More than 35 people crammed into Mount Joy’s small Borough Hall, Tuesday night, for a chance to air their questions and comments regarding the Government Study Commission’s Draft of a Home Rule Charter (available here). Among its more significant changes, the Charter proposes to:> increase the number of Commissioners to 5, with staggered terms and […]
Tag: News and Commentary
Commissioners Not Conducting Public Search for Esterbrook Replacement?
At their Tuesday worksession, the County Commissioners announced that they had met in executive session “regarding personnel matters” preceding the meeting. In response to questioning from NewsLanc as to whether “any progress has been made, or at least a established a process for, finding Mr. Esterbrook’s replacement,” Commissioner Chairman Dennis Stuckey said with a wry […]
Lancaster Post Well Received
Although there exists no financial relationship between NewsLanc and the Lancaster Post, NewsLanc “paper boys” handed out the Post with a NewsLanc newsletter insert at the Central Market on Saturday morning. Response was very gratifying, as six hundred copies were quickly distributed. Hopefully Post readers will encourage merchants to permit the free distribution of the […]
Lancaster should junk voting machines without verifiable paper trail
The following is excerpted from www.blackboxvoting.org: The entire premise of technology-based elections is based on support for the “verifiable voting” concept. But before designing technology for elections, we must first determine how it will empower citizen controls, enabling the counting of votes in public rather than counting them in secret. We do not consent to […]
Current LCCCA Board Passes Buck on Naming Rights, State Grants
At Thursday’s monthly board meeting of the Convention Center Authority, NewsLanc raised three issues of enduring concern in the Authority’s contracts with Penn Square Partners: . the sharing of 50% of the proceeds from the sale of naming rights with Penn Square Partners . the gifting of the right of first offer with respect to […]
SD of L’s Sports Program in Disarray
Many of us can recall times when McCaskey High School was a strong contender in county and state-wide sports. But not now. On the positive side, McCaskey youths continue to excel in boys’ and girls’ basketball with 22 and 5 and 17 and 11 win / loss records respectively during the winter of 2008. Students […]
Mayor Gray Swears in New Chief of Police
In a ceremony following a brief City Council meeting, Wednesday night, Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray swore in Lancaster’s new Chief of Police. Rick Sadler has 27 years of experience with the Philadelphia Police Department – his most recent position being that of Chief Inspector. Following the ceremony, Sadler said that he is “elated at such […]
COMMENTARY On Preliminary Draft of Home Rule Charter
We read all 26 pages of the April 8th Draft and were impressed with its thoroughness and professionalism. The following observations and concerns do not imply that NewsLanc does or does not favor a change in the form of County government. More on that later. 1) The Chair gets to appoint the committees. NewsLanc recommends […]
Voter Turnout More Than Double the Typical, with Geographic Disparities
It has long been observed that political engagement in general and voter turnout in particular tends to be greater in more affluent areas. NewsLanc’s Election Day interviews demonstrate that Lancaster County is no exception. In Lancaster Township’s Seventh District, 280 people had voted as of 1:30 pm, according to Judge of Elections Terrie Finger. There […]
Convention Center Authority counting on 3.2 million in state grants to keep pre-opening numbers in the black
The Lancaster County Convention Center Authority is finding itself in over its head. Finance Committee Chair Laura Douglas said Monday that the Authority is $129,000 short in its construction budget alone and that change orders are averaging $200,000 a month. With some ten months of construction remaining, they are facing at least a $2 million […]
Friends indeed…and conscientious citizens!
The Sunday News April 20 editorial “A friend not in deed” is a lesson on how fragile are the rights of the accused to defend themselves, won with so much sacrifice of lives and fortunes over twenty-five hundred years; and how careless of those rights a provincial newspaper can be. The editorial states: “…if the […]
Lancaster Post soon available at Turkey Hills
According to Christiaan Hart-Nibbrig, Co-Publisher and Co-Editor of the Lancaster Post, free copies of the weekly tabloid “will be available at every Turkey Hill in the County starting next week, as well as at the Barnstormers opening day at Clipper Stadium, April 25th.” During the initial week, copies were handed out in downtown locations by […]
LETTER: F & M Student Parking: A Present Problem That is Going to Get Much Worse
F&M’s Master Campus Plan 2004, the most recent published Master Plan, gives some idea of the increased parking problems that are being caused by F&M’s refusal to accept its responsibility and provide sufficient on-campus student parking. This problem, which will only get worse, is not being addressed at all in the Campus Master Plan. Instead […]
New Publication Launched In Lancaster County
The Lancaster Post published its first edition today and the publishers believe it will provide Lancaster County with a credible alternative to the local monopoly press. The Post is a free issues, arts, and entertainment weekly that will be distributed in every part of Lancaster County. “We heard so many people complain about Lancaster Newspapers […]