Lebanon County is getting a transitional residence to provide housing for up to three former offenders who have been released from prison but have no place to live.
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.
County says primary election went off flawlessly; first vote under new director
Unlike Lancaster County and other areas of the state plagued with voting issues, the Primary Election in Lebanon County ran like a well-oiled machine.
County’s juvenile detention capacity expanded through regional agreement
An ongoing shortage of available detention beds to house local juvenile offenders across Pennsylvania has prompted the county to take corrective action.
Commissioners approve collective bargaining agreement with LCCF union
The Lebanon County Commissioners struck a three-year deal Thursday with the union that represents correctional officers at the county prison.
LCCF union rep raises concerns about critical correctional officer shortage
In the midst of contract negotiations with Lebanon County, a union representative for the county prison correctional officers is expressing grave concerns for working conditions at the facility.
Commissioners honor fallen officer, two others injured in recent shooting
There is general conversation and lighthearted banter that precedes most meetings of the Lebanon County Commissioners. But not on Thursday.
Construction underway at new 911 Center in North Cornwall Township
Earthwork has begun at Lebanon County’s new $30 million 911 Center, slated to open in the summer of 2023.
Commissioners move to upgrade county’s public safety radio system
Lebanon County commissioners took two major steps on Thursday to upgrade the county’s obsolete public safety radio system.
Grants approved, coroner’s report received at new County Commissioner’s first meeting
Grant approval, the coroner’s annual report, and board reorganization were all part of the Lebanon County commissioners’ first meeting following Mike Kuhn taking office to complete the remainder of the late Bill Ames’ term as commissioner.
Commissioners approve $750K ARPA grant for workforce empowerment center
Lebanon County Commissioners approved the release of $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to Tec Centro Lebanon for the organization to house its new workforce empowerment center.
Paperless: County Commissioners OK service agency’s shift to digital platform
One of Lebanon County’s service agencies is moving from paper to a digital platform for all of its client and vendor forms.
Civil lawsuit filed against troopers in 2020 Jackson Township fatal shooting
A Philadelphia law firm via a civil lawsuit filed against two Jonestown-based state police troopers has claimed that a video obtained by the law firm shows that a 2020 fatal shooting in Jackson Township involving those troopers was not justified.
Freight movement through 10-county region will be studied in 2022
Members of Lebanon County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization voted unanimously to participate in the regional study, which spans nearly 400 municipalities.
New York Times says trooper was involved in 4 police-related shootings, including 2 in Lebanon County
A Jonestown-based Pennsylvania State Police officer pulled the trigger in four police-related shootings — including two in Lebanon County over the past 19 months — according to an investigative report published Thursday by the New York Times.
County Commissioners approve 2022 budget and a .6-mill tax increase
The increase from 3.2925 mills to 3.8925 mills means a homeowner next year would pay about $3.89 in property tax for every $1,000 of assessed value on their home, an increase of about 60 cents per $1,000 dollars.