A chunk of county-owned land was sold to a Blair County developer late last year, but what may be built there is still uncertain.
James Mentzer
James Mentzer is a freelance writer whose 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; and Lancaster Development, Inc.: An American Story of Family and Infrastructure. He has also had business profiles published in Central Pennsylvania: Our Time Has Come, and an article in the 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. Two other books are currently in production for Tavistock Country Club in Tavistock, N.J., and Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester, N.Y.
A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, James 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 who enjoys turkey and whitetail deer hunting, playing Ultimate frisbee, disc golf, spikeball and pickleball, biking, traveling and attending live concerts for a number of bands, including Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, and more.
Posted inNews
County Commissioners pivot on mail-in ballot plans; reorganize boards for 2023
Lebanon County’s plans for 2023 mail-in ballot services are up in the air after a confusing chain of events on Thursday and Friday. Here’s what we know.
Posted inNews
Hearing held to discuss indigent legal representation in criminal court
A hearing requested by a local attorney asking to be removed as court-appointed counsel in five cases involving indigent defendants was held Friday, even though those cases had already been reassigned to other attorneys.
Posted inBusiness & Nonprofits
911 Rapid Response hopes to outfit up to 500 vehicles at Annville shop yearly
911 Rapid Response may outfit up to 500 vehicles in the coming year at its Annville shop.
Posted inNews
Dzwonchyk attorney discusses $1.75M settlement in PSP lawsuit; Thome court date set; Splain’s current duties unknown
As the Thome case – which was also found by Hess Graf to be a justified shooting – heads towards a civil court trial date, Paul Messing, a Philadelphia-based attorney who represented the Dzwonchyk estate, spoke to LebTown about the findings his law firm’s investigation yielded in the months prior to settlement of that lawsuit.
Posted inNews
Annville Township and Palmyra Borough advance plan to consolidate police forces
Two of the three municipalities that conducted a regional police force study are moving forward with plans to potentially consolidate their forces by 2024.
Posted inNews
County contracts with Georgia firm for maintenance services at county prison
Citing an emergency situation at the county prison, Lebanon County Commissioners approved by a 2-1 vote Thursday a contract with a Georgia firm to provide maintenance services at the facility.
Posted inNews
Phillips will run with Bill Bering Jr. in bid for commissioner; Kuhn also to run again
Bill Bering, Jr. will run with incumbent Bob Phillips in the coming election for Lebanon County Commissioner. Bering, Phillips, and current commissioner Mike Kuhn have now all announced their intent to run in the Republican primary.
Posted inNews
Commissioners approve tentative 2023 budget, avoid millage bump
Lebanon County Commissioners on Thursday approved a tentative $100.5 million county fiscal budget for 2023, which does not include a tax increase.
Posted inNews
County Commissioner Bob Phillips is first incumbent to announce a re-election bid
Lebanon County Commissioner Robert Phillips announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, his decision to run for a fourth term in office.
Posted inNews
ACLU contends Lebanon County Courts non-compliant with the Sixth Amendment
An ACLU inquiry has prompted Lebanon County Courts to reexamine how attorneys are appointed to cases where a public defender has a conflict of interest preventing representation of a given individual.
Posted inNews
County Commissioners accept several grants at relatively light regular meeting
Lebanon County commissioners approved Thursday, Nov. 17, the county’s ongoing participation in a nine-county South Central Counter Terrorism Task Force.
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
Ringing in the giving season: Red Kettle campaign launches in Lebanon County
The goal of this year’s Salvation Army campaign is to raise $93,000 to assist needy Lebanon County families and to fund other programs throughout the year.
Posted inNews
Commissioners stick to lesser of 2 percent or CPI for row office salaries
The Lebanon County Commissioners set salaries Monday at a special meeting for a number of row officers elected in 2023 and who will begin their four-year terms in 2024.
Posted inNews
93-year-old Dollie Kiscadden has volunteered at the polls for past 60 years
When the polls opened Tuesday, Dollie Kiscadden revived a personal tradition dating back to the early- to mid-1960s.