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In the river hills, no one can hear you scream (because of traffic)
Spent the weekend down in sunny Pequea, camping with some good friends on a trip that would have been awesome… had I not left the keys in the ignition Friday night in the “on” position, and woke up to...
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Would the city benefit from a ‘land tax?’
What would happen if you changed the way Lancaster taxes real estate? The idea of a “land tax” is getting some traction. It was the focus of an April cover story in The Economist; this past week there...
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How to fix policing
It has been a very violent month in Baltimore, a mere 90 minutes from here: Two people were shot in Baltimore overnight, pushing the total number of shootings this month to 96. .. (snip) Police have...
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One little tweak that could fix the affordable housing problem. Or not.
An aerial view of downtown Lancaster, with the Griest Building in the center and the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square at right. Inadvertent housing week here at Smart Remarks continues, with some...
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Lancaster used to love ‘broken windows’ policing; has it failed?
Broken windows left unrepaired are symbolic of a decay that can set in, in a neighborhood, leading to crime and disorder. Once upon a time, Lancaster loved the idea of “broken windows” policing. In...
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Banning cars could make for a better city
So it turns out this idea of carless cities has legs. Or wheels. Or not wheels. Or something. A few months back we broached the subject of a “car free Lancaster,” or at least, noting that restricting...
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Should the county support the city?
It was only a matter of time, really. In recent years I’ve written on several occasions about how the City of Lancaster has so many tax-exempt properties, and how that impacts the bottom line....
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Defending the suburbs, again
It’s a demanding gig, you understand. As noted here on several occasions, there’s a sort of growing national movement against the suburbs and suburbanization. Some of that is liberal – environmental...
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Can you resurrect a city without being as ‘creative’ as Stephen Reed?
The case against former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed is fascinating. Seventeen criminal charges, nearly 500 counts and maybe more on the way. Reed was “unhinged from normal checks and balances,”...
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Maybe big rigs should be banned downtown
Except for local deliveries, that is. So yesterday I’m on my way out of town, have to hop on Route 30 east to run an errand. Foolishly – why did I do this? – I took Vine to Lime, ultimately looking to...
View ArticleDoes Lancaster need a higher minimum wage to fight poverty?
Hm. Concerned that rising poverty imperils Lancaster city’s quality of life and its future, Mayor Rick Gray said Monday he will appoint a Mayor’s Commission to Combat Poverty to study the problem and...
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Trickle-down didn’t work in Lancaster. So now what?
…Back in the saddle again… A week at OCMD – Ocean City, Maryland – will do wonders for a guy. Which in this case means a sunburned and itchy scalp, among other things. Nevertheless, while away I...
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Better wages = better Lancaster
In a comment on yesterday’s post about “trickle-down” failing in Lancaster, Melody Williams wrote this (and here I’m truncating to make the point I want to make, leaving out other aspects of what she...
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How Lancaster poverty costs you money
So one more time on the issue of poverty in the City of Lancaster, an issue which has gained some traction this week with the release of F&M’s report and subsequent discussions. Those discussions...
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Just what should Lancaster cops be doing to stop the violence?
I see the “stop snitching” movement is in full swing here: At a press conference late Thursday afternoon at city police headquarters, officials said they’ve gotten little or no help from witnesses or...
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As cities revive, why build more suburban retail?
Downtown Saturday night because a group of fine folks who happened to graduate from Manheim Township High School in 1985 – that would be 30 years ago, somehow – were holding a low-key reunion, at...
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On hating the city
It’s First Friday in Lancaster this weekend and we’re thinking about heading down. I haven’t been to a First Friday in a while, but it’s always a zoo, 10 million people – or so it seems – and in my...
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Were the crime cameras worth the cost?
And while we’re on the topic of the city: Council also agreed to use $60,000 in additional money Lancaster General Health is giving the city in lieu of taxes this year to fund the Lancaster Safety...
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‘Broken windows’ and violence in Lancaster
Crisis. Can we use the word “crisis?” All these stories are now up on LancasterOnline: Kirkwood man admits to fatal shooting; Police identify victim as 21-year-old Lancaster man A southern Lancaster...
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Sinking fast
Lancaster is sinking. Well, I realize there are people out there who have been shouting just that from the rooftops for years. But that’s not what I’m talking about – I mean, sinking as in sinkholes....
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