COLUMBIA, PA — More than a week after a devastating fire tore through a portion of South Fourth Street, the scars remain painfully visible. What was once a row of homes and small businesses now sits silent—boarded, condemned, and empty—as the community prepares for the next difficult step: demolition. The massive three-alarm blaze broke out…
Columbia was alive with energy this past weekend as residents and visitors filled the streets, parks, and riverfront to celebrate everything that makes this historic town special. From milestone celebrations to engines rumbling downtown, it was a weekend that perfectly captured Columbia’s past, present, and future. 🎉 Columbia 300: A Town Celebrates Three Centuries The…
If you’ve opened your mail lately in Lancaster County, you’ve probably seen a number that made your jaw drop. For many homeowners—especially here in Columbia Borough—property assessments jumped dramatically. But before panic sets in, it’s important to understand what those numbers actually mean, and what they don’t. The Big Picture: What Just Happened? Lancaster County…
Help Shape the Future of Transportation in PA: Shapiro Administration Seeks Public Comment on Statewide Transportation Improvement Program Pennsylvania travelers are invited to comment on state transportation plans through June 30. ​Harrisburg, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) encourages Pennsylvanians to review and comment on the draft 2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The 2027 STIP is…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Borough of Columbia / ColumbiaPA.Online June 14, 2026 Community Comes Together After Devastating Columbia Borough Fire Columbia, PA – The Borough of Columbia is asking the community to come together in support of local families displaced by a devastating multi-structure fire that occurred Saturday afternoon in the first block of South 4th…
Yesterday, our town was shaken. A devastating fire tore through homes right here in Columbia Borough, leaving multiple families displaced and facing the unimaginable. One of those families is people I know personally—and I can tell you from the heart, they are the kind of people who would show up for anyone in this community….
ColumbiaPA.online | Breaking News COLUMBIA, PA (June 13, 2026) — A massive three-alarm fire ripped through multiple homes and a commercial structure in Columbia Borough on Saturday afternoon, leaving several families displaced and prompting a large-scale emergency response across Lancaster and York counties. According to reports from the fire broke out shortly after 3:20 p.m….
The employment contract for Columbia Borough Manager Jack Brommer offers a detailed look into compensation, benefits, and the structure of leadership inside borough government. While much of the agreement follows standard municipal practices, several provisions stand out—raising important questions about transparency, long-term financial impact, and how leadership transitions are handled in Columbia. A Transition That…
Tuesday night’s Columbia Borough Council meeting had a little bit of everything: Concerned residents.Tough questions.A few awkward pauses.And at least one moment where you could practically hear everyone thinking: “…did that actually just get asked?” The Crowd Shows Up (Again) If anyone thought the recent attention around the airport was going to die down… they…
Columbia Borough is heading into what could be one of the most important council meetings of the year and residents are being strongly encouraged to attend. At Tuesday night’s Borough Council meeting at 7:00 PM, council is expected to take action on the future of the former McGinness Airport property, including plans to re‑advertise the…
COLUMBIA, PA — Saturday afternoon brought a wave of pride, lights, and hometown energy to the streets of Columbia as the annual Fireman’s Parade drew an impressive crowd, officially kicking off the much-anticipated Columbia 300 festivities. From the early afternoon, residents began staking out their spots along the parade route, setting up lawn chairs, waving…
In government, authority is supposed to be visible. Who drafts.Who negotiates.Who approves.And who signs. But in Columbia Borough, a series of internal documents obtained through Right‑to‑Know requests reveal something very different: A process where contracts move through multiple hands—but final control appears concentrated in one place. Two Parallel Contracts—Two Different Voices The documents show that…
In government, transparency isn’t tested when things are easy. It’s tested when the public starts asking questions—and the answers don’t come quickly. In Columbia Borough, that moment has arrived. And now, there’s a paper trail. The First Document: A Delay, Not an Answer On June 2, 2026, Columbia Borough Manager Jack Brommer responded to a…
In any local government, there are always two versions of events: In Columbia Borough right now, the gap between those two is getting harder to ignore. This isn’t about speculation.It’s about the questions that remain unanswered—and why they matter. The Contract You Still Haven’t Seen Let’s start with the most straightforward issue—and the one that…
In government, moments of concern rarely appear overnight.They build—step by step, decision by decision—until a pattern becomes impossible to ignore. In Columbia Borough, that pattern is now coming into focus. This is a timeline of how we got here. 2024: A Leadership Transition Begins In September 2024, Columbia Borough appointed Steven Kaufhold as borough manager…
Something isn’t sitting right in Columbia Borough, and more residents are starting to notice. Over the past several months, a pattern has begun to emerge involving borough leadership decisions that, while perhaps technically permissible, raise serious questions about transparency, accountability, and respect for the public’s right to know. At the center of these concerns is…