Strong arm robbery | Columbia Borough Police Department

  At 01:25 pm on 03-16-2019, a female victim from Lancaster picked up prescription medication from CVS on Locust St. The victim missed her bus back to Lancaster and was talking on her phone when a female suspect offered to give her a ride. The victim accepted and got in a dark colored sedan with the female suspect driving. A male believed to be the driver's boyfriend was in the front passenger seat. While driving in the area of Tenth St. and Park Ave, the male reached over the seat and took the victim's CVS bag including the medication. The male suspect made the victim get out of the car and returned the bag, but kept the medication.   The victim described the female suspect as thin, white, with light brown or dark blonde hair in her mid to late twenties. She described the male suspect as a light complexioned black male, very thin, with patchy facial hair.     Anyone with information regarding the suspects or who saw anything related to this incident is asked to call Columbia Borough Police.      Date:  Saturday, March 16, 2019 Reference ID:  18372-03-16-19 Case Status: Current Case Type: Criminal Source:  Columbia Borough Police Department

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/cases/strong-arm-robbery

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/cases/strong-arm-robbery

Governor Wolf visits blighted properties in Columbia, promotes "Restore Pennsylvania" program

PA Governor Tom Wolf visits Columbia Wednesday morning.

PA Governor Tom Wolf visited Columbia for about an hour and a half Wednesday morning to survey blighted buildings and promote his "Restore Pennsylvania" infrastructure program. Wolf said he believes there is bipartisan support for the program, which proposes a severance tax to help fund capital projects. The plan includes investing $4.5 billion over the next four years to fund a range of projects, including rehabilitating blighted structures through increased investment in land banks.

“We Pennsylvanians pay a severance tax,” Wolf said. “We pay it to Texas because they pay a severance tax and they fold that into the cost of their product.” Wolf noted that Pennsylvania is the only gas-producing state in the nation without a severance tax.

The first stop on this morning's walking tour was Hotel Locust, which has sat idle for almost a decade. Afterward, a group of several dozen people, including borough council members, school board directors, and other interested citizens, walked to the Columbia Historic Market House, which could be renovated in the near future.

Wolf's final stop of the morning was at 304 Cherry Street, where a blighted house is being rehabilitated by the CAPital Workforce, a construction initiative affiliated with the Lancaster Housing Opportunities Partnership, the Lancaster City and County Redevelopment Authorities, and the Borough of Columbia.

Information on the "Restore Pennsylvania" program can be downloaded HERE.

Governor Wolf greets the crowd.

A plan for the redevelopment of the hotel is shown above.

After Wolf toured the hotel, the throng eventually made its way to the Columbia Market House.

Wolf and others emerge after a quick tour of the Market Houses's dungeon.

The next stop was 304 Cherry Street, about a block away.

Inside 304 Cherry Street

Housing Programs Manager Michaela Allwine of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority explains details of the rehabilitation to Governor Wolf.

Members of the press interview Wolf as he exits the house.

Governor Wolf to visit Columbia Wednesday morning

PA Governor Tom Wolf

Governor Tom Wolf will make a stop in Columbia Wednesday to visit two areas in the borough undergoing revitalization efforts, as part of a push he is making across the state.

The sitting governor will begin a short tour at 10 a.m. at Hotel Columbia/Locust, 309-315 Locust Street, in Columbia. It will be followed by a tour of a home on the 300 block of Cherry Street that is undergoing redevelopment with funds from the Lancaster Land Bank Authority.

More HERE. 

Drivers narrowly avoid head-on collision, bollard gets knocked over

Two drivers barely avoided a head-on collision this morning at 5th & Chestnut, but a bollard at the clock plaza didn't fare too well.

An SUV was facing west at the intersection as the driver was waiting to pull out from the stop sign, when another driver, traveling east on Route 462 attempted to enter a one-way stretch of road on the 500 block of Chestnut.  The SUV driver turned slightly as she saw the approaching car that subsequently sideswiped the bollard, knocking it loose. (The same bollard was damaged in a traffic incident at the plaza several months ago.)

Neither driver was injured, but the vehicle that hit the bollard, a Lexus LS 430, had severe front-end damage and had to be towed from the scene.

Video: Truck driver uses opposing lane to pass waiting cars on Linden Street

A resident has posted a recent video on Facebook of a Turkey Hill truck driver using the opposing traffic lane to pass waiting cars on Linden Street. The stretch of road includes intersections with 4th Street and Third Street.

The video is HERE.

Columbia Borough Deeds Recorded March 18, 2019

Columbia Borough

Christina E. Walk conveyed 1144 Locust St. to Carsten Management LLC for $90,320.

Elwood N. Earhart Revocable Living Trust and Elwood N. Earhart conveyed property on a public road to Valley View Capital LLC for $140,000.

Randy Lee Leonard, Paula A. Cabrera and Paula A. Leonard conveyed 1221 Central Ave. to CNA Construction LLC for $120,000.

John D. Reitzel, John K. Reitzel and Mary Lou Reitzel conveyed property on Maple Street to Mary Lou Reitzel for $1.

Peter Geltz conveyed 806 Plane St. to Tyler A. Stark for $68,500.

Dane A. Kraft conveyed 658 Plane St. to Revolutionary Performance Marketing LLC for $34,220.

Bradley E. Emig and Laura L. Emig conveyed 210 S. Fifth St. to Loyalty 1St Real Estate LLC for $25,000.

Nagwan N. Ayoub and Medhat S. Eskandar conveyed 316 N. Third St. to Hilary K. Gears for $127,000.

Job Fair at the Columbia Library, March 19 & 26, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.