COLUMBIA SPY

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LANCASTERONLINE More than 80 residents of Columbia borough gathered Tuesday for the first in a series of town hall meetings aimed at improving the quality of life in the borough. Police Chief Jack Brommer told the group — which included residents, members of council, and local business owners — that the meeting stemmed from daily conversations he and Mayor Leo Lutz have about issues voiced by residents. The concerns include a lack of cleanliness, especially dog waste; visual code violations, such as trash left piled up outside homes; and personal behavior, such as truancy and disorderly conduct. MORE HERE: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/844874_Columbians-seek-to-boost-town-s-quality-of-life.html

HARRISBURG, Pa. State Senator Mike Brubaker, who represents Pennsylvania's 36th district, wants to crack down on people who secretly videotape farms. Animal rights activists call it the "Ag-Gag" bill. They say the real goal of this legislation is to silence whistleblowers. MORE HERE: http://www.abc27.com/story/22134899/lawmaker-crack-down-on-undercover-farm-videos

The $15 million in tax credits awarded to the Lancaster-based Community First Fund promises to spur economic development in Lancaster city and Columbia borough in the near future, and offer help throughout the county in the long term, officials said Tuesday. MORE HERE: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/844156_Community-First-Funds-gets--15-million-in-tax-credits-for-economic-development-projects.html

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated in "Earth Week."  I was hoping, however, that someone would have attended to the mess at the end of Wright Street, between Kleen-Rite and the Columbia Organ Works.  The area looks as though it's becoming the town dump, with several dozen old tires scattered around, as well as tree trimmings, a used Christmas tree, a pile of broken concrete, and miscellaneous paper trash.  Several tires are also lying in the Shawnee Creek, and a few are lined up along Wright Street.

 Blossoms on the sidewalk A weather-beaten phone book (and a bagged one) in front of the CenturyLink building on Second Street. I don't know if they had been delivered there by a phone book distributor, or if an irate person dumped them there, but either way, it's appropriate.

(Sunday, April 28): Five-year-old Brooke Barnhart sells lemonade in front of the local Rite-Aid to raise funds for the Children's Miracle Network. Brooke's charge for a lemonade is "A dollar and a smile." She and her father, Chris, built and painted the booth. Way to go, Brooke!