today’s news 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 the day: “Who would ever have thought that the Mayan Apocalypse would be preferable to an obama second term? ” – Commenter on Harrisburg Patriot-News article, “Five reasons not to worry that the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012, as predicted by the Mayan Calendar.”

• 12-12-12 – Write checks today, because you won’t see this date again. Here’s a site we happened across talking about the difference between 12-12-12 and 12-21-12.

• Consolidation of services – “The concept of fire districts may not be taking root in Pennsylvania, but fire department consolidations and other cooperative ventures are gathering steam.The goal of the agreements being forged is developing the means to meet the two most serious challenges to providing fire fighting services: Financial stresses and manpower declines on the volunteer side of fire fighting. Many small, under-staffed and redundant fire companies have begun to merge.” – The Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre

• Garden Spot Fire Rescue – New Fire Company as two county companies consolidate – MyElancoNews [NOTE: GSFR is on facebook.]

• Jeremy Beckley, percussion, of Columbia, was selected by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association to participate in upcoming orchestra, band and choral festivals. – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era

• Clear-headed thinking? Street vendor limits in York – York Daily Record

• Cloister Carwash sold – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era

• County township residents furious over sewer hikes – MyElancoNews

• Tomato Barn will sell ice cream – MyPennManorNews

• POLICE LOG: “WEST HEMPFIELD TWP.: “James Rankin, 50, of the 100 block of East Main Street, Mountville, is being charged after he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint at Route 30 and Prospect Road Sept. 29, police said. He showed signs of impairment and failed sobriety tests. A blood test revealed Rankin was under the influence of cocaine, police said. Stephen Lindenberger, 55, of Wrightsville, was also stopped at the checkpoint. He showed signs of impairment and failed sobriety tests. His blood alcohol content was .134 percent.” – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era [NOTE: There were notices of police actions and arrests from more than a dozen County municipalities and jurisdictions listed in the POLICE LOG; none were listed from the county’s municipality with the “third most police calls.”]

• “That’s never gonna’ happen here” happened again yesterday in Oregon – Harrisburg Patriot-News/AP … and this former bus driver is “humiliated.” Gee – Dumass.
  

• End of small-mouth bass in Susquehanna? – Harrisburg Patriot-News