Tag: News and Commentary

We are conflicted re PA Academy of Music

Sometimes the publisher can play a separate role in providing advice and support in confidence to those about whom he/she later is called upon to report. NewsLanc is so conflicted having communicated on a confidential basis with Paul Ware, Ely Gonick, Fran Veri, and Michael Jamanis.

EDITORIAL: Shameful abuse of the public trust

The PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau (PDCVB) is largely funded by tax payers dollars, a good portion of its budget coming from its share of the Hotel Room Sales Tax imposed in order to subsidize the development and operation of the Convention Center. A poll was published in the Lancaster Newspapers and attributed as in part coming from this semi-public organization. The press release from the PDCVB claimed that the respondents overwhelmingly favored a street car system.

City passes “missing gun” ordinance

At the June 9, 2009, City Council Meeting, the Council unanimously approved Administration Bill No. 9, “requiring prompt notification to authorities of lost or stolen firearms, and imposing penalties.” The new ordinance would require gun owners to report the loss or theft of any registered firearms within 72 hours of their discovery.

Back-in Parking on College Ave: Counter-intuitive yet Reasonable

When the lines were painted for new parking arrangements on College Ave, some locals were understandably confused. Many have encountered diagonal, side-street parking before, but these spaces often branch out with the flow of traffic, allowing drivers to pull straight into their spot. In the case of College Ave, however, drivers are required to back into these angled spaces.

VIDEO: First Friday Highlights: Cosas Gallery

The First Friday of June ’09 was a soggy one. The rains had persisted most of the day and pressed on through the evening hours; but the regular crowd of monthly artwalkers was largely undeterred. Sidewalks along Prince and Queen were clustered with open umbrellas, bobbing from one gallery to the next-even spilling off beyond the typical track of Gallery Row.

COMMENTARY: What economists have learned from the Great Depression

The following is excerpted from ‘Lords Of Finance, The Bankers Who Broke The world’ but Liaquat Ahamed, The Penguin Press, 2009. It sheds light on the emphasis on maintaining liquidity and credit availability that the Bush and Obama administrations and Congress have pursued over the past year. The foot note (*) will come as a revelation to many students of the period.

LETTER: Survey of Race Street Home Owners

“83% of households say they do not want pole lights. In a survey of homeowner households in the 400 & 500 blocks of Race Ave. and the 900 block of Buchanan Ave., 83% said that do not want F&M’s boulevard pole lights across the street from their properties! Of the 29 households whose properties are directly across from Buchanan Park, 24 households voted against the pole lights and only 3 voted for them. The remaining two were undecided.

Green, organic café coming to Prince St corner

The empty storefront at the southwest corner of Prince and W Orange Streets will soon become home to the “Green Man Café”, which, as owner Richard Mellinger described it, will be an eco-friendly and organic shop with a “European flavor.” Mellinger sat at an old table from the “Starving Artist Café”—which shut down several months ago after a brief run at this 106 W Orange address. The tables and chairs will be replaced, explained Mellinger, who is currently working to replace the existing purple décor with earthier, more natural tones.

EDITORIAL: Will great opportunity be grasped?

In his June 4 column headed “What’s next on city’s horizon?”, Jeff Hawkes seems oblivious to the potential and the controversy surrounding the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Perhaps because the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. has generously guaranteed part of the construction debt, its editors and reporters feel constrained about writing frankly about the subject.

City clinic doubled caseload since 2004

NewsLanc recently interviewed Daniel Jurman, Director of Development for South East Lancaster Health Services (SELHS, a.k.a. South East clinic) in Lancaster City. Jurman, whose work focuses around promoting and raising funds for SELHS, had a lot to say about the state of medical under-service in Lancaster County and how his organization has been working to fill the existing void. As Jurman explained the current role and aspirations of SELHS, it became clear that this system will likely expand to a greater prominence in the years ahead.