They call it "the wow factor."More than a decade ago, when Lancaster County officials saw presentations of a new statewide emergency radio system in Harrisburg, they were bowled over by the technology.But nine years after the county signed a contract to build its own OpenSky network, Lanca...

More than 50 YWCA summer campers broadened their musical tastes Thursday by listening to the Next Generation Festival at Millersville University.Next Generation Festival is a musical ensemble led by professional musician Awadagin Pratt, the group's pianist and creative director.MU has hosted Nex...

Stand at the overlook at Susquehannock State Park in rural Drumore Township and you'll see them: modest, one- or two-room cabins built on the rocky islands dotting the Susquehanna River, many of them cozy cottages complete with boat tie-ups, small porches and even working chimneys."If I had...

Before the introduction of municipal water systems, water towers supplied the water pressure needed to operate household plumbing and fire suppression systems.The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries ushered in the evolving art and science of "water columns," which were des...

Developers on Wednesday unveiled plans for a 17-story luxury condominium tower in downtown Lancaster.Ten stories of residential condos would sit atop a seven-story parking garage and an expanded Lancaster Art Museum at the northeast corner of Queen and Chestnut streets, just north of the Hotel Bruns...

Exelon, the utility that owns the Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island nuclear plants, is looking at building a $700-million, gas-fired power plant in the River Hills of Fulton Township."It's a proposal and I expect more than a proposal in a short while," Glenn Aument, chairman of the Fu...

It could fill in a "dead zone" for Verizon cell-phone users in an area just west of Lancaster.But before an application to build a cell-phone tower near Lancaster Township's Maple Grove Park can be submitted, the township had to approve a measure allowing for the towers within certain ...

David Byrne doesn't break out The Big Suit, but his current tour is sure to thrill fans of the Talking Heads, one of rock music's seminal bands.Byrne decided to celebrate his recent album with Brian Eno, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today," by touring behind the songs he an...

Graystone Bank already is the fastest-growing start-up bank ever in Pennsylvania, exceeding $600 million in assets in just three years.Quick as that is, now it has found a much faster way to grow.Graystone Bank's owner will merge with the owner of The First National Bank of Greencastle, it was a...

A poll commissioned by Exelon Generation found that 84 percent of 400 residents living near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant favor extending the plant's license so it can operate 20 years beyond its original closing date of 2014, the company said Monday.The figure was 87 percent among another 400...

The Strasburg Rail Road is a fun, relaxing way to enjoy the beauty of Lancaster County's Amish country, while learning a great deal about the county's history.Founded in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road is America's oldest short-line railroad.In 1958, it became an established tourist attrac...

Lancaster Airport Authority is getting into the fuel business.Authority chairman Marvin Miller Jr. said shortages of fuel sold by Airways Inc. at the airport in recent weeks prompted the authority to take action."We thought the situation was serious enough that we had to act," Miller said....

David and Ruthie Blank want to become part of Lancaster County's next generation of farmers.Since 2001, the couple has rented a 70-acre farm in Salisbury Township from David's parents to run a 52-cow dairy.Thanks in part to a government loan program, the Blanks soon will own that farm.Wednes...

Jasmine Ramirez soon begins a new chapter in her professional career.The 23-year-old Lititz resident will open her own hair salon, Jas It Up Hair Studio, at 24 N. Mary St. in early July.Ramirez is ambitious, independent, and above all, tech-savvy.She couldn't imagine working with clients without...

REVIEW: BookSeeing red is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it just may be something brilliant.Amy Goldwasser's anthology, "Red: The Next Generation of American Writers — Teenage Girls — on What Fires Up Their Lives Today," is a real gem. Published in 2007, it contains ...

This weekend, the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and Chorus take to the high seas with Symphony No. 1, "A Sea Symphony," by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.The symphony and its chorus join forces each season for a large work scored for chorus and orchestra. This year the score also c...

For just the third time in its history, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra will honor a woman with its Composer's Award.Brooklyn native Jennifer Higdon, 45, has been selected as the 47th person to receive the award, which is given annually by the orchestra to a "leading, living American composer,...

At the first Economic Development Co. of Lancaster County annual breakfast meeting, fewer than 100 people gathered in a side room at the Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center.They heard how the organization had helped get funding for a handful of manufacturing and industrial projects.Today, a...

As expected, the operator of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant has announced it doesn't want to close down the world's most famous nuke plant in 2014.Instead, AmerGen Energy Co. on Tuesday asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to allow the plant to continue to generat...

Smokestacks.Sure, the Economic Development Co. of Lancaster County likes smokestacks.But in the past seven years, it's gotten fond of silos too.The EDC has become a major financier of agriculture in Lancaster County by tapping in to three recently enacted state programs.Since 2000, it has obtain...