“In the nineteen-thirties | (“Hitler liked to say that, with Nazi Germany, he had achieved a ‘beautiful democracy’“ and … “you could count on the Yankees winning the World Series, dust storms plaguing the prairies, evangelicals preaching on the radio, Franklin Delano Roosevelt residing in the White House, people lining up for blocks to get scraps of food, and democracies dying, from the Andes to the Urals and the Alps.” Extract from this longer read (though you can listen too) from The New Yorker: “The last time democracy nearly died.”

next phase | When walking away from one of the parts of life is the right thing to do — just do it. Try not to look back; don’t disparage. Follow Lancaster Catholic’s football Coach Todd Mealy’s lead. 

Too bad municipalities have to be sued to be transparent. | “Whenever the government is spending money, it’s important for taxpayers to understand how that money is being spent so they can see whether their government is being fiscally responsible,” attorney Kirby West of the nonprofit Institute for Justice said in a statement.” – an extract from this Lancaster Online article about the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office’s “drug forfeiture spending records.”

Too sad and too bad it’s so arduous |  Digging for transparency in municipalities often is so expensive and time-consuming when the offiending office is trying so hard to hide things from the public. We applaud Lancaster Newspapers for filing law suits and for taking the time to comb through the released records and for posting them for everyone to read. The Lancaster County drug forfeiture spending numbers for the years 2008 through 2018 are published here.

“The Hinkle family that owns the building has been ‘very generous'” | “Columbia Creative Factory wants to buy old Heineman’s Department store, keep operating there.” – Lancaster Online

“Get Smart About News | How news-literate are you? Test and sharpen your news literacy skills with short activities, engaging quizzes and shareable graphics for learners of all ages.” – The editorial in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster is all about the believability of news sources. It asks readers to “Read information critically: Does it make sense? Is it supported by facts? Are sources cited? Does the writer have a discernible agenda? Is it clear who wrote or created it?” It references that “This is National News Literacy Week, launched by the National Literacy Project.” 

Columbia Bocce | From a five-days-ago post at the Columbia High School Webpage: “Last night at Dallastown High School, Columbia’s Unified Bocce team overtook Dallastown in a nail biting first match. The Rising Tide came out strong for the second match to finish the night with a second win in the best of three series. Congratulations Bocce Team!” And here’s the FOX43-TV report which includes a short video.

It’s correct; though misdated | Click here to see the January 28 11-28-2020 Columbia Borough Council Regular Meeting Agenda Packet

In absentia | Did you notice the absences from the photos of school board directors page too?