COLUMBIA SPY

EMILY JONES | LNP Correspondent - When: Council meeting, Jan. 28. - What happened: Council voted unanimously for the Lancaster County Land Bank to acquire property at 521 Locust St. - Background: The Lancaster County Land Bank deals with real estate problems such as abandoned, blighted or tax-delinquent properties. If the municipality and school district agree to turn over the property to the land bank, the property will be taken off the tax rolls while it is rehabilitated for sale. - Why it matters: 521 Locust St. was recently damaged in a fire. Council reported the owner has no intention to restore the damage, and the property is tax delinquent. The property, currently worth an estimated $36,600, is in a residential area between Route 462 and North Sixth Street, near the Columbia Public Library and Park Elementary School. Council President Heather Zink and Mayor Leo S. Lutz speculated that when rehabilitated, the property could be sold for at least twice its cu...

A Columbia man is facing DUI and related charges after he was found with two mini-bottles of Fireball Whiskey in his pocket during a traffic stop early Sunday morning in Manor Township, police say. Diego Gonzalez-Colon, 34, was arrested at about 2:15 a.m. after Manor Township Police pulled him over in the area of Whitechapel Road and Sutherland Road, according to police. Because it is his third DUI offense in 10 years, police say, the DUI charge from Sunday's incident is a felony offense. MORE: https://fox43.com/2020/01/31/police-columbia-man-had-bottles-of-fireball-in-his-pockets-when-he-was-pulled-over-for-dui/  

Denise Keyser is a big fan of the "Today" show and its "Ambush Makeover" segment — so much so, she often works from home on Thursdays so she can watch the segment live, she said. And now, Keyser can call herself not only a longtime fan of the show, but also a guest.  Keyser appeared on the Thursday, Jan. 30 episode of "Ambush Makeover" where she was chosen, along with another woman, among many football fans in the "Today" show plaza to receive a new "game-changing" look for the Superbowl this Sunday. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-woman-receives-birthday-transformation-on-ambush-makeover/article_3ca498aa-43c5-11ea-99e6-e743b3447345.html  

A event barn | In a hearing that lasted just over two hours, last night, Columbia's zoning hearing board conditionally approved Douglas and Lori Ressler's application to operate an event barn on their property at 1145 Ridge Avenue. MORE: https://columbianewsandviews.com/2020/01/30/coming-an-event-barn-in-columbia/  

The Columbia Education Foundation honored Hilary Hershey and Glenn C. Vogel as Distinguished Alumni in November. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/schools/columbia-names-distinguished-alumni-hilary-hershey-and-glenn-vogel/article_f926e08c-414f-11ea-b7f3-db09652fe935.html  

Residents are warned to beware of an active scam involving a caller identifying himself as a member of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office while demanding payment for fines. Multiple incidents were reported to the Sheriff's Office on Tuesday.  At least two similar incidents were reported earlier this month. In one recent report, a female received a call Tuesday from a person who claimed to be "Deputy Simmons" with the Sheriff's Office. There is no Deputy Simmons with the Sheriff's Office; however, the name of an actual deputy was used in the previous attempts. The caller told the female target that she missed a court date and there would be a warrant issued for her arrest - if a "fine" was not paid. Beware of this scam.  Anyone with information (or who has received a call like this) is asked to contact the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office at 717-299-8200 or the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, Detective Division, ...

Download the report  HERE . (Amounts are NOT certified. Total due is subject to change. Interest accrues monthly on the first day of a new month.)

A nonprofit is working to purchase a building in Columbia as part of efforts to bring art to underserved communities and rejuvenate the area. Columbia Creative Factory , an offshoot of the successful  Lancaster Creative Factory , has been operating in the old Heineman's Department store building since 2016, with volunteers leading free and low-cost classes for children, veterans and others. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-creative-factory-wants-to-buy-old-heineman-s-department/article_bfeddaf8-410b-11ea-b57f-e7c78cd6b391.html  

15. Columbia, Lancaster County 13.3% bachelor's degree or higher 3.7% graduate or professional degree Paul Morgan, professor of education and demography at Penn State, says it’s all about location. “The towns where the education level is higher tend to be closer to major, urban areas,” Morgan said. People with higher levels of education sort into communities with those of similar educational backgrounds because of the access to services, networking opportunities and jobs that require their degrees. On the flip side, the least educated communities tend to be isolated and rural where the educational opportunities are not as abundant. MORE: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/01/what-are-pas-most-and-least-educated-towns-how-does-yours-compare.html

This week's photos of Columbia  Something new has been added to the view at the Veterans Memorial Bridge Plaza.  The "something new" is a several thousand-gallon liquid nitrogen tank that was delivered on Friday, shown here being filled that afternoon.  The tank was installed on a 10' x 10' concrete pad next to the building on Bridge Street, which is being leased by Floyd's of Leadville. The liquid nitrogen is used for freezing hemp, one of the steps in making cannabis oil. Columbia Spy reported on the facility  HERE . Under normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen exists as a liquid between the temperatures of -210°C and -196°C which equals -346°F and -320.44°F. Note the ice on pipes and hoses at the back of the truck.  Here's a zoning permit that was seen posted at the property on Friday. It states that it's for "Patch Roof - Concrete Pad w/fence - Ballards - Upgrade Elec."  Shown here are s...