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

Quote for today… “This is a nice little film about the Lancaster Market house. What might we be able to learn for our own market?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R31Cg18T38Y&feature=youtu.be.” – Commenter at “You know you’re from Columbia” facebook page.

• Three sides to every issue: Lancaster closer to Ferguson for some – Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

• “Tarring and feathering (was) a form of public humiliation, used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge.” “The aim was to inflict enough miserable pain and humiliation on a person to make him either conform his behavior to the mob’s demands or be driven from town.” – Wikipedia

• Thanks for posting last night’s borough council of the whole agenda, Cole. Note that “Trick or Treat Night” will be Friday, October 31 from 6pm to 8 pm. Citizens might expect to find that information at the Borough Website. They’d find this “out-of-date” info and pictures of the mayor, but not that … yet. Why would Columbia borough not post its agendas on line before meetings to inform citizens as intended in Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Law?
  

How bad is it when the agencies that represent local government agencies WANT TO SHIELD TRANSPARENCY FROM CITIZENS? This recent Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era editorial poses:

“When an agency or local government can spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars without the knowledge of citizens, something is wrong.

 “‘It happens partly because agencies lack detailed meeting agendas and supporting records that hold both citizens and public officials accountable,’’ (Jed) Kensinger testified.

“Government does the people’s business; it’s our business to know what government is doing.”

• This Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice article goes on: “make meeting agendas available to the public and post them on websites 24 hours before a meeting.” There’s resistance because some of these bozos representing governmental entities say things like this: “Many local governments do not have websites and under this proposal would be forced to create one.” Guess what, the year is 2014 – GET A WEBSITE, USE IT AND KEEP IT CURRENT.

• In fairness: Looked at the three other larger borough Websites: Could not find trick or treat night info listed either and none have elected politicos plastered on their splash pages. East Petersburg does list it’s “trick or treat” night as October 31.

• E-town wants to communicate: And good for Elizabethtown for having a facebook page. In their most recent newsletter, the borough says, “Be sure to check the website (www.etownonline.com) and follow us on Facebook for the latest information and updates of interest to Borough residents.” Imagine that! E-town wants to provide information and updates of interest” to its residents.

Gomer Pyle often exhorted: “Golly!”

• Summer warmer or cooler than normal? Depends – York Daily Record

• Middletown schools prohibit “e-cigarettes, vaping and related paraphernalia.” – Harrisburg Patriot-News