26th annual Arbor Day celebration at Glatfelter's - Friday, April 28

The Columbia Borough Shade Tree Commission and the Columbia Tree Society will conduct their 26th annual Arbor Day celebration at Glatfelter Memorial Field, on Friday April 28, 2017 starting at 6 p.m.

Carl Glatfelter, Secretary-Treasurer of the Glatfelter Memorial Foundation, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Father Stephen Kelley of Holy Trinity Catholic Church will offer the invocation and benediction. Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz and Columbia Borough Council President Kelly Murphy will give remarks. Rick Hartlieb of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry will present Columbia with its 25th consecutive National Arbor Day Foundation “Tree City USA Award."

Several borough residents will be recognized for their work with the Commission in 2016. Cash prizes will be awarded to second grade students from Our Lady of the Angels School and Park School for their winning entries in the Arbor Day coloring contest.

Musical selections will be played through out the ceremony by the Stu Huggins and George Keyser.

Boy Scout Troop 35 will serve as the Honor Guard, and Frontier Girls Troops 191 and 202 will assist in the distribution of programs.

The annual ceremonial planting of the tree will be in memory of Phil Glatfelter, who served as secretary-treasurer of the Glatfelter Field Foundation since 1960. Mr. Glatfelter passed away last October.

Columbia High School Senior Gabe Grove will recite Joyce Kilmer’s poem "Trees" during the program. Gabe is the son of Christopher and Alegra Grove. While studying at Columbia High School, Gabe was the captain of the baseball team in his junior and senior years. He was a member of the National Honor Society for four years, serving as secretary of that organization his senior year. He is also president of his class and was a College Ambassador. He also served as Host to CHS’s first NCAA meeting where a discussion on how to increase a student’s chances of becoming a collegiate athlete was held with former and current NCAA student-athletes. This past summer, Gabe attended the F&M College Prep Course, where he took several classes and participated in discussions with other students from across the US. The seminar included traveling to other college campuses for 3 weeks.




Gabe hobbies are hanging out with family and getting in more “baseball.” He plans to attend Kutztown University in the fall.




In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held under the large pavilion located next to baseball field # 5.






Members of the Columbia Borough Shade Tree Commission are Amy Evans- Chairman, Mark Zeamer –Treasurer, Josh Birk- Secretary, Ron Fritz, and Amanda Hawn.

Vision Van, Free Exams for Children in Columbia this Saturday

The Vision Van is coming to Family First Health on Saturday, April 1 from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. The event provides free eye exams to children of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville. If it is found that they need glasses, they are able to pick their frames on-site and the finished glasses will be mailed to them in two weeks.

Red Cross going door-to-door with free smoke alarms - May 19

Two-alarm Fire on South Ninth

Units from about half a dozen departments responded to a dwelling fire on South Ninth Street, near Avenue W, shortly after 2 p.m. today. A neighbor told Columbia Spy that flames were initially visible coming from the structure but everyone got out safely. Personnel worked for over two hours fighting the fire.

Flint moves to permanently take care of lead problems, while efforts in Lancaster still stalled

Percentage of Columbia children tested for lead who had elevated blood levels: 20-25%

Even miniscule amounts of lead can cause serious mental and emotional problems in children and can increase the chances they could end up in prison.

A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that 8 percent of children under the age of 6 in Pennsylvania had seriously elevated levels of lead in their blood, 5 or more micrograms per deciliter.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/flint-moves-to-permanently-take-care-of-lead-problems-while/article_b0312390-13eb-11e7-83d6-db5834625aef.html

COLUMBIA POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A FORMER LAUREL HILL EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH THEFT BY DECEPTION

                     Edward G. Knee

Edward G. Knee, 40, of Brogue, was employed by Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens in Columbia and is charged with one felony count of theft by deception.

Anyone with information regarding Knee's whereabouts is asked to call Columbia police at 717-684-7735.

MORE HERE

Coach won't confirm or deny, but his Facebook post announced resignation last week

Columbia Spy received the following information last week from a reader. The message shown below reportedly appeared recently on the Columbia High School Football Booster Club page on Facebook, announcing the resignation of Columbia's head football coach, Anthony Sottasante. Sottasante is the owner and operator of Parma Pizza & Grill in Spring Garden Township, York County. He is charged with failing to pay a total of $68,961.07 in sales, employer withholding and personal income taxes between 2013 and 2016. The total includes $58,181.68 in state sales tax, $2,108.39 in employer withholding tax and $8,671 in personal income tax, according to a press release from the PA Attorney General's office.

Columbia Superintendent Robert Hollister announced the resignation in a March 27 LNP article, although Sottasante refused to confirm or deny it. 

I regret to inform everyone that I have resigned as the head football coach at Columbia High School. This was and is a very difficult decision but I feel it is the right decision based on the fact that I don't have the time available to meet the daily demands of a head coach.
I appreciate all the assistance from the booster club, parents, and the community that was given during my time with the Tide.
I wish the players, program, and community the best of luck and believe this team has developed into a group that will do great things in coming seasons. I want the players to know that they will always have a special place in my heart and I will consider them my players forever. I will continue to support the players in any way possible. I will be following you and will be your biggest fan next season. Good luck.
Win All Day Long.
Coach Sottasante