COLUMBIA SPY

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  At the June 23 Columbia Borough Council meeting, President Eric Kauffman opened the discussion on the draft data center ordinance by stating that borough officials met with representatives of Saadia Holdings LLC recently. This is the first time residents heard that Saadia is still interested in purchasing the former McGinness tract. "They're still in," Kauffman said.  Kauffman: "They're still in." [File photo] Council Vice President Heather Zink said that Saadia's attorney, Claudia Shank, met with borough staff last week and submitted a redlined copy of the proposed ordinance. Zink was careful to frame the contact as informational rather than collaborative. "The Saadia group met with staff this past week," Zink said, adding that the company was shown the borough's draft "not for them to look at us, but for them to see what we're considering." A second look at the draft Zink said she had little time ...

Lutz: "I will stand by it." JOE LINTNER L | COLUMBIA SPY  A Columbia Borough resident has asked Mayor Leo Lutz to rescind his proclamation declaring June 2026 as Pride Month.  At the June 23 Columbia Borough Council Meeting, resident Jesse Rabinowitz told council he objects to the proclamation on religious and philosophical grounds. Reading from a prepared statement, he said that while he believes every person has equal worth because they are "created in the image of God," he does not believe publicly celebrating LGBT identity or pride is the right way to express that respect.  He argued that the proclamation "is an open door for public celebrations of homosexuality and pride, which undermines our community," and said he and others in attendance consider it "logically inconsistent to seek equality by elevating one group above others." Rabinowitz also said he wants Columbia to remain a town "where families are comfortable walking downtown and...

Borough Of Marietta, PA - Government  MARIETTA BOROUGH OFFICES A little bit about the painted fire hydrants from Stephanie Gantz who organized it... Q&A about the Patriotic Paint-A-Plug Event:  1. It is a community beautification event, a contest for the artists and a fundraiser for the 4th of July Community Carnival. The public can vote at the link above. You can also access the voting site by scanning the QR codes on the signs beside each hydrant. 2. The hydrants are owned by Columbia Water and leased by the Borough for use by the fire department. We received approval from all three before proceeding with the event. All hydrants maintain the original color on the front nut that is the color coded piece the fire department uses to know the water pressure available at the hydrant  This direction is per Columbia Water. The hydrants are all still fully functional. 3. The hydrants were cleaned of rust and painted with a high-quality direct to metal primer as a fresh base...

UPDATE:  HERE A stabbing was reported Tuesday afternoon on Fairview Avenue in Columbia Borough, according to dispatch audio obtained from local emergency communications. The incident was logged at approximately 1:39 PM EDT on June 23. 2026. Dispatch audio reveals that units were called to a residence on Fairview Avenue - believed to be in the area of 638 Fairview Ave - in response to a stabbing. The call was classified as an *Assault** According to the auto-generated dispatch transcript, the call originated from Columbia Borough, with the specific address number withheld by dispatchers. Medic 776 was among the units responding to the scene. The condition of any potential victim or victims has not been officially confirmed at this time. Columbia Borough Police have not vet released an official statement regarding the incident *This report is based on dispatch audio. Dispatch transcripts are auto-generated and may be incomplete or inaccurate. This is not an official report.*

By Zachary Lape- Lape Brothers Photography Marietta, Lancaster County is holding a fantastic fundraiser called Marietta Patriotic Paint-a-Plug. It benefits the Marietta Carnival on July 4th time- 4:30-8:30pm, followed by Fireworks at 9:15pm. They will have Games, live music and Food trucks. The location of the carnival is at the Marietta War Memorial Park, located at 344 E Walnut Street, Marietta. 11 different fire hydrants sponsored by local businesses throughout Marietta Borough have been painted by local artists. L. Weber Painting sponsored the supplies to the artists. They also prepared the hydrants for the artists to paint. History of painting the hydrant The nationwide trend of painting fire hydrants began as a grassroots civic movement during the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Across the country, ordinary citizens, Boy Scouts, and garden clubs transformed local hydrants into historical figures, soldiers, and patriotic designs to celebrate the cou...

The meeting packet is  HERE .

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  All 26 piers of the Veterans Memorial Bridge will blaze Sunday night for the first time in more than a decade, marking a milestone moment for the annual Riverfest celebration between Columbia and Wrightsville. The lighting will take place around 7:45 p.m. on June 28, with the bridge closed to vehicle traffic and open to pedestrians so visitors can get a clear view. While the piers are set to be lit at that time, organizers say there's no way to predict how long the burn will last. The piers, remnants of earlier bridges that once spanned the Susquehanna River before the current Veterans Memorial Bridge was completed in 1930, are typically lit only a few at a time each year by the Susquehanna National Heritage Area as part of Riverfest.  The last time all of the surviving stone piers were lit simultaneously was in 2013 for the 150th anniversary of the original bridge burning. This year's full lighting honors the 250th anniversary of the United States....