"Red Means STOP!"

I just saw a driver turn left on red. The car turned up Locust Street from the red light at the intersection at Route 462.  Last week, I saw a car totally ignore a red light at Cherry Street and 462 – in the morning, when school kids were gathering on the Cherry Street sidewalk of Park Elementary.  The driver wasn’t trying to make a yellow light that suddenly turned red. The light was already red and had been for at least 10 seconds. He just didn’t want to stop and chose to drive right through the light as if it didn’t exist and then “flew” out the highway.

From what I’ve seen over the past year (at least), these two incidents are not isolated. They’re commonplace.  Drivers ignore red lights and blow through stop signs routinely. The practice has become epidemic around town. I hate to be a doomsayer, but if it continues, which it probably will, there’s bound to a tragedy – sooner rather than later.

Columbia debates sewer plant options – LancasterOnline

Columbia residents have two choices when it comes to dealing with their aging wastewater treatment plant: refurbish the facility or relocate the sewage.

Two recently suggested designs simply upgrade the old plant, the first major improvement since 1972.

The second option, a proposed bulk services agreement from Lancaster Area Sewer Authority, abandons the old plant and instead builds a pump station and moves sewage to LASA for treatment.

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/816548_Columbia-debates-sewer-plant-options.html

A note from Jonal Gallery

IT'S FOURTH FRIDAY, February 22, 2013 and… You're Invited to join us 5-9pm at: Jonal Gallery/Alverta Arts Shop 653 Locust Street – Columbia, PA 17512 http://www.jonalgallery.com/ 717.681.9400

Artist Dale Weibley offers you a glimpse of Jules Verne's “character,” the famous Captain Nemo, from another perspective. Jules Verne immortalized Captain Nemo in several of his novels as the scientific genius behind and the Captain of the “Nautilus” submarine. Could Captain Nemo's scientific genius come from beyond the stars? Open your mind and your eyes to the possibility! Come see “NEMO'S ARRIVAL” from beyond the stars in Dale Weibley's original 2012 Pen & Ink in Black and White, and now in 2013 he introduces Pen & Ink / Polychrome edition. A must to see, a must to own! **************************************************************************************************************************************** Start, end or stay with us at Jonal Gallery/Alverta Arts Shop during this River Towns Fourth Friday celebration! Reception begins at 5:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. **************************************************************************************************************************************** The Alverta Arts Shop, inside Jonal Gallery will proudly feature the works of emerging artist Christine Ott during our March Fourth Friday Reception, March 22.

What I Saw – 2/18/13 – Butts, Books, and Cameras

Might be time to kick the habit.
(Pile of butts along Second Street)
 Whoever delivered the phone books was undeterred even by CONDEMNED signs here . . .

 and here.

 Some people never picked theirs up.
(Who knows if this Locust Street property is even occupied.)

 Here’s another unclaimed book on Locust Street.

And another.

 Here’s one on the 200 block of Walnut.
 It was delivered even though these notices are posted on the property.

And finally, another camera.  
This one was on Commerce Street, at the lower end of Rotary Park.
(I hadn’t seen this one before.)

Columbia OKs preliminary school budget for 2013-14 – LancasterOnline.com

Columbia Borough School District officials passed a preliminary budget Thursday at their committee of the whole meeting.

Passing the $21.7 million spending plan in February was necessary for the district to be eligible for exceptions that would allow it to increase taxes above the 2.5 percent index, board President Tom Strickler said in an interview in January.

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/816424_Columbia-OKs-preliminary-school-budget-for-2013-14.html

Caught in the act!

 This morning, just before 10 o’clock, this guy was canvassing Locust Street Park with his metal detector and digging up the ground with his trowel.  I don’t know how long he’d been there, or how much ground he had already covered.  He wasn’t even trying to be furtive.  He was doing it right out in the open, where he could be seen by . . . anyone.

 Here, he can be seen pulling up the dirt.

 . . . and here.

 Note the size of the trowel.  Even state parks that allow metal detecting don’t allow anything this wide for digging.

 He’s obviously disturbed the soil here.

 Here, he attempts to put it back in place.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D2f36e062de753813%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1363734622%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DBCD0419D0D96E43B8EFAABE31566F8F6986D80.A4A1ED175CA6BB70FB5F225AEBB1412024406B04%26key%3Dlh1
 A quick video clip of the action.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D11ccbadcc87076aa%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1363734622%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3D991ED99A856DAF2286DFF4DA7629E1D58A45DD17.19ACC7893C40977A1762999F708006316894216B%26key%3Dlh1
And another.
I guess he didn’t see the signs.
ALL FOUR OF THEM: 
 On the Locust Street side, where he was digging,

along Route 462,

 at the 6th and Locust entrance,
and inside the park.

Amish Mafia star arrested on hit-run – charged with striking a vehicle at a Columbia intersection then leaving the scene – LancasterOnline.com

Lebanon Levi’s sidekick is in legal trouble after a state constable nabbed him for a stack of criminal warrants, according to officials.
However, John Schmucker’s attorney said the fugitive arrest won’t keep the “Amish Mafia” star off the small screen.
In the most serious case, Schmucker is charged with striking a vehicle at a Columbia intersection then leaving the scene before police and medical personnel arrived. He was driving a vehicle, on a suspended license, that belonged to the TV production company, a police affidavit shows.
Schmucker told police “he had things to do and left,” according to the affidavit.
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/815452_Amish-Mafia-star-arrested-on-hit-run–other-charges.html