COLUMBIA SPY

Marquell Rentas, who is currently facing multiple charges resulting from Friday morning's shooting incident on Bethel Street, was also involved in last summer's Confederate flag controversy in Columbia. Multiple sources allege that the teen waving a flag in  THIS VIDEO  in an LNP article is Rentas. A source tells Columbia Spy that this photo from last summer's protest in Columbia is Rentas: Columbia Spy covered the protest  HERE . More recently, a reader submitted the following photos allegedly showing Rentas and Trenton Nace, who was also charged in the shooting, apparently trying to set fire to plywood on the 300 block of Avenue H, behind the abandoned Hotel Locust building. The plywood displayed spray-painted racist graffiti. The post that includes the photos shown above is found  HERE . A  YouTube channel  under the name "Marquell Rentas" features the video shown below:

Marquell Robert Rentas, 17, of 244 Walnut St., and Trenton Michael Nace, 18, of 116 Lancaster Ave., are charged with several counts of attempted homicide of a law-enforcement officer, aggravated assault, assault of a law-enforcement officer and several counts of conspiracy. Both were charged as adults. Documents (affidavits, criminal complaints) detailing the charges can be accessed here: Marquell Robert Rentas Trenton Michael Nace Additional Information

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman held a press conference Saturday morning, July 30, at Columbia Borough Hall to release details of Friday morning's shooting. Marquell Robert Rentas, 17, of 244 Walnut St., and Trenton Michael Nace, 18, of 116 Lancaster Ave., are charged with attempted homicide of a law-enforcement officer, aggravated assault, assault of a law-enforcement officer and several counts of conspiracy. Both were charged as adults. Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3

Tom Rudzinski, public information officer for the Lancaster County SERT Team, provides update on Columbia, PA shooting incident that occurred  Friday morning, July 29, 2016. (This video was filmed by Columbia Spy the same morning.) A press conference with update information is scheduled for Saturday morning.

Currently, there are no additional updates on this morning's shooting incident. Columbia Borough Police Chief Jack Brommer said a press conference will be  held Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Borough Hall.

Update shooter incident Person of Interest now in custody. More to follow.

Lancaster City Police were at the 700 block of Chestnut Street Friday morning for reports of an active shooter.                (Photos by Stephanie Weisser)

BREAKING NEWS: ACTIVE SHOOTER IN COLUMBIA DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. PRELIMINARY REPORTS FRIDAY MORNING: SHOOTER REPORTEDLY SHOT AT POLICE. 600-900 BLOCKS BETWEEN CHESTNUT AND LOCUST ARE SHUT DOWN. SERT TEAM ON SCENE.

Police and emergency personnel were dispatched to the 100 block of North Third Street at approximately 9:45 a.m. for a medical emergency. Sources tell the Spy that a female walked out in front of a motorcycle and was "clipped" but all involved declined medical treatment.

The Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts will have limited hours July 18 - August 25 and is open by appointment only. SCCA is following the European Model for this time of the year and will reopen Friday, August 26 at 5 p.m. for Katy Winter's solo show in the main gallery.

Milt Friedly, Co-Owner, Curator and Director of the Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts will show his Printmaking at the North Museum, Lancaster, PA. Milt Friedly received his BFA from Arizona State University in Ceramics and Printmaking and his MFA from the University of Wyoming in Printmaking and Sculpture. He has been showing professionally since 1980. His work has been included in exhibitions regionally, nationally and internationally. His work has been commissioned for public and private art collections. His work is very diverse in media and approach and recently makes commentary on consumption and the human condition. He is Professor of Art at Elizabethtown College where he has been teaching since 1987.

John Novak and Fran FitzGerald were selected to replace Mary Barninger and Barry Ford. Both terms began July 11 and end the first Monday in 2018. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/insider/community/columbia-borough-council-fills-vacancies-no-democrats-serve/article_74cbe826-5280-11e6-a715-e71ff7431ce5.html

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” ― Leonardo da Vinci Last week, we saw these two kittens trying to nurse on the sidewalk, near the intersection of Walnut and Commerce Streets. All three cats were tame and approachable. Although the adult female seemed reluctant to oblige the kittens, the two pursued her anyway. Eventually, they gave up. Columbia Spy received the following Facebook screenshot today.  The kitten shown bears a distinct resemblance to the one in the first photo above. We hope the perpetrator of the abuse described below is caught.  Cruelty to animals is no joke.

A turkey vulture recently dragged a dead catfish from the Susquehanna and pulled it ashore for an impromptu fish dinner. The spectacle occurred on the first pier of the former "Civil War Bridge" next to the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Today's Sunday News  featured a story on bowfishers on the Susquehanna shooting fish and leaving them to die. Maybe that's how this particular fish met his end. Luckily, this vulture was available to clean up after lazy "hunters."

(The following LNP article cites Columbia Spy.) GO HERE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/are-bowfishers-discarding-fish-to-rot-and-foul-riverbanks-near/article_1fdd50ac-5023-11e6-b86c-2be0179167a3.html

Angelo Colon and his brother Nate, shown below, have just opened a new lounge called Venues at 237 Locust Street. Angelo describes it as a mellow place where people can go to relax, talk, and dance. The venue is BYOB and has a luxury V.I.P. lounge. The cover charge is $5 before 10 p.m. and $10 thereafter. Angelo gave us a tour of the lounge just before guests were about to arrive.  Space is available for receptions and private parties. See below for contact information.

                                Ashley Curry Aggravated assault, simple assault, ethnic intimidation: one felony, two misdemeanors. Ashley Curry, 33, has been found guilty on all three counts in the February 3, 2015 shooting of Jamie Roland. The verdict was announced in a Lancaster County courtroom this afternoon. The incident occurred in the Columbia Plaza parking lot in which Roland was injured in the abdomen and leg by a single shot from Curry's .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic. Curry maintains that she shot in self-defense when Roland charged at her. The trial began with jury selection on Monday, July 18. The court heard testimony from several witnesses, and a video filmed by Columbia Spy was shown several times in court for the jury. Defense attorney Samuel Stretton told jurors that neither Roland or her sister Crystal Manfred, who was also at the shooting scene, ever gave ...

Paul McCartney, a musical icon and world-renowned entertainer,  played in Hershey last night .  But is he really any good? Specifically, how does he stack up as musician, especially on his primary instrument, the bass guitar? Go HERE  to find what other musicians say on the subject.

Columbia Spy  is privileged to publish several articles by Columbia native Mike Clark, the second of which appears here, with permission of the author. The essays were previously published in The Globe Leader  and  50-plus Senior News  and will continue to be reprinted in the  Spy  over the next few weeks. "Junk Drawers" by Mike Clark I have difficulty finding certain objects around the house. It has less to do with a failing memory than with the countless number of places where I could have put those objects after I used them last. It takes some time to sort through all the possibilities. If you remember my column called "My Workshop," you are familiar with my struggles in organization and neatness. The other day I was looking for a tiny screwdriver (I have several) to fix one of my grandchildren's toys. Before I started walking in circles and looking in the same places more than once, which is my usual routine, my wife suggested that ...

We previously reported that a wedding this past weekend was the first ever at Columbia Crossing. We were wrong. On March 28, 2015, Renata McClair and Geoff Broome were married there by Mayor Leo Lutz. The ceremony is shown here:

Steven Shetter, owner of Total Exterminating Services, stands in front of his office at 30A North Fourth Street. Bugs bugging you? Pests pesting you? If so, Steve Shetter wants you to know there's help available. Shetter is the owner of TES - Total Exterminating Systems - which recently set up shop in Columbia. The TES staff has a combined 35 plus years of experience in the exterminating field, and Shetter himself has done the job for 27 years. Operating from an office at 30A North Fourth Street, TES offers a full range of exterminating services to rid properties of bugs, mice, and other vermin in commercial and residential settings. "One of our mission statements is, 'Do the right thing all the time,'" Shetter said recently.  He said he is willing to work with property owners and renters who might not have a lot of money. "If there are people that are in true need here in Columbia and they're willing to work with me, then I'm goi...

Columbia Borough will continue to publish public notices and legal ads in LNP, the newspaper with the widest circulation in the county, rather than shift them to a smaller, regional weekly business publication, officials said. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-borough-to-keep-public-notices-legal-ads-in-lnp/article_eff540d8-4bb9-11e6-b67d-a3cfea8e6f70.html

On Saturday night, a crowd of 86 people attended the first wedding ever held at Columbia Crossing.                (Reader-submitted photos) Meanwhile outside, fire police kept an eye on the railroad crossing where barricades were malfunctioning - yet again.