Print Edition Highlights - November 17, 2011

Troop 203 and VFW retire flags at Tuckahoe
By Jeffrey B Roth

Photo by Curt Werner
Boy Scout Troop 203, members of the VFW and veterans retire nearly 400 flags at Camp Tuckahoe on Saturday, Nov. 12.

____ Boy Scout Troop 203, members of the VFW and veterans retire nearly 400 flags at Camp Tuckahoe on Saturday, Nov. 12. them to the boy scout camp at Tuckahoe.”
____ Chilcote said that each flag is carried by a scout on one side and a veteran on the other. They respectfully lay each flag separately on a bonfire.
____ “It gives the scouts a first-hand view of the proper method of retiring the flag,” Chilcote said. “We had a good turnout, between 18 to 20 veterans, some of whom were fathers of some of the scouts.”
____ The scouts, Chilcote said, have a unique ceremony for flag retirement. In fact, the United States Scouting Service Project website lists details about the proper method of disposing Old Glory.
____ Information about the history of each flag details where it has flown and whether any memorable events happened at the site. That information is then used during the ceremony.

See the November 24, 2011 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.

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Mountain Ridge Church holds ribbon-cutting ceremony
By Jeffrey B. Roth

____ ____ ____ ____ _____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _______ Photo by Curt Werner
Mountain Ridge Church’s ribbon cutting ceremony is attended by contractors, plumbers, electricians and many others that helped make the construction of the building possible on Sunday, Nov. 20. In photo Pastor Ken Landis cuts the ribbon.

____ On Sunday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of Mountain Ridge Church, located on Big Dam Road, Dillsburg.
____ In addition to Pastor Ken Landis and members of the church board and congregation, the contractor, architect and Senator Pat Vance spoke at the ceremony. The church is located on 24 acres of farm land, near State Game Land.
____ The 15,000-square-foot steel and concrete building has an auditorium that holds 380 chairs. The facility also features a large, modern kitchen, offices, children ministries area and accompanying maintenance rooms.
____ Pastor Landis said the church was planted in the area by the Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ Church with the mission to build a church for people who don't normally go to church. Prior to the opening of the new church, the congregation attended services at Northern Middle School for the past 10 years.

See the November 24, 2011 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.

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Couple convicted in death of son sentenced to time served
By Jeffrey B. Roth

___A Dillsburg couple convicted of involuntary manslaughter, on Sept. 16, in the death of their 7-year-old adopted son, were sentenced to time served on Friday in York County Court.
___Michael and Nanette Craver were convicted for causing the Aug. 25, 2009 death of Nathaniel Craver, whom they had adopted from Russia. Death was caused by a subdural hematoma, which caused bleeding in the brain. The Cravers were accused of neglecting and abusing the boy.
___On Nov. 4 Judge John S. Kennedy sentenced them to 16 months to four years and a consecutive term of five years probation. They had spent almost 19 months in prison, before being released on $50,000 bail following their trial in September.

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Residents working to secede from
school district
By Carolyn Hoffman

___Frustrated Washington Township residents are moving ahead with an attempt to secede from Dover School District. Their ultimate goal is to be added to the Northern York School District, a move that even if successful will take years.
___As an early step in that long process, the Washington Township Education Coalition, a newly-formed non-profit, is this week distributing a handout of information about what it sees as the failings of the Dover schools. Joe Sieber, a resident participating in what he described as a “roundtable of citizens,” said the group of mostly parents and retirees shared a “passion for change,” even among those who went to Dover schools themselves. The group has also created a website at www.wtecsite.org.
___The handout specifically cites Northern’s better education quality, lower taxes and crime, and responsible spending as their main reasons for pursuing the move. Sources for all the statistics used in the comparison for the handout are cited. For example, Northern’s SAT scores outrank Dover’s in every category for the past 11 years, and the source for that was Pennsylvania’s Department of Education website, where the annual scores for all Pennsylvania districts are posted. Northern’s scores are approximately 40-50 points higher in each of the three categories.
___The handout also cites Northern’s lower taxes (14.61 mils versus 20.53 mils); lower school crime and dropout rates; and what the group sees as questionable spending in Dover that includes an athletic field with artificial turf and a new administrative building.

See the November 24, 2011 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.

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Dedication Day events draw thousands
By Jeffrey B. Roth

Photo by Mark Ryder
On left is Madeline Stahl, president of the Stewart Tent #55 and a resident of Dillsburg marching in the parade. Stahl participates in the Dedication and Memorial Day services each year.

____ Cool temperatures and partly sunny skies were a welcome change compared to past Dedication Day events in Gettysburg, often held during drizzle and freezing temperatures.
____ The annual event commemorates the Nov. 19, 1863 dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. In addition to the weather, the fact that November 19 fell on a Saturday boosted attendance over previous years.
____ Since 1938, the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania has hosted Dedication Day ceremonies, said Gettysburg National Military Park superintendent, Bob Kirby. In recent years, the National Park Service and the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College have joined with the Lincoln Fellowship to host the event.
____ Kirby spoke to a crowd of several hundred people who came for the 148th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to hear keynote speaker, actor Stephen Lang. Lang portrayed Confederate General George Pickett in the Ron Maxwell movie Gettysburg and appeared in Avatar and Conan the Barbarian. He currently stars as Commander Nathaniel Taylor in the Fox television series Terra Nova.
____ Following the main ceremony a separate service was held to honor U.S. Colored Troops, who were interred in Lincoln Cemetery located behind Gettysburg Hospital. Pastor Stephen Herr of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church noted the African-American community that lived in Gettysburg were forced to flee their homes and seek shelter elsewhere during the war. While there were no organized U.S. Colored Troops that fought at Gettysburg, an active regiment was stationed at Camp Curtin, in Harrisburg.

See the November 24, 2011 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.

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Northern students share Thanksgiving meal with seniors

Photos by Curt Werner
Over 150 senior citizens living within the Northern York School district were served a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, November 17, in the high school cafeteria by student council members. In photo on left, a senior is served punch. In center photo, ninety-two year old Ruth Books is served ice cream by student council members Shannon Ford and Megan Myers. On right, a table of seniors visit over a Thanksgiving meal.

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Sixth grade saxophonist represents Northern at band festival

____ Emily Weaver, a sixth grader at Northern Middle School, recently performed at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association Youth Band Fest held November 4 at Ephrata Middle School. A talented alto saxophonist, Emily rehearsed with 150 students from fourteen schools and presented a concert to over 800 spectators. Her ability placed her first to represent the district at this event.

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