What I saw recently

Some shots from around our beloved borough over the past week or so . . .

I see a lot of these train cars passing though town.

They’re labeled LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS.  They’re also labeled NON ODORIZED.  I can only speculate why the gas would be NON ODORIZED (as in NON DETECTABLE?)

Meanwhile on Avenue H: Either one of the ladies couldn’t get in through the LADIES ENTRANCE, or the broken window is a newly installed GENTLEMEN’S ENTRANCE.

Upcoming road work on Avenue H?

Renovations continue at Second and Locust.

I realize these things take time, but someone might want to get around to fixing the back of the building soon.

And along Barber Street, what’s with all the bent over signposts?
This is one.

And here’s another several feet away.

This is the same one as pictured immediately above, with the first one in the background.

Further down the street, yet another.

Caught’cha . . . showin’ off?

Over the weekend, a lot of out-of-town walkers passed through town.

Here’s what some of them saw along Front Street: blocks of concrete that have been lying there, seemingly forever, where the slab was cut to allow for installation of a utility pole guy wire.  Very shoddy.

Further along . . . lotsa trash

And here. 
At the same intersection – a pyromaniac’s dream?

A little further uptown, the blight of rental properties continues to grow.

As I said.

So, who put their mirror in the sidewalk trash can?  This presents a potential safety hazard.  

Incredibly, there are still several phone books lying on doorsteps around town.

I guess this is cool looking, but without a hood, is it street legal?
Oh well, at least this cardinal was content to just sit and sing.

Lancaster County town of Columbia is a hidden gem – mcall.com

This summer, Columbia expects to grab more attention than usual with its June 28-30 “Flames Across the Susquehanna” commemoration of its biggest moment in Civil War history. Town planners hope to snare visitors heading for Gettysburg's July 1-3 observance of the battle's 150 th anniversary with a dramatic re-creation of the burning of the town's bridge.

MORE HERE:
http://www.mcall.com/travel/daytrips/mc-columbia-pa-travel-0407-20130406,0,6486841.story

One billion cicadas per square mile?

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It’s that time again.

After a 17-year slumber, cicadas will be making their unwelcome debut throughout the Tri-State Area in about a month.

Experts said the cicadas will not be out until mid to late May.

And as CBS 2’s Lou Young reported, scientists said the spring and summer will bring record numbers of the noisy insect.

“In places where they’re going to be present, it’s going to be spectacular. There could be as many as one billion cicadas emerging per square mile,” Michael Raupp, a professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, told 1010 WINS. “This is really a spectacular opportunity for children, for adults, for students to go out and learn about one of Mother Nature’s rarest, most interesting events.”

“Amish Mafia Tour” aims to disprove show’s claims | WPMT FOX43

Discovery Channel’s hit “Amish Mafia” bills itself as a reality show, but local historian Brad Igou says it’s anything but real – and he can prove it. Igou is opening a new attraction called the “Amish Mafia Tour” that will show visitors the shooting locations. Much of the show was shot on the farm of the Silverstone Inn just off of Route 30, including the barn that housed main character Lebanon Levi’s office.

MORE HERE:
http://fox43.com/2013/03/29/amish-mafia-tour-aims-to-disprove-shows-claims/

Found-metal sculptures forged from scrap, imagination – LancasterOnline

Roger Dorsey is a heavy metal artist.

He finds inspiration in scrap yards. In fact, he's a regular at Frank Sahd Salvage Center in Columbia, where workers sometimes set aside interesting pieces of — well, let's be honest, most people would consider it junk — for his use.

“I'm like one of the family,” he says. “They treat me really well.”

MORE HERE :
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/831652_Found-metal-sculptures-forged-from-scrap–imagination.html

Marauders banding together to keep out Corbett | PennLive.com

To say that Millersville University has picked a controversial speaker for its spring commencement this year is putting it mildly.

Students, faculty and alumni in Marauder Nation have signed a petition to oppose the university's choice. A group has set up a Facebook page voicing their outrage. Emails are pouring into the university administration's offices. Students are meeting this afternoon to organize some kind of response.

So who is generating this reaction?

None other than Pennsylvania’s 46th governor – Tom Corbett.

MORE HERE:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/03/millersville_university_studen.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Columbia Center Offers New Service

Displaying the new portable ultrasound equipment at Columbia Pregnancy Center, a location of Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services, are (from left) director Nyla Martin, nurse manager Rebekah Will, and sonographer Linda Page.
The Columbia Pregnancy Center, a location of Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services (SVPS), has announced that it now offers first-trimester ultrasounds via a portable equipment system.
The Columbia Pregnancy Center is located at 501 Walnut St., Columbia. Its hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. To obtain more information or schedule an appointment, readers may call 684-3400.
MORE HERE:
http://news.engleonline.com/AdDesk/Htmlfiles/Readers/article.epc?id=83150

Go HERE for the center’s website.

Columbia council seeks solution for sewage – News – LancasterOnline.com

Columbia Borough Council took the wastewater treatment plant problem and the need to comply with clean water regulations in an entirely different direction Monday by asking Lancaster Area Sewer Authority for a proposal to purchase the entire system.

The 5-1 vote to turn to LASA came in response to concerns raised by residents that the solution favored by the municipal authority — refurbishing the plant — was expensive and short-sighted.

MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/830753_Columbia-council-seeks-solution-for-sewage.html