COLUMBIA SPY

  John B. Moore conveyed property on a public road to Shawn M. Blauser and Rosemary Weaver for $207,000. Latonya Nicole Garcia conveyed property on a public road to Latonya Nicole Garcia for $1. Timothy M. Hess and Lindsey M. Brenner conveyed 1020 Cloverton Drive to Jose E. Muniz Plaza for $245,000. Travis M. Coeyman and Loren Coeyman conveyed property on a public road to Suk Tamang for $169,900.

 This week's photos of Columbia (Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.) Escaped hospital patients? Gone fishin' Ditto Out for a ride Dungin' out on Franklin Tyvek Many visitors to town don't know where the trail starts. This poorly placed sign might be part of the problem. The Habitat for Humanity project as seen from Corn Avenue Soon to be Chicken McNuggets More signs from Wrightsville. PPL doesn't appreciate signs like this on their poles, especially ones attached with staples and nails.   It's a good thing ET doesn't rely on poles like this to phone home, even though his sticker is attached. Many utility poles were installed around town over the past week. Rumor has it that Bigler's weight-lifting gym on Franklin is closing. Remember when postal carriers wore uniforms? There's a familiar plate. We are all just prisoners of our own device. What? Chalk for everyone! A bluebird of happiness atop an obelisk at Mount Bethel This white hous...

It all began Saturday morning when a resident saw an adult cat and a kitten in a storm sewer at the top of the Columbia High School hill. They appeared to be trapped. On closer inspection, he noticed that the adult cat had an injured eye. Out of concern, the resident called 911. The Columbia Borough Fire Department responded - but at the same time, another resident contacted a member of the Columbia Cat Action Team (CCAT) whose members also arrived on scene. Firemen used a pry bar to remove the sewer grates, but the cats became alarmed and fled through a pipe at the bottom of the enclosure. Firemen then removed a nearby manhole cover to try to locate the cats, but the felines were nowhere in sight. Personnel did find, however, several underground pipes leading away from the area in different directions. Unfortunately, that meant the cats could have gone through any one of them. But all was not lost . . . CCAT members set traps (above ground) in the area in the hopes of catching the ca...

Lead poisoning has been linked to long-term cognitive impairments as well as behavioral impacts such as aggression and hyperactivity. The Lead Free Families program that paid for the removal of the lead hazards from the Wilkinsons’ home was launched with a $50 million investment by LG Health in 2021 with the goal of remediating lead hazards from more than 2,800 Lancaster County residential dwellings by 2031. According to the 2021 Childhood Lead Surveillance Annual Report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 241 children under age 6 in the county showed elevated levels of lead in their blood in 2021. At the time, Lancaster County had 40,687 children under 6. The number of children who suffered lead poisoning is likely an undercount due to low rates of testing. In 2021, only 22.6% of children under 6 in Lancaster city were tested for lead poisoning, while only 13.2% of children under 6 in the county were tested. Statewide testing rates were at 18.7%. MORE: https://lancasteronline....

https://www.penncapital-star.com/commentary/the-time-is-right-for-pa-to-finally-raise-its-minimum-wage-opinion/  

Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity's next Women Build is Aug. 2 to 5 in Columbia. Volunteers need to be 18 to work on construction sites without a guardian. Before Women Build week, Habitat will have Power Hour construction lessons at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 15, and Saturday, July 22. These sessions will teach construction safety and how to use power tools like saws and drills. There's no charge to volunteer or attend a Power Hour. Volunteers are asked but not required to fundraise. On average, it costs about $180,000 to transform a condemned or blighted property into a Habitat home. Registration is required to volunteer. To learn more about volunteering outside of Women Build, visit lancasterlebanonhabitat.org or email Audrey Lilley. Women in construction Women will tackle some of the first tasks on the Columbia site after subcontractors frame the house and make it watertight. Even on a rainy day, crews will be able to work inside on things like interior framing. MORE: http...

  [Video by cottonbro studio] The first day of summer, June 21, is known as the summer solstice. The summer solstice is the day of the year when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also the day with the longest period of daylight and the shortest night. In 2023, the summer solstice falls on June 21 at 10:57 a.m. EST. The summer solstice occurs because the Earth’s axis is tilted by about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the Sun. This means that, at different times of the year, different parts of the Earth are tilted towards or away from the Sun. During the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, which means that the days are longer and the nights are shorter. In some cultures, the solstice is a time of celebration and renewal, or a time for religious observance. In many cultures, it is also associated with fertility and abundance. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is often celebrate...