News links: CD schools

Below are links to a couple recent stories about school board dealings with the public ...

* CD school officials get earful about not airing Obama speech.

* Eric Epstein, business agent for CD school bus drivers, disputes claims made in a district newsletter on bus outsourcing.

Weekend, upcoming events

Friday & Saturday, Sept. 25–26 … Kids Market, a children’s consignment sale at New Hope Church, 584 Colonial Club Drive. (map)

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Corn soup dinner and community blood drive at Linglestown Fire Co., 11 am until sold out.

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Drive-through Chicken BBQ at St. Thomas United Church of Christ on PA Route 39, ½ mile east of Linglestown, 10 am.

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Fall flea market and craft show at Linglestown Church of God, 8 am–1 pm. The church is located across from Linglestown Fire Company.

October 23–25 … Fall Festival sponsored by the Merchants of Linglestown.

Youth sports sign-ups

Central Dauphin Youth Wrestling sign-ups will be held in the Central Dauphin Middle School cafeteria on Sept. 28, Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, 6–9 pm. The program is open to ALL students in kindergarten through 6th grad who reside in the geographical area assigned to Central Dauphin High School. CLICK HERE for details and a link to download a registration form.

Linglestown Basketball sign-ups will be held from 6–8 pm at the Koons Park Clubhouse on three Mondays, October 12, 19 and 26. Programs offered are an instructional league for boys and girls ages 6 and 7, and leagues for boys ages 8–13 and grades 9–12.

Police seeking info on child rape case

Click the above headline for a news brief from The Patriot-News.

Lower Paxton watchdog, 09.21.09

Stray Winds Area Neighbors, better known as SWAN, has published reports on township meetings held in in July/August and September.

Big weekend event

From Linglestown resident Bill Minsker ...

Lower Paxton Township Lions Club will hold its annual ( … and rather famous) chicken BBQ this Saturday, September 19, in front of Sears at Colonial Park Mall, 10:30 am until sold out.

The dinner includes a famous and delicious Kaufman's baked half chicken, a hot baked potato, a dinner roll and a container of cole slaw. The donation is only $6.50.

If you attend, it is best to arrive there early – some years all the birds have been sold out around noon!
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CLICK HERE for other community events scheduled this weekend and in the near future.

Comcast TV agreement up for renewal

The pending renewal of the Comcast cable TV franchise agreement will be the subject of a public hearing tonight when the Lower Paxton Twp. supervisors meet at the Municipal Center, 7:30 pm. The meeting will be broadcast live on Comcast channel 20.

Also, a development plan for Monticello Heights, a planned community on Crum Mills Road, will be up for a vote.

CLICK HERE to review the agenda.

School board meeting on tap tonight

Central Dauphin School Board will meet tonight in the lecture hall at Central Dauphin East High School, 7 pm.

Notable agenda items:

* Dr. Luis Gonzalez, the district's new superintendent, will present highlights of students' state assessment scores. CLICK HERE for more information – see second item.

* Eric Epstein, business agent for the bus drivers' union, is scheduled to discuss outsourcing of student transportation services.

* Board president Kathy Stone will present a special report on a mystery topic – the meeting agenda only says "special report."

To view the meeting agenda, click on the plus sign for 09/14/2009, and then click on the plus signs to get details about specific agenda items, including downloadable files of documents and presentations.

Info on water outage

CBS TV-21 News issued a news brief late Saturday morning about the water outage that was caused by a contractor working on Linglestown Road in Susquehanna Twp.

United Water Pennsylvania has issued a boil water advisory for about 100 customers in the area of the new Giant on Linglestown Road in Susquehanna Twp.

Bid awarded for Linglestown square project

According to a state Web site, PennDOT has awarded a $4 million construction bid to Leon E. Wintermyer Co. of Etters for the long-awaited Linglestown improvement project. Work crews are tentatively scheduled to start the project this month.

Based on past discussions among government officials, dirt will initially fly on the west end of the village to construct a new bypass road from Linglestown Road to Blue Mountain Parkway.

Planned improvements include two traffic roundabouts, decorative streetlights, benches, stamped concrete sidewalks and trees.

Music at Roasters

This weekend's musical menu at St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown features two local acts worthy of your attention.

Dave Kaprocki & The Substitutes, a Linglestown-based group of accomplished artists, will perform fun music from the past and present Friday evening. On Saturday, Frank and Jack Cotolo of Grantville return to the coffee house stage and will introduce some new material.

As always, live music will run from 8–10 pm, no cover charge.

Village merchants cookin' up good stuff

The monthly meeting of the The Merchants of Linglestown is scheduled for this Monday, Sept. 14, 6 pm, at Olivia's Tea Room located about a block west of the square on Linglestown Road.

Representatives of businesses and community organizations are welcome to attend to network with local merchants and learn about the benefits of joining the group.

The group has been busy in recent months planning a series of special events for this fall and next year.

Upcoming community events

Saturday, Sept. 19 … 28th annual Band-A-RAMa marching band exhibition hosted by Central Dauphin Ram Band at Landis Field, 6:30 pm. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students.

Friday & Saturday, Sept. 25–26 … Kids Market, a children’s consignment sale at New Hope Church, 584 Colonial Club Drive. (map)

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Corn soup dinner and community blood drive at Linglestown Fire Co., 11 am until sold out.

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Drive-through Chicken BBQ at St. Thomas United Church of Christ on PA Route 39, ½ mile east of Linglestown, 10 am.

Saturday, Sept. 26 … Fall flea market and craft show at Linglestown Church of God, 8 am–1 pm. The church is located across from Linglestown Fire Company.

October 23–25 … Fall Festival sponsored by the Merchants of Linglestown.

Youth sports sign-ups

Paxton Basketball Association is holding youth basketball sign-ups at E.H. Phillips Elementary School on Wednesday, September 16, 6:30–8:30 pm. CLICK HERE for more details.

Central Dauphin Youth Wrestling sign-ups will be held in the Central Dauphin Middle School cafeteria on Sept. 28, Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, 6–9 pm. The program is open to ALL students in kindergarten through 6th grad who reside in the geographical area assigned to Central Dauphin High School. CLICK HERE for details and a link to download a registration form.

Linglestown Basketball sign-ups will be held from 6–8 pm at the Koons Park Clubhouse on three Mondays, October 12, 19 and 26. Programs offered are an instructional league for boys and girls ages 6 and 7, and leagues for boys ages 8–13 and grades 9–12.

Notable news links

It's time to catch up on local news reported by The Patriot-News over the holiday weekend:

* Central Dauphin bus drivers' dispute with the district over outsourcing continues.

* John Bricker, a retired Central Dauphin teacher, will be honored by the March of Dimes.

* Benefit run at North Side Elementary School will honor a Lower Paxton Twp. man who recently died after suffering from ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease.

* Lower Paxton Twp. seeks grant to build solar farm.

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You still have time to enroll in a 6-week weight loss program at Homza Chiropractic in Linglestown. CLICK HERE for details.

Lower Paxton watchdog, 09.08.09

The Lower Paxton Twp. Board of Supervisors will conduct a workshop session this evening at the Municipal Center, 6 pm. The meeting will not be televised. (agenda)

Two notable items up for discussion are basketball goals in public streets and a proposed early-retirement program for some township employees.

The supervisors conducted their first business meeting last Tuesday, Sept. 1. CLICK HERE to review meetings notes submitted by community watchdog group SWAN.

Backyard news, 09.04.09

Big court hearing in village ... Mike Veon, a former bigwig state politician, is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing today at 9 am in Linglestown before District Justice William Wenner. Odds are a few state Capitol reporters and a TV news crew or two will show up at courtroom in the new multi-story office building in front of Linglestown Middle School.

CD gets state report card ... The state released an assessment of student achievement test results for Pennsylvania schools Thursday. Central Dauphin School District met its overall academic standard, but a few schools came up short. CLICK HERE to review the district's report card.

Music at Roasters ... Here's the Labor Day weekend lineup of FREE live music at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house in Linglestown, 8 to 10 pm both nights – Friday, the Snoods & Alissa, and Saturday, Jim Baker.

Pizza updates ... Lio's Pizza and Sub Shop in Linglestown is celebrating its 25th anniversary Saturday by rolling back some prices to 1984 levels. ... Jigsy's Old Forge Pizza at Sports City on Linglestown Road is now open, according to a Q-Tip that landed in my inbox.

Need more energy? Feeling fatigued?

My friends at Homza Chiropractic in Linglestown have a new program starting this month to help Gazette readers achieve healthier living.

You'll receive mentoring help on good eating patterns, appropriate workout plans and life-changing behavior tips from Dr. John Homza during his 6-week weight loss program.

Sessions will be held Mondays at 6:15 pm starting September 14. The program cost is $49.95, and space is limited.

Call Homza Chiropractic at 541-9311 for more details. (map)
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If you're unfamiliar with Homza Chiropractic, CLICK HERE for a video tour of the office that I did a few months ago with Dr. John.

Roasters gets rain garden

The damp weather Saturday morning didn't deter volunteers affiliated with Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association from putting the finishing touches on a rain garden behind St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown.

Stormwater that drains off of the coffee house roof is piped back to the garden.

Below are before and after shots.

The rain garden will eventually have a signboard explaining what was done, who was involved, and how the garden works.
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Click on the photos to view larger versions.

Lower Paxton watchdog, 09.01.09

* The supervisors are scheduled to meet this evening at the Municipal Center, 7:30 pm. The meeting will be broadcast live on Comcast channel 20. (agenda)

A proposed solar energy project at the closed municipal landfill on Conway Road is slated to be discussed. Also, action is scheduled on bids for tree cutting for a sewer project in the Linglestown neighborhood on Elmer and Elaine avenues.

Prior to the meeting, the Lower Paxton Twp. Authority will meet at 6:30 pm to discuss bond financing for sewer repair projects. The supervisors also serve as authority members.

* Planning is under way for the new Bishop McDevitt High School in Lower Paxton Twp.