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.
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
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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNews
Renaissance Crossroads falls victim to staffing shortages
Lebanon County Commissioners were informed that the Renaissance Crossroads program will cease operations in Lebanon County at the end of 2021.
Posted inBusiness & Nonprofits
Lending a helping hand: LCCM continues to assist those in need
LCCM Executive Director Bryan Smith said a total of 366,181 pounds of food was distributed in the past year across all of the organization’s programs.
Posted inNews
Agency on Aging sees slight increase in annual block grant funding
The agency’s block grant funding increased from $3.38 million in 2020-21 to $3.41 million in fiscal year 2021-22, which comprises 83 percent of the agency’s overall budget of $4.10 million, according to Carol A. Davies, administrator, for Lebanon County’s AAA.
Posted inNews
County Commissioners shuffle funding for ongoing redevelopment projects
Lebanon County Commissioners on Thursday approved several requests from its redevelopment authority to obtain funding through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program for 2021.
Posted inNews
Supply issues affecting county agency face-lift
The county’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention offices are awaiting renovation, but shipping of some supplies has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Posted inNews
Newer technologies will upgrade 911 Center, enhance public safety
While county residents won’t notice any differences, the changes to Lebanon County’s 911 communications system will embrace new technologies that move the county toward future capabilities and away from outdated services and technologies.
Posted inNews
Commissioners direct $800k of Marcellus Shale funding to rail trail
The county commissioners approved Thursday by a 2-1 vote its portion of Phase 6C funding in the amount of $800,000 for the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail expansion project.