COLUMBIA SPY

Photo: Christian Wiediger Columbia Borough Council President Heather Zink said the borough will no longer livestream its meetings, citing technical difficulties, especially with Comcast and Facebook. Instead, meetings will be recorded and then posted the day after on the borough's YouTube channel, which can be found HERE . Zink made the announcement at the June 27 borough council meeting. Poor sound quality, freezes, signal dropouts, etc. have long plagued borough council livestreams. In fact, sound quality was so bad for the June 13, 2023 meeting that it rendered the second half of the meeting unintelligible, due to frequent and sustained dropouts. The meeting was significant because six school board members attended to argue for the continuation of the Community Safety Officer agreement. Fortunately for the public, Columbia Spy recorded it and posted the audio  HERE . Other borough meetings (not borough council) have largely been spared difficulties but not totally. Some were u...

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 866-366-3723, uses a risk-based inspection reporting process for restaurants and other food handlers. Beiler’s Soft Pretzels , 15 S. Third St., Columbia, June 24. Pass. Prepackaged juice was not labeled properly with the distributed-by statement. Single-service, single-use articles (cups and bottles) stored beneath the table directly on the floor and not 6 inches above the floor. Honey’s Cakes & Candies , 15 S. Third St., Columbia, June 24. Pass. Paper towel dispenser empty at the hand-wash sink in the back. Markethouse Coffee Corner , 15 S. Third St., Columbia, June 24. Pass. No violations. Pepperpot Jamaican Restaurant , 15 S. Third St., Columbia, June 24. Pass. Food employee involved in food preparation wearing a wristwatch. Food employee working with exposed food not wearing a beard cover. The hand-wash sink in the back was blocked by two fryer lids and not accessible at all times for employee use. Door located in the back of the foo...

It was a hot Thursday afternoon and the air was smokey from the Canadian wildfires, but conditions didn't deter Columbia Cat Action Team members from once again attempting to rescue a mother cat and her three kittens from a storm sewer at the high school. It appears that the cats cannot escape and are, in fact, trapped. CCAT members worked to capture them by placing a small transfer trap in the drain. At various times, the kittens briefly entered the trap, but were too fast and continually eluded capture. The mother appears to have an injury to her left eye and could benefit from veterinary care. After several hours, the school maintenance department had to close the sewer grates, and they may not be able to open them again. This left team members brainstorming new plans. CCAT members were disappointed but vowed to continue with rescue efforts.

Visitors converged on the National Watch & Clock Museum at 5th & Poplar on Tuesday for an impromptu car show. Here are some photos of the event:

When: Columbia school board meeting, June 15. What happened: The school board unanimously approved the adoption of the final budget for the 2023-24 school year beginning July 1. By the numbers: The $31.36 million budget comes with no tax property increase. The board also passed a resolution for the commitment of the June 30 fund balance; the resolution determines the area where money within the budget will be allocated throughout the year. The real estate tax millage rate will remain unchanged at 26.46, or $26.46 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed taxable property valuation. The homestead and farmstead exclusion will reduce tax bills by about $430.93 per qualifying property. MORE  HERE.

Photo by Pamoni Photograph 160 years ago today, on June 28, 1863, Union militia under Maj. Granville O. Haller and Col. Jacob G. Frick burned the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge to prevent the advance of Confederate troops. Civilian volunteers from Columbia had mined the bridge at the fourth span from the Wrightsville side, hoping to drop the whole span into the river. However, the charges only splintered the support arch, leaving the span passable. As Confederate troops advanced onto the bridge, Union forces set fire to it near the Wrightsville side. They had earlier saturated the structure with crude oil from a Columbia refinery. The entire structure soon caught fire and completely burned in six hours. [ Source: Wikipedia] The burning of the bridge was a significant event in the Civil War. It helped prevent the Confederates from advancing into Lancaster County, and it may have even changed the course of the war, since it precipitated the Battle of Gettysburg.  The July 11, 186...

  Two lowboy trailers, each carrying a giant beer vat, crawled through town (on Route 462) Tuesday afternoon on their way to the Genessee Brewing Company in Rochester, New York.

Gayle Johnson | For LNP | LancasterOnline When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, June 13. What happened: Council members voted 6-1 not to renew their agreement with Columbia Borough School District to train and pay a community safety officer to work for the district when classes are in session and to work for the borough when students are not in school. Council member Sharon Lintner cast the only vote to preserve the agreement. Details: The contract, which pays $95,415 per year, is set to expire around Aug. 14. No one currently holds the job. The school district covers $42,419 of that cost while the borough pays $52,996. Although the borough pays 30% of the officer’s salary, it funds training and uniforms, which increases the municipal portion, Mark Stivers, borough manager, said after the meeting. More: School board President Charles Leader, Vice President Lauren VonStetten and members Sandy Duncan, Sonya Duncan, Kathleen Hohenadel and Christine Misciagna attended the meeting. At tim...