Ben Thomas Jr., Greencastle mayor
Friday night, a good friend asked me when the “porch side chats” would begin? Soon, my friends. Tina and I can’t wait to do some side porch sittin ! This Sunday afternoon, the rainfall is continuous with a fortunate 43-degree temperature. so this is a fireside chat from the family room.
Monday is (was) the first day of “meteorological spring” while “astronomical spring” joins us March 20. We change our clocks the morning of March 14. Greencastle’s public works personnel will climb the town clock tower and the many trap doors and narrow steps to change the clock late Saturday night, March 13. What an experience that I enjoyed doing over many years in the past. The view from up there is beautiful.
Hand-on experience As part of their graduation requirements, high school students are required to complete 30 hours of community service and complete a job shadowing experience. With the challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions, students have been hindered from the ability to complete these tasks in a timely manner. It is our recommendation to exempt the Class of 2021 and Class of 2022 from the Community Service Project and Job Shadowing requirements for graduation, Rife wrote in a letter to the board. We will continue to re-evaluate this requirement for future classes, as warranted.
In addition to the Greencastle Police Department, job shadowing has seen students exploring career options at locations from Antrim Way Honda to Worx Graphic Design and all kinds of workplaces in between. The jobs included law enforcement, health care, child care, manufacturing, technology, education and journalism.
Updated 1 p.m. Thursday
Franklin County Chairman Commissioner Dave Keller announced Thursday that all 911 service has been restored to the county.
PEMA officials report that service to the other dozen counties had been completely restored by 1 .
That means all 911 emergency non-emergency phone lines and all Franklin County Department of Emergency Services call center operations are functional. Franklin County has an outstanding network of emergency service providers who stepped in to receive direct calls from residents with emergencies. Fortunately, no serious issues were reported as a result of the outage, Keller said in a statement.
Service was out for approximately 20 hours.
Greencastle police get thank you from Presbyterian Church
Echo Pilot
Police officers serve day and night, 365 days a year, and it is important to thank them for their service, according to Pastor Bob Cook of Greencastle Presbyterian Church.
Cook and Debbie Young, mission chair, showed up at the Greencastle Police Department Thursday morning with a basket full of gift cards from Brio Coffeehouse for the police officers and department secretary. The presentation came two days before National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, which was observed Saturday, Jan. 9.
Echo Pilot
Sept. 1
A discovery during a father-and-son adventuring trip to Martin s Mill Bridge in Antrim Township on July 29 and a bit of detective work have reunited a Greencastle man with the class ring he lost 45 years ago. Jeremy Knowlton of Heathsville, Va., found John W. Thomas Jr. s ring while metal detecting in the east branch of the Conococheague Creek, as his son, Shrade, splashed in the water nearby.
Sept. 3
Thousands of drivers will have to wait an extra two days before resuming their travels on U.S. 11 south of Greencastle. The road, traveled by about 13,000 vehicles a day, was scheduled to reopen Wednesday, Sept. 9, after being closed since Aug. 19 for a bridge replacement project. It is now scheduled to open Friday, Sept. 11.