COLUMBIA SPY

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Public forum will offer taxpayers an important chance to engage in school funding debate

The bipartisan legislative Basic Education Funding Commission is trying to come up with a formula for funding the commonwealth's school districts. Lancaster County's own Sen. Lloyd Smucker and Rep. Mike Sturla sit on that commission, as doesActing Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, former School District of Lancaster superintendent.

Pennsylvania is one of just three states that do not have a school funding formula based on student enrollment and characteristics.

MORE:
http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/public-forum-will-offer-taxpayers-an-important-chance-to-engage/article_dce9ec24-cc2a-11e4-a266-878c75b58c7d.html

SelecTech Floors Embeds Columbia Kettle Works Logo

Utilizing its FreeStyle flooring solution, SelecTech embedded Columbia Kettle Works logo into the brewery's flooring that sits in the hallway between the interior and exterior doors.

MORE:
http://newswire.net/newsroom/pr/00087898-esdflooring.html

Columbia hopes community policing, code enforcement will resolve neighborhood problems

Later this month, the borough hopes to roll out a community policing program paired with codes enforcement to address problems head-on.

By dividing the borough into three zones, officers will be assigned to patrol one of those zones each day that they work.

Officers have been asked to get out of their vehicles and walk the neighborhoods.

MORE:
http://lancasteronline.com/columbia/news/columbia-hopes-community-policing-code-enforcement-will-resolve-neighborhood-problems/article_734716b0-cc53-11e4-9636-37f823858a19.html

Hempfield board president believes apology is sufficient for violating Sunshine Act

Hempfield school board President Bill Otto delivered a public apology at the March 10 meeting because he says the board inadvertently violated the state Sunshine Act during its process to replace a school board member.

MORE:
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/hempfield-board-president-apologizes-for-violating-sunshine-act/article_ea8a03f4-cc44-11e4-93cc-97d718de3d18.html

Monday, March 16, 2015

A Police Gadget Tracks Cell Phones? Shhh! It’s Secret

Police departments to conduct warrantless wiretapping on citizens:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/business/a-police-gadget-tracks-phones-shhh-its-secret.html ?_r=0&referrer=

As Sunshine Week begins, where does Pennsylvania stand on open records?

March 15-21 is marked by a variety of participants as Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote dialogue about open government and freedom of information.

MORE:
http://triblive.com/mobile/7941740-96/records-open-public