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/synthetic-marijuana-plague-taxes-lancaster-county-police-emergency-responders/article_655fee4a-1dda-11e5-b32f-17ad46b70218.html?mode=jqm

Starting this coming week and throughout July, donations of school supplies will be accepted at Musser's Market parking lot (in the Columbia Plaza) on Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. The donations help Columbia Borough School District.

Seen around town today . . . These cats are not feral.  They are well taken care of by an owner on Walnut Street . . . Fallout from the mayfly invasion . . . Great bargain - newly ventilated, too! (Maybe someone couldn't find their keys.) Looks like Union Station Grill is getting a facelift . . .

or should we say under the clouds, on the ramp, at River Park this morning . . .

That's what this man was doing again this morning . . . A few weeks ago he was doing the same thing in another area of the park, as shown HERE . Problem is, he uses a spade shovel instead of a trowel to dig for his "treasure" . . .  and leaves mounds (tripping hazards) when placing the sod back into the freshly dug holes. Apparently, he hasn't been caught on the park's video surveillance system yet.   (There is a video surveillance system, isn't there?)

Both restrooms at Columbia Crossing were open and in working order this morning. The green light (pictured above) apparently means "unlocked."  - Your friendly neighborhood restroom inspector

Waking up at River Park this morning . . .

The upcoming weekend would be a particularly bad time to be drinking in a boat on the Susquehanna River. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced its waterways conservation officers around the state will be on “heightened alert for those violating boating under the influence laws” Friday through Sunday. And there they are now (today at River Park): MORE INFO  HERE

INFO  HERE

The young peregrine falcon that had three times been plucked from the Susquehanna River at Columbia has died, after being struck by a vehicle on the Route 462 bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville. MORE:  HERE

Take a good look at the painting being done on Tuesday at the Columbia Water Company.  You're paying for the paint and the painter.

Columbia Spy was surprised to learn that the women's room at Columbia Crossing was once again locked today - at about 5:45 p.m., even though the men's room was unlocked (as shown in the video above).  A woman present (from out of town) had to use the men's room, much the same as yesterday morning when the women's room was locked but the men's was not. It is our understanding that the restrooms are to be unlocked from dawn until dusk. (Yesterday morning, the Spy  found an unattended handgun in the men's room and contacted police.)    Also yesterday morning, two self-tapping screws, like the one shown above, were found outside the restrooms, as were numerous metal shavings (among the dead mayflies).  Evidently, card/fob readers were recently installed on the exterior of the restrooms. Shoddy workmanship is apparent, as with the abandoned screw hole and scratches in the paint shown in the photo above.  This door latch was also found outside...

The mayfly issue on the Veterans Memorual Bridge has apparently made it to cracked.com : http://www.cracked.com/article_22696_the-14-most-insane-things-happening-right-now-623_p9.html

A creature that seems more myth than mystery, and  sounds like a miniature Bigfoot , will be the centerpiece of the Albatwitch Festival from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, in Columbia, Lancaster County. Sightings of the albatwitch - reportedly a very slender, 4- to 5-foot-tall, ape-like creature covered in reddish-brown hair - date back 400 or 500 years to the Susquehannock Indians. MORE: http://blog.pennlive.com/wildaboutpa/2015/06/second_annual_albatwitch_festi.html

Columbia Spy hopes someone is keeping an eye on the structure at 208-210 Locust Street.  In our humble, non-scientific, subjective opinion, the building appears to have slumped a bit on the left side, near the second-story window (even allowing for lens distortion).   This photograph was taken today:

At last night's meeting of the whole it was discussed how turning off the lights on the Veterans Memorial Bridge lured swarms of mayflies to lights "further inland." The following video, taken at about 10 o'clock last night, shows thousands of mayflies swarming around lights in the Columbia Plaza parking lot and falling to the asphalt below.

Two cat owners took their pets for a walk around town today. Bravo to these animal lovers who took their cats out and about for a bit of fresh air!

855 Chestnut Street Found on Craigslist: Large home for sale in Columbia Boro 4 bedroom nice corner lot. under renovations. Near the high school. VICTORIAN.... huge trim/mouldings approx 4700 sq.ft. may also rent home..... has a large kitchen. nice hardwood floors downstairs. https://lancaster.craigslist.org/reo/5087058317.html

Columbia Spy discovered this apparently loaded - and unattended - 9 mm handgun in the men's room of Columbia Crossing shortly after 8 o'clock this morning. The Spy contacted the Columbia Borough Police Department, and Officer Miller responded promptly to investigate and handle the incident.

Consumer Notice Out of an abundance of caution and in the interests of maintaining the highest possible standards for product quality, Niagara® is issuing  a voluntary recall for all Spring Water products produced from its Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities  during the June 10th – June 18th time frame. Niagara  was notified that the source was potentially compromised. There have been no reports of any illness or injury related to the above mentioned products to date and finished product testing detected no contaminants or issues of any kind. This voluntary withdrawal is being implemented in cooperation with State and Federal Agencies. If you have questions about which products are affected, please contact us . MORE: http://m.whp580.com/onair/hurley-46882/huge-bottled-water-recall-for-eastern-13700389/

The following photos submitted to Columbia Spy show masses of dead mayflies afloat in the Susquehanna today - victims of darkness (since the bridge lights have been "outtened"), or last week's bridge cleaning.

And here it is: https://m.facebook.com/columbiapacrossing

Another notice was recently placed at 208-210 Locust Street. About a week ago, this structure was thought to be in danger of collapse. 

Merry and Wes ponder an apparition of history

GO HERE: http://m.lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/salsa-s-mexican-grille-set-to-open-in-columbia/article_f06be64e-15f4-11e5-8582-d7a77d8887e3.html?mode=jqm

208-210 Locust Street has been officially deemed unsafe by the codes department.