COLUMBIA SPY

Students at the Taylor Campus of Columbia Middle School are getting some help in learning how to keep fruits and vegetables front and center.  MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-nonprofit-introduces-healthy-eating-habits-to-columbia-students/article_a50df49e-14b2-11e7-a548-63f5b8207361.html

                         Alexis Allen Alexis Allen buried her mother on Sunday. The next day, she felt her mother's presence as she saved the life of an unresponsive child on the side of a western Lancaster County road. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/insider/grieving-columbia-woman-saves-toddler-on-the-side-of-a/article_cf763874-14b0-11e7-870f-137a1c0fbf14.html

A two-alarm fire displaced 12 people and caused $260,000 in damage to four row homes Wednesday in Columbia. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/fire-causes-in-damage-to-columbia-row-homes-residents-displaced/article_a5ad0c7c-14ea-11e7-81c8-6f42405ac0b4.html

Time to turn to the Dark Side? The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has voted to repeal rules preventing internet service providers from selling customers’ web browsing and app usage data without explicit consent. The Republican-controlled Senate passed the same bill last week , which means the only obstacle that remains is a signature from President Trump, a Republican—and the White House has already signaled he will do so. Your ISP can already track your online activity, but with the passage of the bill, ISPs will also be able to collect and store your data and sell the information to advertisers and data mining companies, who could use it to build an almost complete profile of you. Fortunately, you can help keep your private information private by going to the Dark Side - the so-called "Dark Web." Doing so involves using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Tor software, both of which can shield your personal information from prying eyes. More informa...

The Columbia Borough Shade Tree Commission and the Columbia Tree Society will conduct their 26th annual Arbor Day celebration at Glatfelter Memorial Field, on Friday April 28, 2017 starting at 6 p.m. Carl Glatfelter, Secretary-Treasurer of the Glatfelter Memorial Foundation, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Father Stephen Kelley of Holy Trinity Catholic Church will offer the invocation and benediction. Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz and Columbia Borough Council President Kelly Murphy will give remarks. Rick Hartlieb of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry will present Columbia with its 25th consecutive National Arbor Day Foundation “Tree City USA Award." Several borough residents will be recognized for their work with the Commission in 2016. Cash prizes will be awarded to second grade students from Our Lady of the Angels School and Park School for their winning entries in the Arbor Day coloring contest. Musical selections will...

The Vision Van is coming to Family First Health on Saturday, April 1 from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. The event provides free eye exams to children of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville. If it is found that they need glasses, they are able to pick their frames on-site and the finished glasses will be mailed to them in two weeks.

Units from about half a dozen departments responded to a dwelling fire on South Ninth Street, near Avenue W, shortly after 2 p.m. today. A neighbor told Columbia Spy that flames were initially visible coming from the structure but everyone got out safely. Personnel worked for over two hours fighting the fire.

Percentage of Columbia children tested for lead who had elevated blood levels: 20-25% Even miniscule amounts of lead can cause serious mental and emotional problems in children and can increase the chances they could end up in prison. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that 8 percent of children under the age of 6 in Pennsylvania had seriously elevated levels of lead in their blood, 5 or more micrograms per deciliter. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/flint-moves-to-permanently-take-care-of-lead-problems-while/article_b0312390-13eb-11e7-83d6-db5834625aef.html

                     Edward G. Knee Edward G. Knee, 40, of Brogue, was employed by Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens in Columbia and is charged with one felony count of theft by deception. Anyone with information regarding Knee's whereabouts is asked to call Columbia police at 717-684-7735. MORE HERE

Columbia Spy  received the following information last week from a reader. The message shown below reportedly appeared recently on the Columbia High School Football Booster Club page on Facebook, announcing the resignation of Columbia's head football coach, Anthony Sottasante. Sottasante is the owner and operator of Parma Pizza & Grill in Spring Garden Township, York County. He is charged with failing to pay a total of $68,961.07 in sales, employer withholding and personal income taxes between 2013 and 2016. The total includes $58,181.68 in state sales tax, $2,108.39 in employer withholding tax and $8,671 in personal income tax, according to a press release from the PA Attorney General's office. Columbia Superintendent Robert Hollister announced the resignation in a March 27 LNP article , although Sottasante refused to confirm or deny it.  I regret to inform everyone that I have resigned as the head football coach at Columbia High School. This was and is a ...

Anthony Sottasante, 47, was charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced March 9. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-high-school-football-coach-resigns-charged-with-failing-to/article_0f6deaa8-1312-11e7-be0a-93a1ffdfc436.html

The suspects were arraigned and committed to Lancaster County Prison. MORE: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/post/prescription-fraud

Cynthia Martinez, a local author, will be signing (and selling) copies of her book "Midnight Horror Tales" on Wednesday, March 29, at 6 PM here at the Columbia Public Library. Cost of book is $5.40

The Lancaster County Planning Commission will review a proposed request for certification of 301 N. Second St. as blighted property.  The Lancaster County Land Bank Authority will review a resolution authorizing acquisition of 551 Avenue H. MORE INFO: http://lancasteronline.com/insider/community/lancaster-county-government-calendar-march/article_40457cd2-1267-11e7-8193-a7a4372799dd.html

The Columbia Borough School District exceeded its general fund budget appropriation by $732,000 in the last fiscal year, according to a 2015-16 Audit Report from Sager, Swisher, and Company. Mike Reiner, a partner in the accounting firm, announced the finding when he presented the report to the school board at its March meeting. When a resident questioned where the money went, Keith Ramsey, acting business manager for the district, said the majority of the overspending was due to a doubling up of transportation costs. The district moved from one carrier, IU13, to the Hempfield School District. Due to the way the IU bills through the transportation subsidy, the cost for the previous year was contained in the figure, essentially making it a double expenditure, according to Ramsey. Going forward, such costs will be only those of Hempfield. The report also showed a budget of $20,700,000 for the 2015-16 fiscal year, with expenditures of $21,400,000.

After months of excitement about the prospect of raising trout in their classroom and releasing them into a local stream, the big day arrived for about 20 Columbia High School students. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/at-columbia-high-students-and-teachers-tackle-hands-on-lessons/article_da4ddb40-10c7-11e7-9303-cbe2081e7225.html

Jeremy Robinson, 28, of Columbia, who served as a humane society police officer with the Organization for Responsible Care of Animals about six years ago, was recently sworn in as the organization's second badged officer, joining John Kondravy. http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/organization-for-responsible-care-of-animals-adds-animal-cruelty-officer/article_c50089d2-0e78-11e7-8b54-6bd5d228c43b.html

School property tax elimination would not shift the tax burden onto regular, hardworking citizens.  MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/defends-property-tax-reform-bill/article_79212fa2-0b3b-11e7-ae44-8710dda91d8f.html

Route 30 has reopened after police investigated a report that occupants of one vehicle shot at another vehicle during rush hour, according to Springettsbury Township Police. MORE: http://www.ydr.com/story/news/crime/2017/03/22/route-30-reopen-after-report-shots-being-fired/99515704/

What are those basketball-like structures on wires beneath the Route 30 bridge over the Susquehanna River at Columbia?  ANSWER: http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/the_scribbler/the-scribbler-looks-back-at-the-racetracks-that-operated-in/article_a659b3b8-0e97-11e7-af19-cfe9a72d0c2b.html

When part of the solution becomes part of the problem: https://www.google.com/amp/s/wgal.relaymedia.com/amp/article/police-raising-concerns-about-narcan-parties-offering-drugs-and-antidote-to-users/9165193

The shop at 477 Locust St. is also a bet that such a retail store can be successful in the borough, which is trying to bolster its downtown. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/q-a-preparing-for-retirement-software-engineer-mitch-cooper-opens/article_653cbb4c-0e37-11e7-96d5-d39da1b7d6cf.html

Members of the food service staff of the Columbia Borough School District were recognized at last week's school board meeting. The staff served breakfast to a record number of students this year. Every borough student is eligible for a free breakfast at the school they attend. The service is provided by the Community Eligibility Provision offered by the PA Department of Education to school districts with a high percentage of students who qualify for free breakfast.  Former PA Senator Mike Brubaker (far right) represented the Hunger-Free Lancaster County Coalition and participated in the recognition.

 So, does that mean America has gone to the dogs? In the current climate, one could make that argument. There's another one of those C-130s.  Little libraries have been popping up around town. That's a good thing.  Wired?  State Police on the hunt  Covered by LASA  Word to the wise - Don't trespass!  One could also run or bike.  No it's not a barrier on Locust Street, it's another huge truck coming through town. So that bypass was built . . . why?  There it goes!  How much is that . . . well, you know.  That's right - we bad!  The woods are on fire! Not really, just a winter sunset.  New bike rack at Columbia Crossing. Thanks, Lancaster Bicycle Club!  Roller ready to roll  Kingfisher at River Park  He was looking for minnows.  Sez who?  There it is - a replacement bench for the one damaged during tree ...