A Lancaster County lawmaker will call for a statewide ban on the use of controversial interest-rate "swaps" by school districts and local governments, which, in some cases, have cost taxpayers millions of dollars.State Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a Narvon Republican who is one of only......

Seats in the Legislature don't open up very often.And when they do?Look out.There's typically an avalanche of folks interested in running for office.News that state Rep. Katie True is retiring after 2010 has sparked a flurry of interest in her House seat, which......

Maribeth Madonna got the phone call from the Capital One credit card company just before Christmas in 2005. It wanted to verify that she had, in fact, applied for a new account."I was startled," Madonna recalled in an interview.Madonna had not applied for a new credit card......

If you want to vote in the November elections you have until 5 p.m. Monday to register if you do it in person at the county Voter Registration office, 150 N. Queen St.If you're doing it by snail mail, make sure your application is postmarked Oct. 5 or earlier.We have the registr......

Deal? What deal?Gov. Ed Rendell quickly put the kibosh on a $27.9 billion budget framework hashed out by three of the four legislative caucuses and unveiled Friday morning. ...

Ten thousand corrections officers patrol our prison cell blocks and stand between hardened criminals and the public in Pennsylvania — and those officers are getting only a fraction of their pay during the budget stalemate.The inmates?They're still getting paid in full.......

Pennsylvania's 253 state lawmakers have been working without pay during the week-old budget stalemate. But that doesn't mean they're scraping to get by.More than 200 legislators, including two from Lancaster County, are being reimbursed by taxpayers for meals on the days they&#......

An income-tax increase proposed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell probably won't pass, state lawmakers said Tuesday.But as Democrats and Republicans look to slash spending in ways that will have consequences for local governments, most people will probably end up paying higher taxe......

Despite the sounds of nearby traffic, the soft, harmonic voices of the Ephrata Cloister Chorus brought serenity to the historical site Sunday afternoon.The chorus, which fell silent more than 200 years ago, was revived in 1959 by music teacher Russell Getz. The new vocal ensemble celebrate......

A bill approved Tuesday by the state House on Tuesday would add more stringent requirements for landscape architects to acquire a license to practice in Pennsylvania.The bill would mandate anyone wishing to obtain a landscape architecture license pass an exam and take 24 total hours of con......

We're 39 days into the William Ayers controversy with nine more to go until his talk at embattled Millersville University, and what have we learned?First and foremost, we've learned that MU president Francine McNairy is a leader with strong guiding principles and a backbone even st......

Gov. Ed Rendell announced Monday a $31 million package of emergency measures to protect needy Pennsylvania families from the stormy economy. ...

Despite the efforts of seven Lancaster County state legislators, William Ayers' March 19 lecture at Millersville University will go on as scheduled.The seven Republicans — Reps. Scott W. Boyd, John Bear, Tom Creighton, Bryan Cutler, Gordon Denlinger, David Hickernell and Katie Tr......

Members of the county's Republican House delegation were meeting with top officials from Millersville University and the state's higher education system this afternoon. The politicians want to know why the university invited 1960s radical-turned-professor Bill Ayers to speak, and who's paying f......

Nestled in one of last week's news articles about outraged Republican state lawmakers trying to prevent Bill Ayers from coming to Millersville University was this quote from state Rep. Bryan Cutler:"At the end of the day, the institution does utilize tax dollars," Cutler said......

The state chancellor of higher education will meet Friday with Republican lawmakers outraged about Millersville University hosting a controversial education expert next month.GOP state Reps. John Bear, Scott Boyd, Tom Creighton Bryan Cutler, Gordon Denlinger, Dave Hickernell and Katie True......

The county Republican delegation's request to Millersville University officials to cancel former anti-Vietnam radical turned education professor Bill Ayers' appearance at the university has drawn two responses. Ayers has invited the legislators to attend his March 19 lecture. And t......

Before we delve into recent news items, I want to acknowledge the folks who commented on last week's column. The piece was about Republicans in Congress — let's call them No-it-Alls — who would vote down anything President Barack Obama suggests, even a bill officially naming t......

Lancaster County's Republican state House delegation is putting pressure on leaders of the higher-education system and Millersville University to cancel an upcoming lecture by radical-turned-professor William Ayers. The county's seven GOP lawmakers say Ayers' appearance would rep......

Jolted by a steep increase in the cost of electrical power, Ephrata Borough has turned to Harrisburg for help.State Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-36th, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 168, which would allow Ephrata and 26 other Pennsylvania boroughs to provide cheaper electrical power to their......

Democrat Ed Rendell, the barrel-bodied governor with the husky voice and knack for rhetorical persuasion, inspires both support and distrust among legislators from Lancaster County.Three of those local legislators will have prominent voices in how Rendell's recently proposed budget wil......

As of Tuesday evening, five members of the Lancaster County delegation had returned their 2009 pay raises to the state Treasury and two others had donated theirs to charity."People are getting laid off," said state state Rep. Scott Boyd, a West Lampeter Township Republican who ha......

Tuesday night was a chance for Lancaster County Democrats to howl.More than 200 people, mostly Democrats with a smattering of Republicans, gathered at the Lancaster Elks post at 219 N. Duke St. to join, at least in spirit, the partying going on in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the inaugur......

Lancaster County's newest state senator on Tuesday decided to pick up where his predecessor left off.Shortly after taking the oath of office, State Sen. Lloyd Smucker introduced legislation to increase penalties for violations of the state's open government laws.Smucker, alo......

As volunteers and officials served an estimated 300 people a Thanksgiving meal Wednesday in the Water Street Rescue Mission dining hall, they also were talking about some troubling trends.Single women with children now make up a greater portion of all homeless people nationally compared wi......

Animal advocates were elated Wednesday as word came that the state House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Bills 2525 and 2532, which are designed to improve the lives of breeder dogs living in the state's commercial breeding kennels.The House voted 181-17 in favor of H.B.......

People may not call them WAMs anymore, but the bottom line is that local legislators gave out more than $3 million in discretionary funds during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Once referred to as walking around money, or WAMs, those funds now come under the purview of the state Department of Commun......

OK, I give up. What happened to the real John McCain?I'm convinced Democrats, hoping to sabotage the GOP presidential campaign, kidnapped McCain and replaced him with a lunatic clone. That's the only reason, as far as I can tell, for McCain choosing Sarah Palin as his vice presiden......

Whether or not Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the best choice as Sen. John McCain's running mate depends on whom you ask.Some suggest that Palin, the first woman chosen by the GOP to run for vice president, looked like a good option after the McCain camp reviewed polls indicating a signifi......

As the state attorney general digs for evidence of improper use of public money by the state House Republican caucus, local GOP lawmakers say they're in the dark about where the investigation might lead."We don't know anything other than what we're reading in the paper,&qu......

Under a full moon, more than 100 people gathered on a country road here Friday night for a somber candlelight vigil to remember 80 dogs shot to death by two Amish farmers late last month.The farmers, Elmer Zimmerman of E&A Kennel, and his brother, Ammon Zimmerman of A&J Kennel, ope......

Persecuted for his Quaker faith, William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a "holy experiment" where people would be free to worship as they choose.As a result Catholics, Lutherans, Mennonites and Amish joined Quakers in settling Penn's Woods 300 years ago.Penn's charte......

The details of a $28.2 billion state budget deal reached overnight remained vague Monday, as aides scrambled on the last day of the fiscal year to distill the handshake agreement into understandable facts and figures.The agreement between Gov. Ed Rendell and top legislators, announced just......

Roman Stoltzfoos got into organic farming more than 20 years ago not because it was profitable but because he felt it was the right way to handle the land.The Kinzers resident switched from conventional to organic farming in 1987 after herbicides failed to clear up a weed infestation....

State representatives Tom Creighton and Gordon Denlinger spoke to members of the Cocalico Sportsmen's Club at their recent club meeting. The 40-plus attendees seemed to be on the same page as the representatives. The club has about 1,500 members, including 214 new members so far this year....

Kennel owners hope Thursday's educational seminar on dog-law compliance was the start of an improved relationship with animal-cruelty officials."Someone had to take the first step and, hopefully, this is the day," Michael Glass, of Chester County, said. "There are a lot ......

Two hundred forty-four commercial kennel owners got the invite. Now it's up to them to take the offer.In a new initiative designed to improve compliance with state kennel regulations, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office is holding two free educational seminars to help k......

A subtle movement has begun in the state House that, if it became law, would change who can vote in Pennsylvania's primary elections.One bill, authored by Democratic Rep. Jaret Gibbons, would allow the state's 374,350 registered Independents to vote in either the Republican or Demo......

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....

Paul Thibault got a boost today from some of the "folks back home" in his bid to replace the retiring Gibson Armstrong in the state Senate. In a show of support this morning, seven current and former Manheim Township officials gathered in front of the township building to explain why ......

On Saturday, Lloyd Smucker received the endorsement of the man he's vying to replace as state senator for the 13th Legislative District — Gibson E. Armstrong.Today, Smucker, a West Lampeter Township supervisor, expects to add some more endorsements from local political figures....

But will all accept results of review?•••Pennsylvania's deer management program is about to be run through the grinder.And parties on all sides of this divisive issue appear poised to eat whatever comes out in the end —......

State Rep. Bryan Cutler beat state Sen. Gib E. Armstrong's son in the 100th House district two years ago, not exactly a good way for a freshman to endear himself to his senator. Cutler has no intention of looking for the same kind of awkward relationship with his next senator. Even tho......

Amid talk about the possibility of a recession, Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell pitched a plan Monday to provide tax rebates to nearly half a million lower-income families as a means to jump-start the state's economy.If enacted, Rendell's plan would use $130 million from the state's......

There they go … again.The state Legislature, led by House Democrats, is expected to take up measures this week that would alter the state's 6 percent sales tax, rehashing an idea unsuccessfully pushed in the past by various lawmakers.The idea is to reduce school property taxe......

It's unanimous. Every state representative in the county is running for another two-year term. State Reps. Tom Creighton, Gordon Denlinger, Dave Hickernell, Mike Sturla and Katie True all said in interviews today that they are seeking re-election. They join state Reps. John Bea......

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......

It was the haves giving to the have-nots.Wednesday, elected officials from all levels of government met at Water Street Rescue Mission for the mission's annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet.Nearly 300 people had a hardy Thanksgiving meal. Most of them live at the shelter, but the p......

State Rep. John C. Bear didn't take the calls lightly."I really feel for them," Bear said. "It really throws those families into havoc."Those families include at least 53 of his Lititz-area constituents who were victims of the Personal Financial Management mo......

Pennsylvania House Republicans are once again proposing legislation for the abolition of school property taxes.State Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks County, along with several fellow House members, including State Rep. Gordon Denlinger of Narvon, will present the School Property Tax Elimination A......

Earl Township officials plan to meet this fall with state representatives and local businesses to secure funding for improvements on a busy stretch of Route 322.A plan to add lights at Railroad Avenue and Wanner Road was estimated at $402,000 during early planning stages. But Earl secretar......

Bond — Richard Bond returned to the county Tuesday four decades after graduating from college here.Calling it a triumphant return may be an understatement for Bond, a 1969 Elizabethtown College grad who was named chief executive of Tyson Foods 15 months ago.Speaking before a g......

It seems the squeaky rifle just might get the grease.An outcry from state legislators, pro-gun organizations and hunters about a planned five-day shutdown of a Pennsylvania State Police computer system that would halt gun sales across the state has prompted Gov. Ed Rendell to search for an......

Former Lancaster County Republican Committee chairman Bob Bensing of Ephrata died Wednesday at age 76 after a "lengthy illness," according to current chairman Dave Dumeyer."I think a lot of people found his leadership very inspirational," Dumeyer said. "And he was ......

The first week of September is always a good one for local gun shops, because Pennsylvania's fall hunting season opens Sept. 1.Gun shop owners had especially high expectations this year, because Labor Day falls on Sept. 3, meaning lots of hunters would be off from work and available to......

It's a "disgrace," state Rep. Tom Creighton said of funding cuts for agriculture in the new state budget.Agriculture is the "No. 1 industry" in Pennsylvania, chimed in Rep. Bryan Cutler, "and we are neglecting it.""A cut this size," warned Rep. Gordon Denlinger, "is going to be a wa......

Taking $4.2 million from the state Department of Agriculture prompted several county Republican lawmakers to vote against the state budget this week."A cut this size is going to be a wake-up call for the whole ag community," said state Rep. Gordon Denlinger of Narvon, a member of......

Republican House members from Lancaster County were unanimous in their opposition to the $27.5 billion budget approved Monday, calling it a "bloated" plan that rewards special interests while slashing worthwhile programs and ignoring taxpayers. "The only tax break we gave to a......

A bill that would have barred smokers from lighting up in Pennsylvania's restaurants, bars and casinos stalled Monday as the state Senate overwhelmingly rejected the House's version of the measure, delaying final passage until at least the fall.Senate Republican Leader Dominic Pileggi cite......

Consumers soon may be able to buy Pennsylvania wines in farmers markets.A bill sponsored by state Rep. Tim Solobay, a Washington County Democrat, would add farmers markets to the list of venues where wines produced by Pennsylvania vineyards may be sold.Wine tastings also would be pe......

Water Street Rescue Mission has been helping the homeless and downtrodden for more than a century.But while the outside appearance of the building on South Prince Street has changed little over the years, inside, it looks brand new.Friday, that new interior was showcased during a de......

A slate of proposed changes to Pennsylvania's dog kennel laws is going back to the drawing board.The Independent Regulatory Review Commission released comments and recommendations Monday after examining the proposed changes and more than 16,000 public comments submitted to the state De......

This past hunting season was a good one for Lancaster County hunters who applied for lottery hunts.I mean, John Shirk of Goodville won the first Pennsylvania bull elk tag of anyone in the county, and then he went up to Clinton County and shot the state record nontypical bull, which ranks a......

The idea of giving vouchers to parents to send their children to a school of their choice has been around since the mid-1950s.But William Darity, an economist speaking at Millersville University recently, said adding a means-tested wrinkle to the school vouchers debate could bridge a long-......

A capacity crowd of more than 130 people rallied against the proposed closing of Caernarvon Elementary School at a more-than three-hour public hearing Tuesday night.Parents, concerned residents, local and state officials, grade-school students and Caernarvon alumni gathered at Eastern Lanc......

Agriculture funding cuts and new initiatives proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell will hurt Pennsylvania farmers. That's what several seemingly frustrated county Republican legislators told local farm leaders Thursday at an Agricultural Issues Forum breakfast meeting at the Farm and Home Center. Th......

Lawmakers and gay-rights advocates fired opening salvos Tuesday in a battle over how marriage should be defined in Pennsylvania's constitution.

Legislators led by state Rep. Scott Boyd, a Lampeter Republican, introduced a House bill to begin amending the the state constitution so it w...