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

Quote for today … “ … one of our members, Firefighter / President Paul Rossi, was seriously injured in a training accident..” – Post at the Mountville Fire Company’s Facebook page. 

• Here’s more on the story about that training incident – Lancaster OnLine

• There’s another post at the Mountville Fire Company’s facebook page about the recent LNP – Always Lancaster article about police departments who are using the ProjectLifesaver tracking device to locate missing persons with medical issues. Columbia’s Police Department is one of cooperating departments which has received training on the system – wouldn’t it be great to find information like this at the Columbia Police Department facebook page?

• Good news, travels slower here though. A recent post at the Columbia Police Department’s facebook site announces what Columbia news, views & reviews posted in February: “Number 1 … He (the mayor) said that the Police Department will be implementing a safe haven for craigslist transactions. In communities across the country, there’ve been too many bad outcomes as a result of online transactions. In towns like this one, ‘The police department in Columbia, Missouri, announced Wednesday that its lobby will be open 24/7 for people making Craigslist transactions or any type of exchange facilitated by Internet services. The decision fits into a broader trend that has been gaining traction over the past couple of years.’”

• Columbia is page one news in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster with the article stating “The consultants will make a public presentation of their findings 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 at 200 Locust St., Columbia.” But the comments following the article are equally, or more, insightful: “A consultant is just another schmuck with an opinion that doesn’t pay a penny out of his pocket for his ideas, but gets paid for giving them. I want a gig like that.” – “Was there any discussion or recommendation about merging the high poverty and struggling Columbia School District with the Hempfield School District?” and the invitation from the executive director of the CEDC, “Great ideas. Would like to hear more from you. Please consider attending the meeting mentioned in this article on April 8, 6pm at 200 Locust St., Columbia.”

• “Nikoloff said the Lancaster County Community Foundation provided a $10,000 grant to hire the consulting team. The team included (Rick) Jackson of ELA Architects, architect Doug Phillips, Rebecca Denlinger of Rising Tide Collaborative, Chris Gulotta of the Gulotta Group and Kelly Withum of Venture Lititz. John Meeder of Meeder Development Corporation and Matthew Sternberg of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities provided input.”

• Oh, no … say it ain’t so: Article in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster’s business says: “Accordingly, total executive bonuses at Donegal (Group) tumbled to $380,000 in 2014 from $1.3 million the prior year. Donegal’s top executive, Donald H. Nikolaus, got total compensation valued at $1.15 million, down from 2013’s $1.73 million.”

• March came in like a “pissed off lion”; decided to stay all month and scared away the lamb

Click on the above graphic to be connected to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Website. We’ve got some work to do in Lancaster County. Sure, our rankings are better than many – even the State’s ranking. But we have lots of improvement to work on.

Lincoln’s Funeral – Philadelphia

• “A grandmother’s trove of Civil War photos goes to the Library of Congress” – The Washington Post – “Texas grandmother and collector Robin Stanford has gathered rare stereo photos of war and slavery for 40 years.”

• The President was shot and killed on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.