Lebanon County commissioners learned Thursday that the county’s election bureau expects to receive a record number of mail-in and absentee ballots for the midterm election on Tuesday.
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 inPeople & Places
Lebanon County reaches landmark: 20,000 acres preserved in perpetuity
The addition of the Bollinger Family Farm into Lebanon County’s farmland preservation program is a historic event: it signified 20,000 acres preserved since the first farm was placed into the program 30 years ago in 1992.
Posted inNews
$1.75 million settlement over death of Andy Dzwonchyk finalized in county court
A settlement with the estate of Andy Dzwonchyk over the November 2021 shooting of Dzwonchyk by a Pennsylvania State Police trooper was finalized Thursday in Lebanon County Court.
Posted inNews
Swatara State Park to expand thanks to gift of land by conservation nonprofit
The size of Swatara State Park is about to grow by more than 130 acres thanks to the transfer of two parcels of land to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Posted inNews
$180K sorting machine will speed up mail-in and absentee ballot counting
The processing of mail-in and absentee ballots during elections is about to get easier in Lebanon County.
Posted inNews
Scammers may target Lebanon County voters in lead up to election
While no incidents have been reported to the county’s election bureau as of publication time, these scams – and in one case a deceptive practice – are being shared as a public service to county voters.
Posted inNews
DA to apply for $250K gun violence prevention grant on behalf of county
The Lebanon County District Attorney’s office will apply for its share of a $50 million state grant designed to stem the tide of gun violence across the commonwealth.
Posted inNews
County to receive nearly half-million dollar state grant to fund elections
Lebanon County officials have agreed to accept over $466,000 in funding as part of a $45 million election grant program that was approved with the state budget in July.
Posted inNews
Commissioners approve tax abatement on luxury apartments in Palmyra
Lebanon County Commissioners approved Thursday a 10-year LERTA tax abatement for a planned 92-unit luxury apartment building in Palmyra.
Posted inCrime & Safety
DA says Nov. 2021 shooting of Andy Dzwonchyk by PSP trooper was justified
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf ruled Monday that an officer-involved shooting that killed a 40-year-old Jonestown man last November was justified.
Posted inNews
County youth agency says placement of juvenile offenders keeps getting harder
A lack of available facilities for community-based placement of juvenile offenders who require post release supervision is a problem plaguing Pennsylvania.
Posted inNews
Redevelopment authority will renovate Cleona building for senior housing
A $700,000 HOME grant received by the Lebanon County Redevelopment Authority will allow the agency to renovate the first floor of its Cleona property into six affordable housing units for senior citizens.
Posted inNews
County to underwrite improvements at fairgrounds with $1.6M of ARPA funds
Two days before the county fair was about to launch its 2022 edition, the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center and Fairgrounds and Lebanon Area Fair both received American Rescue Plan Act funding totaling $1.6 million.
Posted inNews
County officials continue to fill open workforce positions
Once down by nearly 150 positions from its approximate workforce of 700, county employment rolls have turned the tide with over 600 individuals now employed by the county.
Posted inNews
Online registration to be offered by county for concealed weapon permits
Registrations for concealed carry permits in Lebanon County are about to enter the digital age.