COLUMBIA SPY

Columbia Spy caught these pics of a plane flying over Columbia on Saturday at about 5:48 p.m. We believe it to be Air Force One carrying President Trump to HIA for a rally in Harrisburg.

Columbia Spy happened upon Columbia's new trolley at Columbia Crossing this afternoon. Columbia's newly purchased trolley was a topic of discussion at last month's borough council meeting. Mayor Leo Lutz praised the purchase saying, "I hesitate to say you bought it, I think you kinda stole it. It was a gift." A contract between Columbia Borough and SVCC for management of the trolley has been under discussion. At issue in writing the draft contract was determining which entity should hire the drivers and provide the liability insurance for the trolley. Insurance carriers require that the drivers be hired by the entity holding the policy. An insurance representative at the meeting addressed council about the issue. Kathleen Hohenadel of the SVCC presented the anticipated operating expense figures, including the cost of trolley drivers.  Most likely, two or three part-time drivers will be hired. Hohenadel stated that the 2016 hourly cost to run t...

A Columbia woman who aided a boyfriend in the 2016 stabbing death of her husband has pleaded guilty to felony charges that she provided false information to law enforcement officers. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-woman-pleads-guilty-to-aiding-boyfriend-in-husband-s/article_528f4c7e-29f5-11e7-8376-f3bdd878d44c.html

Thursday's meet-and-greet event begins at 6 p.m. at the municipal building, 308 Locust St., with members of Columbia Borough and Northern Lancaster County Regional police departments, Columbia Fire Department, Columbia Emergency Medical Services and Susquehanna Valley EMS. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-county-woman-injured-by-distracted-driver-pushes-for-harsher/article_331f4340-29f9-11e7-9d19-4f1e6421ecd8.html

Taste of the River Towns raises money for the marketing programs of the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and for the operation of the chamber's visitors center in Columbia. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/river-towns-tasting-event-in-columbia-brings-friends-together-showcases/article_53093d78-2891-11e7-b7ee-678b48bb8bdb.html

Columbia Spy shot the following photos today showing the progress of construction for the planned storage units along Front Street. Excavation continues and drainage lines are beginning to be installed. The next step will most likely be pouring concrete slabs. The multi-unit self-storage facility is being constructed by Associates Properties PA, LP. The facility will contain 10 x 20, 10 x 25, and 10 x 30 units, for a total of 40,000 square feet of storage space, according to Jeff Seibert of Associates Properties. Construction is expected to be completed by late July.

More graffiti has been noted recently, this time on Jersey barriers along Front Street (under the Veterans Memorial Bridge), and along the Route 441 bypass. Trailers parked near Bootleg Antiques, and the concrete wall leading to the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail were also spray-painted. This incident is believed to have occurred this past Tuesday evening, according to sources. The two photos below show graffiti on the Veterans Memorial Bridge that was painted during the incident a few weeks ago that Columbia Spy reported on  HERE .

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake shook Lancaster County Sunday afternoon. Lancaster County-Wide Communications was flooded with calls from various parts of the county after the brief rumble just before 5 p.m. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/magnitude-earthquake-shakes-lancaster-county-no-reports-of-damage/article_9af61af4-2867-11e7-8148-5315768e6322.html

On Friday,  PA Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera visited Columbia Borough School District on Governor Wolf's "Schools That Teach" tour, sharing with educators and administrators information about several initiatives the Wolf Administration and PDE are currently advancing. Rivera has traveled the state talking to educators, administrators, students, and families about how the Department can best serve communities across Pennsylvania. Improving access to quality and innovative programs through enhanced funding is a hallmark of the Schools That Teach initiative. "As budget talks are ongoing in the halls of the Capitol building and staff at the Department of Education is hard at work developing plans that will greatly impact public education, it is important to gain insight and feedback from constituents in all corners of the commonwealth," Rivera said. "This statewide tour enables me to discuss ideas and strategies with experts in the field who ha...

Eziukwu Umachi On 04-23-17 at approx. 12:04 AM the Columbia Borough Police were notified that a male had just defecated in person's alley way in the 200 blk. of Lawrence St. Police were able to locate the male in the area of 2nd St. and Mill St. a short time later. The male had a strong odor of feces on his person and had feces smeared on his shoes as well as his jeans. The male told police his name was Simon Umachi and was taken into custody. Once arrested police found and ID card that showed that his name was Eziukwu Umachi B/M/36 years of age. Umachi was charged with False ID to Law Enforcement, two (2) counts of Trespassing as well as Public Drunkenness. Umachi was taken to Central booking for arraignment. Source:  Columbia Borough Police Department

It rained intermittently while Columbia Park Rangers and others cleaned up Columbia River Park this morning, but we won't say "The rain didn't dampen their spirits" or any other such cliche. Instead, we'll just say they worked for several hours removing trees, weeds, and debris, and Columbia owes them a lot of thanks.

The public is invited to travel to the river town area of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville to shop, dine, and visit during the Fourth Friday Passport program. Quaint antique shops, specialty food shops, and small businesses are among the venues highlighted in this initiative coordinated by the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce. A variety of local businesses have signed on as program vendors and are busy designing program benefits for the participating public. This program, which showcases participating Fourth  Friday venues in the region, will begin on Fourth Friday, April 28, and end Fourth Friday, August 25. Venues will be open various days and hours throughout the week, as well as each Fourth Friday from 5-8pm. Paperwork which accompanies the passport will verify hours of operation for each venue. This Fourth Friday Passport program offers participants specially-designed discounts or promotions awarded only to holders of a program passport. When visiting participati...

Artist Bob Hammer will be participating in a neighborhood yard sale on Saturday, April 22, from 7am to 2pm. (See map above.) There will be a variety of items for sale including books, glassware, kitchenware, puzzles, and collectibles.

Tuesday at the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, PFBC officials told the eight anglers present that hard data shows bass populations are indeed on the rise, and it's safe to tentatively allow catch-and-release fishing for bass during the spawn as many anglers apparently want. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/sports/outdoors/columbia-anglers-fishing-guides-praise-state-proposal-to-ease-bass/article_0137d382-253b-11e7-b25d-fbd25a45a6f1.html

Special Recognition Tribute     Miss Lillian Evans, First Daughter in Pennsylvania     Donegal Chapter DAR Organizer     Friday, April 21, 2017     10:30 AM  Mount Bethel Cemetery     11:00 AM  Caretakers Cottage Memorabilia Display As the first woman in the Commonwealth to join the NSDAR in 1890, Miss Lillian Slaymaker Evans zealously walked into history. “She has served our Society faithfully, efficiently and wholeheartedly; her ceaseless, conscientious work and successful accomplishments and her quiet, gracious personality winning the admiration and affectionate regard of all who knew her,” wrote the resolution committee of the Donegal Chapter at the time of her death in 1943. Miss Lilly never hesitated to align her patriotic interests with those of her ancestors whom she wished to follow proudly. Patriotic Roots Born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1861, she was the daughter of attorney Samuel Evans, ...

Buchart Horn's York office and Columbia Water Co. won state honors for a $15.3 million water-treatment plant expansion. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/columbia-water-co-and-york-engineering-firm-win-state-honors/article_89956790-239b-11e7-96d8-df35bfc45713.html

Class 2 vehicle accident at Chestnut Street Turkey Hill. Dispatch at 11 5656 and then a unit dispatched a medic at 11:58 unknown injuries

 Two ducklings were hiding in the weeds at Columbia River Park this afternoon.  They looked like they'd lost their way and didn't know what to do.  Mother duck was nowhere to be found. They were all alone. But there's a happy ending! Columbia Spy corralled the young 'uns and then called ORCA, the Organization for the Responsible Care of Animals. An employee drove from Lancaster and placed the ducklings in a carrier. He said he was expecting such a call, because pet owners often dump ducklings near the water around Easter, thinking they will adapt to the environment. He identified these two as Khaki Campbells and said they instead would have died slowly from starvation - or quickly from predators. He said these two were literally "sitting ducks" at the mercy of this kind of environment.  It's possible they will be taken to Chloe's Creek in Mount Joy, a domestic water fowl rescue, to live out their lives in safety and tranquility. ...