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.
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
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.
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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.
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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.
Posted inNews
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Posted inNews
Commissioners respond to GOP move over property tax increase; plan in works for past year, defended as fiscally sound
Sixty-five members of the county’s Republican committee presented Thursday a letter voicing their strong opposition to the proposed 18-percent property tax increase in the county’s $123.9 million 2022 budget.
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County Commissioners will raise taxes to cover capital project, other rising costs
Jamie Wolgemuth, chief clerk/county administrator, said General Fund expenses are increasing by 6.63 percent to over $54 million in 2022.
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Commissioners expect 2022 budget to entail tax rate increase, first since 2016
Although the county’s 2022 budget has not been officially released, it appears a tax increase will hit the wallets of county taxpayers next year.
Posted inPeople & Places
Gold medalist Ryan Neiswender uses new fame to aid people with disabilities
As a gold medal winner in men’s wheelchair basketball at the Paralympic Games this past summer in Tokyo, South Lebanon Township native Ryan Neiswender is making the most of the opportunity that’s been presented to him.
