Posted on 03/05/2006 1:08:16 AM PST by Nextrush
News and Notes from York County....March 5th
Science and education interacted in York County last week. I'm talking about the weather. Around 11 O'Clock Monday night snow squalls came across the area and dumped a surprise coating of snow that led to icy spots everywhere. The meteorologists didn't know what was going on (it wasn't in the forecast) until it showed up on radar. School superintendents trusted the science and got burned. For whatever reason, most of them weren't prepared to delay school on Tuesday. My theory, they trusted the science and went to sleep, getting up too late Tuesday to call a delay of school. Only a few York County districts delayed Tuesday and parents at the ones that didn't complained.
Then came Wednesday nights forecast from the scientists (sleet, freezing rain, snow in the morning.) Well Thursday morning at five the radar showed almost all plain rain (there were few if any icy spots) but still a spate of two hour delays from all school districts. The school districts went with the science again but not with the actual conditions.
But in both cases what gets me is that the science wasn't accurate. Why do we have so much trust in science when when it can let us down as it did twice last week with the weather.....
Well, lets go to Dover next where the school board is facing a big financial decision about a new teacher contract as talks continue. Former school board member David Napierskie is very concerned about the financial impact of a possible settlement and the financial inexperience of the new Dover CARES board.
Napierskie is the administrator of a nursing care facility in Maryland and was appointed to the board last year after then school board president Bill Buckingham resigned. Because Buckingham resigned in the middle of an election year Republican precinct committee people in the Dover School District picked Napierskie as the GOP candidate to replace Buckingham and the old board appointed him to fill the seat. Napierskie lost in the general election by only 26 votes.
He says this year's 37 million dollar school budget will likely be eclipsed by even more spending next year. "Keep your eyes open when the number exceeds 40 million by next year" according to Napierskie. That would be around a ten percent increase and the three million dollar or more increase could not all be blamed on the million dollar lawsuit settlement.
Napierskie adds: "Unfortunately, there will be two years (next school board election) before anything can be done, and the damage will be excessive" from the Dover CARES board's handling of school district finances......
Michael Wilson is the fifth Republican candidate to enter the race to replace "retiring" Republican Bruce Smith, the 92nd State House member who voted for the pay raise last year. Wilson ran against Smith in the 1996 and 1998 GOP primaries........
The meeting was held in a big building that seats a thousand but only around a hundred showed up to hear the pitch for a new park in Lower Windsor Township. A park that will be created by using eminent domain to take the Kohr family's land away from them.
The Lancaster-York Heritage Region head Mark Platts (brother of Congressman Todd) pitched the controversial plan that's backed by two of three county commissioners.
The Kohr family and other opponents stood outside using patio heaters to keep warm. They were excluded from the meeting.
County officials continue to blast township auditor, former Lower Windsor Township supervisor and frequent conservative candidate Dean Graham for his flier opposing the land grab. Graham says the death of Laura Kohr was covered up because it would be embarrassing to report that she committed suicide under the strain of the eminent domain threat from the county.
County Coroner Barry Bloss says he's "considering" hiring a lawyer with others saying the flier "approaches libel." The Kohr family will not disclose details of her death saying its a private matter. The coroner officially lists death as the result of "heart failure." However she died, its clear the strain of the eminent domain threat was there at the time of her death.
And by the way, Graham is standing by what he says in the flier saying "its the truth."
Is it true what they say about "the best thing to ever come out of York is I-83?
LOL (just kidding)
York County is growing fast since I was born here. We are taking in "economic refugees," people from the Baltimore and D.C. area who are hurting from the costs of big government liberalism. Its ironic that many of them work for government (federal, state, local) down that way. The taxes and restrictions on development in Maryland drive them right across into York, Adams and Franklin counties here at the south end of PA.
Thirty years ago the GOP establishment could deliver the county for Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan, but we got a pleasant surprise in 2004 when Pat Toomey beat Arlen Specter here in York County. Conservatives in the GOP have a chance here, but the libs are powerful here especially among the Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the "business community."
Of course the libs want to restrict development here too, even want to use eminent domain to take a family farm for a "park with a nice view" rather than have houses built there. And many of the libs are Republicans.
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