LancasterOnline Launches Octorara News Site

LancasterOnline launched their long awaited Octorara focused news site this afternoon when they rolled out My Octorara News.

Driven by the local reporting of Debbie Wygent and Marcello Peyre-Ferry, a journalist who frequently writes for the Community Courier, the well designed My Octorara News intends to  keep visitors to the site aware of developments, events and activities across the Octorara region and into eastern Lancaster County.

The launch page contained a wonderful story about Christiana's The Quilt Ledger quilt shop and the Enola Low Grade rail line, a walking trail stretching 23 miles from Atglen to the Susquehanna River.

In addition the site features sections for community announcements, obituaries, sports, entertainment, local bloggers and a ton of local links.

The site is a welcome addition to an area of Lancaster County and the Octorara region long starved for current news and community awareness.

Check out the site here.

School To Open On Time Without Teacher Contract

The big question all summer for parents and observers of the Octorara School District is whether school would start on time even though the district and their teacher's union had yet to announce a new labor agreement.

The fear school wouldn't start on time was put to rest Monday evening when School Board President Lisa Bowman stated emphatically, "Get your books ready, school is starting."

As reported in LancasterOnline in an article written by local reporter Debbie Wygent,

Bowman was responding to a question from West Sadsbury Township resident Hank Cochran, who told the board that parents were concerned there might be a strike since the board's contract with the Octorara Area Education Association ended June 30.

"Should parents be making backup plans for students during the day?" Cochran asked. "The community needs to know what we need to prepare for."

Bowman said the OAEA and board will not "negotiate the contract in public," but the community should have no worries about the coming school year.

"Things are going positively," Bowman said. "There's nothing to report. There's no reason to prepare" for a strike.

Read Debbie's entire story including an update on rennovations at the high school, one teachers multi-year efforts to find grant monies for fitness equipment and Board member John McCartney's urging that the district do more cooperative purchasing with other districts, something Octorara has been doing for at least 10 years, here

On Thursday, Parkesburg Today's cub writer Maggie Stuehrmann wrote about Christiana's Lions Club raising money and traveling to Joplin, Missouri to aid families and businesses devastated by a tornado on May 22nd.

Not to be outdone, local journalist Debbie Wygent wrote about the Lion's activities in Lancaster Online.  Debbie's article describes his work to get the ball rolling on a $4,000 fund raising drive:

Money quote:

Lions volunteers began to put their plans into action less than a week earlier. One call led to another, with Christiana's historic quilt shop donating a pastel work of hand-stitched beauty, warmth and art, and the food bank contributing practical sustenance.

Read Debbie's entire piece here.