In response to an inquiry, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray informed NewsLanc that, although the ordinance (and the signs/meters) only say that Sunday is exempt at parking meters, it’s the City’s practice not to ticket on Saturdays. According to Gray, this informal policy of not ticketing on Saturdays was started under Mayor Charlie Smithgall and is […]

BERWOOD YOST: I don’t agree that the ridership survey is misleading. The survey was designed to identify the potential ridership of such a system and general sentiments about the system and that is what it accomplished. Your focus on the executive summary fails to acknowledge the many different analyses presented in the report. You also […]

There sits in the national office of Mental Health America (MHA) a 300-pound bell. A bell likewise adorns its logo. “It symbolizes ringing out hope,” says Mary Steffy, Executive Director of the nonprofit’s Lancaster County chapter. Their small, inconspicuous office is part of the “Lancaster Community Center” complex at 630 Janet Ave. between New Holland […]

In response to a request from NewsLanc, School District of Lancaster Superintendant Pedro Rivera sent the following response: “The School District of Lancaster serves a larger and more diverse student body, so we must be more thoughtful and strategic in the way we support our children and the community.” “Sports play an integral role in […]

Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said he is tired of gun violence. Just Tuesday, a 30-year old Philadelphia police officer, Patrick McDonald was shot and killed in North Philadelphia. Another officer was critically wounded. Gray told City Council on Tuesday night that he intends to introduce an ordinance with the Public Safety Committee that would require […]

An implication of the Sept. 21st Sunday News article “McCaskey’s Challenge” was that McCaskey High School’s teams are performing so poorly because the players are subject to all of the disadvantages and problems of inner city youths. Football coach Scott Feldman is quoted: “It’s hard to be good at [football], and we just don’t have […]

According to an account in the Sept. 22 New Era: Judge Dennis Reinaker “scolded former County Coroner Dr. G. Gary Kirchner, this morning, placing him on one year of probation for giving newspaper reporters his password to a secured law-enforcement Web site.” But perhaps of greater significance to our community, the New Era further reports […]

On Thursday, September 25, PNC Bank is holding a free “open house networking breakfast.” “Start your morning off by joining the PNC Bank Fruitville Pike staff for an open house networking breakfast. Bring cards and conversation.” It’s being held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the PNC Bank at 1966 Fruitville Pike. The Pennsylvania Academy […]

We applaud today’s decision by the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners not to authorize the previously-anticipated purchase of 54 electronic eSlate voting machines with recently acquired grant monies. NewsLanc presented information to the Commissioners last week casting significant doubt on the reliability of these machines, which do not produce a voter-verified paper trail.

In a surprising move, Tuesday, the County Commissioners acted not to authorize the expenditure of recently-acquired grant monies on additional eSlate computerized voting machines. eSlate machines are the computerized touch-screens that are hailed by supporters as more efficient and criticized by opponents as not producing a verifiable paper trail. During discussion of a contract to […]

I have no reason to doubt the facts presented in the Sunday News article regarding the hurdles faced by sports programs in inner city high schools like McCaskey, which are populated by overwhelmingly high percentages of low income or poor students, most of whom are Black and Latino students. Nor do I object to the […]