today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! Today’s Weather!   Today in History!

Quote for today… “It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed.” – (translated by A.D. Godley 1924)

(EDITOR’s NOTE: According to wikipedia.com, “The United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto. Often falsely cited as such, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from a quote fromHerodotus’ Histories, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire.”

• from Government Executive: ” The U.S. Postal Service has alerted thousands of workers that they will be laid off or transferred by September. The agency on May 27 mailed specific reduction-in-force notices to 2,429 administrative employees, including 1,751 whose jobs will be cut. The remaining 678 notices informed employees they have been transferred to equal or lower-ranked positions. [Read more … ]
• The Columbia Borough School District’s Website home page shares this information: The 2011-2012 proposed budget. The State’s Proposed Budget includes a significant reduction in funding for K-12 public schools as well as other educational entities. As a result, Columbia Borough School District is not alone in the challenge to reduce budget costs while still providing exemplary programs for our students. District revenues are declining by 5.7%. Rather than pass along another tax increase to the community, the Board has been working with the administration and staff on difficult decisions and reductions in expenditures. The millage rate will remain at 25.37.
• a follow-up to an earlier posting about increased school taxes for the Eastern School District – from the York Dispatch: “(Board member Ron) Abel said he was disappointed that the teaching staff would not freeze their step increases for the 2011-12 school year. ‘If they would have agreed to that freeze in addition to their salary freeze we wouldn’t be raising taxes,’ he said.” The current millage rate for the Eastern School District is 18.85.
• from the Harrisburg Patriot-News: “Lower Dauphin schools raise taxes 1.8 percent“