The I-81 Improvement Strategy project team is developing recommendations for improvements on I-81 in PennDOT District 8.
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
Tablets will help prepare Lebanon County Prison inmates to re-enter society
The county commissioners entered into an agreement Thursday to provide cost-free tablets to inmates at the county prison as a way to help them prepare to re-enter society.
Posted inNews
Going private: County outsources a portion of mental health services
Lebanon County will no longer provide targeted case management (TCM) services for local residents through their Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention(MH/ID/EI) department beginning July 1.
Posted inNews
Commissioners approve half-million tax abatement for DHL Express, discuss contaminated State Drive site
County commissioners approved Thursday by a split vote a five-year tax abatement request totaling over $518,500 for DHL Express, a transportation company that plans to invest $88 million in blighted property in South Lebanon Township.
Posted inPeople & Places
Cornwall Borough police chief Bruce Harris will retire after 46+ years on the force
After nearly 47 years with the Cornwall Borough Police Department, Chief Bruce Harris will hand in his badge and service revolver when he retires from the force on Friday, May 7.
Posted inCommunity Shoutouts
Pandemic brings out the JOY in Jonestown area residents
After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JOY Food Pantry in Jonestown saw an increase in need and a decrease in food and monetary donations from other non-profits that supported them in the past.
Posted inNews
Lebanon County Commissioners debate mail-in box accessibility
After lengthy discussion, the commissioners voted along party lines, 2-1, to limit access to the box to regular business hours.
Posted inNews
North Lebanon Twp. officials pursue Lions Lake improvements via state grant
After nearly 25 years of daily use by local residents and exposure to the elements, Lions Lake Park is due for a much-needed facelift.
Posted inNews
Demand for Lebanon County CHIRP funding exceeds supply, at least for now
Slammed by CHIRP funding requests, local agency weighs options.
Posted inNews
Mass vaccination site expands capacity as WellSpan appointments come online
Capacity at Lebanon County’s mass vaccination site is expanding as WellSpan capacity comes online.
Posted inNews
County rail to trail park may receive over $1 million in state grants
Updates on the Wengert Memorial Park, the county’s mass vaccination efforts, and a rent relief program were part of Thursday’s County Commissioners meeting.
Posted inNews
County mass vaccination site opens; 1,000 scheduled to be inoculated Wednesday
Lebanon County’s mass coronavirus vaccination site opens for business today with the first 1,000 scheduled local residents slated to be inoculated over a 12-hour period.
Posted inBusiness & Nonprofits
Hospitality industry gets a helping hand: $1.6 million to aid businesses via CHIRP
As of Monday, Lebanon County businesses whose NAICS code is 72, which includes accommodations and food services, are eligible to apply for funding relief under the COVID-19 Hospitality Relief Program.
Posted inNews
County to receive over $10 million for rental and hospitality industry relief, mass vaccination site in the works
Financial relief for over $10 million for renters and business owners within the hospitality industry is headed to Lebanon County.
Posted inNews
$8.5 million in rent relief is (almost) on the way for Lebanon County
County commissioners learned Thursday that Lebanon County is slated to receive nearly $8.5 million in rental relief for residents unable to pay their housing bills due to the coronavirus pandemic.