COLUMBIA SPY

Kids and caretakers from Sunrise Kids Daycare Center were made up and on parade this morning for Halloween. The parade route extended to a few blocks from their home base at 410 Locust Street and then back again.

Jimmy Sheckard Samuel James Tilden Sheckard, was described by legendary sportswriter Ring Lardner as “the greatest ballplayer in the world.” Columbia Spy covered Sheckard's May 4, 2013 memorial dedication  HERE . MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/features/trending/columbia-resident-starred-on-chicago-cubs-teams-that-won-the/article_c569dc8a-9d48-11e6-adcd-e770bc85eefa.html

Monday, October 31 Trick-or-Treat - 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, November 1 Parks and Rec Committee - 6 p.m. Board of Health - 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 2 Budget Meeting - 6 p.m.

A two-vehicle accident occurred at North Fifth and Walnut Streets around noon today. Emergency crews arrived to find a Ford Fusion and a Ford Econoline van with front end damage and blocking both lanes. Airbags deployed in the Fusion, whose driver was placed in an ambulance. Both vehicles were removed from the scene via rollbacks. A person at the scene speculated that the Fusion driver's line of sight could have been blocked by two vehicles parked in a "no parking" zone along North Fifth, as shown in the last photo. The two vehicles shown here were parked in a no parking zone at the time of the accident, potentially blocking the Fusion driver's line of sight as she entered the intersection. Although the sign shown reads NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER, the curb from the sign to the corner is not painted yellow. Police ticketed both vehicles for the parking violation.  The Honda Civic is reportedly registered to a resident of Lancaster City.  

This afternoon's storm passed by quickly but brought along cooler temps after today's unseasonable warmth of 82 degrees. There wasn't much in the way of rain, just a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.  A plane, apparently late for a very important date, braved the brewing heavy weather.  And sailed under the clouds . . . in the direction of Harrisburg International Airport.

        At Mullen Books, 121 Walnut Street

What :  Dungeon Tours. Where:  Columbia Market House, 15 S. Third St., Columbia. When: Tonight and Friday 6-8 p.m., Saturday 1-3 p.m. Cost:  $5 suggested donation. Contact:   columbiamarkethouse.com . http://lancasteronline.com/features/entertainment/ravens-and-dungeons-scary-lancaster-county-haunts-set-for-this/article_407d67d2-9bb6-11e6-aa0d-47d05d936c4b.html

Local historians describe the farmhouse, built in the 1750s, as an important piece of York County history. MORE: http://www.ydr.com/story/news/2016/10/27/underground-railroad-house-danger-demo/92526478/

OCTOBER 28, 2016 Case Number:  31257-10-27-16 Arrest Date:  Thursday, October 27, 2016 Columbia Borough Police with the assistance of West Hempfield Township Police and 2 Lancaster City Officers and their K9s took Jason Montilla, a 43 year old Lancaster City resident into custody for Robbery, Unlawful Restraint and Terroristic Threats in the 200 Blk of Locust Street.   On October 27, 2016 at approximately 10:40 pm Columbia Borough Police Officers responded to a apartment building in the 200 Blk of Locust Street for a report of a person possibly holding someone against their will.  Officers surrounded the building and attempted to make contact with persons inside.  Officers could see two men inside the apartment, but they would not answer the door. Eventually Officers located one of the residents which resided in the same apartment inside a neighboring building.  The 40 year old female tenant explained to Polic...

Amy Light At a special meeting Wednesday night, the Columbia Borough School Board voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Amy E. Light as business manager, effective October 31, 2016.  The action also authorized the board to issue a written notice of termination. The board did not specify the reason for Light's termination, citing an ongoing process that could include a hearing and another determination. Light was not present at the meeting nor was she present at last Thursday's regular board meeting. Board President Cole Knighton and members Leo Lutz and Keith Combs voted via phone. Board member Iris Garrido was not present for the vote but arrived later. The board also voted unanimously to engage ELANCO School District for immediate temporary business services to complete required time-sensitive financial reports and/or audit business services on behalf of Columbia Borough School District, with the stipulation that the cost shall not exceed $11,000.  The ...

Governor Tom Wolf today announced that he had chosen twenty individuals to serve on his Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation.  MORE: https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-announces-membership-of-the-advisory-council-for-hunting-fishing-and-conservation/

Outside of Lancaster City, Democrats outnumber Republicans in only 25 precincts in eight communities. Those precincts are in the townships of Lancaster, Manheim, Manor, East Hempfield and East Lampeter, and the boroughs of Columbia, Millersville and Marietta. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/where-is-lancaster-county-most-conservative-most-liberal/article_654f4150-98b1-11e6-bcc3-0bd6ff99d682.html

Last week's unseasonably warm temperatures will give way to more fall-like weather this coming week.

October Students of the Month were honored at Thursday's Columbia Borough School Board meeting.

Monday, October 24 Finance Committee - 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 26 Special School Board Meeting - 5:30 p.m. Zoning Hearing Board - 7 p.m. Thursday, October 27 Harvest Days at the Market House - 4-8 p.m. Mardi Gras Parade - 7 p.m. To be considered at Wednesday's Zoning Hearing Board meeting: Columbia Public Library is requesting special exception(s) and/or variance(s) to construct an addition(s) to the principal building at 24 South Sixth Street in an Institutional Residential (INSR) zoned district. This year's parade theme is "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Gamble Township, PA  – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Emergency Response Team today responded to the leak of a Sunoco pipeline carrying gasoline in Lycoming County. An estimated 55,000 gallons of gasoline leaked into a tributary of the Loyalsock Creek, as a result of flash floods and landslides due to heavy rainfall last night. The pipeline has been shut down since early this morning. DEP personnel are on site working closely with staff from Sunoco and its consultant to remediate the effects of this spill. DEP has been working on emergency plans with the three north-central water systems potentially impacted by this spill.  •    Shamokin Dam Borough has closed its intake as a precaution, and Aqua PA is amenable to an emergency interconnect to serve Shamokin Dam Borough if needed.  •    The Sunbury Municipal Authority is currently using its Little Shamokin Creek source.  •    PA American-Milton has notified its customers to conserve water and has ...

A broken pipeline in Lycoming County on Friday dumped 55,000 gallons of gasoline into the Susquehanna River. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/gallons-of-gasoline-spills-into-susquehanna-effect-on-lancaster-county/article_5ed0d20c-97b8-11e6-8fb8-17dc59d3a8e1.html

Dr. Hollister announced this issue at Thursday's school board meeting: http://triblive.com/mobile/11341132-96/data-error-state

Implementation and evaluation of a shared leadership agreement with Eastern Lancaster County School District was a focal point at Columbia Borough School District committee of the whole meeting Thursday. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/insider/community/columbia-board-focuses-on-shared-leadership-agreement-with-elanco/article_8b96cd58-95fd-11e6-b496-0f0b2fa5669b.html

At full strength, Columbia's roster boasts 19 students. With two players absent from school Tuesday, and another two out with injuries, the remaining 15 took the field, chanting "Tide Pride" as the team worked on its offense. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/sports/football/highschool/with-just-players-columbia-s-football-team-battles-for-the/article_f32febae-963c-11e6-8328-f387fba6435c.html

The Columbia Market House is announcing a change of hours for the Fall/Winter Season. They will be open Wednesday & Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (with limited stand holders); Friday, Saturday, & Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For further information, follow the Columbia Market House on Facebook.

The Columbia Borough School Board will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, at the District Administration Building, 200 N. 5th Street. At last month's meeting, several residents voiced concerns to the board about ongoing bullying during and after school.  One resident also touched on the topic of political scheming among board members.  A few of the residents who addressed the bullying problem are shown below:  Jim Johnson: "If you don't care about our children, Columbia has no future." Bruce Murray: "We gotta start protecting our kids."   Randy Fletcher: "I don't know who you got running that school, but it's the wrong person in charge." Jackie Shive: "Please discipline these bullies." More information on September's meeting can be found  HERE  and  HERE .

All meetings are at Borough Offices, 308 Locust Street, except School Board meeting, which is at District Admin Building, 200 N. 5th Street. Thursday, October 20:  Community Development 6 p.m. Thursday, October 20: School Board 7 p.m.

The Arts at Hinkles is having a unique fashion show to benefit community art in Columbia. Participants are designing fashions made out of anything recycled or re-purposed. A "Best in Show" $100 prize will be awarded to the winning design of the night. All ages are welcome to this fun-filled evening! If you are interested in participating, there's still a few spots left. Call Vicki at 518-275-8299 for more information. The Arts at Hinkles, 247 Locust St., Columbia, Pa Sunday, October 30, 2016 7:00 p.m. Tickets $15, at door & presold at Hinkles Beverages & light food will be served.

The smell of burning rubber saturated the air around the AutoZone parking lot along Columbia Avenue as clouds of smoke drifted overhead. About 100 people with over three dozen vehicles, including cars, trucks, and bikes, converged on the lot Saturday night. The Street Invasion Purge Meet featured revving and burnouts, most in the nearby McDonald's parking lot. Squealing tires and roaring engines dominated the night for over an hour as drivers were urged on by spectators who recorded the action with cellphones. At one point a female employee of McDonald's approached the motorists and shouted at them to leave. Although the crowd was high-spirited, no fighting or vandalism occurred. Shortly after 9 p.m., a line of vehicles abruptly left the lot in anticipation of police arriving. After the mass exodus, two police cruisers – one each from West Hempfield and Columbia - appeared after most of the participants had left. This video was shot by Angel Ro...