Now that the weather is getting better and the white stuff is mostly gone or discolored, Columbia Borough is issuing a warning to those residents who used anything from chairs to furniture to the kitchen sink (okay just kidding there) to save parking spaces during the February snow.
They need to be removed from the streets or residents could be fined up to $600.
For more, here's the link http://www.columbiapa.net/.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tri-County all-stars are announced
Just one Columbia football player -- senior Brandon Felus, will participate in the Tri-County all-star game at Manheim in May. Here is the link lancasteronline.com/jeffreyreinhart.
Columbia Market visit
I did follow the changes with the market manager late last year when I was covering borough council meetings and also the million dollar renovations.
With those renovations and even before that, the market house is a nice structure. Plenty of history.
Again, let me preface this that this was my first visit in a while to the market and I only heard from the old word of mouth that things were going well and also that things weren’t going well.
Well, Friday when I was in there, there weren’t a lot of people – probably less than 10. Been told that Thursdays are better than Friday, so I will have to go on a Thursday to compare.
In case you are like me and haven’t been there in a while – there are two produce stands, a lunch meat stand, a couple of baked good places, a butcher and places to get lunch.
There was one entire area neat the back doors in the middle that had no stands.
I had a reason not to support the market, but I do have to wonder if business will pick up as the weather gets better or having a two-day market is not right for Columbia Borough.
And I also have to wonder what is being done to recruit stand holders for those empty spaces?
Columbia Borough through a series of grants just pumped some big time bucks into the facility so they must think it works.
Again, it might just be me going in on a Friday and not Thursday, or, it could be the time of the year and the weather.
Even with that, I’d be kind of concerned with what is going on or not going on down there.
New coach
Columbia High School is close to getting a new football coach.
The school board at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday night will consider Michael Burke III as its new football coach, replacing Jason Shoff, who resigned after six seasons.
Burke was recommended to the full board at last week’s extra-curricular committee meeting.
The COW meeting is an agenda setting meeting for the regular meeting the following week.
The school board at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday night will consider Michael Burke III as its new football coach, replacing Jason Shoff, who resigned after six seasons.
Burke was recommended to the full board at last week’s extra-curricular committee meeting.
The COW meeting is an agenda setting meeting for the regular meeting the following week.
Beware of possible new regulations
It’s something I read each Sunday in the Sunday News – the county and state inspections of restaurants. Some pass and others have a long list of needed repairs or get shutdown until the repairs are made.
But you never see anything from Columbia Borough in those inspections. That’s because Columbia does its own inspections and doesn’t publish the results. That can be good or bad depending upon your view points. I’m the kind of person who wants to know if there is a problem at a place I eat.
But that could be changing and its something everyone in Columbia that owns a restaurant, club, non-profit or has a stand at community events needs to be aware of.
The borough either is, or will be changing how its Code Enforcement office works, taking those type inspections away from the locals and giving the county and state free reign to work.
So now, instead of perhaps getting a call from the borough saying, “hey, we’ll be around next week,” there will be no call. The inspectors will show up unannounced and go to work.
So, if there is a problem or a complaint filed against a local restaurant/eatery, there probably won’t be no more Mr. Nice Guy warnings.
I’m not sure how many people realize this change is going to happen, so I am writing this as a public service/warning. If you are not up to par, you better get up to par.
I’m not so much concerned about the big places in our town, because I would suspect they are all up to snuff when it cones to food codes, etc. If they are not, look out.
What does concern me and something I’ve read those inspections of are the smaller groups and organizations who are not up to snuff on the laws. You know the ones run by volunteers.
That could be bad news for them as well. You’re gonna see an inspector coming around and it might be costly to make repairs.
The same goes for those non-profits and others who have stands at the various events in town. You’re gonna be inspected as well.
I have a problem with some of this because many use these events as major fund-raisers and if they can’t meet the code, they won’t be able to sell anything.
This information doesn’t appear to be top secret stuff like some things in our town, but perhaps instead of spreading the word via “word of mouth” when inspections are done and say “oh by the way,” Columbia Borough needs to let all these people know what they are planning. Some of places might not be able to afford bringing their places up to code. Perhaps a letter or a town meeting might be in order. But then again, people might tend to ignore letters and invites to a meeting, so, that move is up to Columbia Borough.
The end result might be good for the town, but getting to the end result might/will cause some hardship and money.
But you never see anything from Columbia Borough in those inspections. That’s because Columbia does its own inspections and doesn’t publish the results. That can be good or bad depending upon your view points. I’m the kind of person who wants to know if there is a problem at a place I eat.
But that could be changing and its something everyone in Columbia that owns a restaurant, club, non-profit or has a stand at community events needs to be aware of.
The borough either is, or will be changing how its Code Enforcement office works, taking those type inspections away from the locals and giving the county and state free reign to work.
So now, instead of perhaps getting a call from the borough saying, “hey, we’ll be around next week,” there will be no call. The inspectors will show up unannounced and go to work.
So, if there is a problem or a complaint filed against a local restaurant/eatery, there probably won’t be no more Mr. Nice Guy warnings.
I’m not sure how many people realize this change is going to happen, so I am writing this as a public service/warning. If you are not up to par, you better get up to par.
I’m not so much concerned about the big places in our town, because I would suspect they are all up to snuff when it cones to food codes, etc. If they are not, look out.
What does concern me and something I’ve read those inspections of are the smaller groups and organizations who are not up to snuff on the laws. You know the ones run by volunteers.
That could be bad news for them as well. You’re gonna see an inspector coming around and it might be costly to make repairs.
The same goes for those non-profits and others who have stands at the various events in town. You’re gonna be inspected as well.
I have a problem with some of this because many use these events as major fund-raisers and if they can’t meet the code, they won’t be able to sell anything.
This information doesn’t appear to be top secret stuff like some things in our town, but perhaps instead of spreading the word via “word of mouth” when inspections are done and say “oh by the way,” Columbia Borough needs to let all these people know what they are planning. Some of places might not be able to afford bringing their places up to code. Perhaps a letter or a town meeting might be in order. But then again, people might tend to ignore letters and invites to a meeting, so, that move is up to Columbia Borough.
The end result might be good for the town, but getting to the end result might/will cause some hardship and money.
PIAA brackets
If you are interested in looking at the PIAA brackets for both basketball and wrestling, I can recommed a few sites such as piaa.org, pennlive.com, llhoops.com, lancsports.com or tedsilary.com.
The PIAA basketball sites aren't available yet. Teams are filled out. There are a couple of play in games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The PIAA wrestling tournament begins Thursday at the Giant Center.
The PIAA basketball sites aren't available yet. Teams are filled out. There are a couple of play in games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The PIAA wrestling tournament begins Thursday at the Giant Center.
My thoughts on the playoffs
For obvious reasons, I only got to one basketball playoff game this year and really don’t see my seeing anymore games this season, which is something I’m not use to. But I am adapting.
I have followed the playoffs with other venues and two of the best have been Jeff Reinhart and Keith Schweigert from Lancasteronline. The others don’t like taking comments from fans and are slow to give you the action.
With that in mind (this is the second attempt to write this because I hit the wrong button during the first attempt), there needs to be some changes in the playoffs from the formats, to the sites, perhaps how you seed teams and how the teas get into the playoffs.
When I was younger in this business and even when I was a student at Columbia High School, you had to win a certain percentage of games to get in the playoffs. Back then, the Catholic schools had their own tournament and there weren’t the glut of private schools. There also wasn’t all of the classes.
So, it changed from having to win a certain percentage of games to letting everyone in to teams with wining records and to fill out the brackets, teams with under .500 records. Most of those teams are in the lower two classes, AA and A. Yes, there are some mis-matches, but those teams are only following the rules.
Should there be changes in how teams qualify for the playoffs? That’s a tough question because I’ve seen teams with losing records do well. Take the Columbia boys team this year. They won six or seven games, yet they battled three teams – Lancaster Catholic, Lancaster Mennonite and Reading Central Catholic, all teams that played in the finals tough. I also feel they were a couple of baskets away from wining 10-12 games.
I don’t want to turn this into a Catholic, public and private school debate, but certain ones should be playing up and others should be playing down.
Even with power rating system, some teams because they don’t play that tough of a schedule and get rewarded for that. So, there are no easy answers to changing that, but perhaps the “big” or “real” leagues like the L-L, York, Mid-Penn and Berks should be guaranteed berths, while the others, who still have trouble walking and chewing gum so to speak, must actually qualify. I don’t know.
I thought this was a down year for the L-L League, yet they ended up with three boys and a girls team in the finals, but didn’t win a title.
Of those teams from the L-L that played in the finals or will advance to the state playoffs (okay, I still can’t figure out why there is a week off), three could do well in the tournament – Mennonite girls, Catholic boys, who come out of the week and Hempfield. I would suspect the Eastern boys will go a long way too.
I did look at the PIAA pairings this a.m. Tough break for the Trinity boys – they win a district title and draw Strawberry Mansion. Mennonite boys fall in the finals and they get the winner of a play-in game. What’s wrong with that?
Also read a lot about the sites for the game. There’s something with that. I saw a consi game where Delone and Hanover had to go to Carlisle to play. Wow.
It appears schools aren’t allowing the games to be played at their schools. Did not see any games at L-L schools with huge gyms such as Garden Spot, CV, Warwick or McCaskey. Here’s a thought and they do it in other sports, why not through at least through the first two rounds award the higher seeds with a home game. It would be a reward and it would also help District Three with a problem of finding schools. Okay, you wouldn’t be able to play doubleheaders, but would be something to consider.
I like playing games in the big venues such as the Giant Center, but, why not save that arena for the finals. I saw a crowd shot the other night and I could count the fans on my hands and one foot. And if they want to use the big arena in Hershey, why not use the old arena as well.
But District Three has to be losing its shirts on playing so many games at the Giant Center, but I don’t know.
But I do think its time to tweak things a little and make the tournament that much better.
I have followed the playoffs with other venues and two of the best have been Jeff Reinhart and Keith Schweigert from Lancasteronline. The others don’t like taking comments from fans and are slow to give you the action.
With that in mind (this is the second attempt to write this because I hit the wrong button during the first attempt), there needs to be some changes in the playoffs from the formats, to the sites, perhaps how you seed teams and how the teas get into the playoffs.
When I was younger in this business and even when I was a student at Columbia High School, you had to win a certain percentage of games to get in the playoffs. Back then, the Catholic schools had their own tournament and there weren’t the glut of private schools. There also wasn’t all of the classes.
So, it changed from having to win a certain percentage of games to letting everyone in to teams with wining records and to fill out the brackets, teams with under .500 records. Most of those teams are in the lower two classes, AA and A. Yes, there are some mis-matches, but those teams are only following the rules.
Should there be changes in how teams qualify for the playoffs? That’s a tough question because I’ve seen teams with losing records do well. Take the Columbia boys team this year. They won six or seven games, yet they battled three teams – Lancaster Catholic, Lancaster Mennonite and Reading Central Catholic, all teams that played in the finals tough. I also feel they were a couple of baskets away from wining 10-12 games.
I don’t want to turn this into a Catholic, public and private school debate, but certain ones should be playing up and others should be playing down.
Even with power rating system, some teams because they don’t play that tough of a schedule and get rewarded for that. So, there are no easy answers to changing that, but perhaps the “big” or “real” leagues like the L-L, York, Mid-Penn and Berks should be guaranteed berths, while the others, who still have trouble walking and chewing gum so to speak, must actually qualify. I don’t know.
I thought this was a down year for the L-L League, yet they ended up with three boys and a girls team in the finals, but didn’t win a title.
Of those teams from the L-L that played in the finals or will advance to the state playoffs (okay, I still can’t figure out why there is a week off), three could do well in the tournament – Mennonite girls, Catholic boys, who come out of the week and Hempfield. I would suspect the Eastern boys will go a long way too.
I did look at the PIAA pairings this a.m. Tough break for the Trinity boys – they win a district title and draw Strawberry Mansion. Mennonite boys fall in the finals and they get the winner of a play-in game. What’s wrong with that?
Also read a lot about the sites for the game. There’s something with that. I saw a consi game where Delone and Hanover had to go to Carlisle to play. Wow.
It appears schools aren’t allowing the games to be played at their schools. Did not see any games at L-L schools with huge gyms such as Garden Spot, CV, Warwick or McCaskey. Here’s a thought and they do it in other sports, why not through at least through the first two rounds award the higher seeds with a home game. It would be a reward and it would also help District Three with a problem of finding schools. Okay, you wouldn’t be able to play doubleheaders, but would be something to consider.
I like playing games in the big venues such as the Giant Center, but, why not save that arena for the finals. I saw a crowd shot the other night and I could count the fans on my hands and one foot. And if they want to use the big arena in Hershey, why not use the old arena as well.
But District Three has to be losing its shirts on playing so many games at the Giant Center, but I don’t know.
But I do think its time to tweak things a little and make the tournament that much better.
Wrestlers end season
There will be no Columbia wrestlers in this week's PIAA championships.
Seniors Joey Ronca and Jake Sentz were eliminated from the regional tournaent Friday night at Wilson High School.
Both lost two matches.
Ronca suffered a heartbreaking loss to Lehighton's Anthony Farole in the 135-pound prelims, 6-5, in a match he led until the final second. Ronca led the match 5-4 with 10 seconds left, when Farole shot and scored the takedown with 1 second left on the clock.
Ronca scored a takedown to lead 2-0 in the first period, went up 3-2 in the second period and appeared on his way to advancement scoring an escape with 47econds left and holding a 5-4 lead. But Farole went on an attack and got the takedown to win the match.
That put Ronca into the consolation round against Boiling Springs’ Tylyer Thumma, who had beaten Ronca twice in the district championship the week before. Thumma ended Ronca’s career with a 16-0 tech fall in 3:35.
Sentz also had a cruel end to his wrestling career, especially in his preliminary match at 285.
After several attempts to bring Springfield Township's Dylan Evans to the mat with upper-body holds, Sentz appeared to have gained the upper hand, taking Evans to the mat with Evans' back exposed.
But before Sentz could gain control, and earn points, Evans rolled out of trouble and rolled Sentz onto his back. Gaining the takedown, Evans soon secured the fall, finishing the match in 1:37.
Next up was a District Three rematch with Milton Hershey's Cris Ramirez won with a pin in 27 seconds, 14 seconds longer than their district match,
Seniors Joey Ronca and Jake Sentz were eliminated from the regional tournaent Friday night at Wilson High School.Ronca suffered a heartbreaking loss to Lehighton's Anthony Farole in the 135-pound prelims, 6-5, in a match he led until the final second. Ronca led the match 5-4 with 10 seconds left, when Farole shot and scored the takedown with 1 second left on the clock.
Ronca scored a takedown to lead 2-0 in the first period, went up 3-2 in the second period and appeared on his way to advancement scoring an escape with 47econds left and holding a 5-4 lead. But Farole went on an attack and got the takedown to win the match.
That put Ronca into the consolation round against Boiling Springs’ Tylyer Thumma, who had beaten Ronca twice in the district championship the week before. Thumma ended Ronca’s career with a 16-0 tech fall in 3:35.
Sentz also had a cruel end to his wrestling career, especially in his preliminary match at 285.
After several attempts to bring Springfield Township's Dylan Evans to the mat with upper-body holds, Sentz appeared to have gained the upper hand, taking Evans to the mat with Evans' back exposed.
But before Sentz could gain control, and earn points, Evans rolled out of trouble and rolled Sentz onto his back. Gaining the takedown, Evans soon secured the fall, finishing the match in 1:37.
Next up was a District Three rematch with Milton Hershey's Cris Ramirez won with a pin in 27 seconds, 14 seconds longer than their district match,
Saturday, March 6, 2010
District playoffs are over
The District Three basketball playoffs are history and despite having four teams in the finals, the Lancaster-Lebanon League came away without a gold medal.
The final L-L team to fall in the finals happened at the Giant Center this afternnoon when previously unbeaten Hempfield lost in the Boys' 4-A finals to the Red Knights of Reading, 54-46.
It was the first loss of the season for coach Warren Goodling's club and the third 4-A title for the Red Knights.
Prediction wise, I went 14-6 for the 4-A tournament, which also also has Warwick (sixth place) and Penn Manor (seventh place) heading to states.
The Boys 3-A title as previously reported went to unbeaten Eastern, who scored late to beat Lancaster Catholic, 55-53. It was the Knights first 3-A title and first since they won a 2-A title in 1988.
The final L-L team to fall in the finals happened at the Giant Center this afternnoon when previously unbeaten Hempfield lost in the Boys' 4-A finals to the Red Knights of Reading, 54-46.
It was the first loss of the season for coach Warren Goodling's club and the third 4-A title for the Red Knights.
Prediction wise, I went 14-6 for the 4-A tournament, which also also has Warwick (sixth place) and Penn Manor (seventh place) heading to states.
The Boys 3-A title as previously reported went to unbeaten Eastern, who scored late to beat Lancaster Catholic, 55-53. It was the Knights first 3-A title and first since they won a 2-A title in 1988.Prediction wise, I was 13-5.
In 2-A, the beat goes on. Trinity turned back Lancaster Mennonite, 77-65 for their third straight title and 11 since Columbia was the last public school to win at the 2-A level in 1990.
Prediction wise, I was 8-4.
Reading Central Catholic, won its first Class A title in four seasons with a 51-32 domination of Greenwood.
Prediction wise, I was 13-2.
Girls winners were: Central Dauphin in 4-A for the second straight year; Trinity in 3-A for the second straight year; York Catholic in 2-A for the fifth straight year and Steel-High for the first time in 1-A.
Prediction wise overall in girls I was 49-16.
All the district champs along with others will play in the state playoffs that start on Friday. More on those later.
Friday, March 5, 2010
The word needs to get out
Attention residents of Columbia!
Sometime within the last three weeks or so, two homes were broken into in broad daylight in my area.
Within this week, dozens of cars throughout our great town have been broken into.
So, I did I find out about the burglaries? Well, a neighbor told me about one of the robberies because it was on my block. Got confirmation of it and last week when the police and emergency people were on my block, I was told more information.
Apparently one Saturday afternoon, not too long ago, maybe three weeks now, one of the homes near where I live was broken into and a substantial amount of money was apparently taken. Didn’t sound like there was much taken in the other robbery.
This week, at least since Tuesday or Wednesday, hearing reports and postings about a number of vehicle break-ins throughout the town.
So what gives?
I know we don’t have a community newspaper any longer and that hurts. But we do have other publications and television stations and even this space, which apparently by my counter is averaging 70 plus hits a day, that will be more than willing to alert the community.
Just how bad is the problem? Is just one area of the community being targeted? Are there any suspects? Do police have any leads? Why are people going around town vandalizing cars?
These are all of the questions residents would like to have answered.
So what gives? Why hasn’t the Columbia Police Department sent the information out to alert residents? Heck, take it one step farther when was the last time anyone has seen police information in any newspaper?
There appears to be a serious problem right now in Columbia and the leadership of our town needs to respond and start getting the news out there.
Sure, you can call the police department and they will gladly take a report, but, unless the leadership of our town starts getting the word out, this problem will get worse and worse and who knows what the end result will be.
Perhaps if everyone affected by this shows up at Monday’s borough council meetings and seeks answers, the information will get out. But I’ve had this thought for sometime that some in Columbia Borough are extremely happy that there is no newspaper and they only get coverage once a month.
But with what’s going on now in terms of the car break-ins and daylight robberies, the borough needs to get the word out.
So for now, Columbia residents, please lock you cars and houses, but even that won’t prevent a break-in, because if someone wants something, they will figure a way to get what they want. And that my friends is extremely sad!
Sometime within the last three weeks or so, two homes were broken into in broad daylight in my area.
Within this week, dozens of cars throughout our great town have been broken into.
So, I did I find out about the burglaries? Well, a neighbor told me about one of the robberies because it was on my block. Got confirmation of it and last week when the police and emergency people were on my block, I was told more information.
Apparently one Saturday afternoon, not too long ago, maybe three weeks now, one of the homes near where I live was broken into and a substantial amount of money was apparently taken. Didn’t sound like there was much taken in the other robbery.
This week, at least since Tuesday or Wednesday, hearing reports and postings about a number of vehicle break-ins throughout the town.
So what gives?
I know we don’t have a community newspaper any longer and that hurts. But we do have other publications and television stations and even this space, which apparently by my counter is averaging 70 plus hits a day, that will be more than willing to alert the community.
Just how bad is the problem? Is just one area of the community being targeted? Are there any suspects? Do police have any leads? Why are people going around town vandalizing cars?
These are all of the questions residents would like to have answered.
So what gives? Why hasn’t the Columbia Police Department sent the information out to alert residents? Heck, take it one step farther when was the last time anyone has seen police information in any newspaper?
There appears to be a serious problem right now in Columbia and the leadership of our town needs to respond and start getting the news out there.
Sure, you can call the police department and they will gladly take a report, but, unless the leadership of our town starts getting the word out, this problem will get worse and worse and who knows what the end result will be.
Perhaps if everyone affected by this shows up at Monday’s borough council meetings and seeks answers, the information will get out. But I’ve had this thought for sometime that some in Columbia Borough are extremely happy that there is no newspaper and they only get coverage once a month.
But with what’s going on now in terms of the car break-ins and daylight robberies, the borough needs to get the word out.
So for now, Columbia residents, please lock you cars and houses, but even that won’t prevent a break-in, because if someone wants something, they will figure a way to get what they want. And that my friends is extremely sad!
The Current debuts
Kathy Hohenadel, the executive director of the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, has authored the Current, a fee publication produced by the chamber.
The Current will be distributed bi-weekly every other Friday at local dining establishments.
The goal of the Current is to keep the community informed of Chamber events that impact community life.
For more information, call the chamber at 684-5249.
The Current will be distributed bi-weekly every other Friday at local dining establishments.
The goal of the Current is to keep the community informed of Chamber events that impact community life.
For more information, call the chamber at 684-5249.
Thursday scores
Here are the Disrict 3 playoff scores
Boys 4-A
Third Place: Wilson 59, York 57
Fifth Place: Red Land 67, Warwick 50
Seventh Place and state berth: Penn Manor 64, Daniel Boone 54
Boys 3-A
Championship: Eastern 55, Lancaster Catholic 53
More information on this game can be obtained at lancasteronline.com, ydr.com, yorkdispatch.com and pennline.com
Third Place: Steel-High 72, East Pennsboro 64
Fifth Place: Susquehanna Township 64, York Suburban 29
Boys 1-A
Third Place: Lebanon Catholic 56, Millersburg 54
Girls 4-A
Third Place: Reading 42, Mechanicsburg 41
Fifth Place: CD East 40, Red Lion 38
Seventh Place and state berth: Hershey 35, Mifflin 33
Girls 3-A
Fifth Place: Daniel Boone 43, Manheim Central 27
Girls 2-A
Championship: York Catholic 38, Lancaster Mennonite 30
For more on this game see above links
Consolation: Delone Catholic 64, Wyomissing 37
Girls 1-A
Championship: Steel-High 62, Greenwood 34
Consolation: Camp Hill 68, Bible Baptist 28
Prediction results: 13-2
Boys 4-A
Third Place: Wilson 59, York 57
Fifth Place: Red Land 67, Warwick 50
Seventh Place and state berth: Penn Manor 64, Daniel Boone 54
Boys 3-A
Championship: Eastern 55, Lancaster Catholic 53
More information on this game can be obtained at lancasteronline.com, ydr.com, yorkdispatch.com and pennline.com
Third Place: Steel-High 72, East Pennsboro 64
Fifth Place: Susquehanna Township 64, York Suburban 29
Boys 1-A
Third Place: Lebanon Catholic 56, Millersburg 54
Girls 4-A
Third Place: Reading 42, Mechanicsburg 41
Fifth Place: CD East 40, Red Lion 38
Seventh Place and state berth: Hershey 35, Mifflin 33
Girls 3-A
Fifth Place: Daniel Boone 43, Manheim Central 27
Girls 2-A
Championship: York Catholic 38, Lancaster Mennonite 30
For more on this game see above links
Consolation: Delone Catholic 64, Wyomissing 37
Girls 1-A
Championship: Steel-High 62, Greenwood 34
Consolation: Camp Hill 68, Bible Baptist 28
Prediction results: 13-2
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Columbia needs a newspaper
As I said in one of my final columns that appeared in the Columbia Register, that it was something I started to right about a year ago and stopped and then wrote it again. This is also something I started to write, stopped, finished it, gave it out to a few people who were interested and something that had been followed, perhaps not to the “T,” our great town might still have a newspaper.
Let me start my saying, the last two newspapers in our town failed – the Columbia Ledger and the Columbia Register, both failed for different reasons in my opinion. The third I worked for the Columbia News failed for another reason. So I will talk about all three, their affects on our town and why the worked and didn’t work.
I can honestly say this, outside of a few weeks last year when the Columbia Ledger was in limbo, I really enjoyed going to work each day. I can say after a few weeks of working for the newspaper that wasn’t the case. I saw early on that the revival of a newspaper for Columbia wasn’t going to work. But more on that later.
I started to work at the Columbia News in 1984 and found it a joy to work in my hometown. I took what I learned from my eight or so years at WSBA from the likes of Ed Wickenheiser, Ron Corbin and the late Phil Eberly into that job and still take that professionalism with me today.
What I found out early on was how important the hometown paper was to the people of Columbia. It had it all – history, told you who was coming into this town in terms of births and who was leaving us in terms of deaths. Started to learn the newspaper business and found it a career I would like.
Continued to learn more from the likes of “Teedy” Aston and the Crist family, who were really interested in a community newspaper. Its also where I learned computers.
Then there was the late Shirley Myers, who had the knack of being able to be nice to people, yet knew who you didn’t want to see or talk too and that was nice.
But the Columbia News started changing when the Crist family decided to retire and sold the business if I remember first to a newspaper from Johnstown, who then sold it to a group that owned the York Newspapers. I can remember one marketing guy they had come in to talk about things telling me I didn’t know sports or Columbia. Hell, he wasn’t from the Columbia area.
The change was not good. The Crists were booted out the door and “Teedy” road down the road to retirement.
The three editors, I think there were three, that replaced “Teedy” had some good ideas, but basically didn’t know Columbia. But like today, when the big guys come in, the little guys got pushed aside and it wasn’t long before they came in one day, said that was it. No chance to turn it possibly into a weekly paper.
Next came the Ledger Newspaper group out of Quarryville. They had their papers printed at the Columbia News until they cut out that part of the process.
Fran Maye was my first contact and Don Althouse was the owner. Spent about a month working full-time as a correspondent. It was a pretty good experience, but the pay was less than I was making at the Columbia News.
They had some good ideas, but because they were located out of Quarryville, it didn’t give off a good first impression.
But they too started to change things. Althouse sold the business, but kept a hand in things and was visible in Columbia every week, which I thought was good.
When he sold the business, there was a bunch of people brought in and they weren’t around long. There were also three or four more owners, going from a small group to a couple of larger groups such as its final owners, the Daily Local News/Journal Register Company.
The one good thing that over the 20 or so years, they left us a lone in Columbia. If we needed to get out of the office for while, we did. But they brought in some people that didn’t fit Columbia and I decided I had enough.
One day back in 1999 I think it was, I got a call from the Elizabethtown Chronicle, wanting to know if I was interested in becoming their sports editor in Elizabethtown an Hershey. Much better money than I was making now, so after much thought I took it. Low and behold after a few months there, the same group (Journal Register) purchased those two papers and I asked to get shifted back to Columbia.
After a while I was able to make the decisions as what got went into the newspaper and thought we really had a good product. I think myself and my tag team partner for most of the years, if not all of them, Terry Hougendobler had a pretty good idea of what Columbia wanted also, but it was getting old trying to find things.
But as with the old Columbia News, the bigger company wasn’t interested in the small fry and put the paper up for sale. Folks, you don’t know how close it came to the paper closing before it did.
There was also a sale that fell through.
It was during that time about a year ago, I started to put together a plan for a newspaper in Columbia. What could work, what might work, etc., etc.
I shared it with a few people and they liked it. Shared it with a few potential buyers and not saying it was gospel, but it was a pretty good plan.
After a few months, On-Line Publishers came into the picture and I shared the plan with them.
Well, they decided to move forward, but had another plan and after a few weeks or within the first month, I could see it wasn’t going to work. I was the editor and had no say in anything.
Then I had my accident and it just got worse.
I still think Columbia deserves and needs a newspaper. There are so many things that have been missed, not covered and the list that goes on and on. I am willing to talk with anyone about what I think will make a successful newspaper in Columbia at anytime. I think I might have a better idea than other people since I’ve been doing it half my life.
But what I feel bad for are the kids who aren’t getting their pictures in the newspaper any longer, the sports news that hasn’t been covered right for more than a year and the small town events that mad our town unique that no longer get exposed.
Yes, it has been fun and I think it will work again, but since my accident and the recent experience I had, I don’t know if I want to do through the wars again, but then again, if it is done the right way, it would be something to consider.
For now, my thirst to write and make sure things get covered are limited to this blog. So if you have anything, send it to me and I will publish it. And if you really want to know my feelings on certain aspects of this column, hit me up sometime.
Just like being in charge of something in our small town, you have to have a pretty unique outlook on things and really care about our town. That’s something I’ve done over the years, that others I’ve worked with or the powers to be didn’t understand.
Let me start my saying, the last two newspapers in our town failed – the Columbia Ledger and the Columbia Register, both failed for different reasons in my opinion. The third I worked for the Columbia News failed for another reason. So I will talk about all three, their affects on our town and why the worked and didn’t work.
I can honestly say this, outside of a few weeks last year when the Columbia Ledger was in limbo, I really enjoyed going to work each day. I can say after a few weeks of working for the newspaper that wasn’t the case. I saw early on that the revival of a newspaper for Columbia wasn’t going to work. But more on that later.
I started to work at the Columbia News in 1984 and found it a joy to work in my hometown. I took what I learned from my eight or so years at WSBA from the likes of Ed Wickenheiser, Ron Corbin and the late Phil Eberly into that job and still take that professionalism with me today.
What I found out early on was how important the hometown paper was to the people of Columbia. It had it all – history, told you who was coming into this town in terms of births and who was leaving us in terms of deaths. Started to learn the newspaper business and found it a career I would like.
Continued to learn more from the likes of “Teedy” Aston and the Crist family, who were really interested in a community newspaper. Its also where I learned computers.
Then there was the late Shirley Myers, who had the knack of being able to be nice to people, yet knew who you didn’t want to see or talk too and that was nice.
But the Columbia News started changing when the Crist family decided to retire and sold the business if I remember first to a newspaper from Johnstown, who then sold it to a group that owned the York Newspapers. I can remember one marketing guy they had come in to talk about things telling me I didn’t know sports or Columbia. Hell, he wasn’t from the Columbia area.
The change was not good. The Crists were booted out the door and “Teedy” road down the road to retirement.
The three editors, I think there were three, that replaced “Teedy” had some good ideas, but basically didn’t know Columbia. But like today, when the big guys come in, the little guys got pushed aside and it wasn’t long before they came in one day, said that was it. No chance to turn it possibly into a weekly paper.
Next came the Ledger Newspaper group out of Quarryville. They had their papers printed at the Columbia News until they cut out that part of the process.
Fran Maye was my first contact and Don Althouse was the owner. Spent about a month working full-time as a correspondent. It was a pretty good experience, but the pay was less than I was making at the Columbia News.
They had some good ideas, but because they were located out of Quarryville, it didn’t give off a good first impression.
But they too started to change things. Althouse sold the business, but kept a hand in things and was visible in Columbia every week, which I thought was good.
When he sold the business, there was a bunch of people brought in and they weren’t around long. There were also three or four more owners, going from a small group to a couple of larger groups such as its final owners, the Daily Local News/Journal Register Company.
The one good thing that over the 20 or so years, they left us a lone in Columbia. If we needed to get out of the office for while, we did. But they brought in some people that didn’t fit Columbia and I decided I had enough.
One day back in 1999 I think it was, I got a call from the Elizabethtown Chronicle, wanting to know if I was interested in becoming their sports editor in Elizabethtown an Hershey. Much better money than I was making now, so after much thought I took it. Low and behold after a few months there, the same group (Journal Register) purchased those two papers and I asked to get shifted back to Columbia.
After a while I was able to make the decisions as what got went into the newspaper and thought we really had a good product. I think myself and my tag team partner for most of the years, if not all of them, Terry Hougendobler had a pretty good idea of what Columbia wanted also, but it was getting old trying to find things.
But as with the old Columbia News, the bigger company wasn’t interested in the small fry and put the paper up for sale. Folks, you don’t know how close it came to the paper closing before it did.
There was also a sale that fell through.
It was during that time about a year ago, I started to put together a plan for a newspaper in Columbia. What could work, what might work, etc., etc.
I shared it with a few people and they liked it. Shared it with a few potential buyers and not saying it was gospel, but it was a pretty good plan.
After a few months, On-Line Publishers came into the picture and I shared the plan with them.
Well, they decided to move forward, but had another plan and after a few weeks or within the first month, I could see it wasn’t going to work. I was the editor and had no say in anything.
Then I had my accident and it just got worse.
I still think Columbia deserves and needs a newspaper. There are so many things that have been missed, not covered and the list that goes on and on. I am willing to talk with anyone about what I think will make a successful newspaper in Columbia at anytime. I think I might have a better idea than other people since I’ve been doing it half my life.
But what I feel bad for are the kids who aren’t getting their pictures in the newspaper any longer, the sports news that hasn’t been covered right for more than a year and the small town events that mad our town unique that no longer get exposed.
Yes, it has been fun and I think it will work again, but since my accident and the recent experience I had, I don’t know if I want to do through the wars again, but then again, if it is done the right way, it would be something to consider.
For now, my thirst to write and make sure things get covered are limited to this blog. So if you have anything, send it to me and I will publish it. And if you really want to know my feelings on certain aspects of this column, hit me up sometime.
Just like being in charge of something in our small town, you have to have a pretty unique outlook on things and really care about our town. That’s something I’ve done over the years, that others I’ve worked with or the powers to be didn’t understand.
Wrestlers at Regionals
The final step in the “Road to Hershey” begins tomorrow night at Wilson High School in Berks County when Columbia wrestlers Joey Ronca and Jake Sentz participate in the Class AA South Central Regional Tournament.
The two-day event runs through Saturday and those who place in the top five at their respective weight class qualify for the PIAA championships, which begin next Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Sentz, wrestling at 285, brings a 27-16 record into his first round match against Dylan Evans of Springfield Township in District 1. He is 25-8. Evans placed third at the District 1 championships.
Ronca, a fourth place finisher at last week’s District Three championships, is 36-8 and will wrestle Anthony Farole (23-13) of Leighton in the first round. Farole is a sophomore. Leighton is from District 11.
The two-day event runs through Saturday and those who place in the top five at their respective weight class qualify for the PIAA championships, which begin next Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Sentz, wrestling at 285, brings a 27-16 record into his first round match against Dylan Evans of Springfield Township in District 1. He is 25-8. Evans placed third at the District 1 championships.
Ronca, a fourth place finisher at last week’s District Three championships, is 36-8 and will wrestle Anthony Farole (23-13) of Leighton in the first round. Farole is a sophomore. Leighton is from District 11.
More predictions
Girls 3-A scores: West York over Oley Valley, 52-42 and Trinity over Palmyra, 56-28.
Finals are Saturday at 11:15 a.m. Take Trinity in finals and Palmyra in consolation game.
Boys 2-A: Trinity over Hanover, 62-38 and Lancaster Mennonite over Delone Catholic, 68-53.
Finals are Friday atn 6:45 p.m.
Finals are Saturday at 11:15 a.m. Take Trinity in finals and Palmyra in consolation game.
Boys 2-A: Trinity over Hanover, 62-38 and Lancaster Mennonite over Delone Catholic, 68-53.
Finals are Friday atn 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Event for St. Anne's
There will be a fundraiser for The St. Anne's Retirement Community Pet Committee at Friendly's in Centerville on March 24.
Anyone that comes and has dinner, or ice cream, 10 percent of the profit for the night between 5-9 p.m. will be given towards are pet fund to help with the cost of taken care of our pet family at St Anne's.
Anyone that comes and has dinner, or ice cream, 10 percent of the profit for the night between 5-9 p.m. will be given towards are pet fund to help with the cost of taken care of our pet family at St Anne's.
Another L-L team in finals
Add the Lancaster Mennonite boys to the list of L-L teams in the District 3 finals.
The Blazers beat Delone Catholic at the Giant Center tonight, 68-57. They will meet Trinity in the 2-A finals on Friday. Coach Larry Kostelac's team crushed Hanover, 56-39.
By the way, Mennonite and Trinity also have their girls' teams in the District 3 finals.
The other two teams from the L-L in the finals are Hempfield in 4-A and Lancaster Catholic in 3-A.
Two streaks will continue this year in the District 3 finals. Columbia was the last public school to win a district title in Boys 2-A and Girls 2-A. In Girls 1-A, there will be a public school winner for the first time since 1997 when Columbia won the title. This year, Steel-High meets Greenwood.
The finals start tomorrow night. Predictions in Boys 2-A -- Trinity over Mennonite in finals and Delone wins the Hanover championship by beating Hanover in the consolation game. Bet that game will probably be in the Hershey or Cedar Crest area, instead of perhaps Spring Grove.
I'll post the Girls 3-A picks tomorrow, but leaning toward Trinity over either Oley Valley or West York.
The Blazers beat Delone Catholic at the Giant Center tonight, 68-57. They will meet Trinity in the 2-A finals on Friday. Coach Larry Kostelac's team crushed Hanover, 56-39.
By the way, Mennonite and Trinity also have their girls' teams in the District 3 finals.
The other two teams from the L-L in the finals are Hempfield in 4-A and Lancaster Catholic in 3-A.
Two streaks will continue this year in the District 3 finals. Columbia was the last public school to win a district title in Boys 2-A and Girls 2-A. In Girls 1-A, there will be a public school winner for the first time since 1997 when Columbia won the title. This year, Steel-High meets Greenwood.
The finals start tomorrow night. Predictions in Boys 2-A -- Trinity over Mennonite in finals and Delone wins the Hanover championship by beating Hanover in the consolation game. Bet that game will probably be in the Hershey or Cedar Crest area, instead of perhaps Spring Grove.
I'll post the Girls 3-A picks tomorrow, but leaning toward Trinity over either Oley Valley or West York.
Playoff update/predictions
Here are the scores from Tuesday’s District 3 playoff games.
Reading 34, Wilson 33
Red Land 44, Penn Manor 33
Warwick 68, Daniel Boone 58
Schedule
Friday, March 4 (TBA)
\Third Place: Wilson vs. York
Fifth Place: Red Land vs. Warwick
Seventh Place (winner goes to states): Penn Manor vs. Daniel Boone
Saturday, March 5, 1 p.m., Giant Center
Hempfield vs. Reading
Predictions: Hempfield over Reading; York over Wilson; Red Land over Warwick and Penn Manor over Red Land.
Schedule
Championship: CD over Harrisburg, 8:30 p.m., Friday
Third Place, Thursday, TBA, Reading over Mechanicsburg
Fifth Place, Thursday, TBA, Red Lion over CD East
Seventh Place, winner advances to states: Hershey over Gov. Mifflin
Daniel Boone over Shippensburg, 67-44
Greenwood 44, Camp Hill 40
Schedule
Championship: Steel High over Greenwood, Thursday, 4:30
Consi: Camp Hill over Bible Baptist
Boys 4-A
Hempfield 69, York 53Reading 34, Wilson 33
Red Land 44, Penn Manor 33
Warwick 68, Daniel Boone 58
Schedule
Friday, March 4 (TBA)
\Third Place: Wilson vs. York
Fifth Place: Red Land vs. Warwick
Seventh Place (winner goes to states): Penn Manor vs. Daniel Boone
Saturday, March 5, 1 p.m., Giant Center
Hempfield vs. Reading
Predictions: Hempfield over Reading; York over Wilson; Red Land over Warwick and Penn Manor over Red Land.
Girls 4-A
Harrisburg 36, Mechanicsburg 27Schedule
Championship: CD over Harrisburg, 8:30 p.m., Friday
Third Place, Thursday, TBA, Reading over Mechanicsburg
Fifth Place, Thursday, TBA, Red Lion over CD East
Seventh Place, winner advances to states: Hershey over Gov. Mifflin
Girls 3-A
Manheim Central over Lancaster Catholic, 56-50Daniel Boone over Shippensburg, 67-44
Girls 1-A
Steel-High 86, Bible Baptist 19Greenwood 44, Camp Hill 40
Schedule
Championship: Steel High over Greenwood, Thursday, 4:30
Consi: Camp Hill over Bible Baptist
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Candy Bingo to benefit K-9 campaign
The Columbia K-9 Campaign will hold a Wolfgang CHOCOLATE Bingo, sponsored by the Columbia Consolidated Fire Company, 10th and Mifflin streets, on Saturday, March 13.
Proceeds from the event benefit Columbia K-9 Officer Max, who will offer a demonstration at 12:30 p.m.
Doors open at noon and bingo begins at 1 p.m.
There will be 20 games played and winners get $100 worth of chocolate.
Tickets are $20 per two tickets and extra sheets are $5.
Call 684-5435 for tickets.
Proceeds from the event benefit Columbia K-9 Officer Max, who will offer a demonstration at 12:30 p.m.
Doors open at noon and bingo begins at 1 p.m.
There will be 20 games played and winners get $100 worth of chocolate.
Tickets are $20 per two tickets and extra sheets are $5.
Call 684-5435 for tickets.
Police officers are honored
Honored were Sgt. Tim Coyle, Sgt. Russell Geier and Corp. Doug Ober and Officer James Gardill received honors.
Coyle received the Medal of Valor for an incident on Route 30 involving a speeding vehicle and a pursuit off of Route 30 into Columbia Borough, where the suspect got out of his vehicle and took off on foot. While on foot pursuit, the suspect turned and pointed a gun at police.
In addition to Coyle's honor, Corp. Ober and Officer Robert Small received letters of commendation.
Corp. Ober and Officer Gardill received the Life Saving Award as the result an incident in the township last March where they helped save the life of a 58-year-old township resident.
Geier received a Commendation Award for assisting a woman and her two-year-old son out of the second floor of a house during a domestic dispute, also in March of last year. Geier helped the two climb down a ladder during the incident that ended peacefully with the help of the Lancaster County SERT team.
Fire outside VFW
An outdoor building attached to the pavillion was damaged.
The police department was first on the scene with a small fire showing.
The state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.
More predict
The District Three basketball tournament is headed down the home stretch.
Here are some more predictions for the championship and consolation games already determined.
Boys 3-A: Eastern over Lancaster Catholic in championship. Steel-High over East Pennboro in third place game and Hershey over Susquehanna Township in fifth place game.
Boys 1A: Reading C.C. over Greenwood in championship game and Lebanon Catholic over Millersburg in consi game.
Girls 4-A: In the fifth place game, Red Lion over C.D. East and in seventh place game, with winner advancing to state tournament, Hershey over Governor Mifflin. Championship and third place games will be decided tonight.
Girls 2-A: Might be the best championship game of them all -- York Catholic vs. Lancaster Mennonite. They've already played once this year with the Irish winning back in January. York Catholic is looking for its fourth straight state title and this one will feature a couple of PTP'ers in Erin LaVenice from Mennonite and Katie Shram from York Catholic. Neutral and big floor might give the edge to Mennonite, who I am taking in this one. In the consolation game, I like Delone over Wyomissing.
Here are the scores from last night:
Boys 3-A: Eastern 66, East Pennsboro 52; Lancaster Catholic 62, Steel-High 44; Susquehanna Township 71, West York 51 and Hershey 64, York Suburban 54.
Boys 2-A: Lancaster Mennonite 76, Upper Dauphin 46.
Boys 1-A: Central Catholic over Millersburg, 76-31 and Greenwood over Lebanon Catholic, 48-33.
Girls 4-A: Central Dauphin over Red Lion, 73-58; Red Lion 36, Hershey 32 and C.D. East over Governor Mifflin, 51-45.
Girls 2-A: York Catholic over Wyomissing, 55-31 and Mennonite over Delone Catholic, 45-41.
Tonight's schedule:
Boys 4-A: Hempfield vs. York High and Reaading vs. Wilson.
Girls 4-A: Harrisburg vs. Mechanicsburg
Girls 3-A: Daniel Boone vs. Shippensburg and Manheim Central vs. Lancaster Catholic.
Girls 1-A: Steel-High vs. Bible Baptist and Greenwood vs. Camp Hill.
Wednesday's schedule:
Boys 2-A: Trinity vs. Hanover and Delone Catholic vs. Mennonite in semi-finals.
Girls 3-A: Trinity vs. Palmyra and West York vs. Oley Valley in semi-finals
Here are some more predictions for the championship and consolation games already determined.
Boys 3-A: Eastern over Lancaster Catholic in championship. Steel-High over East Pennboro in third place game and Hershey over Susquehanna Township in fifth place game.
Boys 1A: Reading C.C. over Greenwood in championship game and Lebanon Catholic over Millersburg in consi game.
Girls 4-A: In the fifth place game, Red Lion over C.D. East and in seventh place game, with winner advancing to state tournament, Hershey over Governor Mifflin. Championship and third place games will be decided tonight.
Girls 2-A: Might be the best championship game of them all -- York Catholic vs. Lancaster Mennonite. They've already played once this year with the Irish winning back in January. York Catholic is looking for its fourth straight state title and this one will feature a couple of PTP'ers in Erin LaVenice from Mennonite and Katie Shram from York Catholic. Neutral and big floor might give the edge to Mennonite, who I am taking in this one. In the consolation game, I like Delone over Wyomissing.
Here are the scores from last night:
Boys 3-A: Eastern 66, East Pennsboro 52; Lancaster Catholic 62, Steel-High 44; Susquehanna Township 71, West York 51 and Hershey 64, York Suburban 54.
Boys 2-A: Lancaster Mennonite 76, Upper Dauphin 46.
Boys 1-A: Central Catholic over Millersburg, 76-31 and Greenwood over Lebanon Catholic, 48-33.
Girls 4-A: Central Dauphin over Red Lion, 73-58; Red Lion 36, Hershey 32 and C.D. East over Governor Mifflin, 51-45.
Girls 2-A: York Catholic over Wyomissing, 55-31 and Mennonite over Delone Catholic, 45-41.
Tonight's schedule:
Boys 4-A: Hempfield vs. York High and Reaading vs. Wilson.
Girls 4-A: Harrisburg vs. Mechanicsburg
Girls 3-A: Daniel Boone vs. Shippensburg and Manheim Central vs. Lancaster Catholic.
Girls 1-A: Steel-High vs. Bible Baptist and Greenwood vs. Camp Hill.
Wednesday's schedule:
Boys 2-A: Trinity vs. Hanover and Delone Catholic vs. Mennonite in semi-finals.
Girls 3-A: Trinity vs. Palmyra and West York vs. Oley Valley in semi-finals
Parents are seeking help
Dear Business Owner or Manager,
The Columbia High School Class of 2011 Parents Club needs your help! We are looking for door prizes to give out during the post prom on May 8, at the Hempfield Recreation Center.
The post-prom is an overnight event provided by the Junior Class parents to provide the students with safe and fun activities after the prom.
We are asking for your support in making this event a success. Any donation you could provide (.i.e: gift certificates, attire, souvenirs, cash, etc.would be greatly appreciated.
In addition to extending our heartfelt gratitude, each donor will be recognized for his or her generosity in a program distributed at the post prom.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support.
Regards,
Class of 2011 Parents officers
Penny Barton, president – pbarton@jjsnack.com
Norma Clark, treasurer – nclark2004@embarqmail.com
Julie Riggleman, secretary – jriggleman@lift-all.com
The Columbia High School Class of 2011 Parents Club needs your help! We are looking for door prizes to give out during the post prom on May 8, at the Hempfield Recreation Center.
The post-prom is an overnight event provided by the Junior Class parents to provide the students with safe and fun activities after the prom.
We are asking for your support in making this event a success. Any donation you could provide (.i.e: gift certificates, attire, souvenirs, cash, etc.would be greatly appreciated.
In addition to extending our heartfelt gratitude, each donor will be recognized for his or her generosity in a program distributed at the post prom.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support.
Regards,
Class of 2011 Parents officers
Penny Barton, president – pbarton@jjsnack.com
Norma Clark, treasurer – nclark2004@embarqmail.com
Julie Riggleman, secretary – jriggleman@lift-all.com
Penny Barton
Class of 2011 Parents
129 N 3rd St
Columbia, PA 17512
(717) 917-4634
Monday, March 1, 2010
Wanted man
Three others were charged today by city police in connection with the Oct. 24, 2004 murder of Heather Marie Nunn in the kitchen of her home, 224 Pearl St.
The other three suspects were also in custody on other, unrelated charges, police said.
Stewart, also known on the streets as “Mike Murder” has ties to Columbia and his last known address, in addition to one in Columbia, was in the 1100 block of Freemont Street in Lancaster.
Charged today were:
* Edward Leon Major, 31, currently in the federal prison in Lewisburg, serving more than 12 years following his conviction on charges of possession with the intent to deliver crack cocaine (10.4 grams) in Lancaster in June, 2005.
* David Vasquez Jordan, 28, currently in Lancaster County Prison on unrelated homicide charges for a Dec. 13, 2009 stabbing death in the 400 block of St. Joseph Street.
* Hayward Jamar Stewart, 33, Garden Court Apartments, currently in Lebanon County Prison on unrelated charges and a parole violation/
Police said Stewart is about six-foot tall, weighs around 150 pounds with short dark hair and dark eyes.
The murder of Nunn happened around 9:30 p.m., Oct. 24, 2004 when police found Nunn, 23, shot laying on her kitchen floor. The woman’s daughters, ages 6 and 8 were upstairs in the bathtub when the shooting happened and only came downstairs when they heard a noise.
During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the murder was actually a botched robbery attempt by the four and Major was the shooter in the incident.
Police said Jordan was arrested at the Lancaster County Prison and Hayward Stewart at the Lebanon County Prison on Feb. 26. Major will be charged at a later date.
These charges and arrests, filed by Det. Nickel before Magisterial District Judge Cheryl Hartman, were the result of a cooperative effort involving the Lancaster City Police, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office (Eastern District) and the United States Marshal’s Service. Assistant United States Attorney Mark S. Miller and Lancaster County Assistant District Attorney Ryan T. Boop are prosecuting this case in Lancaster County Court.
The Lancaster Police are actively seeking Michael Stewart. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to call 735-3300. Callers do not have to give their names to provide information.
Two CHS athletes are hockey champs
Columbia High School athletes, Alex Beckley (left) and Jeremy Beckley (right), pictured with their father Jim (center), were members of the Northern Lebanon hockey team that beat Conestoga Valley Sunday night at the Klick Lewis Arena for the Tier 3 championship of the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League.
The Northern Lebanon team is made up of players from Columbia and Northern Lebanon, Elco, Spring Grove and Donegal.
The CV team was made up of players from CV, Donegal, Manheim Central and Lancaster Catholic.
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