Lebanon Daily News
RISING COSTS
Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel have been elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But recently released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread,...
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Board votes against renewal of two coaches’ contracts
Despite residents showing up in bulk to again defend two successful wrestling coaches, a majority of Palmyra Area School Board members voted not to renew their contracts for the 2026-27 school year. More than 35 residents, coaches, and team members...
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‘Thank God that he was there’
PAULS VALLEY, OK – Dollar store employee Melissa Melton sat in her car outside Pauls Valley High School, waiting to drop off her son and pick up her nephew, when she spotted the young man in the hoodie. He stood behind a tree close to the school. It...
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Century-long effort aims to keep nations White
Whiteness appears to be an official immigration credential in the eyes of the United States government. The Trump administration in late 2025 slashed the annual cap on refugee admissions to 7,500 for budget year 2026, down from the 125,000 cap set in...
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20 people become U.S. citizens at ceremony
Naman Patel has been living in Lebanon County as an immigrant since he was 3-years-old. The now 18-year-old University of Pittsburgh student originally said he started the process of becoming a citizen to formalize being part of the country that he...
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‘Think about their courage’
There have been more than 27,358 police officers killed in the line of duty in the United States since the first recorded police death in 1786, according to Lebanon City Police Chief Eric Sims. In Pennsylvania, the total number is 1,195 officers killed...
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STAYING PREPARED
On Saturday, May 9, Devon Doll was sitting in a Palmyra High School chemistry class room when he heard gunshots. “I didn’t see much, because the door was closed and there was something blocking the window, but from what we heard there was a few shots,...
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AI-integrated cameras raise alarms
For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. h Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. h In thousands of towns and cities across the United States, automatic license plate readers have...
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Freeze wipes out some crops in Lebanon County
A late freeze in April impacted farms across central Pennsylvania, including an orchard in Lebanon County. On Thursday, Honey Bear Orchards in North Annville Township announced that it would not be able to open for the 2026 season due to a mid-April...
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AMISH TO CEO
The pins in Lizzie Ens’ dress were placed thoughtfully and meticulously. Scorn and judgment could certainly come otherwise. Or worse. An eternity in hell awaited little girls who didn’t place their pins perfectly. h The pins must be perfect, and...
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Prayer event largely focused on one religion
WASHINGTON – A national prayer event meant to unite the country will largely reflect just one faith. President Donald Trump’s May 17 National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving on the National Mall is designed to “gather a broad assembly of...
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Indiantown Gap Cemetery to host Echo Taps ceremony
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery will host its 20th annual Echo Taps Ceremony on May 16. The ceremony starts at 11 a.m. in front of the cemetery’s Administration Building with a traditional three-volley rifle salute by the Vet 21 Salute Honor Guard of...
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America250Pa needs volunteers for July 4
Lebanon America250Pa organizers are looking for volunteers for the upcoming July 4 festivities at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center celebrating the United States’ semiquincentennial anniversary. Organizers are working towards getting the word out about...
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Protesters rally against proposed data centers
Lebanon County residents rallied along Route 422 to voice opposition and share their concerns about a proposed $1.7 billion data center in South Annville Township. Motorists traveling down Route 422 Saturday, May 2, were greeted with signs of “Protect...
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Microplastics could be overestimated
It seems like every day a new study finds tiny plastic particles called microplastics where they should not be: in our bodies and our food, water and air. h Yet finding and identifying microplastics is extremely challenging, especially given their...
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Palmyra council gets leadership shake-up
Palmyra Borough Council got a leadership shake-up as a new member and new vice president were selected during the April 28 meeting. Council members unanimously voted for Karen Nye to fill a vacant position after former vice president Sheila Snyder...
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A store built on love and hope
Heart to Heart Thrift organizers celebrated the grand opening of their new Jonestown store April 27, which is dedicated to helping survivors and women battling breast cancer. Heart to Heart is a nonprofit organization that was created in February...
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U.S. highly unlikely to run out of oil
The pain at the pump is real for Americans, but the chances of the United States running out of gasoline are fairly low. Why? Because over the past 15 years, the nation has become more self-sufficient, relying less on imports for our crude oil – the...
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Prediction markets see explosive rise
Though prediction markets have been legal in the United States for less than 18 months, they can’t stop making news and making money. On prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, users can stake real money on just about anything, from the...
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Contractors respond to Palmyra school officials about building options
Contractors asked Palmyra school officials to consider keeping and using the new administrative building on South Forge Road, saying selling the $4.3 million building in any form may potentially cost taxpayers millions of dollars with no benefit to the...
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States mull ways to deal with abuse
Some states are trying a new approach to domestic violence prosecution, making family psychological intimidation illegal. Such laws are coming under the national spotlight after a Louisiana man fatally shot his seven children and their cousin April...
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Farmers betting on peas, lentils amid protein craze
CHICAGO – Aaron Smith, a fifth-generation pea and lentil farmer in northern Idaho, says the dizzying rise of GLP-1 medications and a social media-fueled protein craze may be his farm’s only path to profit this year. The farm economy has been pummeled...
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Food aid doesn’t make people loafers
Millie Morales believes in hard work. h “I feel that as an American citizen, we all have a great opportunity to be able to improve our life,” the 58-year-old woman explained in an interview I conducted with her in 2025. “Are you willing to put in the...
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These medics redefine care before the ER
LANCASTER — Lancaster County paramedic Vickie Martin is starting her day by clambering into her Ford Expedition, a hulking SUV with a chilly, December rain spattered over its windows and EMS logos painted on its side. She affectionately calls her ride...
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Ping-pong robot beats top-level human players
An autonomous robot ping-pong player dubbed Ace has achieved a milestone for AI and robotics in Tokyo by competing against, and sometimes defeating, top-level human players at table tennis, a feat that could presage an array of other applications for...
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World’s great fish migrations collapsing
Hidden beneath the surface of the world’s rivers, some of Earth’s great animal movements unfold – migrations that rival, in sheer biomass, the famous mass movements of zebra and wildebeest across the Serengeti. h For centuries, fish migrations were as...
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‘It’s an overall wonderful program’
Lebanon resident Melissa Gillette was attempting to reapply for certification as a nursing assistant. Gillette’s original certification had lapsed, forcing her to retake the state test. While she passed the written portions, she failed the skills...
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Patel sues The Atlantic, claiming false reporting
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick following the publication of an article on April 17 alleging the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national...
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Latino vote shifting away from Trump, GOP
In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump dramatically improved his performance among nearly all groups of voters from four years earlier. Trump’s growth among Hispanic voters was especially notable, increasing by more than 10 points from 2020 to...
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Steel site reborn for local businesses
The efforts to rejuvenate the former Bethlehem Steel building into a space for local businesses to thrive is underway, with the owner hoping to open the doors in October. Common Craft Development, with partner Funks Construction, hosted a...
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Officials hear concerns about data center proposal
Lebanon County residents took their concerns to the Lebanon County commissioners about a proposed $1.7 billion data center in South Annville Township. More than 30 residents came to the commissioner’s workshop meeting April 15, where 1235 Martina...
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Hurricane season outlooks stir worries
Tempted to take hurricane season a little more lightly this year because early seasonal outlooks call for fewer than the average number of storms? Weather and disaster experts would like a word. They fear these attention-grabbing forecasts for...
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Palmyra H.S to hold emergency exercise
Palmyra Area High School will host local first responders for a full-scale emergency exercise on Saturday, May 9, to prepare for potential future school safety related incidents. The Palmyra Area School District is partnering with the Lebanon County...
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Snow drought presents climate stress test
Across much of the Western United States, winter 2026 was the year the snow never came. Many ski resorts got by with snowmaking but shut down their winter operations early. Fire officials and water supply managers are worried about summer. Where I...
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School board discusses options for new building
As Palmyra school officials continue exploring legal options to potentially exit a contract for a new administrative building, board members contemplate selling the $4.3 million building after construction is completed. Palmyra School Board members...
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Why third partie perform best in Northeast U.S.
A majority of Americans say they are “frustrated” or “angry” – or both – with Republicans and Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center. But that rarely translates into support for independent or third-party candidates. One exception has been in...
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Neighbors alert residents to Palmyra house fire
Firefighters are on the scene of a twoalarm, multi-dwelling house fire in Palmyra on Friday, April 10. The fire started at 204 N. Chestnut St. in the borough at 2:02 p.m. Officials reported that no one was injured in or battling the fire. Neighbors...
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PAYING THEIR SHARE
Taxes are due by April 15 for the Amish and their neighbors alike. Contrary to some misconceptions, Amish individuals and businesses pay many of the same federal, state and local taxes as everyone else, often with the help of certified public...
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Pentagon opens doors to other AI
WASHINGTON – Small defense industry artificial intelligence startups are suddenly fielding calls from generals, combatant commanders and deep-pocketed investors, after the souring relationship between the Pentagon and its oncefavored AI vendor,...
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The high cost of U.S. health care
IBut it also reflects a complex system fraught with competing interests – and the fact that patients, hospitals, health insurance companies and drug manufacturers change their behaviors in conflicting ways when faced with new rules. Soaring...
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Lebanon Co. updates mail-in ballot policy
Lebanon County residents who submit mail-in ballots with mistakes will have more opportunities to fix them under a new policy. County commissioners, who also make up the election board, voted unanimously on April 2 to approve updates to the mail-in...
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Successor
After a two-year experimental run, an updated track forecast cone graphic moves into a starring role with the National Hurricane Center this summer. The new graphic, to debut when the first tropical storm forms, is one of several changes the hurricane...
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Public defender shortage ripples across legal system
The Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 5 issued a ruling that will have a wide impact. More than 1,400 criminal cases had to be dismissed, the justices ruled, due to lack of adequate counsel available for defendants. Like other states, Oregon must provide...
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Commissioners meet with local protesters
Lebanon County Commissioners met with protesters regarding their concerns about ICE enforcement amid a growing number of 287(g) agreements with local police agencies. The elected officials did not, however, make a formal vote on a proposed resolution...
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Local classics worth a trip
Our USA TODAY Network food writers love spotlighting great new restaurants, but there’s something about oldschool classics that warms our hearts. These outposts of Americana offer great old stories, classic recipes and the comfort of knowing a place...
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SNAP-Ed saved money, helped Americans eat healthier
If the government had found a way to save $10 for every dollar it spent helping low-income people get healthier, wouldn’t it make sense for it to keep doing that? Well, that’s exactly what the U.S. government did when it piloted the SNAPEd program in...
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MEMORIAL WALK
Before March 31, 2022, Lt. William Lebo would walk most days into work at the Lebanon Police Department. In inclement weather, the 40-year police veteran would often take his green and white striped golf umbrella. “Lt. Lebo used to walk this route...
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Officials move forward on potential police merger
Municipal officials of Lebanon County’s two regional police departments want to move forward with a potential merger that would create a 40-officer department covering five municipalities. The Lebanon County Regional Police Commission and the Western...
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School officials look to expand full-day programs
Palmyra school officials are considering options to have an all inclusive full-day kindergarten classes in the Lingle Avenue Elementary School. Several Lingle kindergarten teachers spoke with the Palmyra Area School Board during its meeting March 26...
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Protesters say ‘No Kings’ to Trump’s policies
Motorists passing by Fisher Veterans’ Memorial Park Saturday, March 28, were greeted to the chants of more than 600 protesters again shouting “No Kings” to various motorists. Among their number was Lebanon Valley College students Mia Perilli, Hallie...
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Mayor Capello says Lebanon is thriving
Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello highlighted a new crime reporting system, economic development and housing concerns during her annual State of the City address on Wednesday. Speaking to a packed house at a Community of Lebanon Association luncheon in the...
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Cuba talks in the hands of Rubio
MIAMI – For Marco Rubio, disdain of the Cuban government was practically a birthright. Raised among Cuban exiles in Florida, his political ascent from local politician to U.S. senator was propelled by an unwavering hard-line toward Fidel Castro and...
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Store’s ads used by White nationalists
PROVIDENCE, RI – For the last 15 years, apparel and accessories brand Kiel James Patrick has sold an aspirational image of preppy, coastal New England life, gaining more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Lately, though, some of the brand’s...
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‘Trump slump’ hit U.S. tourism in 2025
With an upcoming FIFA World Cup being staged across the nation, 2026 was supposed to be a bumper year for tourism to the United States, driven in part by hordes of arriving soccer fans. And yet, the U.S. tourism industry is worried. While the rest of...
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Union: TSA ‘desperate’ for end to shutdown
DENVER – Day after day, flight after flight: Cancun. Orlando. Honolulu. Happy families and college students heading off on spring break vacations are being helped every day by 61,000 unpaid Transportation Security Administration workers. The...
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Target boycott garners more public attention
When Atlanta pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant called off his yearlong Target fast, the announcement set off fireworks. At a hastily convened news conference March 11 in front of Target’s Minneapolis headquarters, grassroots activists denounced Bryant and...
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Movement fights mental health crisis
AT TOP: Poor mental health among teens and young adults has become a growing crisis. Jayla Cole never experienced the carefree teenage years. She could not get a driver’s license because of epilepsy and frequent seizures. She didn’t want to take...
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Trump’s ‘war on fraud’ a 50-state problem
President Donald Trump declared a new “war on fraud” during his State of the Union, embracing a task that has eluded presidents for decades. He even tapped his vice president to lead the effort. “This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric...
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Study: Quitting GLP-1s can risk heart health
People who quit taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic might not only gain back lost weight. They also might be jeopardizing their heart health, according to a new report. A study of Veterans Affairs patients published March 18 found those who quit the...
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AI school flips learning on its head
Matt Shenker recently witnessed a group of fourth and fifth graders at Alpha School Scottsdale doing what he said boys that age do: calling each other fat and making jokes at each other’s expense. At most schools, a teacher or staff member would step...
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Israel kills another top Iranian official
Israel said it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister in its second targeted killing of a top leader in two days, as President Donald Trump suggested he might abandon the task of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, Iran’s huge Pars...
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Board censures member over social media comment
Lebanon School District officials approved a public censure against a board member’s ‘discriminatory’ social media comments March 16, and called for him to resign. In a 8-1 vote, Lebanon Area School Board of Directors passed a resolution calling for...
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Venezuela’s students reclaim the streets
In mid-February, hundreds of students from Venezuela’s most prestigious university did the once unthinkable: Their protest left the campus of the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas and spilled out into a nearby street. Before the U.S. military...
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Local shelter expansion begins
The Lebanon Rescue Mission broke ground on March 12 on its Agape Safe Haven expansion project, which, when completed, will significantly increase the mission’s capacity to serve people experiencing homelessness. The new facility will be located across...
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Controversial beaver pond may get removed
Years of debates over beavers on the Gettysburg battlefield have been reignited amid reports that federal officials are pushing local staff for the eviction of a colony of beavers on the Gettysburg battlefield. A recent call to action from the South...
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Wanted: Volunteers to host nuclear waste
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s plan to unleash a wave of small futuristic nuclear reactors to power the AI era is falling back on an age-old strategy to dispose of the highly toxic waste: bury it at the bottom of a very deep hole. But there’s...
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Garman Builders to open new housing development
Garman Builders is preparing to open a new single-family home community in South Annville Township, with a public grand opening scheduled for March 14. County and local officials, along with members of the Annville-Cleona School District, attended a...
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MALARIA FIGHT MOVES FORWARD
Every year, malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide. Most of them are children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. But the disease isn’t confined to poor, rural areas – it’s a global threat that travels with people across borders. For decades, the...
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Red Cross honored for Lebanon Co. service
American Red Cross officers are calling on donors to help the national blood supply recover following a severe shortage, with county officials recognizing the organization’s efforts within the Lebanon community. During their meeting March 5, the...
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Civil rights veterans see familiar repression
Federal immigration agents in military gear roam city streets, wielding tear gas, pepper spray and firearms against protesters. They forcibly enter homes to make warrantless arrests. Bystanders who record enforcement actions are swept up and...
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Officials table ICE protesters’ resolution
Lebanon County Commissioners did not take an official vote on a proposed resolution Thursday, March 5, that would discourage local law enforcement from assisting with non-criminal immigration enforcement actions. The resolution, presented to...
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Protesters still call for a Rep. Meuser town hall
Nearing the one year anniversary of calling for a public town hall with U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, Mondays with Meuser protesters say they will be bringing their concerns about potential increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence to county...
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Trump looks for loyalty from his ambassadors
Just before Christmas, President Donald Trump fired more than two dozen career ambassadors. The action was unprecedented, providing a clear signal that when it comes to diplomacy, Trump values loyalty above all else. All ambassadors face a persistent...
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HACKING THE GRID
The darkness that swept over the Venezuelan capital in the predawn hours of Jan. 3 signaled a profound shift in the nature of modern conflict: the convergence of physical and cyber warfare. While U.S. special operations forces carried out the dramatic...
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Palmyra board OKs $2.1M HVAC fix for local school
Palmyra school officials approved a $2.1 million contract to replace 58 HVAC units at Pine Street Elementary after the district discovered a mold issue in the summer of 2025. Elected school board members approved the $2.1 million contract with the...
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Dubai’s safe-haven status put to the test
DUBAI – For decades, Dubai’s sales pitch featured gleaming skylines, taxfree salaries, ease of doing business and something far more intangible: the unspoken promise that whatever was happening elsewhere in the Middle East, this city was different. The...
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