Lebanon County is home to the first-ever veteran’s outreach center for Pennsylvania veterans.
James Mentzer
James Mentzer is a freelance writer and lifelong resident of Pennsylvania. He has spent his professional career writing about agriculture, economic development, manufacturing and the energy and real estate industries, and is the county reporter and a features writer for LebTown.
James is an outdoor enthusiast whose hobbies include hunting, Ultimate frisbee, disc golf, spikeball and pickleball, biking, traveling and attending live concerts for a number of bands, including moe., String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic.
His published works include the books Pennsylvania Manufacturing: Alive and Well; Bucks County: A Snapshot in Time; United States Merchant Marine Academy: In Service to the Nation 1943-2018; A Century of Excellence: Spring Brook Country Club 1921-2021; Lancaster Development, Inc.: An American Story of Family and Infrastructure, and several other titles. He has also had business profiles published in Central Pennsylvania: Our Time Has Come, and an article in The Columbiad, a scholarly publication of Civil War Times Illustrated, concerning a little-known African American fort and battle along the James River in Virginia. Another book is currently in production for Morris Country Club in Morris, Illinois.
Posted inNews
Palmyra council pauses proposed skill games ordinance to work on solution
Palmyra Borough Council took no action Tuesday on a proposed electronic skill games regulation ordinance after council member Marcus Riddell withdrew his motion.
Posted inNews
Mount Gretna’s Soldiers Field and walking bridge dedicated to veterans
Officials dedicate Soldiers Field at Mount Gretna and new bridge, which honors Pennsylvania National Guardsmen.
Posted inBusiness & Nonprofits
LebTown exclusive: WellSpan grant helps launch Lebanon County housing collab
Three Lebanon County organizations form housing collaborative to address countywide housing needs through a $750,000 WellSpan grant, focusing on both immediate assistance and long-term solutions.
Posted inNews
Lebanon County Commissioners approve budgets for three social agencies
Budgets for three social service agencies were approved by the Lebanon County Commissioners at their June 19 meeting.
Posted inNews
Bethel Twp. delays required sidewalk until Esther’s property is re-developed
The Bethel Township Planning Commission considered and acted upon numerous construction projects at their June 17 meeting.
Posted inHistory
Lebanon County’s northern tier was once a hotel haven for road-weary travelers
Northern Lebanon County was home to numerous hotels, motels, and tourist homes in the 1900s, and were said to have been visited by celebrities.
Posted inPeople & Places
Different stories, love of cycling drives Tour de Lebanon Valley participants
Lebanon County’s seventh annual charity bike tour brought together hundreds of cyclists, including a 14-year-old recovering from heart surgery, a soon-to-be-married couple, and riders from as far as Michigan and Slovenia, generating $40,000 for local nonprofits.
Posted inNews
Bethel Twp. supervisors approve waiver requests for various building projects
Bethel Township supervisors granted numerous waiver requests for building projects during their June 12 meeting.
Posted inPeople & Places
Prescott veteran receives honor quilt, focuses on father’s wartime sacrifice
Although he never knew his father, a local Vietnam War vet still honored his dad, a World War II vet, at a ceremony designed to recognize the son.
Posted inNews
Get Outdoors (GO) program kicks off 10th summer of outdoor exploration
A summer program to encourage physical and mental activities for Lebanon County residents is underway.
Posted inNews
North Annville Township supervisors pass private solar ordinance
North Annville Township supervisors install a private solar unit ordinance at their June 9 meeting.
Posted inNews
Lebanon County DES launches preparedness awareness campaign
Lebanon County DES is conducting an emergency preparedness awareness campaign and urges residents to be ready for an emergency event.
Posted inNews
Lebanon County Commissioners approve loan for Jonestown orchard purchase
The Lebanon County Commissioners approved a next generation farm loan for a Jonestown-area orchard among other actions at their June 5 meeting.
Posted inPeople & Places
Wengert Memorial Park dedicated in memory of dairyman, community leader
More than 100 people gathered to dedicate the John E. Wengert Memorial Park in Lebanon on June 6, marking the completion of a 12-year project that transformed a vacant lot into a community green space.
