COLUMBIA SPY

Monday, May 6, 2013

TMI scrutiny stepped up after flood safety failure

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (AP) - The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant is under heightened scrutiny by federal regulators because of a problem involving protections against flooding.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday seals in the conduits that hold electrical cables in the plant's air intake tunnel were not adequate to maintain the plant's external flood barrier. As a result, the NRC said severe flooding could have threatened plant safety equipment.

MORE HERE:
http://www.abc27.com/story/22126408/tmi-scrutiny-stepped-up-after-flood-safety-failure

Civil War Exhibit at Columbia Historic Preservation Society

Columbia Historic Preservation Society, 19-21 N. Second St., Columbia, will present "Flames Across the Susquehanna," a 150th anniversary Civil War exhibit that explores life before and after the burning of the bridge. The exhibit will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Old Home Week and Columbia's founding 225 years ago will also be on exhibit for 2013. Visitors may also view the 1,000-square-foot HO train display on the second level.

Admission is free. More information is available by calling 684-2894.

Club goes to court over nude dancing

LANCASTERONLINE
Club Good Times in Columbia has appealed the borough zoning board's rejection of its request to feature fully nude dancing at its 425 Union St. business.

Allen Shollenberger, the attorney representing the club, said it is a zoning issue and that the board's Feb. 27 decision was a "clear error of law."

The board, he said, did not consider any evidence supporting the club's case, specifically that there are no sites within the borough for adult-use businesses, as required by law. The ruling, Shellenberger said, was "popular, not legal."

MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/846119_Club-goes-to-court-over-nude-dancing.html

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Chiques Rock Outfitters Prepares for 150th Anniversary of Bridge Burning

Sunday, May 5:
As in weeks past, Jim Cox and the Chiques Rock Outfitters Crew continued stocking braziers with firewood to prepare for the 150th anniversary of the burning of the Civil War-era bridge that once spanned the Susquehanna between Columbia and Wrightsville. The braziers sit atop the piers that supported the bridge.

The crew loaded the firewood onto a boat at Columbia River Park.

The fully laden boat was then piloted to the next pier in line to be worked on.

Once there, the wood was unloaded.

(Note the workman standing atop the pier.)

Each brazier (one per pier) was checked and positioned.

Then began the laborious process of hauling the wood to the top of the pier, using buckets and a rope.

One man hauled up the wood as the other loaded the brazier.

Here's an example of what a fully loaded brazier looks like.

Here are several piers with braziers already loaded.
(Click on the photo for an enlarged view.)

45th Pennsylvania Company K at Locust Street Park

Members of 45th Pennsylvania Company K occupied Locust Street Park on Saturday. The group of re-enactors was selling donated goods to raise funds for insurance and other operating costs.

Meanwhile, down at the river shore, the confederates had already landed . . .

Jimmy Sheckard, Columbia's Major League Baseball Player

Jimmy Sheckard

Columbia's only major league baseball player, Jimmy Sheckard, was honored at a memorial dedication on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m. at Glatfelter Field.

The event was sponsored by the Susquehanna Valley chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, along with the Glatfelter Field Foundation and the Columbia Boys Athletic Association. The event was followed by the Susquehanna Valley chapter's annual awards and installation banquet at the Susquehanna Fire Company, 10th and Manor.

A stone and bronze monument measuring 3 x 5 feet was dedicated to Sheckard. It features his image and lists his baseball accomplishments. A list of financial donors appears on the back.

The program included remarks by Mike Kuhn and Phil Glatfelter of the Glatfelter Field Foundation, Ray McCarty of the Columbia Boys Athletic Association, Jay Lutz, grandson of Charles E. Herr who was a boyhood friend of Sheckard, Bob Herman of the Susquehanna Valley chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Chryst, a friend of Sheckard, and Gregg Dubbs, local baseball historian. Bill Kloidt was master of ceremonies. Several members of the Sheckard family helped unveil the monument. As Sheckard was also a barbershop-style singer, the Lazy Daze Barbershop Quartet performed during the ceremony.

A baseball card depicting Sheckard's major league accomplishments was given to those attending the ceremony.