2010-07-22 22:36:00
P.J. REILLY
Ray and Carol Oswald had a few hours to kill Wednesday. So they drove north from their home on Delp Road in Manheim Township to do a little gambling at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. Even though the couple enjoys gambling, they had never before been to the Dauphin County......
2009-10-09 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
Sharpen your pencils, kids. It's pop-quiz time here at Politically Speaking, and our five questions this week deal with the mayoral race in Lancaster.Let's get started.• Which one of the following folks is campaigning door-to-door with Mayor ...
2009-07-29 10:48:00
STAFF
They both wanted to sit at the same Monopoly slot machine at the same time in the Hollywood Casino Sunday afternoon. When they went to sit down, one shoved the other out of the way, state police say. As a result, Denise Moser, 56, of Manheim, was cited for harassment in the incident,......
2009-07-10 00:14:00
TOM MURSE
A group of investors wants to open a 500-machine slots parlor at an upscale hotel on Route 222 near Reading, state gambling regulators have announced.Wyo Gaming is seeking a license to run a 12,000-square-foot gambling floor inside the Crowne Plaza Reading hotel, located in the Berks Count......
2009-06-30 20:59:00
CIVIA KATZ
Manheim Central school board approved a 2 percent tax hike for 2009-10 on a split vote.The $43 million budget approved June 23 increases the tax rate to 15.85 mills, up from 15.54 mills. The increase boosts property taxes $31 per $100,000 of assessed property value.Included in the b......
2009-06-30 00:01:00
Regular readers of this space will recall that over the past few months we've been tracking the progress of the movement to add table games — blackjack, roulette, etc. — to Pennsylvania's slot machine parlors.As we've said before, table games are coming here —......
2009-06-19 00:49:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Manheim Township school board Thursday approved a $74.9 million budget for 2009-10 that will boost property taxes by $98 next year for the average homeowner.The spending plan increases the district's tax rate by 4.1 percent, the maximum permitted by the state, to 16.55 mills.Und......
2009-06-17 00:53:00
PATRICK BURNS
Homeowners in Eastern Lancaster County School District will finally share property tax relief revenues with residents in the state's 501 other districts.The Elanco school board voted Monday to accept $446,713 being provided this year under the state's 2006 Taxpayer Relief Act....
2009-06-03 22:48:00
Correction — The editorial below regarding proposed changes in the state slots law, posted on LancasterOnline Tuesday, noted that casino applicant Louis DeNaples failed to disclose a 1978 conviction to the Gaming Control Board. That is incor......
2009-04-29 00:31:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Eastern Lancaster County School District's idea to scrap strings from its music program has struck a sour chord in the community, and some 40 people attended a budget meeting Tuesday, asking the board to reconsider.According to an April 23 letter from superintendent Robert M. Hollister......
2009-04-22 00:24:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Thanks to the influx of millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds, School District of Lancaster expects to limit its property tax increase for 2009-10 to 3.52 percent.The school board Tuesday reviewed a preliminary $160 million budget that would boost the millage rate to 23.26, increas......
2009-04-14 01:01:00
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
For the second year in a row, more than 100,000 Lancaster County property owners will be getting a break on their school taxes from slot machine gambling revenue.Gov. Ed Rendell announced Monday that $770 million will be available for tax reductions in 2009-10, based on the amount of slots......
2009-03-10 00:01:00
In the midst of the worst economy in 35 years, Pennsylvania's slots casinos continue to be big winners.Gross revenue at the six slots parlors that were in operation in February 2008 and 2009 reached $125.9 million last month — an increase of 14.3 percent. If the winnings from the......
2009-02-24 22:07:00
JOHN FRIEL
A political initiative begun in anger is moving forward seeking harmony.At Blue Ball Fire Hall Thursday night, Elanco School District residents met six citizens who each want one of four school board seats available in this year's election. About 30 people attended the event, sponsored......
2009-02-17 00:33:00
PATRICK BURNS
Elanco Taxpayer Alliance members believe the ball is squarely in their court following their successful skirmish last year with the Eastern Lancaster County school board.The citizens' group has now formed a political action committee.Alliance founder Tim Shay said the PAC will w......
2009-01-24 00:01:00
When Pennsylvania decided to allow slot machine gambling the state made a deal with the devil. As such it isn't necessarily a bad deal, but one that requires constant vigilance, lest the loss of the public soul.On this note we have to wonder about the continued relations between the Pe......
2009-01-23 00:29:00
BRIAN WALLACE
The owners of about 33,000 properties in Lancaster County have a little more than a month to sign up for their piece of the property tax relief pie.About 114,000 property owners received discounts totaling $17 million on their school taxes last summer under the first year of the tax-relief......
2009-01-17 00:45:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Because of the volatile economy, Lancaster County residents can't predict what a gallon of gas, a bag of groceries or a line of credit is going to cost them in six months.But most county residents already have a good idea of what they'll be paying in school taxes when the bills com......
2008-08-20 00:49:00
MICHAEL C. UPTON
Members of the Eastern Lancaster County school board Monday unanimously approved wording for a slot-money property-tax reduction ballot question.If the wording is approved by county election officials, the following question would appear on ballots Nov. 4:"Do you favor resident......
2008-07-22 11:32:00
ROBYN MEADOWS
There's nothing like paying less in taxes. Every Lancaster County school district raised property taxes this year. The county median hike came to 4.65 percent, nearly half a percentage point above the national rate of inflation. But for median qualified property owners across the count......
2008-07-02 01:31:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Although tax rates are increasing in every school district in Lancaster County in 2008-09, thousands of residents will get some pleasant news when they open their school tax bills in the coming days.Thanks to the infusion of $17 million in state funds from gaming revenue, many of those bil......
2008-07-02 01:27:00
BRIAN WALLACE
The lure of $613 million in state tax-relief funds for public education has proved irresistible to every school district in the state — except one.Eastern Lancaster County school board May 29 voted against accepting the district's share of the money — $441,818 — becau......
2008-04-27 00:20:00
JEANNETTE SCOTT
Three times, the American Legion Post in Christiana has been cited for violating a law governing small games of chance in social and fraternal clubs. It's not the only one. Statewide, many such clubs are being hit for violating the law, even as they rally support for a bill to expand it....
2008-02-13 01:45:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
If ever you're looking for me but can't find me, try the new Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville. I'll be the one sitting in front of the $100 slot machines.No, I won't be playing them, unless I've sustained a severe blow to the head. Instead, I&......
2008-02-09 01:57:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
With all the glitz of Las Vegas and the movies, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course will open its doors this week in Dauphin County.The plush $300 million casino features 2,020 slot machines, restaurants to suit everyone's tastes, from hot dogs to haute cuisine, hundreds of f......
2008-02-07 01:33:00
DAVE PIDGEON
Democrats, who control the state House by one vote, appear coy about debating school property tax reform just one week after unsuccessfully trying to push several bills through the bitterly divided chamber.Last week, a Republican measure that would completely eliminate property taxes for m......
2008-01-31 02:11:00
DAVE PIDGEON
Once the most powerful Republican in the state House, Rep. John Perzel re-emerged this week with a proposal that may derail Democratic plans to provide broadly based property tax cuts.What's being called "Perzel's amendment" passed 159-36 with strong bipartisan support Tu......
2008-01-15 01:55:00
Associated Press
The state's budget chief says slot-machine gambling revenue will provide property tax cuts to all Pennsylvania homeowners this year.Budget Secretary Michael Masch said a property tax-relief fund now contains more than $576 million in slots proceeds; the fund needed to reach a $570 million ......
2007-11-26 01:29:00
DAVE PIDGEON
Leaders of an association of charities are wondering if state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong is deliberately holding up a bill they believe would help nonprofits raise money, but the senator says that's not the case.The bill, House Bill 169, would boost by thousands of dollars the maximum pa......
2007-11-17 02:09:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Local fraternal groups and charities are rallying for legislation that could help them raise more funds through small games of chance.At a press conference scheduled for Tuesday, representatives of such organizations will ask the public and state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong to support legisla......
2007-09-03 00:10:00
MARC LEVY
(AP)Anyone could read the letter then-Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy wrote in support of a group of investors seeking a horse-racing license in his city. The letter, on file with state horse racing regulators several years ago, was in a stack of applications.The public, however, is not allowe......
2007-08-04 00:46:00
PATRICK BURNS
An old saying advises that the best way to make a small fortune is to start with a big one.That happened to Mildred Sevast Sunday at Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., when what she thought was a $1.34 million slots jackpot suddenly shrank to a modest $58.50 prize.Sevast, of La......
2007-06-27 01:22:00
DAVE PIDGEON
The state Senate Tuesday approved a ban on indoor smoking that includes a lengthy list of exemptions, defying efforts by health organizations and the governor to scuttle the legislation.Despite Gov. Ed Rendell's threat to veto the bill and lobbying by a coalition that included the Amer......
2007-06-26 01:19:00
DAVE PIDGEON
Private clubs and some bars would be exempt from a statewide prohibition on smoking under a bill the state Senate aggressively amended Monday.The exemptions were approved 29-21, with Republican Sens. Gibson Armstrong and Michael Brubaker of Lancaster County voting against them. Sen. Mike F......
2007-01-28 00:01:00
Helen Colwell Adams
If there has been a surprise in the Republican Party straw polls for county commissioner, it’s the name at the top of the list: Scott Martin. The youngest candidate for commissioner has been the most successful in winning party support through three rounds of straw polls. But......
2006-12-31 20:16:31
P. J. Reilly
Locally, 2006 will most often be remembered for one horrible day in October, when an unspeakably violent act shattered the peaceful innocence of an Amish schoolhouse.
Not only was the shooting at the West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township the biggest news story of the year, it is arguably ...
2006-11-17 11:32:23
Susan Jurgelski
From leather to lace, find the perfect coverup for your holiday tree stand. The tree skirt does more than just make over a stand. A skirt also serves as a colorful backdrop for a nativity scene, model train or Christmas village, as well as gifts and packages. With Turkey Day — which is also......
2006-10-23 13:26:24
Tom Murse And Cindy Stauffer
“Every homeowner would be in line to get something,” Swann said in an interview with the New Era this morning. “This is not a plan just for senior citizens.” Swann also criticized the handling of the infamous legislative pay raise of 2005, which was passed in the middle of the night with no publi......
2006-10-11 10:52:32
Andrea Johnson
“I haven’t taken any money from the leadership and that’s why I know I will be an independent voice, I won’t have to answer to that,” Leisey said.
Leisey, an honorably discharge soldier who served in Iraq; and Brubaker, current and founding executive director of U.S. Landcare, a non-profit en...
2006-08-26 23:38:12
James Buescher
For kids, it signals the end of summer fun and, possibly, a day off from the new school year. For adults, it’s one final cookout or family excursion to the community pool.
And for thousands of art lovers in central Pennsylvania, Labor Day weekend has become synonymous with the Long’s Park...
2006-08-05 23:32:27
GIL SMART COLUMN
-- Acceptance, not tolerance
I thank Gil Smart for his unfailing support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. His opinions are clear, logical and never condescending. His is a refreshing voice from the often patronizing local het...
2006-08-03 14:13:27
By Chad Umble
Las Vegas-based International Games Technology Inc. on Wednesday picked PAP Security Printing Inc. of Lancaster to be its exclusive marketer of slot machines in Pennsylvania. The deal is a potential windfall for the local firm since IGT is the largest slot machine maker in the U.S., and would lik......
2006-08-03 08:06:21
Jeff Hawkes - Intelligencer Journal Staff
Since the end of June, at least 60 state House members have officially signed on to a legislative-reform platform.
They've formed a task force and have pledged to work for greater openness and accountability in the legislative process.
I say better late than never.
Funny how...
2006-07-29 12:16:00
Tom Murse
Start saving your spare change now, gamblers. Construction of the nearest slots parlor to Lancaster County will begin next week, at Penn National Race Course north of Hershey. Penn National Gaming will open the five-story, 2,000-machine casino in the first months of 2008, its chairman and ......
2006-07-22 23:30:30
Helen Colwell Adams
-----
The Rendell administration is keeping the strapped Gaming Control Board afloat with another $10.4 million from other agencies, despite protests from Senate Republicans about the constitutionality of such fund swaps.
Senators may take some kind of action to challenge the p...
2006-07-15 23:39:11
Helen Colwell Adams
-----
A legislative advisory agency has concluded that the Rendell administration violated the state constitution by transferring $7.3 million from the Revenue Department to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The Legislative Reference Bureau opinion, dated June 14, was requ...
2006-07-08 23:39:08
Helen Colwell Adams
Among other tentative provisions in the amendment, which never came to a vote in the state Senate, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board could have gotten more money for operating costs while the board struggles to get the first casinos running, local legislators said.
A $50 million figur...
2006-07-06 08:08:57
Dave Pidgeon
Sturla, the 96th Legislative District's representative since 1991, announced his re-election bid Wednesday evening in front of cheering Democrats gathered at Bird's Nest Restaurant.
"We've been fortunate enough to have someone ... who never lost touch at the local level," Lancaster city M...
2006-07-06 08:07:37
Susan E. Lindt
Matt Haines of Strasburg drove all night Tuesday to meet up with friends in Atlantic City, N.J., where he planned to hone his poker game into Wednesday.
But Haines, and thousands of other would-be gamblers, were shut out when all 12 Atlantic City casinos went dark Wednesday morning for th...
2006-05-18 14:34:20
Tom Murse
But even those who got the boot have more than six months remaining in their terms. The big question is will they, and the rest of the chastened Legislature, do anything to appease voters when they return to Harrisburg in June? “A revolt has started,” said state Rep. Katie True, an East Hempfi......
2006-05-13 23:40:47
Helen Colwell Adams
One is her great-great-grandmother. Another is her great-grandmother, Rebecca Stober Hassler, a Republican who had a farm in the Harrisburg area.
Another is her grandmother, Gertrude Hassler, showing her at her graduation from Cumberland Valley State Normal School, now Shippen...
2006-04-25 07:59:00
Dave Pidgeon
"I'm cautiously optimistic we will have a bill ... that will be a giant step to property tax reform," Rendell told the annual gathering of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors at Hershey Lodge.
Meanwhile in Harrisburg, efforts to forge a compromise between competing tax ...
2006-04-14 10:53:38
Rachel Rutter, 17
The album features songs from a well-known artists, such as Natasha Bedingfield and Five for Fighting, as well as some work from lesser-known artists, including Chantal Kreviazuk and Brandi Carlile.
Several of the album's strong songs include "If God Made You (Remix)" by Five for Fighting, "I...
2006-04-13 13:29:01
Jason Guarente
They want it to be competition. That’s why they’re still signing players as the team prepares to leave for Lakeland, Fla., on Monday. The Barnstormers have added three more pitchers to a potentially crowded bullpen mix: righthanders Matt Knox and Mike Ziegler and lefty Steve Hassett. Knox i......
2006-04-13 08:02:02
Paula Holzman
What TCH plans to do with the 111-year-old property, however, remains to be seen.
TCH head Timothy Harrison could not immediately be reached for comment.
Built in 1895 and once the biggest stockyard on the East Coast, the property is bounded by Lititz Pike and Marshall Avenue.
...
2006-04-12 12:30:57
Tim Mekeel
The stockyards’ shareholders have agreed to sell the 22-acre property to a Staten Island, N.Y., developer who plans to put a mix of stores, offices and housing there. By a unanimous vote, the 40-some shareholders decided Tuesday to sell the tract to TCH Realty & Development. TCH last year open......
2006-04-04 07:59:02
Dave Pidgeon
The slots applicant, Louis DeNaples, has come under scrutiny recently after a Pittsburgh newspaper reported he donated $20,000 to a political action committee close to Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer. Jubelirer, a Republican, is a gambling opponent.
DeNaples co-owns D&L Real...
2006-03-30 08:31:36
Colby Itkowitz
American born and bred, Susanna spoke English at home and on the playground with friends, but inside her Nitrauer Elementary School classroom her native tongue was forbidden.
Now a junior at Manheim Township High School, Susanna can add "bilingual" to her college applications.
As g...
2006-03-18 23:54:44
Helen Colwell Adams
They were coming to hear the man they hope will be the next governor of Pennsylvania: Lynn Swann.
Lancaster County ACTION members like vice president Radanovic could be excused for thinking, “Told you so.”
ACTION, the Christian-conservative political action committe...
2006-03-16 08:12:07
Dave Pidgeon
"We are helping the truly needy," state Senate Majority Leader David "Chip" Brightbill said Wednesday. "The House has not yet passed a plan that works."
A month ago, the House and Senate passed competing plans to stem rising school property taxes, months after Gov. Ed Rendell called a spe...
2006-03-02 08:05:52
Dave Pidgeon
The charismatic former football star has energized the Republican Party, but questions about his ability to serve as Pennsylvania's chief executive are starting to shadow him on the campaign trail.
A recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University put him 12 points behind incumbent Democratic ...
2006-03-01 13:03:41
Tom Murse
“The two women got together to create a court order, got a judge to sign it, and sent the paperwork down to the Pennsylvania State Police Records Division,” Reeder recalled. It is the type of case — involving the misdeeds of government workers or elected officials — that the Lancaster Township at......
2006-02-27 08:16:43
The Philadelphia Inquirer, which conducted an analysis of campaign donations, reported Sunday roughly half the total went to key political figures, some of whom also have appointees on the state board in charge of granting the licenses.
The newspaper found the biggest beneficiary of gambl...
2006-02-18 12:26:40
Cindy Stauffer
The Pennsylvania Gaming Group LLP could not obtain the proper paperwork by a 5 p.m. Friday deadline. “The financial backers couldn’t get their acts together in time,” said local attorney and parlor developer Jerome Finefrock, who has acted as a spokesman for the project. “It just didn’t happen.”...
2006-02-17 12:15:49
Paula Holzman
Finefrock and his law partner, Jim Nettleton Jr., have been the local public faces of the project, but the organization behind the proposal -- known as Pennsylvania Gaming Group LLP -- also includes investors from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California and Florida.
The group hopes to b...
2006-02-10 08:41:49
Humans perspire to remove excessive heat from their system. Without this natural defense mechanism, a heat stroke can occur and, if not attended to, can be fatal. Buildings, especially barns, also require significant measures to vent or draw off harmful heat from their contents. If left unchecked, t...
2006-02-06 13:23:06
Tom Murse
But the casino plan might be history well before then. The developer working to open the slots parlor in the Bulova Technologies building at North Queen and Orange streets is still seeking a special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board. The firm, Manheim Township-based Blackford Development......
2006-02-03 12:13:00
Chad Umble
A day after state gambling regulators unanimously rejected the application to open a $150 million slots parlor in downtown Lancaster, backers of the local casino say they are unsure whether they will appeal. To overturn the gaming board’s decision, they must prove that the bond they submitted wit......
2006-02-03 08:16:06
Paula Holzman
It's not clear whether project supporters will challenge the decision.
The state Gaming Control Board Thursday unanimously ruled the application for a slot-machine parlor on Lancaster Square was invalid because it did not include a signed bond guaranteeing the required $50 million licensing f...
2006-02-02 13:47:38
Tom Murse And Chad Umble
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, in a 7-0 vote late this morning, turned down the proposal submitted by local attorneys Jerome Finefrock and James Nettleton Jr. The board cited deficiencies in the application, namely the absence of a signed bond for $50 million — the cost of a slots license......
2006-02-01 08:17:38
Dave Pidgeon, And Paula Holzman
Local backers of the project, however, vowed to fight any possible rejection in court.
"I believe our application is in fact correct, and I'm prepared to litigate if necessary," Manheim Township lawyer Jerry Finefrock said Tuesday evening.
State lawmakers, including Sen. Gibson Arm...
2006-01-27 14:32:29
Chad Umble
But she said the choir needed to be equipped for an upcoming fight against a proposed downtown Lancaster casino. Roughly 40 people attended a meeting of gambling opponents held in the basement of Grandview United Methodist Church on Pleasure Road. The church is less than a half-mile from the 75-a......
2006-01-24 08:36:46
Paula Holzman
Plans call for presenting the petitions to the state Gaming Control Board later this week.
The coalition, which includes state Sens. David J. Brightbill, Noah Wenger and Gib Armstrong and state Reps. Gib Armstrong and Roy Baldwin, hopes to hobble the proposed slots parlor's chances at sec...
2006-01-24 08:34:06
Susan E. Lindt
Urban strategist Christopher B. Leinberger laid out his recipe for downtown revitalization Monday before the public and members of the Hourglass Foundation, which hosted his presentation, "Guarding Lancaster's Future -- Revitalizing Downtowns."
Without getting mired in this city's own quicksa...
2006-01-17 12:54:58
Cindy Stauffer
The U.S. Postal Service is removing almost half of the boxes in the Lancaster delivery area because they do not generate enough mail. “We just couldn’t justify keeping them out there,” Lancaster Postmaster Lou DiPerna said today. The post office did tests of mailboxes in November. Generally, a......
2006-01-06 13:55:47
Tom Murse
But as much as Pennsylvanians respect Swann’s accomplishments on the field, some may question his level of experience off the field. How can a man with no government experience govern an entire state? “The problem with Lynn Swann is that he has no private sector or public sector leadership experi......
2006-01-06 09:23:52
Paula Holzman
"We don't have enough of what we're planning to do together so we can answer the right questions," said Chris Raphael, CEO of Pennsylvania Gaming Group LLP, the company slated to operate the parlor.
"February might be a bit close, too."
Developers are seeking a special exception to ope...
2006-01-05 13:00:27
Tom Murse And Rebecca Carroll
Jerome C. Finefrock and James A. Nettleton Jr., partners in the casino venture, have been in negotiations with the owners of the Burle Business Park, on New Holland Avenue more than a mile northeast of downtown Lancaster. It has been widely reported that the casino partners, responding to concern......
2006-01-05 12:48:29
Daniel Burke
What they will say, though, remains somewhat of a mystery. When two Manheim Township lawyers went public with their plans to bring 5,000 slots machines to downtown Lancaster City, county commissioners Pete Shaub and Dick Shellenberger joined the chorus of lawmakers denouncing the project. (The......
2006-01-05 10:08:35
P.j. Reilly
On Monday, Manheim Township attorneys Jerome Finefrock and Jim Nettleton Jr. are expected to request a special exception from the city Zoning Hearing Board allowing them to operate slot machines at the Bulova Technologies building at North Queen and East Orange streets.
If granted legal stand...
2006-01-04 09:42:45
P.j. Reilly - Intelligencer Journal Staff
They are expected to vote at their weekly meeting on a proposal to have interim county solicitor Howard Kelin seek legal standing for the county on a petition regarding the slots parlor that will be brought before Lancaster City Zoning Hearing Board Monday.
The $150 million parlor, which ...
2006-01-03 09:22:47
Paula Holzman
"I'm just moving a little up the street," said Gray, who will be sworn in as Lancaster city mayor at 6:30 p.m. at Southern Market Center, along with the four new Democratic members of City Council.
And though the physical move is a minor one, the adjustment promises to be major.
Upon t...
2005-12-30 09:05:41
Paula Holzman
"We called (the state Gaming Control Board) and they said, 'Give us what you can,'" Manheim Township lawyer Jerome Finefrock said Thursday.
"We're working our tails off to get it done."
Finefrock is working with his law partner, Jim Nettleton Jr., and investors based in California, Flo...
2005-12-29 13:55:03
Chad Umble
Jerome C. Finefrock and James A. Nettleton Jr., partners in a Manheim Township law firm, were relaxing this morning after hand-delivering their gaming license application in Harrisburg Wednesday afternoon, capping several frantic days. “It’s been a real crunch to get this together,” Nettleton sai......
2005-12-29 09:04:25
Paula Holzman
An 11th-hour pullout by the project's European backers almost doomed the yet-to-be-named venture, developers said, but they managed to pull together the $50 million licensing fee in time.
"The (Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board) has done a fabulous job in constructing this application so they...
2005-12-27 13:10:22
Chad Umble
“I said two weeks ago that it was 50-50 that we could pull all this together in time,” said Jerome C. Finefrock, one of two local attorneys planning to install as many as 5,000 slot machines in the Bulova Technologies building at North Queen and Orange streets. Finefrock said his assessment of th......
2005-12-23 12:45:31
Tom Murse
Since they unveiled the plan last week, Jerome C. Finefrock and James A. Nettleton Jr. have said repeatedly they are still looking at the Burle Industries property on New Holland Pike, the Lancaster Stockyards or the former Kemps Foods site near Greenfield Road. The Manheim Township developer who......
2005-12-23 09:35:29
Dave Pidgeon
If attorneys Jerome Finefrock and Jim Nettleton Jr. acquire the other property, they propose to operate the slots parlor at the downtown Bulova Technologies building for two years before permanently moving the business to the other location.
After moving the slots parlor to the alternate loca...
2005-12-20 13:49:22
Tom Murse
When they emerged from the closed-door session an hour and a half later, they restated their opposition to gambling, but made no mention of any specific plan to stop the project. In fact, the more the elected officials spoke before the half-dozen TV cameras that had assembled before them, the mor......
2005-12-19 13:06:28
Tom Murse
“It’s my understanding that people in the federal government are focusing on the Bulova building as the best-suited site for a courthouse,” Mayor-elect Rick Gray said this morning. “My understanding is that it’s along the way with the federal government,” he said, “with a possibility to demolish ......
2005-12-19 12:17:49
Dave Pidgeon - Intelligencer Journal Staff
Also, local leaders and U.S. Rep. Joseph Pitts are expected to convene today at Lancaster County Courthouse with the aim of developing strategies to kill the $150 million project proposed for the Bulova Technologies building.
“To develop a consensus on a game plan and to work together” is...
2005-12-17 13:40:34
Tom Murse
In a prepared statement, the county’s three state senators said they have mailed blank petitions to churches hoping a “strong grassroots effort can help make sure the proposed slots parlor is never built in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.” One of the two local attorneys planning to insta......
2005-12-17 13:36:42
Daniel Burke
The sweet fug of tobacco smoke pervades, hanging with the law degrees and settling on the shag of a fatigued couch. Pipes, ashtrays and pipe-holders compete with documents for desk space. In a closet, neat lines of shirts and slacks await appointments. Behind a desk in a blue work shirt and bl......
2005-12-16 14:20:07
Tom Murse
They may have underestimated. At least seven other firms are said to be seeking one of two highly coveted licenses allowing up to 5,000 slot machines at freestanding parlors outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. And new projects, including one rumored for across the Susquehanna River in York Co......
2005-12-16 09:26:05
Dave Pidgeon
State Sen. Noah Wenger, an Ephrata Republican, introduced a bill Thursday that would outlaw slots parlors and the manufacture of slot machines in Lancaster County.
Wenger's bill arrives a day after two local attorneys announced plans to turn the Bulova Technologies building into a gambling an...
2005-12-15 14:09:44
Tom Murse And Bernard Harris
And this morning, less than 24 hours later, they said they are preparing to introduce several “insurmountable hurdles” that will bring the proposal to its knees. “It isn’t going to happen. I’m going to see to it that it doesn’t,” said state Rep. Katie True, who joined a chorus of elected official......
2005-12-15 10:32:13
Patrick Burns
Stephen L. Gurba, Bulova's president and chief executive, said a slots parlor would bring instant wealth to Lancaster, and the sale of the building at North Queen and Orange streets would give the electronics manufacturer the money it needs to build a facility to accommodate its growing work force....
2005-12-15 10:31:29
Susan E. Lindt, And Aileen Humphreys
If nothing else, a proposed $150 million downtown slots parlor has conjured opinions in Lancaster city. And even though project details have yet to be announced, some people know exactly how they feel about it.
"I think it's wrong," said a woman shopping at King Tobacco Outlet on North Queen ...
2005-12-15 10:30:22
Paula Holzman
But whether Lady Luck will smile upon their venture remains to be seen.
The project will have to clear a series of local and state hurdles before the first one-armed bandit can arrive.
"My first thought was ... 'It's never going to happen in Lancaster,' " city Councilman John Graupera ...
2005-12-08 10:18:03
Dave Pidgeon
Creighton was joined by fellow GOP Reps. Katie True, Dave Hickernell, Gibson C. Armstrong, Gordon Denlinger, Scott Boyd and Roy Baldwin in co-sponsoring the bill, which was written by state Rep. Paul Clymer, a Bucks County Republican.
Despite the support, however, at least one of the bill's c...
2005-12-07 13:54:00
Chad Umble
It has been three years since Penn State competed in a bowl game, and almost nine since the team played in one of college football’s premiere bowl matchups. Years of pent-up demand spilled over recently, when it was announced that Penn State would play in the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl in Miami against F......
2005-12-01 14:14:14
Tom Murse
Legalized slot machines. On Monday, a Republican lawmaker from Bucks County will introduce a bill to repeal the gambling expansion law passed in the early morning hours in July 2004. State Rep. Paul Clymer, who has tried without success to block the placement of 61,000 slot machines across the......
2005-11-09 13:27:35
Janet Kelley
Reinaker credited his win in part to the support of the county’s Republican party in defeating Democrat Samuel Mecum, although it was by a margin of just under 5,000 votes. And that margin is slim by Lancaster County standards, with a Republican voter registration ratio of more than two-to-one ov......
2005-11-08 08:49:24
Jeff Hawkes
Pennsylvanians last week got a taste of a forced apology. It came from state lawmakers who unexpectedly stopped defending their hit-and-run pay raise and voted to repeal it.
The repeal did not result from a change of heart. Legislative leaders buckled only after their own polls showed their p...
2005-10-14 10:14:27
Paula Holzman
Expect energy, talent and lots of drama at the first annual "Freestyle Warzone," event organizer Derrick Watson said.
The stakes are that high.
In a county dominated by rock bands and blues, the battle will be one of the few local venues aspiring rappers have to show off their skills -...
2005-10-01 23:50:29
Helen Colwell Adams
Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC retired, narrating. The corpsman had already brought several wounded Marines to the chopper. But the wounded man being carried in this photo, North said, wasn’t a Marine — he was an Iraqi soldier.
“He laid him down just as gently as the Marines,”......
2005-09-24 21:39:40
Helen Colwell Adams
But don’t get your hopes up.
Few county House members think there’s much prospect for significant action, particularly since Harrisburg is looking toward the gubernatorial election next year.
“It’s going to be an extremely politicized vote,” said Rep. Katie True, R-41st Distric...
2005-08-25 14:27:06
Harold Zeigler
But a recent development has changed all that. A Lancaster man has purchased former Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet. Mike Jester, who has been involved in horse racing for 20 years, is the new owner of the now 10-year-old stallion. Jester, 51, has relocated Real Quiet from Ke......
2005-08-20 13:28:57
Tom Murse
So it should come as no surprise, given Creighton’s actions over the last month and a half, that so many people are unhappy with the Rapho Township lawmaker. First, in July, he voted in favor of awarding pay raises to all of Pennsylvania 253 lawmakers. For that, he suffered the wrath of angry con......
2005-08-03 09:45:28
Brandon Lausch
Braungard, a full-time rescuer for the Organization for Responsible Care of Animals, was dispatched Monday to West King Street after a resident saw the stray kitten scurry across the street and into a sewer.
The 12-week-old kitten, Braungard said, was up to his neck in water for about an hour...
2005-07-02 23:51:39
Helen Colwell Adams
With no budget votes in immediate sight, lawmakers were not quite twiddling their thumbs in Harrisburg — they were moving other pieces of legislation, including one that takes aim at recalcitrant Lancaster County hoteliers (see related story, Page One) — but they weren’t wrapping up for the summer b...
2005-06-23 09:40:46
Charles Lardner
The court, however, struck down certain parts of the law, including a provision that gave the state Gaming Control Board power to override local zoning ordinances in deciding where and how casinos will be built.
That ruling is a victory for state Sen. Noah Wenger and state Rep. Katie True....
2005-06-22 12:33:55
Dom Yanchunas
But Rep. Scott Boyd looks around at the county’s growing population, proximity to large cities and dependable tourism base. He figures someone may be tempted to propose a gambling house if the state ever expands slots beyond the 14 locations currently allowed. Boyd, of West Lampeter Township, and......
2005-06-17 15:57:18
E. A. H. Goss
The license plate number on my first car, bought 25 years ago.
The phone number of my best childhood friend — from when we were 10!
My late grandparents’ address.
Important stuff is in my head, too.
My phone number, address and work extension.
My sons’ So......
2005-05-27 13:04:46
Robyn Meadows
No, multiplied by 16. Every Lancaster County school board has refused the governor’s plan to use gambling revenue to reduce property taxes. Manheim Township and Ephrata school boards voted unanimously Thursday against the tax-relief program, which would replace some property-tax revenue with r......
2005-05-13 09:21:05
Charles Lardner
Leadership is about assembling a team, listening to different ideas and putting together a plan to achieve a common goal.
That was the message former Pittsburgh Steeler and pro football Hall-of-Famer Lynn Swann delivered to a sellout audience of more than 400 at Eden Resort and Co......
2005-05-10 10:32:18
1. Give your name to the election officials and sign the voter’s certificate. Identification is required for first-time voters or voters who have moved.
2. If you are unsure about using the voting machine, ask the voting machine inspector for a demonstration.
3. Enter the booth and mov...
2005-04-14 09:34:54
Jennifer Todd, Assistant Editor, Jtodd.eph@lnpnews.com
The “cath lab” is a cardiovascular imaging service which offers diagnostic cardiac catherizations as well as diagnostic and interventional vascular procedures. Cardiac catherizations, which are performed by a cardiologist, are typically used to study the left side of the heart, left ventricle and th...
2005-03-09 15:17:48
Senator Noah Wenger
I believe reforms are needed to ensure that gaming is governed by the most ethical and professional standards possible. To that end, I am reintroducing legislation that will repeal the provision allowing the Gaming Control Board to preempt local planning and zoning ordinances when choosing a locatio...
2005-03-02 14:17:22
Al Morrison
So it’s been a toaster oven for quite a few years around here, and understandably, a touchstone of the morning routine for everyone. On Friday though, I placed my carefully separated muffin-fork-split to take full advantage of nook/cranny/butter alliance inherent in English muffins- in the oven, clo...
2005-02-15 09:20:17
Jeff Hawkes
Politicians call the law the Homeowner Tax Relief Act.
As titles go, it's not altogether misleading. The law has the potential to ease the tax burden of many, if not most, homeowners.
But the title doesn't tell the whole story. Not by a long shot.
It's possibl......
2005-02-02 09:44:12
Charles Lardner
Democratic House leader H. William DeWeese of Greene County and House Democratic whip Michael R. Veon of Beaver County said they plan to sponsor legislation that would allow table games such as poker and blackjack at the 14 slot-machine parlors that have yet to be built.
State ......
2005-02-01 09:16:08
Jeff Hawkes
That was the question the Lancaster New Era asked last week of Lancaster County's nine Republican state lawmakers.
All nine voted "no" last July when the General Assembly legalized slot machines, allowing up to 61,000 at 14 parlors across the state.
The newspaper found f......
2005-01-08 18:56:14
Helen Colwell Adams
Perhaps Matthew Kirk can change that.
Kirk, a Manheim Township GOP committeeman and member of the state committee, has written to RSC members around the state to tell them he would like to run for vice chairman of the state party.
State chairman Alan Novak is expected to step down ...
2004-12-25 20:41:46
Helen Colwell Adams
The only challenge in doing a political year-in-review column this year is picking just one.
That was a problem for our panel of randomly selected (and available; it’s not easy finding people in town in the days before Christmas) experts.
Most of them identified the nasty p...
2004-12-02 09:27:29
Charles Lardner
The adjournment came without agreement on several major initiatives, and both sides are blaming the other for the impasse.
Republicans say Rendell promised not to bring up the $800 million Growing Greener II legislation, and Democratic legislators agreed to not to seek full......
2004-11-29 10:48:17
Gloria Sananes Stein
Participants must establish a goal and make regular contributions to the account which is held by a cooperating bank. They must deposit at least $40 per month for 12-24 months. The money is matched dollar for dollar by the state of Pennsylvania’s “Individual Development Account Program,”for as much ...
2004-11-27 20:04:04
Gil Smart
Hopefully coming sometime next summer: Money to pay for it.
At a meeting of the Lancaster Rotary Club this Wednesday, Lancaster County President Judge Michael A. Georgelis and Judge David L. Ashworth will discuss drug court, which for the past few years has been a gleam in the eye of loca...
2004-11-27 19:49:19
Gil Smart
Take him over to Autohaus of Lancaster, 1373 Manheim Pike, and head to the back of the showroom, just outside owner Tom Wanner’s office. And get a load of the “supercar.”
Low, sleek and black as pitch, it’s a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, one of only about 1,100 that will be produced by the co...
2004-11-22 13:16:47
Tom Murse
The bottom line? Nobody will get pay raises — not Pennsylvania’s judges, not Gov. Ed Rendell’s cabinet members and not members of the General Assembly. Proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s new slot-machine law are virtually dead on arrival. Rendell has promised to veto measures approved by the H......
2004-11-17 09:28:00
Paula Holzman
"It's an abomination," board president Pat Dixon said "There are no winners here."
Act 72, the Homeowner Tax Relief Act, theoretically would allow property tax relief through increased revenues from newly legalized gambling in the state. Districts must decide whether to enroll ......
2004-11-17 09:20:07
Paula Holzman
"It's an abomination," board president Pat Dixon said "There are no winners here."
Act 72, the Homeowner Tax Relief Act, theoretically would allow property tax relief through increased revenues from newly legalized gambling in the state. Districts must decide whether to enroll ......
2004-11-16 09:19:48
Charles Lardner
By a vote of 108-83, the provision authored by state Sen. Noah Wenger of Stevens and state Rep. Katie True of East Hempfield, both Republicans, was stripped from an omnibus amendment bill passed by the Senate Oct. 6 to fix some of the most publicized problems with the state's 4-mo......
2004-10-22 11:52:53
Open the numbered slot located above the office for which you wish to cast a write-in vote.
Print the candidate’s full name, spelled correctly, on the white surface in the opening. Or place a sticker with the candidate’s name on the white surface.
Do not open the write-in slot unless y...
2004-10-18 13:06:59
Tim Mekeel
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, which operates the Mohegan Sun casino and resort in Uncasville, Conn., intends to buy the property from Penn National Gaming Inc. Penn National Gaming had hoped to add slots to the Wilkes-Barre track itself, said chief executive officer Peter M. Carlino on Fri......
2004-10-14 09:40:08
Charles Lardner
Last week, by a vote of 49 to 1, senators approved an omnibus bill that would eliminate many of the law's controversial provisions - such as allowing state officials and legislators to own 1 percent of a gambling operation - and include an amendment authored by Lancaster County legislato......
2004-10-07 09:09:00
Charles Lardner
Lancaster County legislators helped author the changes, but their future in the House remains uncertain.
State Sen. Vince Fumo, a Philadelphia Democrat who authored the slots law, now known as Act 71, was the lone vote in opposing opening the law up to changes.
St......
2004-10-05 12:19:01
Tom Murse
“We are looking for ways to make a bad law better,” state Sen. Noah W. Wenger of Stevens said at a news conference in East Lampeter Township this morning. Wenger, state Reps. Katie True and Scott Boyd and a handful of township officials condemned a provision of the slots law passed in July that g......
2004-10-05 09:19:15
Charles Lardner
The state House of Representatives voted 187-9 to adopt a chamber rule that bars House members from holding a financial interest in a state-licensed gaming entity.
The new rule, however, does not prohibit other public officials from such ownership, so it doesn't address the entire......
2004-10-02 22:36:54
Helen Colwell-adams
The high court’s unanimous opinion in that case sets a precedent that gambling critics see as nearly identical to the arguments they plan to make in challenging the constitutionality of the slots law.
Pennsylvanians Against Gambling Expansion Fund Inc. announced last week that a lawsuit is in...
2004-09-18 19:58:20
Helen Colwell Adams
Some of the hottest speculation in the GOP is over Wenger's intentions when his seat comes up in 2006. The consensus has been that the 28-year veteran of the Legislature will retire, triggering a stampede by ambitious Republicans for the job.
But Wenger was raising money Thursday night for hi...
2004-09-14 14:03:09
Cindy Stauffer
“People are worried about it. There’s joking, but yet at the same time, there’s concern,” says Jon Bentz, director of neuropsychology and behavioral medicine at Lancaster General. Bentz and colleague Edward Purzycki will deliver two lectures about memory loss Wednesday at the Lancaster General He......
2004-09-10 13:24:18
Pete Kauffman
First, the Lancaster-Lebanon League decided to realign from two sections to three. With that change comes an expanded playoff format, with eight teams instead of four battling for local supremacy.
Last year, Conestoga Valley won its first-ever league title with a 1-0 victory over Warwick. ....
2004-09-08 13:26:54
Tom Murse
While the Legislature has been on summer break, Republican state Rep. John Maher has gathered 70 supporters, including some Democrats, to co-sponsor his bill, to be introduced next week. Maher, who represents parts of Allegheny and Washington counties, said he expects to have at least 100 signatu......
2004-08-28 21:01:58
Helen Colwell Adams
And Armstrong said the growing controversy over Frank Friel's background newspaper reports say Friel testified in Connecticut on behalf of a boxing promoter identified as an associate of the Philadelphia mob illustrates why the Senate ought to have review power over gaming commission nomin...
2004-08-14 20:49:39
Helen Colwell-adams
Replace the Wal-Mart with a slots parlor, and a new state law makes that scenario not only possible but almost mandatory.
“All these types of impacts that communities are worried about,” said Jeff Butler, director of planning for the engineering firm David Miller and Associates, “... these fa...
2004-08-13 09:40:18
P.j. Reilly
Under a program administered by County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania that rewards alternative community care options, the county nursing home has agreed to reduce the number of beds it's licensed by the state to have in exchange for a $750,000 grant.
"This is an exc......
2004-07-27 10:26:19
Charles Lardner
One of the numerous provisions of the law legalizing 61,000 slot machines in the state is that slots parlors enjoy an exclusion from local zoning ordinances. Pre-emption of local zoning is shared only by landfills, prisons and hazardous waste sites.
That leaves the placement of slots parlo....
2004-07-17 08:59:05
Charles Lardner
State Rep. Gordon Denlinger said he will introduce legislation next week that would forbid government officials from owning any portion of a gambling establishment.
Denlinger's legislation would strike the definition of "financial interest" in the gambling law that says that public offici......
2004-07-14 10:18:12
Carla Difonzo
Pennsylvanians who frequent racetracks and gaming resorts said they were pleased when Gov. Ed Rendell signed legislation allowing 61,000 slot machines at 14 sites across the state.
"We'll benefit from the revenue," said Matt Fleming of Lancaster County. "And we'll save on mileage - no more ......
2004-07-14 10:07:12
Carla Difonzo
According to the Delaware Lottery Office, 35 percent of slots patrons come from Maryland, 28 percent from Delaware and 19 percent from Pennsylvania.
Delaware expects a $120 million hit once Pennsylvania and Maryland set up their own slots at racetracks. An estimated $35 million of that would go......
2004-07-13 09:53:30
Charles Lardner
Anti-pornography groups, such as Lancaster-based Survivors and Victims Empowered, of which Hughes is executive director, say the state should use the millions of dollars in tax breaks Comcast is asking for as leverage to stop the cable television giant from broadcasting hard-core pornograp......
2004-07-10 22:08:30
Helen Colwell Adams
The critical decision for the Toomey supporters: To vote for primary winner Arlen Specter, or for conservative Constitution Party challenger Jim Clymer?
Or to sit out the Senate race?
For Toomey, the good soldier, it wasn’t much of a choice.
“I have a high opinion of Jim,” Toome...
2004-07-08 13:02:25
Bernard Harris
Yet those same legislators were divided on a companion measure that designates gambling revenue to lower school property taxes. Three of the county’s state representatives and both of its senators voted for spending the money after voting against the measure to provide the funds. Only P. Michael ......
2004-07-06 13:46:59
Cindy Stauffer
That’s why some bingo organizers are wondering and worrying how the recent legalization of slot machines will affect them. “We will feel a crunch from it. How much remains to be seen,” says Lauren Keller, the bingo manager for the Amvets Post 19 on Fairview Avenue, which hosts bingo games four da......
2004-07-05 13:19:02
Bernard Harris
But don’t start celebrating that jackpot yet. It will be at least 2006 before any tax relief comes. It may not come for a few years after that. And, that is only if school districts agree to accept the money. Then, it will come only after homeowners apply for the money and agree to have the......
2004-07-05 08:49:41
Helen Colwell Adams, Sunday News Staff Writer, Hcolwell@lnpnews.com
But neither, say anti-gambling lawmakers in Lancaster County, will deliver what’s been promised to taxpayers.
After a week of haggling and delays, the House was still debating – after more than seven hours straight – whether to allow 61,000 slot machines at 14 venues across the stat......
2004-07-05 08:51:43
Helen Colwell Adams, Sunday News Staff Writer, Hcolwell@lnpnews.com
The definition of “financial interest” says that public officials – legislators, the governor and certain other state employees – may own up to 1 percent of a gambling operation in Pennsylvania.
Assuming that Gov. Ed Rendell signs the bill, and that’s a sure bet, the 1 percent stake......
2004-07-02 09:04:08
Justin Quinn
Though the legislation appeared to have more than enough support to pass, opponents' efforts to derail it through the repeated introduction of amendments delayed the vote.
The senators still had not voted on the measure at press time.
Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell reinvigorate......
2004-07-02 13:05:41
Bernard Harris
The state Senate early this morning approved a bill that could bring 61,000 slot machines to Pennsylvania — making it second to only Nevada in the number of one-armed bandits. The state House was expected to pass the bill today or tonight before legislators leave for their two-month summer recess......
2004-07-02 09:17:32
Jeff Hawkes
I ask the question of progressives, those of you who admire reformers and crusaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Ralph Nader and Martin Luther King Jr.
Wilson summed up what it means to be a progressive: "You are not here merely to make a living," he said. "You are here to enable th......
2004-07-01 13:48:55
Tom Murse
The Senate, voting as soon as this afternoon, was expected to legalize 61,000 slot machines at racetracks and freestanding casinos, none of which would be located in Lancaster County. “The votes are there,” state Sen. Vincent Fumo, the powerful Philadelphia Democrat and lead author of the slots b......
2004-06-29 09:07:45
Jeff Hawkes
I've never been to Las Vegas, and I wagered only a few dollars the one time I went to Atlantic City, back when Jimmy Carter was president.
Although that was 25 years ago, casinos haven't given up on me. They're businesses just like McDonald's and Wal-Mart, always looking to exp......
2004-06-26 22:33:29
Gil Smart
Or pull the lever.
Last week, negotiators announced they had reached a tentative deal on bringing slot machines to Pennsylvania. Now all that's left is to push the deal through the Legislature. As there's no such thing as a sure bet, there's no guarantee this will pass. But the odds, it would...
2004-06-25 09:06:15
Justin Quinn
The Lancaster Democrat said only a few details need to be worked out before revenue from up to 3,000 slot machines can be used to drive down property taxes.
Despite assertions by gambling opponents that the state was close to bringing slot machines to Pennsylvania last year, only ......
2004-06-24 12:44:15
Tom Murse
Plenty. So it should come as no surprise that gambling opponents view with skepticism the latest agreement “in principle’’ among slots backers, reached Wednesday. “We’ve been here and done this,” said Michael Geer, an Elizabethtown resident who heads the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Family In......
2004-06-19 12:09:22
Tom Murse
But local gambling opponents, convinced that legislators are preparing to expand legalized gambling before the fiscal year ends on June 30, are traveling to Harrisburg on Monday to rally against the initiative. A bus is scheduled to leave from the parking lot of Sheetz gas station on Eden Road, i......
2004-05-13 09:26:48
Jeff Hawkes
"These two boys are the future of Pennsylvania," I'd tell the governor.
At that point, my 10-year-old would say, "Can I have my Game Boy, dad?"
"But here's the governor," I'd say. "Don't you want to ask about his mansion or the fastest he's ever driven?"
"No. I......
2004-04-19 13:56:32
1. Give your name to the election officials and sign the voter’s certificate.
2. If you are unsure about using the voting machine, ask the Voting Machine Inspector for a demonstration.
3. Enter the booth and move the large red lever to close the curtain. Vote by pulling down p......
2004-03-31 14:07:34
Tom Murse
The Economy League's analysis, based on the only property-tax-relief bill introduced in the House, also warns that revenue from slot machines is far from stable.
"We wanted to bring out the fact that this is a shift from the property tax, which is a stable source of revenue, to gambling, ...
2004-03-31 09:03:31
Paula Holzman
Midsized cities with depressed property values but high taxes such as Lancaster, York, Harrisburg and Allentown would stand to benefit the most from the proposal, the report states.
State legislators on both sides of the aisle agree that property tax relief is sorely needed, but t......
2004-03-30 15:02:22
Jack Brubaker
Quick, call the Lancaster Law and Order Society! Those people will know what to do! Can't do that. The Law and Order Society disbanded in 1972 after spending six decades harassing gamblers, drinkers, prostitutes and purveyors of risqu entertainment.
But in the spring of 1929, the high-min...
2004-03-27 23:17:09
Helen Colwell Adams
This time, the skids may be greased for gambling.
Republicans in the county’s Harrisburg delegation, most of whom are opposed to more legalized gaming, are expecting the worst when a new gambling bill comes to the floor of the Senate, possibly this week.
Gambling opponents beat back th...
2004-03-26 13:13:35
Tom Murse
Senate gambling proponents have resolved their differences over details of a slots initiative and are confident enough of winning approval to bring the measure to the floor on Tuesday.
But they are keeping the specifics of their plan secret until then -- a hardball strategy that is angeri...
2004-03-22 09:52:01
Kevin Freeman
The fisticuffs, which were largely responsible for 223 minutes in penalties, drew everyone's attention Sunday night at the Giant Center.
But when the scoreboard read 0:00 at the end of the third period, the Bears picked up two desperately needed points with a 5-0 victory ov......
2004-02-28 11:23:32
Tom Murse
"He's running a very, very dishonest campaign,'' Toomey said of Specter. "This is a man who's obviously made it clear he's willing to lie -- and in an egregious way.'' Toomey's comments, which came during a 45-minute interview with the New Era Friday afternoon, illustrate just how contentious th...
2004-02-16 09:29:14
Jim Hersh
What's he been up to for the past month? Well, for one thing, he's probably been changing a lot of diapers.
Furyk's wife, Tabitha, gave birth to the couple's second child, a son, Tanner James, on Dec. 12. So, Furyk has taken a few weeks off the tour to spend some quality time with his...
2004-01-31 21:21:47
Helen Colwell Adams
Verizon Wireless should have sponsored Thursday's county Republican convention.
Maybe you could have heard them then.
The county GOP's conservatives, though, sent a message that was loud and clear.
"We need to say to Lancaster County voters: We hear you,'' said Glen Beiler Jr., ...
2004-01-17 22:16:08
Helen Colwell Adams
The way Charlie Smithgall remembers it, he and Gib Armstrong were walking in Lancaster one day after Smithgall became mayor in 1998.
"I said, "Gib, I need $50,000,''' Smithgall recounted.
He wanted to shoot fireworks off the Griest Building.
"You're insane!'' Armstrong s...
2003-12-30 12:49:59
Tom Murse
So what happened to the savvy, big-city Democrat who, when speaking of his bargaining prowess, once boasted that he could sell a cheesesteak to a vegetarian? That's easy.
He met head-on with a Legislature controlled by Republicans, in a highly-partisan town where nothing gets done quickly...
2003-12-20 23:43:50
Helen Colwell Adams
Gambling opponents were rejoicing over the collapse of a slots deal, but members of the county's state House delegation tended to see the budget plan passed early Saturday in the Senate as more a lump of coal than a gift.
Even Democrat Mike Sturla of the 96th District wasn't sure Saturday whe...
2003-12-20 23:18:21
Dave Hennigan
Good morning, Clyde. Finished with your Christmas shopping? "Pretty much, Mr. Editor,'' my jogging friend said the other day, sipping his coffee.
"I see where city council gave the mayor a little present, also.'' If you mean the budget, Clyde, I wouldn't call it a gift. Lump of coal might be ...
2003-12-20 12:51:36
Tom Murse
In the end, the backers of separate gambling proposals could not agree on how many slot machines to make legal or where, and neither side had the support to win approval alone, sources said. The slots initiatives are dead, at least for the remainder of this year.
"I don't think the propon...
2003-12-19 13:22:18
Tom Murse
Here's the problem: Gambling proponents in the Senate apparently are having trouble getting traction, sources said today.
Could this dilemma undermine the budget agreement? It certainly will make raising income taxes more difficult, some lawmakers say.
"If you're going to vote to i...
2003-12-19 10:53:18
Charles Lardner
Gov. Ed Rendell, legislative leaders and their top aides hurried between meetings Thursday as they worked to finalize details of a $1 billion tax package, including the first income tax hike since 1991, to help finance new school programs and avert a deficit.
Although reports indicate that....
2003-12-18 13:45:55
Tom Murse
Many local lawmakers had not seen details of the spending blueprint early this morning, but some Republicans promised to oppose any tax increase or legalization of slot machines.
"I'm going to vote against anything that has to do with gambling or a tax increase,'' said state Rep. Katie Tr...
2003-11-30 00:25:46
Helen Colwell Adams
Freshmen don’t get much respect in Harrisburg. But Gordon Denlinger is making some headway.
The new 99th District legislator, who won his seat in a March 18 special election following the death almost a year ago of Rep. Leroy Zimmerman, has been named to a new committee charged with helping t...
2003-11-07 10:13:05
Paula Holzman
While local districts are subsisting on their property tax revenue, some say they have only a few more months until day-to-day operations might be affected by the stalemate.
Rendell in the summer proposed boosting education funding by $560 million by generating revenue from slot machines a....
2003-10-27 09:45:14
Tom Knapp
Soon, hips were swaying, bodies twisting, feet kicking and stomping, arms lifting toward the ceiling. There were spontaneous cries of delight -- and everyone in the room was smiling.
A workshop in African dance was only one small piece of the day's activities at Woman to Woman: A Day for C....
2003-10-22 12:41:00
Tom Murse
Exactly how much remains uncertain.
The income-tax hike approved Tuesday by the House would boost the rate to 3.25 percent from the current level of 2.8 percent, beginning on Jan. 1. On July 1, the rate would drop slightly to 3.1.
While Senate leaders say that proposal doesn't stan...
2003-09-13 23:48:47
Helen Colwell Adams
Time is on their side, so don't expect Harrisburg Republicans to be in any hurry to settle the budget impasse.
That was the message Ephrata Republicans got Friday from their state legislators, who were the guests of honor at the area committee's banquet.
"Governor Rendell tried to crea...
2003-09-11 10:27:08
Justin Quinn
HARRISBURG -- The Legislature returned to Harrisburg Monday in an early attempt to hash out an agreement that would resolve a budget crisis that has school districts across the state wondering what type of funding they'll receive from the state next year. The General Assembly originally had planned ...
2003-09-07 09:21:32
Helen Colwell Adams
Former county GOP chairman Chet Beiler and his team are known for high-energy campaign spectaculars. So when Beiler, now a candidate himself for state auditor general, staged a fund-raising dinner Friday at Bent Creek Country Club, it was no exception.
What was most spectacular, though more ...
2003-07-31 12:03:59
Bernard Harris
They sarcastically thank "Big Tobacco'' for singling them out as a target market, making them beautiful by smoking cigarettes, making them impotent and slowly killing them.
The television ad, aimed at getting young people to quit smoking or not to start, may soon be showing up on your tel...
2003-07-28 10:02:16
Helen Colwell Adams
While the state Senate was debating pulling the lever on slots last week, one Manheim Township couple was worried about higher stakes.
Their almost-3-year-old daughter has multiple disabilities resulting from a birth defect similar to spina bifida. They fear what might happen if cuts made in ...
2003-07-28 10:00:20
Helen Colwell Adams
Four years ago, Chip Brightbill helped to kill a gambling bill by warning that it was unconstitutional.
This year, all he had to do was sit on it.
The Senate majority leader, whose district now includes a chunk of northern Lancaster County, scotched the controversial slots bill by anno...
2003-07-26 10:30:00
Justin Quinn
About 160 Republicans and Democrats put anywhere from $50 to $250 per person into Sturla's campaign for the opportunity to meet the former Philadelphia mayor at Isaac's Deli on North Queen Street. The crowd flowed onto the patio outside the restaurant's north exit.
"I could hav......
2003-07-25 16:08:38
Tom Murse
It was less than one week old and suffered from a political ailment known as the "Christmas tree effect,'' observers said of the measure, which is expected to die.
In other words, the lawmakers pushing slot machines as a cure-all for financial problems in certain regions of the state ulti...
2003-07-25 10:13:42
Justin Quinn
Senate Majority Leader David J. "Chip" Brightbill, chairman of the committee, spoke for about 90 minutes with Gov. Ed Rendell before deciding that he will not take up the measure before the end of the summer.
"The current effort is dead," Brightbill said. "And it is ...
2003-07-21 10:09:22
Carla Di Fonzo
The measure, passed Saturday by the state House of Representatives after 12 hours of debate, has not been welcomed by many state senators, who narrowly passed a bill three weeks ago authorizing slot machines at eight racetracks.
The House bill goes further, authorizing ......
