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

Quote for today… “July 4. Statistics show that we lose more fools on this day than in all the other days of the year put together. This proves, by the number left in stock, that one fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so.” – Mark Twain

• The annual Chestnut Street Yard Sales are tomorrow! Ten blocks of homes along Chestnut Street invite you to peruse, mingle and shop from 8 am to 2 pm. You never know what you may find that’ll be “just what you’ve been looking for!”
• Nice going, Burger King! In case you haven’t noticed, Burger King is “open for business” while the store is undergoing a store makeover.
• Nice going, Columbia Police Department! OK, we may have missed it the past, but yesterday’s POLICE LOG in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era had a Columbia entry. This is the first time in a long time that we have seen an entry from Columbia. Here’s the file: “COLUMBIA: Ervin E. Burton, address and age not given, charged Tuesday when he sped away from police after officers tried to pull him over for a traffic violation on Route 30. Police initially lost him when he exited Route 30, but a 911 reckless driver call said a vehicle matching Burton’s narrowly missed some children at Plane and Manor streets. Witnesses helped officers find the abandoned vehicle, and Burton surrendered to police shortly after. He was arraigned and sent to Lancaster County Prison on $10,000 bail.” Transparency coming? Great job!
• The weekly inspection reports for food serving places inspections … in York County … in Lancaster County … the State’s database … in Columbia (not yet available on-line). [EDITOR’S NOTE: The inspections report in the Lancaster Sunday News listed a state inspection for Columbia Creamery (a business located in Columbia borough); we went to the state database and located the inspection report for frozen desserts.]
• Want to buy a fire station … seems there’s one for sale in Columbia? (www.craigslist.org)
• “Bruised budgets: Districts get through painful process but fear worst is yet to come” (Reading Eagle Times)
• Man from Columbia charged with marijuana possession –  “MOUNT JOY TWP.: Walid Helal Nazier, 24, of Columbia, was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana Thursday, state police at Ephrata said. Nazier was initially stopped for a traffic violation on Route 230 at Cloverleaf Road at 12:30 a.m., police said.” (Lancaster Sunday News)