Lancaster County woman, injured by distracted driver, pushes for harsher laws for texting behind the wheel

Thursday's meet-and-greet event begins at 6 p.m. at the municipal building, 308 Locust St., with members of Columbia Borough and Northern Lancaster County Regional police departments, Columbia Fire Department, Columbia Emergency Medical Services and Susquehanna Valley EMS.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-county-woman-injured-by-distracted-driver-pushes-for-harsher/article_331f4340-29f9-11e7-9d19-4f1e6421ecd8.html

Trolley driver needed

River towns' tasting event in Columbia brings friends together, showcases restaurants

Taste of the River Towns raises money for the marketing programs of the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and for the operation of the chamber's visitors center in Columbia.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/river-towns-tasting-event-in-columbia-brings-friends-together-showcases/article_53093d78-2891-11e7-b7ee-678b48bb8bdb.html

Construction of storage units continues apace

Columbia Spy shot the following photos today showing the progress of construction for the planned storage units along Front Street. Excavation continues and drainage lines are beginning to be installed. The next step will most likely be pouring concrete slabs.

The multi-unit self-storage facility is being constructed by Associates Properties PA, LP. The facility will contain 10 x 20, 10 x 25, and 10 x 30 units, for a total of 40,000 square feet of storage space, according to Jeff Seibert of Associates Properties. Construction is expected to be completed by late July.

More inane graffiti from the talentless and bored

More graffiti has been noted recently, this time on Jersey barriers along Front Street (under the Veterans Memorial Bridge), and along the Route 441 bypass. Trailers parked near Bootleg Antiques, and the concrete wall leading to the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail were also spray-painted. This incident is believed to have occurred this past Tuesday evening, according to sources.

The two photos below show graffiti on the Veterans Memorial Bridge that was painted during the incident a few weeks ago that Columbia Spy reported on HERE.

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.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/magnitude-earthquake-shakes-lancaster-county-no-reports-of-damage/article_9af61af4-2867-11e7-8148-5315768e6322.html

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