Attempted homicide charge filed against Michael A. Newport II for June 8 attack on Columbia man

 

UPDATE: According to court documents filed today (7/14/21), an additional charge of Criminal Attempt - Criminal Homicide has been brought against Michael A. Newport II. Newport allegedly entered a home in Columbia on June 8 and attacked a man residing there. The police report on the incident is HERE.

Kayaker to complete 230-mile river trek after stopover at Columbia River Park

Alan Walsh made a stopover at Columbia River Park before embarking on the final leg of his 230-mile Susquehanna River trek.

Alan Walsh's philosophy has always been "If you don't do it, you won't do it." He has now applied that credo and is doing something he always wanted to do: kayak a stretch of the Susquehanna - in this case the 230-mile trek from Sayre, PA to Havre de Grace, MD.

Once he decided to undertake the journey, he got to work planning and training a few weeks ago. Besides workouts with the kayak, the prep work included packing provisions such as MRE's (packaged, ready-to-eat meals) and granola bars, as well as a yoga map and tarp for use during stopovers along the way. He didn't stow water, though, because he figured he had a lot of it already - a riverful, in fact. He uses a special filter (shown below) that helps make river water safe to drink. He also packed an "old-school" folding paper map that he calls his "road map" to identify sites along the way.

This LifeStraw filters river water, helping to make it safe to drink.

As he was about to embark from Columbia River Park this morning, Walsh said he'd been on the river for 8 days and hopes to finish the final leg of the journey today - the 40-mile trip to Havre de Grace, where his wife will pick him up for the drive home to Troy, PA.

Walsh left River Park this morning, heading for Havre de Grace.

Agenda - Columbia Borough Council Meeting - July 13, 2021

 

Download the meeting packet HERE.

Columbia Borough is one of only 3 Lancaster County school districts not raising property taxes in 2021-22

Columbia Borough, Donegal and Warwick are the only school districts that did not raise taxes this year. This is Columbia and Warwick's second year in a row with a property tax freeze.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/all-but-3-lancaster-county-school-districts-raise-property-taxes-in-2021-22/article_be2ec7fa-e11d-11eb-b682-e3674cdc4c85.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

Deeds Recorded - Columbia Borough - July 12, 2021

Mona Adly Gerges Hanna, Mona Adly Gerges Hanna and Mona A. Hanna conveyed 538 N. Third St. to Mona Adly Gerges Hanna, Mona Adly Gerges Hanna and Ramy Helal Nazier for $1.

Cimarron Investments LLC and Donald C. Murphy conveyed property on a public road to Mifflin Investment Group LLC for $443,000.

WGMC Properties LLC and Walter L. Siderio conveyed property on a public road to Beate G. Wilson and Cheyenne D. Wilson for $293,000.

Liane Garner conveyed property on North Second Street to Renewed Concepts LLC for $130,000.

Kondaur Capital LLC, Matawin Ventures Trust Series 2020-1 and Kondaur Capital Corp. conveyed property on Poplar Street to Mikhaela D. Campo for $140,000.

Austin H. Hogentogler conveyed 314 N. Third St. to QP Invest Real Estate Group LLC for $92,000.

Sylvan Allgyer conveyed 117 N. Fourth St. to Joel T. Vazquez and Norma Vazquez for $244,000.

Mark Temons and Nicole Temons conveyed 839 Spruce St. to Adam J. Burtis and Cidney E. Rupp for $159,900.

The estate of Peggy Lee Ressler Huber Mahoney, The estate of Peggy L. Huber and The estate of Peggy Lee Huber conveyed property on a public road to Kondaur Capital Corp. and Matawin Ventures Trust Series 2020-1 for $10.

James R. Andrews and Dorcas R. Andrews conveyed 639 Manor St. to Mina Stahl for $95,000.

[PHOTOS] Bridge burners, racism, and other things in Columbia

Some recent photos of Columbia . . . 

(Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.)

Five bronze medallions like this one mark the graves of Columbia's "bridge burners" at Mount Bethel Cemetery. The five men burned the covered bridge across the Susquehanna on June 28, 1863 to prevent Confederate forces from advancing. 

This one is on J.Q. Denney's grave marker. (You can read Denney's deposition on the burning of the bridge HERE.)

Here's John Conklin Lockard's marker. A memorial ceremony - and grave marker dedication for Lockard- was held at Mount Bethel Cemetery on Sunday, September 14, 2014, as Columbia Spy reported HERE. The medallions, which were forged by a local foundry, also appear on the grave markers of bridge burners W. Robert Crane and Jacob Rich. 

Jacob Miller, one of the original five, was an African-American whose grave marker also features a medallion. It is located in Potter's Field at Mount Bethel. His actual grave site is unknown, however, having been lost to history.

Columbia is proud of its bridge burners and rightfully so. They helped keep the Confederates out of here. Unfortunately, versions of the Confederate battle flag are now regularly seen around town, and racism is showing its ugly face. This sticker (above) promoting Patriot Front has been posted on the back of a street sign on the 300 block of Locust Street for at least two weeks. According to Wikipedia: “The Patriot Front is an American white supremacist, neo-fascist, and American nationalist group which utilizes imagery of patriotism, liberty, and other widely accepted American values to promote its ideology.” 

The stickers have also appeared in State College, where officials are condemning the message and trying to track down the perpetrators.

The group also marched through Philadelphia recently, as reported HERE. 

If this group were ever to march through Columbia, would Mayor Lutz summon extra police, dogs, and drones as he did last year when peaceful protesters marched for social justice and racial equality?

And will our elected officials condemn the message of Patriot Front?


Anyway, here's some art in the park . . .

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Level Up is still down on the 200 block of Locust.

Meanwhile, across the street, Parma's moving in.

Dietz's Cafe is becoming Dietz's Charming Mix.

(Sale of the liquor license is still pending.)

Some miscreant dumped a large chunk of concrete into Shawnee Run.

It looks like it was a base for a pole or signpost.

'Til next time . . .

"Tails and Tales" at the Locust Street Park Gazebo - Thursday, July 7