LANCASTERONLINE
Before Hempfield School District closes two buildings for a final time in June, the public is invited to celebrate 60 years of heritage at an open house.
Officials will welcome visitors to East Petersburg Elementary from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and to Farmdale Elementary from 1 to 3 p.m. May 11.
"LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that a Special Joint Meeting of Columbia Borough Council, Columbia Municipal Authority, and Lancaster Area Sewer Authority will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the Borough Municipal Building, 308 Locust St., Columbia, PA to discuss possible LASA acquisition of the Columbia waste water system. If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend and require an accommodation to participate in this meeting, please contact the Borough Office at 684-2467. Norman B. Meiskey III Borough Manager"
I have never been fishing on the Susquehanna
or on any river for that matter
to be perfectly honest.
Not in July or any month
have I had the pleasure -- if it is a pleasure --
of fishing on the Susquehanna.
I am more likely to be found
in a quiet room like this one --
a painting of a woman on the wall,
a bowl of tangerines on the table --
trying to manufacture the sensation
of fishing on the Susquehanna.
There is little doubt
that others have been fishing
on the Susquehanna,
rowing upstream in a wooden boat,
sliding the oars under the water
then raising them to drip in the light.
But the nearest I have ever come to
fishing on the Susquehanna
was one afternoon in a museum in Philadelphia,
when I balanced a little egg of time
in front of a painting
in which that river curled around a bend
under a blue cloud-ruffled sky,
dense trees along the banks,
and a fellow with a red bandana
sitting in a small, green
flat-bottom boat
holding the thin whip of a pole.
That is something I am unlikely
ever to do, I remember
saying to myself and the person next to me.
Then I blinked and moved on
to other American scenes
of haystacks, water whitening over rocks,
even one of a brown hare
who seemed so wired with alertness
I imagined him springing right out of the frame.
Billy Collins
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/fishing-on-the-susquehanna-in-july/
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004-2006.
LANCASTERONLINE
A cleanup day in the Borough of Columbia, sponsored by the Columbia Board of Health, along with Columbia Borough will take place on Friday, April 26. All items to be picked up must be tagged. Item tags may be purchased at the borough office. For more information call 684-2468.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/839547_Columbia-cleanup-set-for-April-26.html
LANCASTERONLINE
The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle near Route 441 and 3rd Street in Columbia, and the driver fled on foot, Trzaska said.
MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/838709_Motorist--driving-120-mph--eludes-police.html
(CNN) - Comedian-actor Patton Oswalt may not seem the most likely person to soothe the wounded national psyche after the deadly bombs that struck the Boston Marathon. Oswalt has no obvious ties to Boston, and he makes a living telling jokes, not comforting the afflicted.
But Oswalt's eloquent thoughts about the attacks, which he posted Monday afternoon to his Facebook page, have been widely passed around the Internet as an inspiring testament to humankind's inherent goodness in the face of evil. (Warning: he uses strong language.)
"I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, 'Well, I've had it with humanity.' But I was wrong,' " wrote Oswalt, best known as the voice of Remy the rat from "Ratatouille" and for playing Spencer on TV's "The King of Queens."
"This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness," he wrote.
"But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.
"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.' "
MORE HERE:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/social-media/patton-oswalt-facebook-boston/
PENNLIVE.COM
Pennsylvania taxpayers have been given a one day reprieve to file their 2012 commonwealth tax returns after a computer problem prevented many from accessing the state's online tax filing resources Monday.
"Since Pennsylvanians were unexpectedly unable to access padirectfile, tax forms and our Online Customer Service Center on our website for a few hours today, in the interest of customer service, we won't penalize anyone who files a return by midnight, Tuesday, April 16," Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser said in a statement.
LANCASTERONLINE
Motorists headed to York County on U.S. 30 will encounter single-lane restrictions on the Wright's Ferry Bridge Monday morning.
The lane closure, between 9 a.m. and noon, will allow state Transportation Department inspectors to examine expansion joints on the bridge which spans the Susquehanna River between Lancaster and York counties.
The Columbia Historic Preservation Society will sponsor a bus trip to New York City on Saturday, May 25.
The bus will depart from Columbia at 8 a.m. and will visit Chelsea market, the 9/11 memorial and take a Statue of Liberty cruise. Cost is $85 with payment due by April 21.
Call Tiffani K. Lynn at 799-6093 for further information and to make reservations.
St. James Lutheran Church, located at 10th and Manor streets, will hold its annual spaghetti dinner on Saturday, April 13. The menu includes spaghetti, salad, roll, dessert and beverage.
Tickets are required for the dinner which is scheduled from 4 to 7 pm. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children ages 4 to 10. For tickets and additional information visit the church office or call 684-5135.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/836426_Church-spaghetti-dinner-set-for-April-13.html
The Columbia Park Rangers will sponsor spring cleanup at 8 a.m. Saturday at River Park.
The mission will be to weed, pick up and dispose of debris and to mulch around trees and lamp posts.
Help from the public is welcome.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/836104_Columbia-Park-Rangers-seek-volunteers-Saturday.html
The Pennsylvania State Police will accept unwanted, expired and unused prescription drugs Saturday, April 27, as part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
MORE HERE:
http://fox43.com/2013/04/11/state-police-to-accept-expired-unwanted-prescription-medications/
If you are heading west on Route 30 today, be prepared for a single lane of travel on the Wrights Ferry Bridge.
The bridge over the Susquehanna River will be restricted to one lane for a short time between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Construction crews need to examine and make repairs, if necessary, to two expansion dam joints on the bridge. The repairs should not require the full day but motorists should still be prepared to encounter traffic restriction during this time frame.
"Everyone can relate to that annoying alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning," says Katie Knaub, Museum Educator at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, "We just wanted to create something that everyone can relate to."
The museum will be opening its Wake Up exhibit later this month with an exhaustive display of various alarm clocks from ancient times,to today. They've even got some rather quirky, and frankly dangerous, variations on early alarm clocks. One used the sun to light a fuse which fired a small canon. Another struck a match to light an oil lamp and sometimes caught houses on fire.
The museum houses a thorough collection of all types of timepieces, from sundials to wall clocks and digital watches. "We have a mission which is to tell the whole story," says Noel Poirier, the Director of the museum, "So our collection includes objects from all over the world, [an] Asian incense clock...right up to modern calculator wrist watches."
MORE HERE:
http://www.witf.org/arts-culture/2013/04/history-of-waking-up.php
A steel expansion joint that recently was replaced as part of a $9.4 million reconditioning of the Wrights Ferry Bridge failed Tuesday, officials said.
The expansion joint was on the westbound side of the bridge, which carries U.S. 30 over the Susquehanna River between Lancaster and York counties.
At least one westbound lane was closed between 3:20 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. Wednesday as workers replaced the four six-foot segments of the expansion joint and an epoxy filler was allowed to dry, said Mike Crochunis, a spokesman for PennDOT District 8, which includes Lancaster County.
The closure resulted in westbound traffic being delayed during Wednesday morning's rush hour as far from the bridge as the Prospect Road interchange, Crochunis said.
MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/836562_Problem-slows-traffic-on-Wrights-Ferry-Bridge.html
Columbia Borough could see approval soon of a major addition to River Front Park, but officials say they need time to amend funding requests to close about a half-million dollar gap.
The lowest bid for the project came in at $2 million, but it was expected to cost $1.4 million, officials revealed Monday. Officials said they have 120 days to act on the bid.
With plans in jeopardy to build the visitor hub including bathrooms and increased parking along the Susquehanna River, half a dozen members of the River Park focus group urged borough council Monday to move forward with construction.
MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/836196_Susquehanna-River-trail-hub-lacks-funding-.html
This summer, Columbia expects to grab more attention than usual with its June 28-30 "Flames Across the Susquehanna" commemoration of its biggest moment in Civil War history. Town planners hope to snare visitors heading for Gettysburg's July 1-3 observance of the battle's 150 th anniversary with a dramatic re-creation of the burning of the town's bridge.
MORE HERE:
http://www.mcall.com/travel/daytrips/mc-columbia-pa-travel-0407-20130406,0,6486841.story
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It's that time again.
After a 17-year slumber, cicadas will be making their unwelcome debut throughout the Tri-State Area in about a month.
Experts said the cicadas will not be out until mid to late May.
And as CBS 2's Lou Young reported, scientists said the spring and summer will bring record numbers of the noisy insect.
"In places where they're going to be present, it's going to be spectacular. There could be as many as one billion cicadas emerging per square mile," Michael Raupp, a professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, told 1010 WINS. "This is really a spectacular opportunity for children, for adults, for students to go out and learn about one of Mother Nature's rarest, most interesting events."
Discovery Channel's hit "Amish Mafia" bills itself as a reality show, but local historian Brad Igou says it's anything but real – and he can prove it. Igou is opening a new attraction called the "Amish Mafia Tour" that will show visitors the shooting locations. Much of the show was shot on the farm of the Silverstone Inn just off of Route 30, including the barn that housed main character Lebanon Levi's office.
MORE HERE:
http://fox43.com/2013/03/29/amish-mafia-tour-aims-to-disprove-shows-claims/
Roger Dorsey is a heavy metal artist.
He finds inspiration in scrap yards. In fact, he's a regular at Frank Sahd Salvage Center in Columbia, where workers sometimes set aside interesting pieces of -- well, let's be honest, most people would consider it junk -- for his use.
"I'm like one of the family," he says. "They treat me really well."
MORE HERE :
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/831652_Found-metal-sculptures-forged-from-scrap--imagination.html
To say that Millersville University has picked a controversial speaker for its spring commencement this year is putting it mildly.
Students, faculty and alumni in Marauder Nation have signed a petition to oppose the university's choice. A group has set up a Facebook page voicing their outrage. Emails are pouring into the university administration's offices. Students are meeting this afternoon to organize some kind of response.
So who is generating this reaction?
None other than Pennsylvania's 46th governor – Tom Corbett.
Columbia Borough Council took the wastewater treatment plant problem and the need to comply with clean water regulations in an entirely different direction Monday by asking Lancaster Area Sewer Authority for a proposal to purchase the entire system.
The 5-1 vote to turn to LASA came in response to concerns raised by residents that the solution favored by the municipal authority — refurbishing the plant — was expensive and short-sighted.
MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/830753_Columbia-council-seeks-solution-for-sewage.html
Lancaster, Strasburg, Columbia and Lititz have established historic districts under state guidelines. These districts also are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They encompass thousands of residences and other structures.
Historical Architectural Review Boards, or HARBs, sit in judgment on proposals for exterior modifications, including demolition, in all of the districts except Lititz, which has a slightly different system. Alterations include removing a porch or replacing wood windows with vinyl.
The point of monitoring these changes is to preserve the integrity of the historic districts. Methods of meeting that objective still draw occasional controversy decades after the historic districts were established.
MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/830391_PART-III--Preservationist-s-curse.html
