From the Columbia Borough Fall/Winter 2013 Newsletter

There it is in black and white:  

Shovel your sidewalk.  At least three feet in width.  Don't throw the snow into the street after the street has been plowed.  

Up to $600 fine plus costs possible for non-compliance.

No parking at designated times, even if the sweeper is not running.

What I Saw - February 19, 2014

Warmer temperatures produced the beginning of a thaw.  Soon, we'll be back to where we started before all the recent snow, which leads me to believe the whole episode was nothing more than an exercise in futility by whoever perpetrated it.

 Three geese went sailing by . . .

 but this laggard chose to walk.

 Actually, I use Bing quite a bit.

High on (the) pot

Observations

I took a walk this afternoon, because the sun was shining, and I wanted to escape impending cabin fever. Also, because my back hurt from shoveling snow, and I thought a jaunt around town would alleviate aches and pains.  Along the way, I helped a woman with a walker get across an icy sidewalk that hadn't been properly cleared. Good deed done.

Later, on Locust Street, I was walking behind a young woman of about 20 and a boy I assumed to be her son, who appeared to be about five. The kid was lagging a bit, as kids do, but "Mom" wasn't pleased and told him, "I'm not gonna keep f**kin' stoppin' dude. You're gonna walk. You're gonna shut the hell up." She didn't say it angrily, just matter-of-factly, in a normal, conversational tone. I hadn't noticed the kid saying anything. I wondered how many times he must have heard similar language at home at his young age for some small infraction, real or perceived. And we wonder where kids get this stuff and why they grow up dysfunctional and disaffected.

After you dig out a parking space, is it appropriate to claim it? | PennLive.com

The controversy also exists elsewhere, namely Harrisburg. Click on the link below for more info and residents' opinions on the matter.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/parking_etiquette_in_the_snow.html#comments

What I Saw - February 16, 2014

 A casualty along Barber Street

 A uniquely designed snowman that's also . . . if not anatomically correct, at least anatomically explicit, thus the censored photo.  This is a family blog, after all.  There's a time and place for such expression.  But in one's backyard, facing the sidewalk where children play, isn't appropriate.

 We got a lot of snow recently.

Well, at least they cleared the snow off their car, even if they can't get out of their parking space.

Sunday morning snow removal on Locust Street

On Sunday morning, work crews were busy clearing excess snow from Locust Street.

 Although notices had been posted along the street last Wednesday, some vehicles had not been moved. Those remaining were ticketed and towed.

 This lady in white moved her car at the last minute.

 Snow was blown into dump trucks and hauled away.

 Vehicles continued to be towed.

 Here's a closer view of the humongous snow blower that was used.

 Further down the street

 A side view of the giant snow blower

 More vehicles being towed

 The morning's work yielded some good results . . . 

 here . . . 

and here.

Our borough workers deserve thanks for working hard on a Sunday morning to make our streets clear and safe.

What I Saw - February 14, 2014

When you're out shoveling your sidewalk, do a favor for the firemen (and maybe yourself) and dig out the fire hydrant in your neighborhood.

 As someone did here

 But not here

Or here

 Here's a work in progress

 As is this, because it sure isn't completed.

 As I said before, some do and some don't.

 The mailman had to push his cart up the highway - into oncoming traffic - because some sidewalks were not shoveled sufficiently (or at all).

That's one big pile of dirty snow.

Addams Family House Threatened

The former Long Funeral Home, pictured HERE, has been named one of Lancaster County's most threatened historic spots by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster, according to a LancasterOnline article HERE.  The house was built in 1895 and was recently listed for a price of about $67,000.

Columbia mother gets up to 28 years for neglecting abuse that killed infant son

http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-mother-gets-up-to-years-for-neglecting-abuse-that/article_702f2b30-95bc-11e3-9090-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm

WGAL Lancaster sets up temporary station, will broadcast online after roof collapse

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/wgal_lancaster_sets_up_tempora.html

Tom Corbett Loves Puppies

Tom Corbett Loves Puppies, 

But 4 People Still Died Today Because He Won't Allow Medicaid Expansion

That’s according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the City University of New York.
The study says that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s refusal to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act will result in 1,491 deaths this year.
Why is Corbett turning down federal funding for Medicaid expansion? Because he is playing politics over Obamacare in an election year. He wants to turn Medicaid over to his corporate insurance friends and impose illegal restrictions on who can be covered.
Every day Corbett delays the expansion of Medicaid in Pennsylvania 4 more people will die.
Expanded Medicaid coverage will not only prevent deaths, it will increase employment in Pennsylvania. A Families USA study showed that expanded coverage will result in over 40,000 new jobs in PA.

More snow on the way

We could get a foot of snow on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, in Sweden . . .

Once again it snows

Looks like we'll be shoveling again.

Meanwhile, in Antarctica:

What I Saw - February 6, 2014

 Tracks in the snow

(near the Columbia Plaza)

No, I don't think so.

(The temperature was actually 26 degrees when I took this photo.)

A few extras

Following are some pics I was posting last night right before a power interruption. I heard a loud bang - what sounded like a transformer blowing up in the distance - and then my computer shut down. The neighborhood street lights went dark, but the house lights, including mine, stayed on. Anticipating further problems, I kept the computer shut down, pulled the plugs, and kept them out until tonight.

 Clearing the sidewalk: some do it; some don't.

 A cycloptic snowman tuning into approaching weather patterns.

Actually, that thing on his head is a DIRECTV dish in the background.

 It even snowed on the river.

Stuck!

You saw it here first

Just saw a news story on WGAL's 6 p.m. report about Columbia residents using chairs to preserve their shoveled-out parking spaces. Remember folks, you saw it here first, specifically, HERE and HERE.

Street closed

Safety cones on Barber Street to alert motorists that the street is closed (due to a low-hanging utility wire). Scenes like this one were repeated at various locations around the area over the last two days.

The winter of our discontent

OK, I'll say it - this is, or is fast becoming, "the winter of our discontent." And by "our," I mean anyone suffering under the burden of snow, ice, winds, and freezing temps. I assume that's everyone in this area. It's too easy to reach for that Shakespeare quote, but in this case, it's appropriate, because nothing else adequately describes the gloom and frustration that is this winter. One could possibly apply Thomas Paine's famous, "These are the times that try men's souls." Women's, too, although a long stretch of nasty weather doesn't quite compare to a nation in the throes of revolution.

These are the times, however, when we must all dig deep and find what sustains us, whether it be religion, work, or drink, because in the end, we need to remember yet another quote, this one biblical: "This, too, shall pass."

Emergency shelters available in Columbia

A state of emergency is in effect in Columbia Borough due to power outages, and freezing temperatures and strong winds expected overnight.

The Columbia Borough Emergency Management Team is activating shelters in each of the three Borough Fire Companies:

* Columbia #1 Fire Company, at Front Street south of Locust Street

* Susquehanna Fire Company, at 10th & Manor Street

* Columbia Consolidated Fire Company, at 10th & Mifflin Street.

Anyone not able to travel is asked to contact Columbia Borough Police for assistance at (717) 684-7735 or (717) 684-2014.

MORE INFO:

http://www.columbiapa.net/hello-world/

Good!

I hope that solves the problem.