2.3 magnitude earthquake shakes Lancaster County; no reports of damage

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake shook Lancaster County Sunday afternoon.

Lancaster County-Wide Communications was flooded with calls from various parts of the county after the brief rumble just before 5 p.m.

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PA Education Secretary Rivera Brings Schools That Teach Tour to Columbia Borough School District

On Friday,  PA Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera visited Columbia Borough School District on Governor Wolf's "Schools That Teach" tour, sharing with educators and administrators information about several initiatives the Wolf Administration and PDE are currently advancing.

Rivera has traveled the state talking to educators, administrators, students, and families about how the Department can best serve communities across Pennsylvania. Improving access to quality and innovative programs through enhanced funding is a hallmark of the Schools That Teach initiative.

"As budget talks are ongoing in the halls of the Capitol building and staff at the Department of Education is hard at work developing plans that will greatly impact public education, it is important to gain insight and feedback from constituents in all corners of the commonwealth," Rivera said. "This statewide tour enables me to discuss ideas and strategies with experts in the field who have valuable input and unique perspectives to share."

This year, Governor Wolf has proposed an additional $100 million for basic education, $75 million for high quality early childhood education, and $25 million in special education, adding to the historic $640 million in education funding the governor has already secured since taking office. 

During the visit, Rivera also discussed recommendations the Department of Education (PDE) made to introduce the Future Ready PA Index, which would replace the School Performance Profile (SPP) as the outward facing state school evaluation measure. Under the governor's guidance, PDE solicited input from a variety of stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, parents, students, policy makers, advocates, industry and higher education leaders, to develop a more holistic tool to measure school success.

To date, the Schools That Teach tour has made stops at more than three dozen schools across Pennsylvania.

  A Google Map of all tour stops is available here

For more information about Pennsylvania's education policies and programs, or to read Rivera's budget testimony, visit the Department of Education's website at www.education.pa.gov or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.  

Source: PA Dept. of Education

Meet and Greet First Responders Thursday night

Man allegedly defecates in alleyway, gets arrested

Eziukwu Umachi

On 04-23-17 at approx. 12:04 AM the Columbia Borough Police were notified that a male had just defecated in person's alley way in the 200 blk. of Lawrence St. Police were able to locate the male in the area of 2nd St. and Mill St. a short time later. The male had a strong odor of feces on his person and had feces smeared on his shoes as well as his jeans. The male told police his name was Simon Umachi and was taken into custody.

Once arrested police found and ID card that showed that his name was Eziukwu Umachi B/M/36 years of age.

Umachi was charged with False ID to Law Enforcement, two (2) counts of Trespassing as well as Public Drunkenness. Umachi was taken to Central booking for arraignment.

Source: Columbia Borough Police Department

Workers clean up River Park on Earth Day

It rained intermittently while Columbia Park Rangers and others cleaned up Columbia River Park this morning, but we won't say "The rain didn't dampen their spirits" or any other such cliche. Instead, we'll just say they worked for several hours removing trees, weeds, and debris, and Columbia owes them a lot of thanks.

Fourth Friday Passport Program

The public is invited to travel to the river town area of Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville to shop, dine, and visit during the Fourth Friday Passport program. Quaint antique shops, specialty food shops, and small businesses are among the venues highlighted in this initiative coordinated by the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce. A variety of local businesses have signed on as program vendors and are busy designing program benefits for the participating public. This program, which showcases participating Fourth  Friday venues in the region, will begin on Fourth Friday, April 28, and end Fourth Friday, August 25. Venues will be open various days and hours throughout the week, as well as each Fourth Friday from 5-8pm.

Paperwork which accompanies the passport will verify hours of operation for each venue.

This Fourth Friday Passport program offers participants specially-designed discounts or promotions awarded only to holders of a program passport. When visiting participating venues, simply show the passport document, get a destination “stamp”, and enjoy the program benefit offered at that locale. Program benefits will vary by location. Discover some hidden gems of the region when you visit.

Program benefits extend beyond the on-site promotions. Those who manage to receive an approved vendor stamp from 5 of the 6 participating businesses may enter their completed passport in a prize drawing. The drawing for this prize will be held at the SVCC Visitors Center on Wednesday, August 30. Completed passports must be submitted by the Monday before the drawing to qualify for entry.

The price for each passport is easily recouped in the discounts and benefits of the program. At a cost of $5.00, the Fourth Friday Passport program is an affordable opportunity to enjoy a day out with family or friends.

Passports are currently available for sale at the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center and many participating businesses including Geltz Götz Goodeze, Mustard Seed Creations, Keagy’s Produce,

Rebellious Rose Wax Co, and Half Nuts Popcorn. Passports will remain available for sale until the end of the program.

As this program coincides with Fourth Friday, there will be various other happenings each month. Check our website www.parivertowns.com for the Fourth Friday event page that contains details each month.

For more information on Fourth Friday and the passport program, contact the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center at 684-5249.

Neighborhood yard sale Saturday, April 22

Artist Bob Hammer will be participating in a neighborhood yard sale on Saturday, April 22, from 7am to 2pm. (See map above.) There will be a variety of items for sale including books, glassware, kitchenware, puzzles, and collectibles.