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

Quote for today … “This is an absolute failure of our state representatives to do their jobs. The House members who killed this deal need to lose their jobs, regardless of party.“ – Comment following a Lancaster Online facebook post about the vote that leaves Pennsylvania without a budget | a national embarrassment.

Another quote for today … “The PA House is failing Pennsylvanians. Remember the petulance of these childish, so-called “representatives” next year at the polls. This is dysfunctional government at its worst.” – comment following this PennLive article.

Another quote for today … “The pension problems begins and ends with the variable of the number of employees. An easy way to control the number of employees is to mandate school consolidation and you can reduce the huge number of administrative positions in the schools. 500 of them is excessive. That would significantly help and that is why it will never happen.” – comment following this PennLive article. Yesterday’s vote was about “extensively revising pension provisions” and it was defeated; here’s how our “elected public servants” voted.

Click on the “signs & scenes” graphic to see a larger copy.

• Columbia’s Dr. Carruthers obituary – Lancaster Online

• Giving back | “In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Dr. Ralph Carruthers’ name to Hands Across the Street (www.columbiahas.org), in care of The First Presbyterian Church, 360 Locust Street, Columbia, PA 17512.”

• Later this year | the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) is tomorrow. – timeanddate.com

• Former Columbian tell why she left Lancaster County | “Lancaster is turning into another Philly! Glad we moved out.” (to Cameron County) – on the editorial page of LNP – Always Lancaster today.

• New supervision at the school district? May be, according to several reports.

While walking from River Park to the Northwest Trail yesterday, we stopped to chat with a former elected public servant. As we talked and watched traffic, a vehicle, not an 18-wheeler, barrel-assed south on Front Street considerably faster than the speed limit. We guessed its speed at closer to 55.

• M-m-m-m, mouse droppings! – Food serving facilities inspections in York County – The York Sunday News
  

• Food serving facilities inspections in Lancaster County … Lancaster Online

• A complete listing of all inspections at food serving facilities in Lancaster, York counties and the entire state, except those in Columbia – Columbia persists in having its own inspection system with its own forms and inspection items – rather than the one used statewide, is available at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website.

We were reminded of this famous statement by a letter-to-the editor.

• “It is a complicated world we live in; let’s not make it even more complicated by conflating terrorism, mass shootings and gun control.” – A logical approach from  a columnist in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster.