2012-02-09 22:22:00
TOM MURSE
Bob Walker is running again.
No, not for the House.
The former congressman and Manheim Township resident who is chairing Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign has informed local Republicans that he is a candidate for convention delegate.
T......
2012-02-08 23:19:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Pending legislation in the state House of Representatives would allow the National Rifle Association to sue Lancaster and 29 other Pennsylvania cities.
The bill, co-sponsored by six of Lancaster County's eight House members, would allow judges to impose triple damages against a city if a ......
2012-02-07 23:11:00
TOM MURSE
Millersville University would lose more than $6 million in state funding for a second straight year under Gov. Tom Corbett's plan to cut 20 percent from 14 state-owned universities, MU officials said Tuesday.
The loss raises the prospect that Millersville, home to about 8,700 graduate and......
2012-02-07 20:36:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
I feel bad for my Republican friends. (Yes! I have Republican friends, whether or not they admit it!)
Besides having to suffer through a primary that smacks of an elementary school playground dispute — "You did." "I did not." "Yes, you did." "Did not; you did." "No, I didn't." "......
2012-02-06 22:44:00
TOM MURSE
The Republican Party chairman here is questioning whether Democratic congressional hopeful Aryanna Strader and her party tried to mislead voters into believing she is a Chester County native and resident of the 16th District.
Strader, an Oregon native who moved to Chester County in July, ......
2012-02-02 19:41:00
TOM MURSE
It should come as no surprise that thrice-married adulterer and former House speaker Newt Gingrich has a big problem when it comes to women voters.
But exit polls from Florida, where Gingrich suffered a beating at the hands of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney......
2012-02-01 23:05:00
TOM MURSE
On a recent morning, the public library in Manheim Township was a bustling hive of activity.
Children giggled and sang rhymes in the Lapp Story Silo, perhaps the most prominent feature of the $7.7 million facility's agrarian design. A woman in her 60s sat at a bank of computers, checking ......
2012-01-31 22:28:00
P.J. REILLY
Don't count your nomination signatures before they've hatched.
Lancaster County elections officials are spreading that warning to local candidates for some state offices after a court ruling last week.
Wednesday's 4-3 vote by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out a redrawn map ......
2012-01-30 21:06:00
JEFF HAWKES
In adding mapmaking to her skill set, piano teacher Amanda Holt may have helped to change the shape of Pennsylvania politics for the better.
Holt, 29, drew her own maps of legislative districts because she believed the redistricting commission had violated the state constitution by splint......
2012-01-29 00:21:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
When former House Speaker Newt Gingrich took to stage in South Carolina to celebrate his victory in that state's primary, there was a face familiar to Lancaster County residents in the scrum of people behind him.
It was that of former U.S. Rep. Robert S. Walker, who represented Pennsylvan......
2012-01-29 00:10:00
MARV LEVY, The Associated Press
A Chester County entrepreneur won the endorsement Saturday from Pennsylvania's Republican Party in what could be a bruising, four-way primary election for the nomination to contest Democrat Bob Casey's re-election bid for U.S. Senate. The endorsement was won by Steve Welch after an extraordi......
2012-01-27 22:19:00
TOM MURSE
A Chester County Democrat hoping to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in the fall lives outside the newly redrawn 16th Congressional District's boundaries, geographic and legal data show.
Aryanna Strader's home in a section of Kennett Township was moved into the 7th Congressional Dist......
2012-01-27 15:18:00
TOM MURSE
This week's Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling throwing out a redrawn map of all state House and Senate districts could force Lancaster County Republican Committee to seek re-votes on all of its legislative endorsements.
A redo would be unprecedented in modern history and could alter the r......
2012-01-26 21:04:00
TOM MURSE
Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts will face a Democratic challenger this year after all — and the candidate is running right in the lawmaker's own backyard.
Aryanna Strader, 29, of Kennett Square, is endorsed by the Chester County Democratic C......
2012-01-26 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
Pennsylvanians aren't overly impressed with President Barack Obama's job performance, to put it kindly.
In fact, there are more Pennsylvanians who believe it's time for a change than those who believe the president deserves four more years.
But voters in this state are even le......
2012-01-25 20:19:00
JEFF HAWKES
Politicos are asking whether Democrat Joe Sestak will run to regain his former seat in Congress, now held by a Republican.
But the better question is: Did Sestak ever stop running?
Sestak is the former admiral and Delaware County congressman who fell short in his 2010 bid for Sena......
2012-01-24 23:38:00
TOM MURSE
A Republican seeking to fill the state House seat being vacated by Rep. Scott W. Boyd at the end of 2012 easily won endorsement from the GOP on Tuesday night.
But two candidates hoping to replace retiring Rep. Tom Creighton were deadlocked in a race for party backing in the 37th Legislati......
2012-01-23 22:14:00
TOM MURSE
Yes or no, Joe?
Former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak said Monday he has not made up his mind on whether to run for Congress again in the newly redrawn 7th district, which covers part of eastern Lancaster County.
"You know, my wife gave me a year. She said, 'Joe, spend time with your daught......
2012-01-23 22:04:00
JEFF HAWKES
Along comes state Rep. Mike Sturla with an idea for reforming the government.
Will wonders never cease. Pay-hike Mike thinks we should amend the state constitution!
But before you go check on weather conditions in Hell, be advised Sturla's proposal is as much about good government......
2012-01-19 22:08:00
TOM MURSE
The Corbett administration's plan to reinstate an "asset test" on food-stamp applicants has been called mean-spirited and Draconian at a time when millions of Pennsylvanians are out of work and can't put food on the table.
Got $2,000 or more in your savings account?
You're outta l......
2012-01-18 12:13:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster County Controller Keith Greiner won strong support from the Republican committee members in the 43rd Legislative District Tuesday night in his bid for retiring state Rep. Scott Boyd's House seat.
Greiner, an accountant from Leola, won 32 of 42 votes in a nonbinding straw poll ta......
2012-01-13 18:19:00
TIM MEKEEL
State Sen. Lloyd Smucker on Friday called again for a state historic tax credit to spark urban revitalization and improve the tax bases of ailing cities.
Smucker made his remarks at the Economic Development Co. of Lancaster County and the EDC Finance Corp. annual meeting.
"Until t......
2012-01-12 21:14:00
TOM MURSE
Some rumors are like zombies.
No matter how many times you drown them in the swamp or hit them with heavy artillery, they just keep clawing their way back to life.
So it goes with the endless speculation that President Barack Obama is preparing to dump Joe Biden as his No. 2 in fa......
2012-01-05 21:39:00
TOM MURSE
Referees get no respect.
Pat Meehan knows that.
The Republican congressman, whose 7th district will include part of eastern Lancaster County beginning in 2013, once worked as a professional hockey ref. Years ago, you may have seen him on the ice in Hershey.
It was brutal....
2012-01-05 20:09:00
TOM MURSE
If Republican state Rep. Tom Creighton follows through on his plan to draw a pension, tossing aside that meaningless little campaign pledge he made a decade ago, he deserves every ounce of the grief he's been taking in recent weeks.
But he shouldn't shoulder all the blame.
...
2012-01-03 23:24:00
BERNARD HARRIS
"Barbara is taking what we call the Polite chair," Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said Tuesday evening after administering the oath of office to Barbara Wilson.
And, for a few brief minutes, Wilson sat in the chair vacated moments earlier by her uncle, Nelson Polite Sr.
It was a changi......
2012-01-03 23:14:00
P.J. REILLY
Lancaster County's three newly re-elected commissioners were sworn in for their second terms Tuesday morning.
In the afternoon, Republican commissioner Scott Martin was chosen to continue serving as the board's chairman.
"It's been a very challenging four years, but I must say I'm......
2011-12-28 20:35:00
P.J. REILLY
Jury commissioners in counties across Pennsylvania are tasked with overseeing the process by which jurors are selected for court proceedings.
It is their job to make sure the selection process is fair and impartial.
In Lancaster County, however, those selections have been done for......
2011-12-27 20:55:00
BRETT HAMBRIGHT
Correction Dec. 28, 2011 — Stephen Black, a candidate for state Rep. Tom Creighton's 37th District seat, is a trustee for the Moravian College theological seminary. An earlier version of the story below was unclear on that position....
2011-12-21 22:28:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster's Republican state House delegation railed for months against a proposal to split the county into two congressional districts, the apparent byproduct of a plan to shore up the re-election chances of a GOP congressman from suburban Philadelphia.
They tried to pressure their leade......
2011-12-21 20:04:00
JEFF HAWKES
I'm not sure Pennsylvania's new 7th Congressional District could look any stranger if it grew in a lava lamp.
It goes this way and that, plump in places, reed-like in others.
It reaches across five counties, bumping up against Philadelphia, skirting Reading and snagging Bird-in-Ha......
2011-12-15 22:34:00
TOM MURSE
A few political notes, quotes and anecdotes this week:
New 16th District
U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan's obscenely gerrymandered 7th Congressional District, which cuts across southeastern Pennsylvania and deep into Lancaster County, would make the "Pen......
2011-12-13 23:19:00
TOM MURSE
So long, "Pennsylvania Dutch" seat.
A large swath of eastern Lancaster County would be carved out of the 16th Congressional District now represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts under a proposed revision of Pennsylvania's congressional boundaries.
The largely rural, Plain far......
2011-12-09 20:44:00
EMILY PEIFFER, 18, Freestyle
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement since it started back in September. It has been criticized as being a pointless, liberal idea that has no clear focus. People need to take a step back and realize that this movement is doing more good than harm.
It h......
2011-12-08 22:22:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Going into the home stretch last month, the Democratic candidates for Lancaster City Council were confident in their ground game.
Democrats in the city proved their ability to get voters to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 8, when three members of the party handily beat three Republicans a......
2011-12-08 20:59:00
TOM MURSE
Republican state Rep. Tom Creighton has taken his share of flak since telling me earlier this week that he would break his 2000 campaign pledge by accepting a taxpayer-subsidized pension after his retirement next year.
He's handled the criticism like so many politicians do — by firs......
2011-12-06 22:33:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
If you're sitting around and wondering how much your taxes might rise next year if the payroll tax cut isn't extended, check out this site: www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobsact/calculator.
It's easy to use. J......
2011-12-02 18:21:00
DAMIAN HONDARES, Freestyle
Does it come as a surprise that the Congressional "Supercommittee," assigned the task of reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion, was an abject failure? Unfortunately, in these times of gridlock, it was anything but.
Republicans and Democrats are currently more divided by partisanship and h......
2011-12-01 21:23:00
TOM MURSE
I've watched the fallout from the "mic check" of U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts' town hall meeting this week with equal parts amusement, frustration and resignation.
First, the humorous.
The political elite here are tripping over themselves to either thoroughly discredit the growing Occupy W......
2011-11-19 18:45:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
The drive to sell Pennsylvania's liquor stores may be stalling, as time is running out and the state Legislature's plate is full of other issues to resolve before the end of the session. But if the bill, co-sponsored by three local lawmakers, were to make it to Gov. Tom Corbet......
2011-11-17 21:48:00
TOM MURSE
Democrat Patrick O'Keeffe quit his long-shot campaign for Congress this week after just five months. He also dumped the Democratic Party, saying he's "grown increasingly disillusioned" with President Barack Obama.
"His 2012 campaign appears to be built ar......
2011-11-12 19:31:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
Charlie Smithgall went out with a bang. The former mayor, who lost his bid for Lancaster City Council last week, spent the day after his election loss hauling Civil War-era cannons around southern Virginia. The cannons will be part of director Steven Spielberg's epic film on A......
2011-11-11 22:20:00
BERNARD HARRIS
On Tuesday Mark Reese succeeded as a first-time candidate, when he was elected sheriff.
But what Lancaster County voters did by a 2-1 margin was affirm a process that had actually begun years earlier.
It began when Sheriff Terry Bergman tapped Reese to be his chief deputy in 2005.......
2011-11-11 21:34:00
TOM MURSE
A longtime Rapho Township supervisor was arrested for drunken driving in late October, but authorities only charged him and publicized the case the day after he won re-election this week.
Jere E. Swarr had a blood-alcohol level of 0.117 percent, above the legal threshold of 0.08 percent, ......
2011-11-09 00:52:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster County commissioners Scott Martin, Dennis Stuckey and Craig Lehman easily won second terms Tuesday in an election that lacked both voter interest and any hint of the drama or mudslinging that marked contests earlier this decade.
The two Republicans and one Democrat, who ......
2011-11-09 00:51:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Clutching a broom Tuesday night, the three Democrats running for Lancaster City Council said their hard work over nine months swept aside a better-funded, negative Republican campaign.
Barbara Wilson, John Graupera and James Reichenbach will join four other council Democrats in January, k......
2011-11-09 00:50:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Correction Nov. 10, 2011 — Tom O'Brien is serving his 16th year on Manheim Township school board. An earlier version of the story below incorrectly reported the length of his service.
......
2011-11-08 23:59:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Voters in Manheim Township were sending "a clear message, even a mandate, for fiscal restraint in the township," Dave Heck said.
And Heck and his running mate Albert Kling had "a pretty consistent theme from the beginning," Kling noted, that they would be watching township finances very c......
2011-11-04 23:17:00
BERNARD HARRIS
The revitalization of Lancaster city has caught the attention of developers in the Mid-Atlantic region interested in getting in on the action.
But, all too often, they can't make the numbers work, said Lisa Riggs, executive director of the James Street Improvement District.
Riggs,......
2011-11-03 22:27:00
TOM MURSE
A candidate for Manor Township supervisor has a pair of felony convictions on his record for emptying his grandmother's bank account without her knowledge, causing her to lose her home, according to court records.
Democrat Chad A. George, 37, has been running a spirited campaign desp......
2011-11-03 21:47:00
TOM KNAPP
The two candidates for Lancaster County sheriff are touting past experience in law enforcement as the reason each is best qualified for the job.
Republican and incumbent Sheriff Mark S. Reese, who was confirmed last month by the state Senate to succeed retired Sheriff Terry Bergman, has s......
2011-11-03 21:09:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Doreen Kreiner doesn't have one overriding issue as a candidate for Manheim Township commissioner, since "there are so many issues" in Lancaster's most populous suburb.
Her fellow candidates for township commissioner, Democrat Janet E. Spleen and Republicans David R. Heck and Albert B. Kl......
2011-11-03 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
President Barack Obama would beat each of the leading Republican White House contenders for Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes if the election were held today, a Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows.
The Democratic president holds a 9-point advantage over the apparent GOP front-runne......
2011-11-02 22:59:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Barbara Wilson looked at a mailer sent by Charlie Smithgall's campaign for Lancaster City Council and said she was personally offended.
"Anybody who knows me knows I'm not a rubber stamp, and I'm certainly no one's puppet," said Wilson, who along with her running mates is depicted as a fi......
2011-11-01 22:55:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster County is growing in population.
It might soon be growing in number of politicians.
The county could be represented by three additional members of the state House beginning in 2013 because of its growth over the past decade, newly unveiled legislative maps show.
......
2011-11-01 22:33:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Over the summer, Charlie Smithgall raised more than twice as much money for his Lancaster City Council campaign as his three Democratic opponents combined.
And, with a week to go before the election, Smithgall is sitting on a war chest with five times as much money as his opponents.
......
2011-10-31 22:49:00
DAN NEPHIN
Correction Nov. 1, 2011 — Jonathan Paul Fox, Democratic candidate for Lancaster County commissioner, was formerly a member of the executive committee of Mental Health America. His term on the board of directors has been completed. Hi......
2011-10-31 22:37:00
TOM MURSE
The race for Lancaster County commissioner appears to be a pretty lopsided affair — at least when it comes to raising and spending money.
The three incumbents have outraised the sole challenger by a margin of 24 to 1 since early June, new campaign finance reports show. They outspent......
2011-10-31 21:59:00
JEFF HAWKES
With nearly 800 rising to sing the National Anthem, Building One Pennsylvania's statewide meeting Thursday got off to a strong, unifying start. But it wasn't long before the coalition's big event took on a decidedly Democratic tone.
And that made for an unfortunate turn of events.
...
2011-10-28 11:10:00
TOM MURSE
A Republican candidate for Lancaster Township supervisor has notified party officials that he is moving out of the suburb and will be ineligible to serve if he wins the Nov. 8 election.
Wayne J. Angelo's name will still appear on the ballot against Democratic incumbent Kathy Wasong for a ......
2011-10-28 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
Ho-hum.
We're not even going to bother pretending that most of you give a rip about the election to be held 11 days from now.
Recent history clearly suggests otherwise.
In municipal elections featuring races for local and countywide offices this decade — and I use th......
2011-10-27 22:45:00
BRIAN WALLACE
The three state senators representing Lancaster County voted Wednesday for a bill that would implement a state-funded voucher program in Pennsylvania next year.
But their counterparts in the House aren't ready to endorse the controversial legislation.
Senate Bill 1 was approved We......
2011-10-25 22:20:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Two weeks after Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his education agenda, the Legislature, with the support of Lancaster County lawmakers, is moving ahead with bills to implement his proposals.
The Senate Education Committee Tuesday endorsed changes to Senate Bill 1, which would establish a state-f......
2011-10-24 22:43:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Correction Oct. 27, 2011 — Melanie A. DeSantis is a Democratic candidate for school board in Hempfield School District. Her party affiliation was listed incorrectly in an earlier version of the story below.
...
2011-10-21 22:13:00
DAN NEPHIN
The United States must control spending or it could be headed down the path that Western Europe is on, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said Friday.
There is time to right the course, but it will require Republicans to defeat President Barack Obama, hold on to the House and gain control of the Senate......
2011-10-20 20:55:00
TOM MURSE
President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party raised $70 million for his re-election campaign over the summer, outpacing his Republican rivals despite the poor economy, new finance reports show.
Obama's challengers brought in about $52 million over the same time period,......
2011-10-18 22:13:00
BERNARD HARRIS
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the news of Gary R. Odom's candidacy ending has been greatly exaggerated.
Odom, the national field director of the Lancaster-based Constitution Party, remains on the ballot for Lancaster City Council.
It was Odom's fellow Constitution Party candidates run......
2011-10-18 19:43:00
TOM MURSE
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts and a dozen other members of the state's congressional delegation are urging President Barack Obama to leave regulation of the booming natural-gas drilling industry to individual states.
The lawmakers, in a letter to senior White House economic adviser Gene Sperling, s......
2011-10-13 19:58:00
TOM MURSE
Lest there be any doubt: Grover Norquist still ♥s Tom Corbett.
The governor's plan to allow counties to impose an impact fee on natural gas drillers doesn't violate the spirit of Norquist's Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Norquist says.
Corbett......
2011-10-12 15:28:00
TOM MURSE
A proposal by U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts to permanently ban what he sees as the inevitable use of taxpayer money for abortions is expected to be taken up by the House Thursday. Critics say he and other supporters are putting politics ahead of women's health.
Heated debate over the Protect Life A......
2011-10-09 00:06:00
JON RUTTER
During the quarterly Lancaster County ACTION breakfast Saturday at the Manheim Grille & Restaurant in Manheim, Focus on the Family's Brad Miller recalled a scorching afternoon at a college football practice. He described how his teammates lowered their faces to a muddy pool created by a ......
2011-09-29 11:32:00
TOM MURSE
The first candidate has thrown his hat into the ring for retiring state Rep. Scott Boyd's House seat.
Republican Keith J. Greiner, an accountant serving his first term as Lancaster County controller, said he will seek the 43rd Legislative District seat next year.
"I'm definitely r......
2011-09-29 21:15:00
TOM MURSE
Members of Pennsylvania's Republican congressional delegation reportedly are growing frustrated with U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts' unwillingness to cede part of his Republican-rich 16th District to those in the vulnerable Philadelphia suburbs as part of the ongoing redistricting process....
2011-09-28 19:51:00
JEFF HAWKES
I have a favor to ask of Scott Boyd, the gregarious Republican from Lampeter who's decided that 10 years as a state representative is enough.
Maybe some of you will consider asking the same favor of him.
One big thing that Boyd, as a lame duck, is free now to do for every Pennsylv......
2011-09-27 21:44:00
STAFF REPORT
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday announced the confirmation of Joshua G. Parsons as the new Lancaster County clerk of courts.
Parsons, of Christiana, is the Republican candidate for the open position. He is running unopposed on next month's election ballot.
Parsons replace......
2011-09-26 20:52:00
TOM MURSE
When Scott Boyd first ran for the state House nearly a decade ago, he pledged not to wear out his welcome.
He intends to live up to that promise.
The Republican lawmaker has notified his party's leadership and members of Lancaster County's House delegation that he intends to retir......
2011-09-22 21:20:00
TOM MURSE
Paging Tom Corbett.
Paging Tom Corbett.
Back in April, Pennsylvania's governor called for a "comprehensive strategic blueprint for how we pay for years of underinvestment in our roads, bridges and mass-transit systems.
"Pennsylvanians exp......
2011-09-21 22:34:00
TOM MURSE
Is it political ideology run amok?
Just a flawed idea?
Or a genuine attempt to reflect the will of Pennsylvania's 8.2 million voters a little more accurately?
A surprise proposal to dramatically revamp the way Pennsylvania awards electoral votes in presidential elections h......
2011-09-19 22:31:00
TOM MURSE
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts voiced skepticism about President Barack Obama's plan to ensure that Americans making more than $1 million a year don't pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than middle-class families pay.
"We need substantive tax reform, and I don't think that we got it from t......
2011-09-18 00:15:00
KEVIN ZWICK, Capitolwire Staff Reporter
Contrary to what many Republican State Committee members predicted prior to the vote, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum handily won the state Republican State Committee straw poll. Santorum pulled down 36 percent, topping frontrunners, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Ro......
2011-09-18 00:14:00
PETER L. DeCOURSEY, Capitolwire Bureau Chief
Gov. Tom Corbett asked members of the Republican State Committee not to be distracted from the fall judicial elections by a growing debate in the party over a plan to change the way Pennsylvania allots its presidential votes. At the state party fall meeting at the Hilton, Harrisburg & T......
2011-09-15 20:54:00
TOM MURSE
Top Republicans in Harrisburg want to ditch Pennsylvania's winner-take-all approach to awarding electoral votes before the next presidential election, a move that surely has nothing at all to do with politics or wanting to kick Barack Obama out of the White Hous......
2011-09-01 00:01:00
TOM MURSE
Will 2012 be just like 2008?
Or more like 1988?
President Barack Obama, seeking a second term in the White House after an easy victory in Pennsylvania three years ago, is running slightly ahead of his potential Republican challengers here, a new Franklin & Marshall College Pol......
2011-08-25 21:05:00
TOM MURSE
Here's a little bad news for those of you fed up with both the Republicans and the Democrats, for the hopeless optimists among us who believe there's room enough in Pennsylvania's political arena for a third party:
The two-party system is alive and healthy as a horse.
It's been bu......
2011-08-17 22:34:00
TOM KNAPP
In retrospect, the state representative from Lancaster city said, he regrets his use of the word "womenfolk" to describe Pennsylvania's female population.
Rep. Mike Sturla, a Democrat, is drawing flack from the state GOP for remarks — described by Republican Party leaders Wednesday ......
2011-08-15 22:34:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has the buzz in the GOP presidential primary race after keeping Republicans stringing along for months before declaring his candidacy.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been appearing in early primary states and still hasn't announced her intentions.
Pete Ru......
2011-08-08 23:05:00
TOM MURSE
What credit rating agency Standard & Poor's describes as dysfunction and incompetence in Washington's handling of the debt ceiling, U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts views as American-style democracy working mostly as it should.
"Standard & Poor's seems to take the position that we shouldn't ha......
2011-08-03 21:52:00
BERNARD HARRIS
The Constitution Party is giving voters a third option in some county and municipal races in November.
The Lancaster-based party filed petitions Monday to have five party members listed as candidates in the upcoming general election.
The candidates, which will join Republicans and......
2011-07-28 20:53:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster County has been represented by a single member of Congress through much of the 20th and 21st centuries. For the most part, the gerrymanderers have kept their hands off us. Our growing population fit wholly and cleanly into one district — the most identifiable in Congress, the "Pen......
2011-07-25 17:39:00
JEFF HAWKES
Ever wonder why Washington is broken? David Brooks in a powerful column last week hit on part of the problem.
The right-leaning New York Times columnist blamed certain "show horse" Republicans for putting ideological purity above doing the right thing for the country.
Brooks' targ......
2011-07-21 22:49:00
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
U.S. authorities have postponed a detention hearing for a Kashmiri-born man on charges he was working for Pakistan's spy agency to influence Washington.
Pakistan is protesting the arrest of Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai of the Kashmiri American Council. A government statement Thursday did not addr......
2011-07-20 22:07:00
TOM MURSE
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts received campaign contributions from two men at the heart of an alleged covert plot by Pakistan's military and spy agency to influence American policy on Kashmir, federal elections records show.
The Republican lawmaker also had praised the work of a Kashmiri activist g......
2011-07-07 19:45:00
TOM MURSE
With the swipe of a pen and 13 minutes to spare, Gov. Tom Corbett accomplished most of what he set out to do in signing his first budget.
It spends less of our money.
It tackles the $4 billion deficit without raising state taxes.
It was even passed on time — just bef......
2011-06-24 19:52:00
TOM MURSE
All Pennsylvania voters including the Amish would be required to show government-issued identification in every election under legislation passed by the state House this week.
But Plain sect voters could claim an exemption, based on their religious objections, from the provision requiring......
2011-06-22 19:17:00
JEFF HAWKES
Before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Pat Toomey wrote an op-ed piece in which he said the government's first principle in job creation ought to be "Do no harm."
But that was so 2010. These days, Toomey is Mr. Risky Business. As Congress debates raising the debt ceiling, the full fait......
2011-06-17 22:35:00
BRIAN WALLACE
State Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster is co-sponsoring legislation that would increase state oversight of public charter schools and shift tuition costs from local school districts to the state.
The bill, introduced this week, would save districts $187 million statewide, including $7.7 mill......
2011-06-16 22:16:00
BERNARD HARRIS
The chairman of the state House transportation committee told Lancaster business leaders Thursday that Pennsylvania's roads and bridges are badly in need of repair and the state doesn't have the money to fix them.
As a solution, he suggested asking private companies to pay for the repairs......
2011-06-16 19:48:00
TOM MURSE
Every campaign has a theme song.
Bill Clinton played Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop." John McCain and Sarah Palin used Heart's "Barracuda," a reference to the former Alaska governor's high school nickname "Sarah Barracuda." John Edwa......
2011-06-13 19:45:00
JEFF HAWKES
Gov. Tom Corbett was recently on the radio defending his budget cuts, and he made one thing quite clear: He's not going to be accused of being flexible.
The interviewer was Marty Moss-Coane of Philadelphia's WHYY-FM, and she wanted to know how open Corbett was to negotiating the $27.3 bil......
2011-06-09 21:06:00
TOM MURSE
With 515 days until the 2012 election, Democrat Patrick O'Keeffe has announced he will seek his party's nomination for the congressional seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts.
O'Keeffe, a Lititz resident who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Republican......
2011-06-08 22:23:00
BRIAN WALLACE
It took Craig Hummer just 48 votes to win the Republican nomination for Elizabethtown school board in last month's primary.
Laurie Ober got the GOP nod in Manheim Central with just 19 votes, and Joyce Good landed a spot on the November ballot for the Pequea Valley board with just 18 votes......
2011-06-03 21:58:00
TOM MURSE
What happens when voters in the most advanced constitutional republic on Earth can't make up their minds between two political candidates?
Fate and luck are left to decide.
Yep.
Victors are determined by picking numbers out of a hat.
Two candidates for Conoy Townsh......
2011-06-02 21:09:00
TOM MURSE
A local attorney and onetime candidate for Lancaster County judge has been appointed chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
Gerald S. Robinson, who lives in Manheim Township, was tapped by Gov. Tom Corbett on Thursday to lead the agency that enforces the state's anti-dis......
2011-05-19 20:13:00
TOM MURSE
I was chatting with a Republican committeeman about the abysmal turnout in my neck of the woods Tuesday. You really couldn't help but notice how lonely some of the poll workers were.
Despite a contentious race for the township's top governing body and a separate contest for school board, ......
2011-05-18 22:17:00
TOM MURSE
Tuesday's primary made the picture somewhat clearer for November.
Many nominees will be uncontested or, given lopsided voter registration in areas of the county, have an easy time of getting elected in the fall.
Such will be the case for county row office candidates and m......
2011-05-18 00:56:00
TOM MURSE
Republican candidates who enjoyed support from the GOP here fended off most of their intraparty challengers in Tuesday's primary as voters largely shrugged off local races or stayed home because of the soggy weather.
Fewer than 15 percent of the voters eligible to cast ballots in the prim......
2011-05-18 00:49:00
TOM KNAPP
It looks like the former Warwick Township police chief, who resigned earlier this month after his campaign for the district justice seat in Lititz cost him his position, will have a job next year.
Ed Tobin, whose run for office ran afoul of the Hatch Act, carried both the Republican and D......
2011-05-18 00:41:00
P.J. REILLY
Republican voters in Donegal School District on Tuesday largely snubbed the endorsements of the area GOP committee for the five school director seats.
Unendorsed incumbents Oliver Overlander III, Tim Markovits and Debra Sturgis cruised to nominations, with each one collecting more votes t......
2011-05-18 00:29:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Time and time again this spring, Dave Heck heard Manheim Township voters say they're "extremely concerned about spending and extremely concerned about development."
On Tuesday, Heck and running mate Albert Kling, who had pledged to keep a close watch on finances and growth, reaped the ben......
2011-05-16 21:28:00
TOM MURSE
More than 250,000 Republicans and Democrats who are registered to vote across Lancaster County will get their chance to choose candidates for school boards and local government positions Tuesday.
But few will take advantage of the privilege.
The paradox of the off-year primary is ......
2011-05-16 14:58:00
TOM MURSE
Politically, the story line in Tuesday's primary, as with most primaries here, is whether the local Republican Party can produce victories for the candidates it spent weeks evaluating and endorsing.
Keep an eye on these three hot contests, in which some critics in the GOP have suggested t......
2011-05-16 20:36:00
JEFF HAWKES
In this era when so many people have soured on politics, consider this: Primary voters Tuesday will find candidates who actually want to be school board members.
It's amazing enough in ordinary times that anyone wants to be on a school board. Is there a more demanding, unpaid position in ......
2011-05-15 00:20:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
Round a bend heading south on Weaver Road in Manheim Township, and the sparkling new athletic complex practically jumps out at you. Here are gleaming ball fields, some with artificial turf; huge stadium lights tower above metal bleachers. No other municipality in Lancaster County h......
2011-05-12 21:40:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Tuesday's primary finds three candidates competing for two Republican nominations for East Hempfield Township supervisor.
John Bingham and Ed LeFevre offer their 30-plus years of combined experience in leadership positions in East Hempfield.
Incumbent Bingham and former supervisor......
2011-05-12 21:29:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Correction May 13, 2011 — Amber Green is an incumbent Penn Manor school board member. The story below incorrectly listed her status.
•••
Donegal School ......
2011-05-12 22:34:00
TOM MURSE
So Newt Gingrich is back on the national political scene after a lengthy hiatus. He says he's running for president.
For a moment there, I thought I was back in 1994, Kurt Cobain and grunge were going mainstream, the Internet's full commercial potential had yet to be realized and Mosaic w......
2011-05-10 21:26:00
TOM MURSE
The Hershey Co. isn't real sweet on Mark Reese's campaign for Lancaster County sheriff.
A spokesman for the nation's largest chocolate maker said the Republican candidate's campaign essentially lifted the company's trademark Reese's candy logo for use on his yard signs.
"We believ......
2011-05-10 20:29:00
TOM MURSE
A police chief running for district judge in Tuesday's primary ran afoul of a law that restricts the political activity of anyone working for agencies that receive money from the federal government.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has determined that under the Hatch Act Ed Tobin cannot......
2011-05-03 19:22:00
TOM MURSE
The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry has come out in support of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed $27.3 billion budget, saying the spending plan is "replete with short-term pains that would add up to long-term gains."
In a policy statement made public Tuesday, the county'......
2011-04-28 00:02:00
TOM MURSE
President Barack Obama's approval ratings continue to flag because of the painfully slow pace of the economic recovery, rising oil prices and the nation's involvement in Libya, a new Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows.
The nationwide survey of 652 voters found a majority hold luke......
2011-04-26 22:04:00
TOM MURSE
County investigators have ordered a district judge candidate from Ephrata to shut down a shotgun raffle that would have raised hundreds of dollars for his political campaign. The district attorney said Tuesday that Lynne D. Boyer's campaign neglected to apply for a Small Games......
2011-04-25 21:34:00
TOM MURSE
An Ephrata man is raffling off a shotgun to raise money for his district judge campaign, saying a strict law that regulates games of chance and forced the shutdown of a similar political fundraiser last week doesn't apply to him.
"We've done everything by the book," Republican Lynne D. Bo......
2011-04-25 20:58:00
TOM MURSE
Only one candidate's name will be printed on the May 17 primary ballots for Lancaster County Common Pleas judge — that of Leonard G. Brown III.
But it might be a different story in November.
The county Democratic Party will run a write-in campaign for Lancaster attorney Samu......
2011-04-24 00:17:00
CHIP SMEDLEY
Ringing phones and clacking keyboards provided background music for the activity in Sen. Mike Brubaker's Lititz office Tuesday. Staffers Jen Frees, Christine Stoltzfus and Karen Scheffey worked as a team to answer phones, respond to emails, process constituent requests and attend to visitors......
2011-04-24 00:13:00
MARK SCOLFORO, The Associated Press
Last in a series of articles on the Pennsylvania Legislature.Jerry Sterner spent two years as foreman of a grand jury that met in secret to investigate whether the staff and resources of the Pennsylvania General Assembly had been illegally diverted to wag......
2011-04-21 20:09:00
TOM MURSE
A look at the wacky world of politics, by the numbers.
• 25 — days until the Pennsylvania primary
• 14 — number of candidates for nine countywide offices here
• 1 — number of contests for p......
2011-04-21 15:18:00
TOM MURSE
A candidate for Lancaster County sheriff whose supporters were caught running an unlicensed raffle to raise money for his campaign said he accepts responsibility for their actions.
"It's my campaign. I'm not going to dodge the bullet," Republican Louie Rodriguez said in an interview. "It'......
2011-04-21 10:15:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
......
2011-04-20 20:59:00
TOM MURSE
Enthusiasm is a good thing, especially in politics.
But sometimes having too much of a good thing can backfire.
Supporters of Louie Rodriguez, a state narcotics agent who wants to be Lancaster County's next sheriff, came up with an unusual and creative way to raise money for his p......
2011-04-20 17:39:00
JEFF HAWKES
I generally find that state Rep. John Bear of Lititz is open to good ideas and shares many of my values.
Transparency and accountability in government, for instance? He's on it.
Making state government operations more efficient? He's all over that one.
And how about standi......
2011-04-17 00:15:00
MARK SCOLFORO, The Associated Press
Second in a three-part series on the state Legislature.Inside one of hundreds of district offices Pennsylvania state lawmakers have equipped and staffed across the state, Kristi Ardrey waits for just about any kind of problem to walk through the door of a conve......
2011-04-15 21:42:00
TOM MURSE
A conservative activist, blogger and businessman from East Lampeter Township is seeking to be the Lancaster County Republican Party's next chairman.
Ethan Demme, 29, announced just before Friday's 5 p.m. filing deadline that he intends to seek the chairmanship post, left vacant on April 4......
2011-04-14 18:17:00
TOM MURSE
Greg Sahd announced his resignation as chairman of Lancaster County's Republican Party two weeks ago Friday. Since then, the number of folks who have flocked to GOP headquarters to drop off their résumés has been less than stunning.
The exact number, actuall......
2011-04-13 23:09:00
TOM MURSE
If President Barack Obama wants to win Pennsylvania in his bid for a second term in the White House next year, he might be asked to produce his birth certificate.
Two dozen legislators, including one from Lancaster County, want to force presidential hopefuls, including Obama, to cough up ......
2011-04-13 21:29:00
P.J. Reilly
The chairman of Lancaster County's Board of Elections said Wednesday the media will not be barred on election night from the county's "election central."
"It was never the intent of the director of elections, or of this board to keep the media away," chairman Terry Kauffman said.
......
2011-04-12 22:22:00
TOM MURSE
A candidate for Lancaster County commissioner has been accused of pulling his wife down the steps of their home, pinning her down and twisting her arms while screaming in her face during an argument over the mortgage, court documents show.
Jonathan Paul Fox, 55, is accused by his wife of ......
2011-04-07 22:17:00
TOM MURSE
There's a chance that the fifth and final member of the panel that will begin reshaping Pennsylvania's legislative districts later this year will have strong ties to Lancaster.
Larry Roskos, a former councilman and onetime chairman of Lancaster city's Republican Party, applied for the rea......
2011-04-07 09:56:00
TOM MURSE
When you hear activists rail against the government's runaway spending, growing bureaucracy and constant meddling, what comes to mind? Right. The tea party. But an elusive group that has ties to beltway Democratic political strategists is trying to drum up opposition to school vou......
2011-04-06 23:12:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray has previously called for preservation of federal funding that would pay for city police overtime and rental property inspections and help the city build sidewalk handicapped ramps.
On Wednesday, Gray got the opportunity to take that plea all the way to the top....
2011-04-04 21:46:00
TOM MURSE
Correction April 5, 2011 — The exact amount of retired state Rep. Katie True's annual pension is $26,443.32, according to the State Employees' Retirement System. That is less than the amount estimated by the former legislator for a s......
2011-04-02 18:45:00
PAULA WOLF
With 2011 marking the centennial of his father's birth, Michael Reagan sees quite a few people basking in the legacy of President Ronald Reagan. The problem is, many of them "don't really understand who he was," the younger Reagan said. His dad's conservatism wasn't about demonizing opp......
2011-04-01 22:54:00
TOM MURSE
The chairman of the Lancaster County Republican Committee is resigning after only nine months to take a job in Gov. Tom Corbett's administration. Greg Sahd notified the party Friday that he has accepted the position of deputy executive director for administration and finance with the Pennsyl......
2011-03-22 23:28:00
BRIAN WALLACE
All public school teachers must get 10 paid sick days per year and be eligible for paid sabbatical leaves after 10 years of service, according to the Pennsylvania Public School Code.
The code, which has been in effect since 1949, also requires that school districts provide transportation ......
2011-03-18 21:03:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Local school officials are criticizing a proposal by state Sen. Mike Brubaker to limit school property tax hikes, saying it would result in program cuts while failing to address problems with Pennsylvania's public school funding system.
Brubaker, of Warwick Township, plans to introduce le......
2011-03-17 00:03:00
TOM MURSE
A majority of Pennsylvanians are confident Gov. Tom Corbett can handle the state's budget problems, a statewide Franklin & Marshall College poll found.
But they clearly disagree with the first-year Republican governor on important policy issues, including his refusal to tax natural-ga......
2011-03-16 19:35:00
JEFF HAWKES
I didn't realize this about state Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a pro-business Lancaster County conservative and graduate of Bob Jones University, but he's gaining a reputation as a liberal's right-winger.
By that I mean liberals listen to him and think, "That wasn't so bad."
Monday offe......
2011-03-15 22:04:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Recently, I told you that I plan to run for president in 2012.
My platform will call for moderation and common sense on all issues (radical as that might sound), and my campaign slogan is, "Don't drink the tea!"
Since then, thousands of people have asked me — well, not direc......
2011-03-13 00:12:00
JO-ANN GREENE
Saturday's 25th annual Solanco Republican Breakfast was something of a school pep rally. With the theme "The Road to Harrisburg Begins in Solanco," the event celebrated three Solanco High School graduates — Republicans all — serving in the state House of Representatives. ......
2011-03-10 20:13:00
TOM MURSE
The big news out of Harrisburg this week is not — I repeat, not — that Republican Gov. Tom Corbett kept his hands off natural-gas drillers while proposing historic cuts in higher education spending to help balance his budget.
Don't get me wrong.
Holding back h......
2011-03-10 12:05:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
Gil Smart says Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett's budget makes a mockery of his assertion that "everyone" needs to embrace austerity.......
2011-03-09 21:30:00
JEFF HAWKES
State Sen. Lloyd Smucker's website features a reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's budget address.
He liked it!
I know that comes as a shock.
But think about it. If you're a Republican lawmaker from West Lampeter, what's not to like about seeing the governor eliminate 1,550 gove......
2011-03-08 22:04:00
TOM MURSE
The biggest winners in Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget, according to a chorus of local Republican legislators?
You, the taxpayers.
"No new taxes. Restrained spending. A focus on jobs — I see it as a win for the working folk," said state Rep. Scott Boyd of West Lampeter To......
2011-03-07 20:33:00
JEFF HAWKES
State Sen. Lloyd Smucker says market competition made him a better business operator, and he believes competition can likewise drive improvement in public education.
At a hearing on school vouchers, Smucker, the West Lampeter Republican, explained his support this way:
"You look a......
2011-03-03 21:00:00
TOM MURSE
The day of reckoning has arrived.
Those aren't my words.
They're from Charles Zogby, Pennsylvania's budget secretary, and the words of warning rightly sent chills up the spines of those whose livelihoods depend on money from Harrisburg.
Zogby's remarks, at a Pennsylvania P......
2011-03-02 21:47:00
TOM MURSE
A law that cracks down on puppy mills and aims to improve the treatment of dogs bred in large commercial kennels has cost Pennsylvania "several million dollars" in lost tax revenue since 2008, a local legislator claims.
State Rep. Gordon Denlinger is calling for a detailed study of the la......
2011-02-25 21:40:00
BRIAN WALLACE
Howard Ellis finds himself in an interesting position these days.
As a professor of business administration at Millersville University, he teaches students about labor issues, including the recent attempts by states to reduce the clout of their unionized workers.
And, as president......
2011-02-24 20:08:00
TOM MURSE
The Great Recession seemed to clobber just about everyone.
The longest economic downturn since World War II lasted the 18 months from December 2007 through June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. And during that time, household net worth across the United States ......
2011-02-19 20:53:00
BERNARD HARRIS
The vote by Republican County Commissioners Scott Martin and Dennis Stuckey to disband Lancaster County's Human Relations Commission has given county Democrats a great opportunity to get two Democrats elected to the three-member panel, party leaders said Saturday. About 120 Democratic commit......
2011-02-17 22:48:00
TOM MURSE
I have an idea.
I think it's a good idea. I think Pennsylvanians would benefit from my idea. But I'll need some help. I can't do it alone.
Before I make my pitch, though, I want you to consider a few things. A few facts about how things work up in Harrisburg.
Chew......
2011-02-16 21:12:00
TOM MURSE
Craig Lehman will have company on this year's election ballot, after all. A second Democrat is joining the race for Lancaster County commissioner.
Jonathan Paul Fox, a 10-year employee of the now-defunct county Human Relations Commission, said Wednesday he is seeking his party's endorseme......
2011-02-15 22:09:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster attorney Leonard G. Brown III, a West Point grad and civil litigator looking to fill a seat on the local bench, easily won the local Republican Party's endorsement Tuesday night.
Brown defeated Merrill M. Spahn Jr., a public defender who has handled many of the county's most hig......
2011-02-14 20:31:00
TOM MURSE
Primary voters won't head to the polls for another three months, but Lancaster County's next judge could very well be selected Tuesday evening.
The 400-some members of the Republican committee will meet to endorse candidates for countywide offices, including one of two hopefuls for Common......
2011-02-12 20:25:00
JON RUTTER
City Republican Chairman Dave Stoltzfus recently swung through West Lancaster to shovel snow at a home he's renovating. Charlie Smithgall's West Lemon Street pharmacy was nearby. And so Stoltzfus stepped inside with a greeting and a question. "What would you think about running ......
2011-02-10 21:23:00
TOM MURSE
When it comes to Republican Party politics in Lancaster County, Manheim Township is sort of like the Island of Misfit Toys, a sanctuary populated by mythical characters and looked upon with some bemusement by folks 'round other parts.
Whenever I mention the MTGOP to acquaintances in the p......
2011-02-07 22:51:00
TOM MURSE
Gilbert Arroyo was convicted of raping a child in New York in 1999.
Arroyo later moved to Pennsylvania and, theoretically, was required to register as a sex offender and keep his current address on file with state police.
But when local prosecutors went after the 41-year-old Lanca......
2011-02-07 22:08:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray's reading material of choice is books on public policy.
He doesn't spend a lot of time reading People magazine.
At Sunday's White House Super Bowl party, he found himself three tables away from actress Jennifer Lopez. He didn't meet her.
"It was f......
2011-02-03 22:24:00
TIM MEKEEL
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. on Thursday defended the federal subsidy that makes commercial air service possible for Lancaster and 153 other communities.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, joined by three other senators, spoke out against an effort by U.S. Sen. John McCain to eliminate the subsidy....
2011-02-03 20:09:00
TOM MURSE
Congressman weighs in
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which is co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, seems to be a pretty straightforward piece of legislation. That is, until you get to the 724th word of the 1,248-word bill.
Forcible.
Tha......
2011-02-02 20:58:00
TOM MURSE
Dr. William A. Carter has quit the race for Lancaster County coroner.
The general practitioner, who was embroiled in a legal case after the accidental overdose death of his 14-year-old son in 2008, said his family "doesn't have the emotional resources" for him to pursue the seat.
......
2011-02-01 15:53:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster attorney Leonard G. Brown III, one of two Republicans seeking a county judgeship, came out the winner in a second straight round of informal polls taken among rank-and-file members of the GOP.
In the same polls, Dr. Stephen G. Diamantoni, seeking a second term as county coroner,......
2011-01-28 09:53:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
......
2011-01-27 21:52:00
TOM MURSE
A few items from the political notebook this week:
• Two Lancaster County legislators have drafted a key component of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's reform agenda, one that is described as being a first step toward a part-time Legislature....
2011-01-26 11:14:00
TOM MURSE
Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts says President Barack Obama's call for a spending freeze, made during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night, "falls far short of what we need."
"A freeze still leaves us with skyrocketing deficits and no plan to balance the budget," Pitts said in a pre......
2011-01-25 20:58:00
P.J. REILLY
As far as the commissioners know, Lancaster County has never awarded a construction contract that required a contractor to use only union labor.
And commissioners Chairman Scott Martin said as long as he's in office, he'll never support such an agreement.
In a move he said is aime......
2011-01-25 20:46:00
BERNARD HARRIS
And Lehman makes three.
County Commissioner Craig Lehman announced Tuesday that he will seek a second term on the three-member county panel.
Lehman's fellow commissioners, Republicans Dennis Stuckey and Scott Martin, have said they, too, will seek re-election to another four-year ......
2011-01-25 12:04:00
TOM MURSE
Lancaster attorney Leonard G. Brown III, one of two Republicans seeking a county judgeship, came out the winner in the first informal polls taken among rank-and-file members of the GOP.
In the same polls Dr. Stephen G. Diamantoni, seeking a second term as county coroner, found overwhelmin......
2011-01-24 23:27:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Lancaster city Democrats on Monday night announced that three veteran City Council members will not return to office in 2012.
But only two of the Democrats running for council are newcomers.
All three of the council members whose terms expire next January will not seek re-election......
2011-01-24 21:30:00
TOM MURSE
Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts will join other members of Congress in sitting with a member of the opposite party for the State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
Pitts, the senior Republican in this state's House delegation, will sit with his counterpart on the Democratic side, U.S. Rep.......
2011-01-20 21:26:00
TOM MURSE
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is leading abortion-rights opponents in Congress on a renewed attempt to place a permanent ban on what they see as the inevitable use of taxpayer money for the procedure.
Pitts, a conservative Republican, reintroduced legislation on Thursday that would impose a statuto......
2011-01-20 19:57:00
TOM MURSE
There was an important moment in Gov. Tom Corbett's speech Tuesday for those of you who paid close attention to the debate over whether Lancaster County should keep or kill its Human Relations Commission.
Did you catch it?
Sure, Pennsylvania's 46th governor talked about reining in......
2011-01-20 09:50:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
......
2011-01-19 22:47:00
BRIAN WALLACE
A proposal to establish a state-funded school voucher program has drawn opposition from Lancaster County public school officials and support from private school administrators.
State Sens. Jeffrey Piccola of York and Anthony Williams of Philadelphia announced last week they will introduce......
2011-01-18 21:57:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Manheim-area resident Stacie Ritter said she's "fired up and ready to go" to tell everyone how important America's new health care rights are to people such as her — and how important they are to her twin daughters, now 12, who had to overcome leukemia at age 4.
Ritter testified Tue......
2011-01-17 20:40:00
JEFF HAWKES
At an Hourglass Foundation forum on school funding, state Rep. Scott Boyd warned of cuts.
He said Tom Corbett ran for governor on a no-tax-increase pledge and savings will have to come from every department, education included, to close a $4 billion deficit.
"We have a spending pr......
2011-01-14 21:59:00
TOM MURSE
A public defender who has taken on high-profile death-penalty cases and a civil litigator who formerly practiced constitutional law have emerged as top contenders for an open seat on the county bench.
Merrill M. Spahn Jr. and Leonard G. Brown III, both Republicans, won high marks from Lan......
2011-01-11 22:11:00
TOM MURSE
A doctor who was embroiled in a sensational legal case after accidentally administering a lethal dose of painkiller to his teenage son is taking on the Lancaster County coroner, whose office investigated the boy's death.
But the fight won't take place in a courtroom.
It will be on......
2011-01-11 22:10:00
TOM MURSE
Republican candidates will begin battling for prized party endorsement in races for coroner and several other countywide offices starting in just a few weeks.
To date, only one Democrat — county Commissioner Craig Lehman, who is beginning the final year of his first four-year term &......
2011-01-09 00:14:00
LORI VAN INGEN
With the start of the new U.S. House of Representatives session with a Republican majority, Rep. Joe Pitts said he has not been able to get the smile off his face. "We have 87 new members in the House and 80 are passionate conservatives who are pro-life and pro-family," Pitts said Saturday m......
2011-01-08 18:57:00
TOM MURSE
You don't often see politicians embrace "more of the same" as a central theme of their re-election campaigns. (See related term: "Politics as usual.") The exception, of course, is when those elected officials believe they have lived up to their first-term promises. Republican ......
2011-01-06 20:57:00
TOM MURSE
Courthouse row officers are up for re-election this year, and we already know that a couple aren't seeking re-election.
Ryan P. Aument, for example, has left his post as clerk of courts to take a seat in the state House. Sheriff Terry A. Bergman retired....
2011-01-05 17:44:00
STAFF REPORT
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts was sworn in Wednesday for his eighth term in the House of Representatives.
"The top priority of the 112th Congress needs to be getting America working again," said Pitts, a Republican from Kennett Square. "With unemployment still near 10 percent, the House of Represen......
2011-01-04 20:34:00
TOM MURSE and AD CRABLE
Two state senators from Lancaster County have won prized committee chairmanships for the new two-year legislative session.
Sen. Mike Brubaker of Warwick Township, a former chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, has been chosen to lead the influential Senate Financ......
2011-01-04 20:25:00
TOM MURSE
When Ryan Aument arrived at his new office in the east wing of the state Capitol Tuesday morning, the phone already was ringing.
On the other end of the line was his predecessor, retired state Rep. Katie True from East Hempfield Township.
"She called to wish me the best, right whe......
2011-01-03 21:11:00
TOM MURSE
Four billion.
It's a figure you're going to hear a lot about over the next half year.
Amid the pageantry set to take place in the gilded chambers of the state Capitol Tuesday afternoon, that number — $4,000,000,000 — will be rattling around the minds of Pennsylvania's ......
2011-01-03 18:20:00
JEFF HAWKES
The Ed Rendell era ends Jan. 18 when Republican Tom Corbett takes the oath as Pennsylvania's 46th governor.
But today we take a trip to an alternate universe where governors aren't limited to two terms. And there we find the 67-year-old Rendell writing his third inaugural address.
...
2010-12-30 23:47:00
TOM MURSE
Who had the best year in local politics?
Who had the worst?
Here are my picks, based not on whether I agree or disagree with them, but whether they managed to better their chances at re-election, climb another rung in the leadership ladder, boost their clout — or simply make......
2010-12-29 09:20:00
TOM MURSE
State Rep. Tom Creighton of Rapho Township has been appointed chairman of the House Local Government Committee for the next two-year legislative session.
The Republican legislator is the only House member from Lancaster County to chair a standing committee for the 2011-12 session, which b......
2010-12-22 21:08:00
STAFF REPORT
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts will deliver the Weekly Republican Address on Christmas Eve.
House Speaker-designate John Boehner of Ohio on Wednesday announced he had selected the Pennsylvania lawmaker from Kennett Square, who represents all of Lancaster County and parts of Chester and Berks countie......
2010-12-16 11:59:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
......
2010-12-15 22:19:00
P.J. REILLY
At 5 p.m. Friday, Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Bergman will walk out of the courthouse on Duke Street for the last time as a county employee.
After 36 years working for the county — all but three of those with the Sheriff's Office — Bergman is heading for retirement exactly ......
