COLUMBIA SPY

Columbia Plaza parking lot this morning.  Words of wisdom  Out for a walk  This starling was sitting on a fence in Avenue H.  Unafraid of the camera, he started to sing.  He may have thought he was auditioning for American Idol .  Afterward, he stopped and looked, as if to ask, "How'd I do, folks?"  Yardwork at the former Cookman Church at Sixth and Chestnut  He's been metal-detecting around town a lot lately. Here he is in Locust Street Park.  Hangin' with the goyles. The gargoyles, that is. (Global Time Wizard, 500 block of Locust)  Pit lovers assure us that it's not the breed, it's how they're raised.  Door numbers - well, that's a start.  Now fix the rest of the building. (North Second and Locust)  Lined up and ready to go.  Yard waste pickup began April 4. Delusions of grandeur Then the king had one more question of the child: "How m...

Columbia Borough police have charged a Columbia man and a Marietta man for breaking into a home in the borough and stealing four guns and other items on the morning of April 29. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/charged-with-stealing-guns-home-break-in-in-columbia/article_256d707c-0ec6-11e6-b0c9-672ae92d2b48.html

Northwest Lancaster County River Trail The 14-mile Susquehanna River stretches from Columbia to Falmouth near the Dauphin County line. Families with younger children can do the Columbia-to-Marietta section of the trail. Start at the newly opened Columbia Crossing River Trails Center in Columbia River Park and ride the trail north through Marietta. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/sponsored/countdowntosummer/great-places-for-a-bike-ride-in-lancaster-county/article_2e4ca11a-0d3e-11e6-a669-af3d5217465d.html

GO HERE: http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/fan-of-mrs-hinkle-and-restaurant/article_35c26888-0ce6-11e6-b790-27953f3a646b.html

According to Columbia Borough Police, on April 28, 2016 at approximately 10 a.m. the Columbia Borough Police Department was dispatched to a rear yard of a residence in the 100 block of South Fifth Street for a report of two aggressive dogs running at large in the area. The caller told the dispatcher that he had attempted to exit a vehicle several times and the dogs "chased" him back into the vehicle. A Columbia Officer arrived on scene and walked towards the caller's vehicle when two dogs ran at the officer as he approached. The officer attempted to retreat, and the dogs chased the officer. When the dogs closed in on the officer, he pulled his service weapon and fired at the first dog as it was lunging at him. Both dogs stopped and retreated. The uninjured dog returned a short time later and started to approach the officer again. The dog then ran into a break in a fence a few yards down.  Several officers responded to canvass the area. The owner of the dog was ...

                     Nickalaus Stoutzenberger A Columbia man will serve up to 40 years in prison for sex abuse of a young girl. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-man-jailed-up-to-years-for-sex-abuse-of/article_ad31563c-0bb4-11e6-8801-93e83d6c72b7.html

Gerard Wright Columbia man charged in DUI related hit and run crash: http://fox43.com/2016/04/26/columbia-man-charged-in-dui-related-hit-and-run-crash/

Bring your Mom for a pre-Mother’s Day celebration. Paint from Van Gogh’s beautiful vase of flowers and take home a masterpiece. If your Mom can’t make it, come and create a master piece for her. You know she will treasure it. This is a class that is rewarding, easy and fun. The process of making art will fill you with a new confidence in yourself. No prior Art training needed May 3 6:00PM- 8:00 PM Sign-up through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mothers-day-painting-party-tickets-24972724090 Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts 224 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512 717-576-9628 or 717-580-9031 www.sccaartstore.com Attachments area

Ange Bentivegna's April 23rd painting class at the SCCA. Spaces are available in Ange's April 30 class. Go to Eventbrite to sign-up: Click  HERE .

 Asplundh was around town trimming trees today. Here's an example of butchery perpetrated on a tree at Fifth and Mill.

Michael Paul Geib of Columbia was arrested yesterday for sexual assault . He was also charged in previous offenses. Michael Paul Geib Here's the docket sheet for yesterday's incident: Geib was scheduled to go to trial on May 16 on felony and misdemeanor charges of indecent assault of a person under 13 years. The charges stem from an incident that occurred last year: In 2012, Geib pled guilty to harassment:

The van is gone! Up until a few days ago, a white van with expired registration had sat unattended for a considerable time in the area of the 500 block of Locust Street shown above.  (A previous report on the van is HERE .)  A commenter informed the Spy that the van had been moved.

Columbia Spy and WGAL News 8 arrived on the 200 block of Walnut Street at the same time early this afternoon to report from 215 Walnut, the residence of Michael Paul Geib.  Geib was arrested for an alleged sexual assault of a woman on the 300 block of North Second Street on Tuesday afternoon. While a News 8 cameraman was setting up a camera and tripod, several women arrived in a vehicle and parked in front of the residence. One of the women exited the vehicle and shouted at the cameraman to leave. The Spy spoke to the cameraman as he walked away from the residence. Although he was aware of his right to photograph in public, he decided to leave the scene anyway, most likely to avoid further conflict. Two of the women shouted and gestured at Columbia Spy  to leave as they entered the residence. A short time later, news crews set up on the 300 block of North Second, close to the site of the assault. CBS 21's Kyle Rogers, shown above, interviewed a witness. Simultaneo...

One of the grants will go to Friends of the Osprey, developing a Susquehanna River bank site to view osprey nesting and interacting on a platform placed along the growing Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-sierra-club-awards-green-grants/article_607ff498-0c8a-11e6-83ae-f7246db57796.html

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/stranger-sexually-assaults-female-along-columbia-street-tuesday-afternoon-police/article_d5daba24-0c72-11e6-adfb-9ffa9d40f2d2.html

At Monday night's Finance Committee meeting, Cindy Bigler of Millersville appealed a $600 invoice from a Columbia Borough engineer regarding a condemned property she owns with husband Sam Bigler at 421-423 Avenue G. The property was condemned in June 2015, and a fire caused major damage to the structure on September 4, 2015.  ( Columbia Spy reported on the fire HERE .) Bigler adamantly insisted that the borough engineer made the "wrong diagnosis" and that she should not pay for it. She accused the borough of jumping to condemnation. Bigler claimed that the borough code officer did not enter the building prior to the decision to condemn and that the borough's actions caused her, her husband, and tenants "a lot of problems." Bigler also accused the code department of being unprofessional and said that she and her husband were not notified that the building would be condemned. She told the committee that they have a business line with an answering machin...

In a joint meeting April 18, Columbia's borough council and school board voted unanimously to hire a school resource officer. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/community/columbia-school-district-borough-hire-school-resource-officer/article_33da7114-0ba1-11e6-bd9f-6b6d8dffcbad.html

April's Fourth Friday celebration featured a variety of attractions and events, including the following: Mayor Leo Lutz and Borough Council President Kelly Murphy helped out with a ribbon-cutting on Friday at Beauty in the Beast pet grooming service at 18 South Third Street. Owner Britini Tollinger cut the ribbon, aided by co-owner Mike Whelan. Inside the building is this painting, purportedly by artist Edward B. Black, who painted watercolors and oils of the Susquehanna River in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Clay from the Susquehanna River shore served as the basis for the paints used in this work which is painted directly on the wall. (Could it be a type of fresco painting?) Black was a founder of the Harrisburg Art Association, and his works are in the collection of the State Museum of Pennsylvania and the Historical Society of Dauphin County. An hour later and a few steps up the street, Doreen Fabulian - surrounded by family and friends - cut the...