Howard accepts plea deal, faces 6-12 years for attack on Columbia man

Randy Howard is escorted into District Judge Miles Bixler’s office this afternoon for a preliminary hearing. Howard is charged in connection with an assault on a Columbia man last September.

Randy Howard accepted a plea deal of 6 to 12 years at a preliminary hearing at District Judge Miles Bixler’s office in Columbia today. The deal allows Howard to avoid a trial. He will be sentenced at a formal arraignment later this month. Howard could have faced 10 to 20 years if he had not accepted the deal, which was offered by Assistant District Attorney Andrew Gonzalez. Howard still has the option to reject the deal before sentencing.

Howard is charged with aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy in connection with the September 3, 2017 wolfpack attack on a Columbia man on the 600 block of Walnut Street. He was apprehended in Columbia on March 15 by Columbia Borough and West Hempfield Township police. Shakim McIlwain was convicted last month for his part in the attack.
Howard will also do time for a parole violation stemming from a previous crime, to be served consecutively.

Starview Brews to set up shop in Columbia this fall

Columbia developer Cimarron Properties announces that Starview Brews has leased part of their property at 224 Locust Street in historic downtown Columbia, which also houses the Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts.

Scheduled to open in late fall of 2018, Starview Brews was founded by longtime brewer Mike Knaub of York, PA. Mike’s passion for brewing great beer dates back over 25 years. His specialty is handcrafted European Lagers. Mike is also a BJCP Certified Judge.

Starview Brews will offer lite fare and specialty foods along with Mike’s signature house beef jerky. The new brewery operation will include a convivial taproom and several areas for patrons to relax and experience great beer and enjoy the amazing atmosphere.

“We are thrilled to welcome Starview Brews to this beautiful historic building. Starview Brews is an exciting venture and will be another key part of the revitalization of downtown Columbia”, says Don Murphy, President of Cimarron Properties. Cimarron renovated the old tobacco warehouse building in 2014 and received an award from the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County for its restoration.

With the Susquehanna River and nearby towns, Marietta and Wrightsville in close proximity, the Starview Brewery will be themed around the rich history of the local area. Just a short distance from the Columbia Crossing and River Park, visitors to the river and Northwest Lancaster County River Trail will find another great destination to unwind after enjoying all that the area has to offer.

224 Locust Street


ABOUT Starview Brews

To learn more about Starview Brews, please contact Mike Knaub with questions or comments via email at starviewbrew@gmail.com, or visit online at http://www.starviewbrew.com. You can also check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/starviewbrew

ABOUT Cimarron Properties

Cimarron Properties, formed in 2009, is a key commercial real estate investment and development company owned by Don and Becky Murphy. Cimarron has invested heavily in downtown Columbia and currently owns and manages 11 assets. Their strength lies in the ability to significantly improve key historical buildings and return them to attractive, functional assets. Current projects include the complete renovation of 301 Locust Street, formerly Jack Horner Shoe Store into Café 301 on the main level and 6 upper level apartments which are now accessible by a newly installed elevator. The Murphys also recently acquired Hinkle’s Restaurant and is in the process of remodeling the interior of the building with additional seating capacity and new gift shop to make it an even larger destination. 


For more information, please contact Don Murphy at donmurphy012@gmail.com or (717) 278-7979.
Source: press release

About Town

Pics about town from the past week…
 Compare…

 and contrast.

 Walking the beat

 Another one bites the dust!

 There’s another one of those rocks.
Probably placed there by a member of the Columbia PA Rockz Facebook group.
By the way, Columbia DOES rock.

 A peek inside the Market House.
There’s a Keeley and a couple of signs.

 Two more Keeley stoves in the abandoned space.
The three stoves were recently taken off the borough’s auction list.
They may have been manufactured at the Keeley Stove Company that was based in Columbia.

 At the apex of the inverted V

 Newly cleared
Compare and contrast with THIS PHOTO from last summer.

 So, even if guns don’t kill people, window decals still misspell “misspell” and Hillary is still the boogie man under every right-winger’s bed. 
 Race to the finish!
(Actually, the one on the right isn’t being operated.)

 A “closer-up” view

 Riding the gravy train into the sunset
 Down at the bridge plaza…

 the ground is being prepared for the installation of brick sidewalks.

 The deadline to have engraved bricks installed for military personnel is April 15 (for the May 26 dedication). More information HERE.

 Traffic control cameras? Or two of the borough’s “covert” cameras? An official has said the traffic lights here at 4th & Locust are on a timer. So, why the cameras?

 Columbia 2118?

 Mullen Books, near the bottom of Walnut

 Time to paint the poles

 And who among us hasn’t hauled our Moosehead around on our Thule roof rack?

Speaking of moose heads

 Yes, don’t litter. Don’t pour out your used motor oil or your leftover Moosehead here.

 Insert a very large quarter into this outrageously oversized piggy bank.

Not a downspout but a spout down

 Yes emphysize it.

 Biker chicks?

 No, just some very nice Mennonite girls – and boys

They were looking for the trail, and as is often the case with out-of-town folks, they got confused due to the lack of proper signage.

 Fortunately, Columbia Spy was there to direct them on their way.

 Afterwards, a giant cow sped by.
Just another day in Columbia.

 There’s a noncomformist in every crowd. Let’s hope so anyway.

 Yep, more of the same
 Pretty pretty

 Waiting for something to die

 Why do Hempfield buses park in our high school parking lot?

Seriously
 Speaking of school district vehicles…

Here’s one parked in a curious place.
(Note the sign.)

 What is that thing up there anyway? Even the sparrow seems to want to know.

 It’s atop the old Poplar Street School.

 Cut-rate basketball hoop

 Little red wagon painted green

 Documents…not shredded

 Get the shovels out. Mother Nature’s been a…

The claw descends.
Any day, it will take down this mobile home…

 and the houses behind to make way for the construction of an apartment building. More information on the project can be found HERE.

 For free. No, not the building – the table.

 The mayflies are early this year.

 Hinkle’s – on its way back.

 Follow that trailer!

 Bring that, too!

 Eagles in some sort of mating ritual
 Too far and too fast for the camera

 They chased each other for a few minutes…

 and flew into the distance.

 The parking lot-to-be at Walnut & Commerce is shaping up nicely.

 Springsteen fan

Education FAIL

Columbia is a hot spot for home sales

[Columbia Spy file photo]

With regard to the homebuyers program for eligible low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers, LHOP’s Ray D’Agostino says the borough agreed to provide a match to LHOP’s $5,000 closing cost assistance no-interest loan, which raises the figure to $10,000. In the program’s first 10 months, there were 15 new homeowners in the borough, he says. The homeowner rehab program is just getting underway, so he does not have any data for that program.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/alwayslancaster/lancaster-city-columbia-hot-spots-for-home-sales/article_da167a3e-337a-11e8-9d69-53921d86b0cc.html

Leo Lutz talks about Columbia's revitalization

Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz
[Columbia Spy file photo]

Today, Columbia is embarking on a very aggressive marketing strategy, downtown revitalization and neighborhood-improvement campaign. Columbia is open for business and homeownership.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/alwayslancaster/leo-lutz-columbia-mayor/article_4c0a7a8e-32c0-11e8-a8b8-9b0cfab9dd6f.html

Columbia residents assaulted fish wardens and locked them up – Shad Wars: A long, violent period in Lancaster County over a fish in the Susquehanna

In a well-reported incident documented in local newspapers, five fish wardens sent to Columbia had their boat overturned by locals. When they swam to the Columbia shoreline they were assaulted by residents. They spent the night locked inside a room in a local hotel while an angry mob milled outside.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/shad-wars-a-long-violent-period-in-lancaster-county-over/article_48c6e18a-3281-11e8-bbdd-c3310badc12c.html

16-year-old Columbia boy nabbed in Lancaster City drug bust | Lancaster Bureau of Police

16 year old juvenile male Columbia Borough resident

Charged with- Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin/Cocaine and Crack Cocaine; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia-

Committed to Youth Intervention Center (YIC)

MORE:

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/lbop/19659/post/seu-drug-arrest-recovered-stolen-handgun-400-blk-new-dorwart-st-03262018