today’s news, opinion and information gleanings from here and there! 

• Today’s Weather! 
• Today in History!
• Traffic Cam Rts. 30 & 441
• The Official Time! – Population Clock (U.S. and World)

Quote for today… “I will look to sharply increase the productivity of Washington by reducing federal government employment by 10 percent through attrition, by combining agencies and departments to reduce overhead, by cracking down on the $115 billion a year in improper payments in government programs, and by aligning government compensation with that of the private sector.” – Mitt Romney (SOURCE: Government Executive)

The Woodland String Band of Philadelphia, a first-place winner at last year’s Mummers Parade, will march Wednesday in the Ephrata Parade. (Jim Graham) – (SOURCE: Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era)

• “The latest proposed route for a new 120-mile natural gas pipeline do not include Lancaster County. The north-south Commonwealth Pipeline would pass farther east than originally proposed, running through Berks and Chester counties. Original plans were to route the 30-inch pipeline along the Susquehanna River, either in Lancaster or York counties.” – LancasterOnLine
• Ephrata Fair is this week: “Billed as the largest street fair in Pennsylvania, the 94th annual Ephrata Fair runs Tuesday through Saturday.” – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era

• Waste-whacking wailing: “Mandatory, across-the-board spending cuts to Medicare in 2013 will lead to large job losses at physician offices and throughout the rest of the health care system, according to an analysis on the impact of the scheduled federal budget sequester on the entitlement program.” – American Medical News

• Funding fire departments: “Local fire tax is a more clear-cut method of fire company funding, official says” – Harrisburg Patriot-News

• Letters to the editor in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era

• Transformation at Hershey; wants to be a “knowledge company” – Harrisburg Patriot-News

• Coming up in Columbia this week: This evening at 6:00, the monthly council “meeting of the whole” and Tuesday evening, public forum on bullying is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Columbia Junior/Senior High School.