• Elizabethtown/Hershey KOA campground sold to investors: A family-owned franchise of Kampgrounds of America, or KOA, has been sold to real estate investor KCN for $5.23 million. KCN has a history of adding “luxury” features to campgrounds. The family had owned the campground for over 30 years. While a member of the family said that guests should expect much of the same experience, the new owners plan to add amenities such as longer-term campsites, a pickleball court, and patios. Currently the campground’s amenities include two swimming pools, multiple playgrounds and mini golf. A KCN spokesperson said the location of the campground was attractive to them due to its proximity to HersheyPark and Lancaster County attractions. (Source: LNP)
• Lancaster home rule commission awarded for fiscal responsibility: State officials recognized Lancaster city’s Home Rule Study commission for helping to address the city’s budget deficit. Governor Shapiro presented an award to the commission alongside 19 municipalities, for innovation and creativity in local government. Specifically, the Home Rule Study commission received an award for fiscal accountability and best management practices. Five months after the city’s voters approved the home rule charter, the commission raised city taxes by .5% which will allow the city to not have to raise taxes for another 10 years. Lancaster has been facing a $10 million budget deficit. The income tax is set to generate $15.7 million this year. (Source: LNP)
• Lancaster County president judge says court delays may result out of courthouse security shortage: President Judge Leonard G. Brown III wrote to the Lancaster Bar Association that an ongoing lack of security at the county courthouse could lead to cancellations and delayed proceedings. Brown said the problem is significant, though he says he has given the individual judges’ discretion whether to delay their cases. Judges have often been operating their courtrooms without security, according to Brown. He has talked to County Commissioner Josh Parsons, who said that he plans to help solve the problem. He said one of the reasons for it is a policy which tasks the courthouse security with serving warrants for judges. (Source: LNP)
• NTSB releases report on March plane crash: The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on a Lancaster County plane crash in March. The NTSB said that shortly aftet taking off from the Lancaster Airport, a loud “pop” was heard and the plane’s door opened. One passenger held the door closed. The plane began to shake after this, and the pilot attempted to pull the throttle back, then back forward. The plane did not accelerate, leading to the pilot attempting to look for a place to land. He said he did not recall anything afterward. The airport’s control tower was contacted about the open door, asking for clearance to return. Shortly before the crash, the control tower advised the pilot to “pull up.” The plane crashed into a parking lot, damaging several cars but not injuring anyone on the ground. (Source: ABC 27)
• Nation/world: Sharp dollar sell-off leads to investor worries over loss of trust in U.S. (Source: AP News) U.S. Senator meets with wrongly deported man in El Salvador (Source: BBC News) U.S.-born American citizen detained by ICE released after protests (Source: NBC News) Hamas formally rejects Israel’s ceasefire offer due to disagreements over ending war (Source: BBC News)
