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Most visits by US Presidents to Ireland have been ‘Irish vote’-related or homecoming trips to ancestral roots. Trips by Kennedy, Reagan, Obama, Clinton and Biden are cases in point. The visit in late August 1962 of Gettysburg’s most famous resident, former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was of another hue altogether. Eisenhower visited the town of

If it’s still feeling dark to you in the mornings and evenings these days, you’re not imagining it. Since the winter solstice on December 21,the daylight has been increasing, but through January the change is barely perceptible, and doesn’t occur evenly in the morning and evening. Around the solstices, the Sun’s apparent path along the

by Max Nesterak, Madison McVan and Alyssa Chen, Minnesota Reformer January 7, 2026 An ICE officer fatally shot a woman driving an SUV through her car window in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning. The deadly confrontation immediately ratcheted up the intensity of what was already a brutal crackdown on Minnesota and its immigrants by the

by Ian Karbal, Pennsylvania Capital-StarJanuary 6, 2026 Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation is largely falling along partisan lines when it comes to the Trump Administration’s move to take Venezuela’s president into custody – with notable exceptions. Smoke is seen over buildings after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard on Jan. 3, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to

The decisions the Gettysburg Area School Board made last year are not necessarily final. During Monday’s meeting, the current board discussed whether to remove a viewing platform and roof access path from a Warrior Stadium Team Room. The $2.1 million team room, including the platform and access path, was approved on Oct. 6 despite the

Gettysburg, PA — The Gettysburg YMCA, in partnership with the Adams County Arts Council, is proud to present the return of this, Dancing With the Local Stars, on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater. This high-energy community celebration features local “Stars” paired with their “Pros” for an unforgettable evening of performance, friendly competition, and

WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2026 at 3:46 p.m. on January 2. Baby Evelyn Rayne Ellis was born weighing 8 pounds, 13.5 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Her parents, Claudia and James Ellis of Biglerville, are celebrating the new arrival along with big sister Eowyn. Hospital staff reported that both mother

The Adams County Farmers Market (ACFM) has officially opened its vendor application for the 2026 season, inviting farmers, growers, food producers, bakers, artisans, makers, and more to apply for the upcoming market season. Entering its fourth year at the Gettysburg Rec Park, ACFM continues to grow as an agritourism destination and community hub, welcoming approximately

Nick Lovell, a fifth-generation Adams County native, local small business owner, and President of the Littlestown Area Board of School Directors, announced at a campaign event today that he is running as a Republican to represent the 91st District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The 91st District seat, which covers most of Adams County,

Christ Lutheran Church, at 30 Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg, welcomed the New Year with a family-friendly open house on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2025. The celebration ran from 7 to 10 p.m. and drew parishioners, neighbors, volunteers, and community members for an evening of music, activities, and fellowship. Guests enjoyed free live entertainment, light

Thanks to our amazing reporters and staff, we have published over 1,000 stories this year. Thanks to our sponsors and members, it was all possible. Thanks to everyone, and Happy 2026

January 2 from 5-7 pm – First Friday Art Exhibition and Reception @ Adams County Arts Center   Stop by to meet artists Doreen Lakiewicz and Lynn James and view their art while enjoying some free refreshments and convivial conversation. Free admission. www.adamsarts.org January 2 at 7 pm – Poetry First Friday @Ragged Edge Coffeehouse                    

Schmuck Lumber Ace Hardware is happy to announce the opening of its new greenhouse addition for the Gettysburg communities. It aims to provide local gardeners, homeowners, and plant enthusiasts with an expanded selection of plants, gardening supplies, and seasonal essentials. The new greenhouse continues to show Schmuck Lumber Ace Hardware’s commitment to serving the Gettysburg

On December 18, 2025, the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded $500,000 in Statewide Local Share Account (LSA) Program funds to the Adams County Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) for renovations of its Brighter Tomorrows Center. “The Brighter Tomorrows Center will allow us to provide more children and families with the resourcesand care they deserve,” said Elida Murray,

McSherrystown Borough Council voted unanimously to adopt the borough’s 2026 budget with no tax increase during its Dec. 10 meeting, highlighting fiscal stability and continuity of services for the coming year. Council members expressed appreciation to borough staff, particularly finance staff, for successfully preparing a balanced budget while maintaining existing services. The vote to adopt

Andrew Latham, Macalester College President Donald Trump is reportedly setting his sights on a Christmas peace deal in the Ukraine-Russia war. British and German troops observe a temporary truce on Christmas Day 1914. Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images The timing is apt. Every December, political leaders reach instinctively for the language of goodwill. Meanwhile, diplomats

District administrators devoted a substantial portion of the Littlestown Area School Board meeting on Monday, Dec. 8 to academic performance, instructional strategies, and student support initiatives, before the board moved into procedural business and a technology presentation later in the evening. In his administrative report, High School Principal Nathan Becker highlighted recent assessment data showing

Traffic impacts — not votes — dominated Monday’s Gettysburg Borough Planning Commission meeting, as members dissected a revised traffic impact study for the proposed Gettysburg Station development at 108 N. Stratton Street and debated whether new traffic controls are warranted near the Borough Square and surrounding residential streets. Borough Engineer Chad Clabaugh told the commission

State and local officials gathered on Lincoln Square this morning to announce that Gettysburg has been officially redesignated as a Pennsylvania Main Street community, a milestone that will strengthen downtown revitalization while preserving the borough’s historic character. The designation was announced by Rick Siger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, who

The Gettysburg Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend the creation of a new Seminary Ridge Historic District, a move aimed at extending historic protections to one of the borough’s most prominent and currently unprotected gateways. The new district would include the Lutheran Theological Seminary campus and surrounding properties along Route

The new Gettysburg Area School District Board of Directors expanded its leadership team on Monday by appointing committee chairs. Tim Seigman will serve as the district’s representative on the Adams County Technical Institute (ACTI) Joint Operating Committee. Justine Sieg, who joined the board earlier this month, will serve as the alternate member. ACTI’s Joint Operating

Healthy Adams County and the Gettysburg Area School District joined with the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church tonight for Bring Light to the Night, a Glow Walk centered on connection, compassion, and shared hope during one of the year’s most emotionally challenging seasons. As participants moved quietly around Lincoln Square and back to the church, glow sticks

Gettysburg Planning Commission Chair Charles Strauss said the borough’s newly adopted zoning ordinance represents a long-overdue effort to protect residential neighborhoods, simplify decades of amendments, and provide clearer guidance for future development. “One idea was to protect the residential districts,” Strauss said. “We did some work to remove uses in the R-1 and the R-2

“Love Came Gently” to the Gettysburg community on the twelfth day before Christmas as the Gettysburg Civic Chorus presented its traditional streaming Christmas concert live at the Gettysburg Area Middle School. On Saturday afternoon, the auditorium filled with enchanted friends and family who came to celebrate the spirit of the season with likely the longest-standing music

The Adams County Office for Aging, Inc. (ACOFA) next fundraising event will be its December Fundraiser Extravaganza is ongoing in December, raising raise funds to meet the essential needs of older adults in our community. Our goal is to raise $6,200 in 31 days, which is 10% of the monthly cost to keep our Personal

The November 6, 2025 Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree saw donors making larger gifts to a greater number of nonprofits than in prior years. In total, $4,342,196 was donated to 100 nonprofits. Of that, $1,261,600 was donated as “forever gifts,” adding to endowments to benefit the nonprofits designated by the donors. This year, 2,700

The Memorial Church of the Prince of Peace, Gettysburg’s Episcopal parish, will present the traditional Christmastime Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 13 at the church, 20 West High Street, Gettysburg. Everyone is welcome; free off-street parking is available in the rear of the church, and a reception with

The St. James Early Learning Center at St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2026 and on January 1 kicked off a year-long fundraising campaign https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z2WK/campaign/C-16537 with a goal of raising $35,000 to equip the center with new bookshelves, tables, chairs, rugs, and large toys. Organizers say the campaign will

The Gettysburg Department has announced it has arrested a subject in Thursday’s hit and run accident on the intersection of E. Broadway and Harrisburg Street (Old Harrisburg Rd) . A female subject was struck while crossing Harrisburg Street in the crosswalk by a blue sedan, possibly a Ford Focus or Fiesta, which immediately fled the

“Disney’s Alice in Wonderland jr.” — Gettysburg Community Theatre’s 2025 Penguin Project show — lit its stage with sentiment as bright as the Gettysburg Christmas Festival happening a block away in Lincoln Square this weekend. Directed by Chad-Alan Carr assisted by Kevin Foster, a troupe of special needs actors (some as young as 10) and

Adams County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking new landlords to participate in the housing choice voucher program and is offering signing bonuses. The housing choice voucher (HCV) program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.

St. James Lutheran Church welcomed families from Adams County on Saturday, December 6, 2025, for its annual Breakfast with Santa, part of the Gettysburg Christmas Festival. The free event was open to the public, and church members volunteered to serve a hot meal featuring pancakes, eggs, sausage, and assorted juices. The festive breakfast also included

Alice Broadway will lead the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Directors for the next year. The board unanimously voted on Monday for Broadway to replace Kenny Hassinger, whose term ended this year. Broadway moved to Gettysburg in 2010 when she enrolled in Gettysburg College. She served on the board in 2019 before beginning a

At its latest work session on Nov. 24, the Gettysburg Borough Council began preparations for rebidding the borough’s waste-hauling contract, a process complicated by past service issues and the challenges of switching haulers. Council President Matt Moon said the borough must finalize specifications soon, as the current Waste Management contract expires March 31. Staff outlined

The downtown streets of Historic Gettysburg are decked out handsomely in anticipation of the Gettysburg Christmas Festival, an annual three-day celebration that drew 15,000 visitors last year to “the Boro’s” small-town charm.   But even before the lovely tree lighting ceremony this Friday (12/5) in Lincoln Square kicks off, or before Santa, carolers, reindeer and a

Ivis García, Texas A&M University Picture this: You’re looking to buy a place to live, and you have two options. Option A is a beautiful home in California near good schools and job opportunities. But it goes for nearly a million dollars – the median California home sells for US$906,500 – and you’d be paying

The Straban Township Board of Supervisors passed its 2026 budget and discussed land development business at its final meeting of 2025. They voted unanimously to pass the budget for 2026. Supervisor Fred Kammerer summarized the budget as “No new taxes. It’s available if anybody wants to look at it any time.” During the public comment

Local residents are encouraging the Gettysburg Borough Council to delay its vote on the proposed comprehensive zoning ordinance update until after the first of the year when new councilmembers are seated, and to limit building heights to 48 feet in the revitalization district West of Carlisle St, as proposed by the Planning Committee. Gettysburg Connection

The sweet smell of gingerbread will be wafting through the halls at the Arts Education Center, 125 S. Washington St., Gettysburg, when the Adams County Arts Council opens its doors for the 16th Annual Gingerbread Celebration & Holiday Market. Sponsored by Kennie’s Markets, Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium, and RE/MAX of Gettysburg –

As volunteers lifted crates of milk, apples, potatoes, and other Pennsylvania-grown foods at the Gettysburg Rec Park on Wednesday, two top state officials joined them — underscoring what they said is a rapidly growing need for food assistance among military families. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Air National Guard Chief of Staff

On Baltimore Street in Gettysburg, in a compact studio that hums with the quiet energy of craft, Body and Soul Silversmith is introducing something both intimate and extraordinary. The shop’s new Touched™ collection transforms a loved one’s actual fingerprint into a fine-silver pendant, preserving a moment of human connection in metal meant to last generations.

As we step into the week of Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting on what this time of year means for our library and for the community we serve. The library is often described as a place of stories- but the truest stories are the ones created by the people who come through our doors. Every

Biglerville residents turned out in force today for a free prepared turkey dinner giveaway. Cars began lining up well before the noon kickoff at Biglerville Hose & Truck Co. No. 1. Biglerville Mayor Phil Wagner said 525 people came through the line, and the steady stream of vehicles made clear that the community was eager

by Jacob Fischler, Pennsylvania Capital-Star U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown. Details remain scant a week after Rollins during

Gerry Lanosga, Indiana University Long before the first shots were fired in the Civil War, beginning early in the 19th century, Americans had been fighting a protracted war of words over slavery. On one side, Southern planters and slavery apologists portrayed the practice of human bondage as sanctioned by God and beneficial even to enslaved

“Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection.” ~Drishti Bablani Sometimes when I ask folks about their interest in yoga, they express a timidness about coming into a group class setting, saying that youtube videos allow them to practice in the privacy of their own home. Some students have an image in their mind of

The Conewago Valley school board approved an Act 1 Index resolution and discussed a homeschool family’s request to gain district sponsorship for a music event during the board’s meeting on Monday evening. The Act 1 Index resolution states the district will not attempt to exceed the inflation index set by the state. For 2026-27, the

By Imari Scarbrough The Bermudian Springs school board approved an Act 1 Resolution on Tuesday evening, an early step in the 2026-27 budget process. The resolution agrees that the district will not exceed the Act 1 Index. For the 2026-27 school year, the calculated index for Bermudian Springs is 4.7%. Approving the resolution does not

The Memorial Church of the Prince of Peace, Gettysburg’s Episcopal parish, is hosting two special activities in conjunction with Gettysburg Remembrance Day, especially appropriate as parish is the only church in Gettysburg specifically dedicated as memorial to those who served in the Civil War.  Intended to be a place where all veterans, North and South,

Greetings from the Rec Park (GARA)!  The focus of this article will be on two main areas. The appreciation for our community giving back and supporting us as well as an invitation to assist us with activities for the 250th birthday of our country next July 4th. Here we go…… As we move into the

The Gettysburg Borough Council welcomed a new member, advanced a zoning ordinance, and formalized its intention to raise taxes during Monday’s meeting. A new council member was needed after Judie Butterfield’s death on Oct. 22. Butterfield joined the council to represent Ward 3 in 2019 when she was appointed to fill a vacancy created by

Upper Adams Intermediate School (UAIS) held its annual Veterans Day program today, welcoming community members, veterans, and families to a morning of reflection and gratitude. As guests arrived, they were warmly greeted and given flag pins before taking their seats in the auditorium. The ceremony began with patriotic performances by the UAIS Sixth Grade Band,

Friends of the Adams County Library (FOL) celebrated their yearly achievements at their breakfast and annual meeting today at the Harbaugh-Thomas Library in Biglerville. Linda Joswick, president of the Friends of Adams County Library, noted in her remarks that it has been a banner year for the Friends, with increased membership, new board members, and

The 2025 Adams County Farmers Market has wrapped up its most successful year ever, with record-breaking sales, growing community programs, and new vendors adding to the market’s mix of local flavor. “This year was a big success in a lot of different ways,” said Market Director Reza Djalal. “Combined vendor sales exceeded three quarters of

Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges was again rejected by the justices. This story was originally reported by Kate Sosin of The 19th. Meet Kate and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. The Supreme Court will not hear a case to overturn marriage equality, it announced on

by Jacob Fischler, Pennsylvania Capital-StarNovember 10, 2025 The Trump administration continued Monday to press the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn lower court decisions requiring the federal government pay for full benefits for a major food program, even as Congress appeared to approach an end to the record-breaking government shutdown. A ‘We Accept (Food Stamps)’ sign

Renovations to the Gettysburg Area School District Administration Building on Biglerville Road are delayed once again. On Monday, the board voted 3-6 to reject a proposal to begin design on the estimated $6.5-$7.5 million project.  The proposal centers around the need to upgrade the administration building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and the desire

Adams County Arts Council Executive Director Lisa Cordiano will step down from her position. “After thoughtful consideration, I’ve decided to step back from my full-time role as Executive Director at the end of November,” said Cordiano. “While I’m leaving day-to-day leadership, I’m working with the Board of Directors to determine how I might best continue

By Kenneth M. Evans, Rice University U.S. science always suffers during government shutdowns. Funding lapses send government scientists home without pay. Federal agencies suspend new grant opportunities, place expert review panels on hold, and stop collecting and analyzing critical public datasets that tell us about the economy, the environment and public health. In 2025, the

An Upper Adams School Board member wants the board to consider implementing a Spanish-English dual language immersion program for kindergarten through fifth grade. Marya Djalal, who attended Tuesday’s meeting virtually, presented her idea to the curriculum and extra-curricular committee. In a dual language immersion classroom, Djalal said students learn their regular subjects of reading, math,

Gettysburg Borough Council is poised to propose a 4.39% tax increase. The council reached a conclusion near the end of its third budget workshop on Monday, which one person attended. Members agreed a 0.2 mill tax increase is more palatable than last year’s 0.4 mill increase. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000

Gardening for this season is just about over, but you can still have time to do a few things that will make your spring easier to manage. First, consider cleaning up debris. Especially In the vegetable garden, any old plants and plant parts should be removed from the garden.  If the plant was diseased, put

Gettysburg Borough Council’s annual practice of examining the next year’s budget line by line has ended. The elected leaders now face three options–-cut $311,000 in expenses, fund the deficit from general fund reserves, or raise taxes and take some money from the reserve account. The $311,000 deficit would be more than double if the borough