About Town

Pics about town over the last few weeks…

North side of the bridge

When you absolutely positively need that evidence shredded

 That view

 Blowing off steam
(UGI on the 500 block of Walnut)

 Not a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie, just a bunch of crows in a frenzy.

 Antique TV accompanied by some sort of circuit board door-type thing?

 New lamp at the River Park ramp to replace the one damaged a while back.  Not an exact match, but close.

 Wrong way on the one-way 500 block of Chestnut

 Walking Dead Day October 21
(Stop by Taco to Go Saturday, October 21, for the annual Walking Dead Day! Serving “walking dead tacos”(spaghetti and meatballs), and free “brains” (jello). Anyone who dresses up as a zombie will receive a free walking dead taco and be entered to win trophies and gift certificates for best zombies! Open at noon, so dress your worst!)

 Mottled bridge arches

 River watchers

 Tangled up in blue?

 Progress at 301 Locust

 Nice paint job

 Ditto

 Before and after?

 Restored ghost signs

 A soon-to-be ghost sign on the 400 block of Locust

 Beautiful stone work at 4th & Locust

 Sign upgrade?

 Stone tower

 Big Brother got a little too wired.

 Datestone in the 100 block of Avenue H at the former potato chip factory

Downspout down
(100 block of Walnut)

 Sign City USA

 A 3-handed skateboarder?

 Under control

 This dump truck fire was quickly extinguished by our fire crews.

Hinkle’s 
We’re SAD to see it go.

 The hardworking gents at 301 Locust after a long day

 Construction fence at the library

 Strap a hammock and relax.

 The river’s low.

 Yeah, it really is.

 Rockin’ & rollin’ at 4th & Cherry

 Pride in ownership

 Alley(way) cat

 Scratch that itch!

A convenient hangout

 Pedal power

 Stoned cat?

 Heron on the wing

 It’s that internet meme guy!

 Far-out heron

 More painted rocks

 Above it all

 Some religions see things pretty much the same.

 Other times, they don’t.

 She may have found one of those painted rocks.

 Bridge bust

 More of the same

 Lots o’ pretzels

 Rainbow-painted rock at Columbia Crosssing

 Young shutterbug

 Surveying the Susquehanna from the Bridge Bust

Sometimes a sidewalk is just a living room.

Cafe 301 to open at 301 Locust next year

Laurie Newman (center) along with Don and Becky Murphy of Cimarron Investments, LLC announced the opening of Cafe 301, a new restaurant that will move into 301 Locust Street in the winter of 2018. Laurie currently runs Laurie’s 717 Catering, LLC, which provides soul food and Southern-style meals at the Columbia Market House every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday was the business’s one-year anniversary at the Market House.

This promotional poster shows an architect’s rendering of 301 Locust as it will appear next year when renovations are complete.
Immediately after the announcement, Don Murphy led a tour of 301 Locust. The first floor will house the Cafe 301 restaurant, which will serve a variety of sandwiches and salads, and ice cream and coffee from local suppliers. The catering business will be headquartered in the basement, along with a large commercial kitchen and offices.

Cash registers, cigarette cartons stolen in rash of burglaries at Columbia businesses

Columbia police are investigating three burglaries reported at two Columbia businesses within the past two days.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/cash-registers-cigarette-cartons-stolen-in-rash-of-burglaries-at/article_e3d87f6c-b06d-11e7-bc08-3b2f69465df5.html

Columbia resident seeks answers from mayor and council on borough crime

Rick Fisher
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Rick Fisher took his message to Columbia Borough Council Monday night: There’s crime in Columbia and something must be done about it. 

Fisher, a Columbia resident, told council he was sparked to action when he learned of a 61-year-old man beaten in a wolfpack-style attack in the borough in September. Fisher said he was outraged, but decided to channel his anger into something positive. To that end, he started the Columbia PA Crime Watch Facebook page as a means for Columbians to report local crime. The page is an outgrowth of several meetings he organized in Locust Street Park where citizens gathered to talk about crime, offer ideas, and air grievances. Among the complaints voiced at the first two meetings: police response time, neighborhood drug dealing, surveillance cameras not working, and lack of personnel to monitor them.
Fisher asked Mayor Leo Lutz why recent arrests at an incident in Rotary Park were not made public. Lutz claimed that police reports are sent to the media. “It’s up to the media to take the information from there and print it,” Lutz said. “Every week, we put an arrest report out. It’s up to the media to do what they want to do with it.”[Columbia Spy and Columbia news, views & reviews do not receive weekly police reports from the borough but do report incidents posted on the Columbia Borough Police Department’s Crimewatch page.]
Lutz told Fisher that the borough monitors its 50 cameras. He said footage is recorded, and officers can view cameras in real time in their vehicles. Lutz said that 14 juvenile suspects at the Rotary Park incident were identified from footage and arrested. Lutz also said that the Drug Task Force officer has made four major drug arrests for possession and intent to deliver in the borough, in which one suspect was observed on camera footage. Lutz added that eight youths who blocked Walnut Street recently were also arrested.”The police are obviously doing something,” he said.
Fisher suggested reviving a neighborhood watch program once active in Columbia. He told council that the program can reduce crime by an average of 16%, but added that if residents don’t call the police, the program will not work. 
Fisher vowed to return to council every month to see if progress has been made. In the meantime, he hopes to hold meetings at the Columbia Public Library. Over 500 residents have so far joined the Facebook page, which Fisher sees as a hopeful sign. Mayor Lutz promised that he and Police Chief Jack Brommer will work with Fisher and residents and will meet with them when the group becomes formalized. “We all want to see a better and safer Columbia,” Lutz said. “We will assist the group in any way we can.”

West Hempfield man charged with felony drug dealing had heroin, stolen gun at time of arrest

A West Hempfield man is accused of drug dealing following an investigation that involved surveillance of drug sales.
Jordan Stark, 28, was arrested on Oct. 6 in East Donegal Township and had 29.3 grams of heroin, packaging materials, $500 cash and a stolen handgun on him at the time of arrest, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s office.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/west-hempfield-man-charged-with-felony-drug-dealing-had-heroin/article_d39e86a4-b02d-11e7-8841-e7b35cca686e.html

19-year-old accomplice sentenced in case of Columbia teen who shot at police

A 19-year-old Columbia man was sentenced Friday to 10 years to 20 years in prison for his role in a shooting attack on police officers in the borough last year.
Trenton Nace pleaded no contest to felony charges of conspiracy to murder a law-enforcement officer and two counts of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/year-old-accomplice-sentenced-in-case-of-columbia-teen-who/article_1db76240-b049-11e7-b002-73078ee44bac.html