County commissioners make an excellent point here about the upcoming state budget, noting that the Commonwealth is attempting to pass the buck and make counties and local municipalities responsible for raising taxes.
But I have to wonder what Dennis Stuckey is talking about when he says this:
My responsibility to the taxpayers of Lancaster County is to push back […]

[Read more →]

What in the world is going on up in Lititz?
A former candidate for Lititz mayor was arrested today for allegedly having a relationship with a 12-year-old girl.
Gregory J. Nies, 52, of 148 S. Spruce St., Lititz, was charged by borough police with aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of […]

[Read more →]

WSJ reports that across the country, malls are turning into ghost towns due to the recession/depression. And of course there are plans to build two new major ones here.
Been curious to follow that discussion, because a lot of people seem to want Manheim Township commissioners to prohibit the construction of new shopping malls because we […]

[Read more →]

Sort of taken aback at some of yesterday’s election results. The West Lampeter referendum, can’t say I was too surprised - the margin of victory was less than 400 votes out of more than 4,200 cast. You could really characterize it as small town Lancaster County versus a growing Lancaster County - with the latter […]

[Read more →]

Most mornings now I’ve been walking past the “new” Lancaster square, and I’m still not quite sure what to think of it.
On the western side, Binns Park, it’s fantastic. Had to stop over at the county offices yesterday, a young hippie couple lazed on the grass with a drum and flute. Bunch of young high […]

[Read more →]

Coming into town along Columbia Avenue or sometimes Marietta Pike, I’m struck by the number of big, stately homes for sale in the School Lane Hills area.
Some of them have been on the market for quite some time. And I don’t know that I attribute that to the general economic downturn, the fact that all […]

[Read more →]

If you made a concerted effort to prevent people from getting into the city of Lancaster, you couldn’t possibly create the same sort of gridlock encountered this afternoon.
Only fools, masochists and tourists travel North Prince Street.

[Read more →]

2009 been brutal in Lancaster County, according to this interactive graphic over at Slate.com. Down almost 6,000 jobs between February 2008 and Feb. 2009.

[Read more →]

Update: Placed at the top rather than the bottom because this report comes from PF, one of our staffers who was there last night:
The tv stations WAY inflated the number of protesters at the ayers thing. when i left the speech, there were two, TWO, protesters (and they seemed to be just MU students) with signs standing […]

[Read more →]

I hear some guy is coming to Millersville today.
Actually, I’m less concerned than I was two weeks ago with the prospect of violence. The campus is likely to be sealed tighter than a drum. Violence may still occur; but in a way, the fact that we’ve been fighting over this issue for more than a […]

[Read more →]

Curious to see the story the other day on the Sterling Financial settlement, in which shareholders are getting $10.25 million - though no word yet on how much the recovery per share will be.
As I’ve noted previously in this space, my wife worked for Sterling subsidiary Bank of Lancaster County for about 12 years. I’ve […]

[Read more →]

Hilarious:
Millersville University officials did not ask an anti-terrorism task force to help provide security for next month’s controversial appearance by Bill Ayers, university spokeswoman Janet Kacskos said Thursday.
Randy Gockley, a member of the executive board of the South Central Task Force, confirmed Kacskos’ statement.
Gockley said Greg Noll, the task force’s program manager. proposed to university […]

[Read more →]

This is possibly the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever heard public officials say:
Speaking on their behalf, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said law enforcement must provide security if the university requests it, “regardless of how we feel about an unrepentant terrorist.”
However, he called MU’s decision to invite Ayers “a remarkably irresponsible choice” and urged […]

[Read more →]

Did you know Bill Ayers is coming to town?
How do you think that makes Rep. Scott Boyd feel? Well, why don’t we check in and see?
“Dr. McNairy said his philosophy falls in line with their direction on urban education,” said Boyd, of West Lampeter Township. “I don’t know that we want to be teaching teachers […]

[Read more →]

Stuff like this really, really p*sses me off.
Ephrata is one of 36 Pennsylvania boroughs classified as a municipal power supplier, meaning it can purchase electrical power from various providers and sell that power to its residents. For years, Ephrata has purchased most of its power from such providers as PPL and Houston-based Reliant Energy through […]

[Read more →]

18-wheeler stuck at the corner of North Prince and West King. Tried to turn from Prince onto King, but too wide, a parked car in the way - and where’s the owner of the car, to move it? No idea.
So of course the semi can’t back up, with Prince St. traffic swarming around its rear. […]

[Read more →]

So I’m reading the latest story about these Manheim Township kids busted for allegedly selling drugs to an undercover cop and I come across this:
Santos was charged with selling 4.1 grams of marijuana to an undercover police officer at 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the parking lot of Penn Cinema on Airport Road in Manheim […]

[Read more →]

Hm:
As the New Era reported Wednesday, Willow Valley wants to turn half of its complex into a DoubleTree hotel.
The DoubleTree is a Hilton Hotels chain that requires its franchisees to have an upscale restaurant that sells alcohol.
To make that possible, Willow Valley intends to put a referendum before township voters in the May 19 primary, […]

[Read more →]

Colleague points out that the area where that unfortunate woman was slain this morning is one of several that is slated to get new security cameras under a plan by the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition.
In other words - had this killing taken after May 31, 2009, it might all have been captured on film. Too late in […]

[Read more →]

Have a couple queries out on this, but maybe someone out there knows something. Drove by the big empty cleared lot on Manheim Pike yesterday where they’re supposed to be building a CarMax and - nothing. No equipment, no signs, nada.
Quick check of the CarMax site about stores to open soon, and Lancaster isn’t among […]

[Read more →]