Alex J. Hayes

The Gettysburg Borough Council is one step closer to allowing libraries in the institutional zone. However, elected officials made it clear Monday that approval does not mean they are permitting the Adams County Library System to move its Gettysburg branch. That decision lies solely with the library system’s board of directors.  During their regular business

James Gettys Elementary School teachers visited the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Education meeting this week to tout the school’s many successes. Principal Ted Wells told the board he was proud of the school’s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) results and Acadience Reading K–6 benchmark goals. “We have really weathered the COVID storm

Gettysburg Borough Council began to tackle bus parking, code enforcement ticketing, the sidewalk ordinance, tow fees, and Stevens Run retaining walls during its February workshop. Borough workshops are held for the council, staff, and public to discuss issues before they are brought to a vote. No resolutions were reached in regards to the sidewalk ordinance,

The Fairfield Area School Board threw a Hail Mary to the varsity football program during its Feb. 12 meeting. High School Principal Brian McDowell said the district’s size has made it difficult to recruit new players. In 2009, 437 students attended Fairfield Area High School. Currently, 283 students are enrolled. Last year, The Knights ended

Franklin Township Elementary School’s success was on full display at the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Education meeting on Feb. 5.  Dr. Shelly Lappi, principal, brought several teachers, parents, and children to the meeting to tout the school’s accomplishments. Lappi’s presentation was part of an ongoing series of visits from school administrators at board

YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County CEO Melissa Leathery has submitted her resignation, according to a press release from the organization. Leathery joined the YW in July 2023. The YW has named an interim leadership team, the release states. The team includes YWCA Advocacy Director Nancy Lilley, Board Chair Lyne Aurand, Vice Chair Julie Haller, board

The Adams County Library System hopes to keep a branch in the Borough of Gettysburg. Similarly, the borough council seems committed to making that happen. At their workshop on Monday, council members expressed support for a zoning text amendment that will allow the library to build on the United Lutheran Seminary campus on the borough’s

The Gettysburg Borough Council unanimously named Matthew Moon its president during the governing body’s biennial reorganization meeting on Tuesday. He succeeds Wesley Heyser, who did not seek re-election. Councilperson Judith Butterfield will support Moon as council vice president. She succeeds Moon, who served as vice president last year. Moon, a Democrat and San Francisco native,

Changes to the Gettysburg Borough sign ordinance are on hold. During their meeting on Monday, the council unanimously voted to delay voting on proposed revisions until April 2024.  Councilperson Judie Butterfield was absent. The decision came after several public comments, including from the leaders of four business advocacy groups.  Carrie Stuart of Gettysburg Adams Chamber

The Gettysburg Area School District Board of Directors once again named Kenny Hassinger and Michael Dickerson its leaders during their annual reorganization meeting on Monday. Hassinger will serve as president and Dickerson will be vice president. The board first elected Hassinger president in December 2019 and reappointed him in December 2021. The board appointed Dickerson

When Sister Phyllis Simmons died at the Sisters of Mercy Center in Dallas, Pennsylvania, on November 23,  the St. Francis Xavier Catholic community and many throughout Adams County remembered her, mourned, and felt gratitude for her long service to St. Francis Xavier School. Sister Phyllis Simmons arrived at St. Francis Xavier School in 1972, beginning

Gettysburg Area School District leaders are working to enhance emergency communication. District Director of Safety and Security Jim O’Shea told the board on Monday that the administration is slowly rolling out the Raptor Alert System. O’Shea said the phone and computer app will allow staff and administrators to report emergencies in real-time and call 911

The Gettysburg Area Recreation Authority (GARA) is here to stay. At its meeting on Monday, the Gettysburg Borough Council unanimously approved a 25-year lease of the Gettysburg Rec Park between the borough and GARA. The Borough of Gettysburg and Cumberland Township formed GARA in 2013 as an intermunicipal authority with a primary purpose of managing

The Gettysburg Borough Council continues to take a deep dive into its proposed 2024 budget, having spent about 4 hours and 45 minutes on the topic in the past two weeks. The council made no decisions but is leaning towards approving several changes to the Gettysburg Parking department. Parking fees The seven-member body informally agreed

Gettysburg Area School District will soon have an official Warrior logo. At the school board meeting on Monday, Board President Kenny Hassinger announced the board plans to officially adopt the arrowhead logo it has been using for several years at its Nov. 6 meeting.  The resolution was created in response to Kierstan Belle’s announcement on

More students are applying to the Adams County Career and Technical Institute (ACTI) than the school can fit. To meet the demand and expand its programming, ACTI hopes to build a new campus. The school currently occupies a building on the Gettysburg Area High School campus. ACTI Administrative Director Sean Eckenrode told the Fairfield Area

Manager Charles Gable presented to the council on Monday a 2024 Gettysburg Borough budget proposal that includes a $711,489 deficit. To fill the fiscal hole, Gable suggests elected officials consider a combination of options. Those suggestions include raising property taxes, increasing overnight parking rates, increasing fees, or using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds. Gable

Gettysburg Area School District will begin elementary school renovations in the coming months at a total cost of $30 million. Improvements to James Gettys Elementary School will begin in March, Dennis Rumsey, senior complex solutions manager of Trane Technologies, told the board during its Oct. 2 meeting. Crews will begin “behind-the-scenes work” after school throughout

Oversized parking spaces in the Borough of Gettysburg will disappear after Oct. 8. In July, the borough council approved a 90-day pilot program that set aside some spaces for large vehicles. Council members believe more busses are visiting downtown businesses since General Pickett’s Buffet on Steinwehr Avenue closed earlier this year. The busses are welcome,

The Gettysburg Area School District will open all head coaching positions each season. Currently, the district has all winter coaching positions posted on its website. Superintendent Jason Perrin wrote in an email Friday that district and board leadership made the decision. Previously, the board approved coaches for one year and renewed the agreement annually.  “The

The Gettysburg Area School Board voted 6-2 Tuesday to retain a high school tennis coach whose employment has been the focal point of three meetings. At their meeting on Aug. 21, the Gettysburg Area School District’s Board of Directors voted to remove David Yates from the administration’s list of recommended hires. Yates, who is transgender

Fairfield Area School District’s Board of Directors is closer to making it easier for pupils who face hardships to graduate from high school. At their work session in August, Superintendent Thomas J. Haupt presented an updated policy on how to care for unstable students. Pennsylvania General Assembly’s Act 1 of 2022 necessitated Fairfield’s changes. The

The Gettysburg Area High School girls’ tennis team is beginning its fall season without an official coach. The district’s school board again decided not to act on a recommendation from its administration to reinstate Sasha Yates, who has coached the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams since 2018. The boys’ tennis team is not affected because

Gettysburg will forever be known as the town that changed the course of the American Civil War, but an emerging group of artisans also desire to grow its reputation as a cultural mecca. A local businesswoman, Timbrel Wallace, is helping them to achieve their dream. Wallace’s new store, Gettysburg Goods, solely features items made by

The Rev. Lou Nyiri and his wife, Candace, arrived in Gettysburg weeks after earning their Master of Divinity degrees from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1996. For 27 years they have been fixtures in the Gettysburg community, especially at Lou’s work, Gettysburg Presbyterian Church. Friends packed the church’s worship area on Sunday, July 9, to

Fairfield Area School District property owners will incur a 4 percent tax increase this year. The school board unanimously voted 8-0 to approve the 2023-24 budget. Board member Kelly Christiano was absent. The plan includes $21.2 million in revenue and $22.9 million in expenditures. During May’s workshop, Business Manager Tim A. Stanton told the board

The Rotary Club of Gettysburg celebrated another year of service to the community during its annual picnic Monday, June 26, at the Lake Heritage Community Center. Rotary is an international service organization with more than 46,000 clubs across the globe. The Gettysburg club, founded in 1920, has more than 70 members.  President David Kushner told

Boxes full of clothes, blankets, sheets, scarves, and gloves fill Natalie Raymond’s garage in Cumberland Township. The items are also filling her heart. About a year after the Ukraine native’s mother died in a Polish nursing home, Raymond channels her grief into energy to aid her homeland. When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022,

The future of the Fairfield football program was in the spotlight during June’s board of education study session. Several program supporters told the board that the district’s new coach, Jake Johnson, had announced at a meeting the night before the board meeting that he would recommend the district end the program.  The district hired Johnson

Father Bernardo Pistone loved the people of Saint Francis Xavier Gettysburg when he served as the parish’s pastor. Almost a decade has passed since the Italian native moved from here, but several of his former parishioners traveled to Lancaster on Sunday, June 11 to return the love. Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, where Pistone now resides,

The Gettysburg Choral Society is excited to kick off its summer-long salute to America. The society’s concert, “Let Freedom Ring!” will be held 8 p.m., Friday, May 26 at Trinity United Church of Christ, 60 East High Street, Gettysburg. The performance, under the direction of John McKay,  will feature some of our country’s favorite songs

A brew fest and trail run scheduled will benefit the preservation of a farm that served as a staging area and headquarters for Confederate Major General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s preparation and attack of the Union right flank on Culp’s Hill. The 2023 Gettysburg Brewfest & Trail 5K is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2023 at the

Adams Electric’s Member Meeting on March 21 started off as a fun affair. Hundreds of people packed into the Wyndham, Gettysburg ballroom and heard updates about their rural electric cooperative.  Director Thomas J. Knaub greeted many friends that evening, much like he had at many other member meetings since first taking office in 1999. Towards

 The United Way of Adams County celebrated the community’s many volunteers during its annual With Heart in Hand Awards Ceremony on April 24 at Gettysburg College. “It’s awe-inspiring to see the extent and breadth of volunteerism in Adams County and the amount of good that is done in our community,” Mike Jackman, United Way board

In 1964, as President Lyndon Baines Johnson led the country and war raged in Vietnam, a 16-year-old Emmett Patterson poured his first McDonald’s milkshake as a young crew member in Binghamton, New York. Fifty-nine years later, the owner of nine Gettysburg-area restaurants known for their hamburgers and iconic big arches has sold his stores and

Adams County is best known for apples and the three-day 1863 Civil War battle. Both are essential components of the rural southcentral Pennsylvania county’s history, but its story includes many more chapters. The Adams County Historical Society built a new museum, Gettysburg Beyond the Battle, to share the complete narrative. Beyond the Battle The museum,

A building that has stood at Gettysburg’s southern gateway for about 60 years is gone. Demolition crews destroyed the Gettysburg Tour Center store and ticket counter on Baltimore Street Thursday so construction can begin on a new facility. The Gettysburg Tour Center has operated in the same spot since the 1950s. The current building was

Gettysburg Area High School thespians are excited for the public to attend its spring musical, “Pippin,” this weekend. As told by a traveling troupe of actors led by the cunning and charming Leading Player (played by Emma Kirk), the show is the story of a young prince (played by Connor Peterman) who is searching for his own

The United Way of Adams County invites supporters to bid for a good cause at its annual purse auction. The organization’s 16th Annual Women’s Purse Auction returns to an in-person event Thursday, March 2 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Wyndham, Gettysburg. “Run for the Purses” will take on a Kentucky Derby theme so

Everyone has the power to prevent suicide, WellSpan Community Heath Education Coordinator Jayne Miller told the Kiwanis Club of Gettysburg Adams County Monday, Feb. 13. Sixty percent of people know someone who died by suicide, Miller said, and 20 percent will lose a family member by suicide. WellSpan provides several training sessions to help people

Gettysburg will have a new tour center in 2024. Demolition crews will destroy Gettysburg Tour Center’s store and ticket counter on Baltimore Street in February so construction can begin on a new facility, Felty Investments Owner Max Felty said Friday. The Gettysburg Tour Center has operated in the same spot since the 1950s. The current

Tom Jolin advocates for the Gettysburg Inner Loop with patience, kindness and a smile. If you have spoken to Jolin in the last 18 years, he undoubtedly mentioned the project. The loop is a bicycle and pedestrian path that surrounds Gettysburg with signage, bike racks and road markings. Healthy Adams County Bicycle Pedestrian Inc. (HAPBI)

Racist language covers a historic bridge in Cumberland Township. A cyclist riding over the John Eisenhower Bridge on Water Works Road in Cumberland Township recently found several racist words and a Nazi symbol painted on the structure, Patrolman Ryan Eiker wrote in a press release. The graffiti was reported Tuesday, Eiker reported, and discovered last

Adams County Controller John Phillips will not seek re-election in 2023. Phillips became the county’s second controller in 2020. The office was first created in 2012 as Adams County became a fifth-class county. Phillips said he and his wife Kim will relocate to New England after his term ends to be closer to their son,

Christmas is centered on traditions, so the thermometer reading 6 degrees at 8 a.m. on Dec. 24 could not stop dozens of people from gathering at the Gettysburg Area Middle School for the town’s annual Santa Run. The run, organized by local resident Jen Daniels, is designed to bring people together and help others. Participants

The United Lutheran Seminary’s Church of the Abiding Presence will fill with holiday sounds Friday evening during the Gettysburg Choral Society’s annual Christmas concert. Thirty-two auditioned singers under the direction of John McKay will present “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” at 8 p.m. in the chapel on the United Lutheran Seminary campus. Performing in the

The Gettysburg National Military Park will soon have more land thanks to the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association. The association recently purchased 50 acres of land across the road from the Historic Daniel Lady Farm on Route 116, Hanover Road, in Straban Township. Melvin Crouse, the land’s previous owner, valued preservation over development. “I didn’t want

Shopping in downtown Gettysburg has been fun for years. Now, it can be fun and games. Strategy-minded employees of Nerd Herd Gifts and Games created the Gettysburg Collect-A-Deck so shoppers can have fun while enjoying the downtown’s many offerings. Anyone who wants to play should first start at Nerd Herd on York Street for their

Hanover Auto Team Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Loni Smith told those gathered Tuesday morning at The Chamber of Gettysburg and Adams County’s Annual Community Prayer Breakfast co-sponsored by the Christian Men’s Business Connection that even the most challenging customer deserves a warm welcome. “You don’t know what is going on in there so just remember

Adams County Community Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Serpe has faith in people’s philanthropy. Last year, Giving Spree donors raised $3.08 million for county non-profit organizations. He was thrilled with the result, which made the Adams County Giving Spree the largest per-capita giving day in the country. But he thinks we can do

“I think we have accomplished so much in a little bit of time, and we just have more to go. I am very, very hopeful about the future and what this organization can be.”
– Tymia Q. Green, YWCA CEO

Everyone is feeling the pinch at the grocery store, but some Adams County residents are in extra pain. United Way of Adams County Executive Director Laura McMahon hopes the 16th Annual Bag the Bounty Food Drive will provide some relief. United Way and its partners ACNB Bank, Kennie’s Marketplace, and the Gettysburg Times aim to