COLUMBIA SPY

Following are more details about an incident Columbia Spy reported on yesterday:                           Christopher Picard According to West Hempfield Township Police: Christopher Picard, 26, was arrested and charged by West Hempfield Township Police for Aggravated Assault (Felony) and Recklessly Endangering Another Person (Misdemeanor). Charges stem from an incident that occurred on Monday, July 4 at approx. 8:50 am in the area of the 100 block of Stonehouse Lane. He was allegedly involved in a child custody dispute when the mother of their 3-year-old child attempted to remove the child from its car seat. As the she was doing so, Picard started to drive away, and the mother’s arm became stuck in the seatbelt, causing her to be dragged by Picard’s pick-up truck. Despite the victim and numerous witnesses shouting at Picard to stop, he continued to drive away until the victim fell from the moving truck....

LNP ARTICLE ON A NEWS STORY FIRST REPORTED BY COLUMBIA SPY ON JUNE 19: GO HERE: http://lancasteronline.com/insider/community/longtime-columbia-school-board-member-tom-strickler-steps-down/article_f858bd86-42b3-11e6-ac90-fb8f0d8aab28.html

The Borough is accepting letters of interest until 4:30pm on July 8, 2016  for Councilpersons Mary Barninger and Barry Ford's term of office due to their recent resignations. Eligible citizens are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and a brief statement of qualifications or resume to Greg Sahd, Borough Manager at   gsahd@columbiapa.net . The basic qualification to serve on Borough Council is to be a registered voter and resident of the Borough. Councilors must have resided in the Borough continuously for at least one year before being elected. To qualify as a voter, a person must be eighteen years of age and a resident of the election district. Council will invite candidates to the next scheduled Borough Council Meeting on July 11, 2016 at 7 pm and will interview the candidates at that time. They will then vote to appoint 2 people to fill the open positions. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Greg Sahd at 684-2467 x7318.

Columbia Spy is privileged to publish several articles by Columbia native Mike Clark, the first of which appears here, with permission of the author. The essays were previously published in The Globe Leader  and 50-plus Senior News and will be reprinted in the Spy over the next few weeks. The Best Playground by Mike Clark Up until I was eleven years old, I lived right across the street from the most imposing playground that God, railroads, and rivers could ever devise. It wasn’t necessarily safe, but isn’t that the essence of adventure? A rocky field stretched from the back yard walkway of a small row house, to an obsolete railroad reservoir. This field was our baseball diamond. It was roughly configured, and it was in use daily, as weather permitted. The designated pitcher was most always Shorty Lehman, a small, middle-aged man who worked for the local telephone company. Shorty not only pitched, but he coached and encouraged each child who stepped up to the plate....

Last week, the borough's highway department replaced a storm sewer line on the 400 block of Locust Street. The old pipe was replaced with a new corrugated polyethylene pipe, and the trench was filled in with a load of stone.  Steel plates have been placed over the trench until asphalt can be applied. The 300 and 400 blocks of Locust are slated to be paved. An old gnarled sewer pipe was removed. A new corrugated polyethylene pipe was installed.

Recent pics around town . . .  Birdhouse village at last week's arts and crafts show at Locust Street Park  Many dead fish have been spotted alongshore lately, including this carp.  We're told that chartered fishing boats have been taking customers out in the evening to shoot fish with bow and arrow.  Once shot, the fish are thrown back into the river - dead.  Wide open  At least the sign looks better this time. A similar sign was recently removed from this very pole along Route 462, between Second and Third Streets, as shown  HERE  on Columbia Spy . We wonder if the sign's owners got permission form the borough to hang the new one here.  Nest building The return of the elusive honeybee?  Goin' fishin'  Damselfly, apparently not in distress Out for a stroll  Eluding the paparazzi Red sails(s) in the sunset  Fishin'  Chis Vera, president of the Columb...