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Shaving cream in a toothpaste tube. Salt in the coffee. Guess what? ... NO SCHOOL! April Fools jokes. On April Fools Day, many scheme pranks up to pull on teachers, friends, or parents. A few laughs are had or feelings are hurt, and that’s that.  However, last March, PennDOT decided that they had had enough of the jokes. This plan was for real.  The signs went up warning travelers of the work that was about to begin on the 741/Village Road bridge. It read as follows: THIS BRIDGE WILL BE CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION STARTING APRIL 1. It was no April Fools joke. Starting on April 1, 2015 and ending seven months later on November 16, 2015, the bridge closure caused nearly 5,400 drivers to frequently detour on Lampeter Road, Penn Grant Road, and Strasburg Pike. The bridge was closed in both directions for more than six months LSNews.org file photo The bridge was closed to repair bridge parapets while widening the final product. A parapet is a low wall along the side of a ...

A photo posted by LS News (@lspioneernews) on Dec 3, 2015 at 7:37am PST While the majority of students from Lampeter-Strasburg will likely spend their Monday off to sleep in after an extended weekend full of Thanksgiving celebration, young hunters will wake as early as 3:30 AM in preparation for the first day of the annual deer hunting season. L-S senior Mason Hess is an avid hunter Senior Mason Hess will certainly be one of these early risers, getting out of bed before dawn to gather his equipment, including his hunting license, appropriate ammunition, extra layers of clothing, a knife, a pair of binoculars, water and candy for passing the time, and of course, his firearm of choice. He then travels to a wooded property in the area or occasionally to a private plot of land his family frequents in Bradford County. Eleven years earlier, Hess first learned the tricks of the trade by both his father’s and his grandfather’s instruction. He now hunts alongside the t...

John Kieley's science-fiction / fantasy space saga, "Space Gladiators" continues in this stop motion Lego short film. Related: " Space Gladiators" saga continues artwork by John Kieley Related:   More  'Space Gladiators" artwork by John Kieley Related:   Even more  'Space Gladiators" artwork by John Kieley Related:   View other weekend edition content

Mixed Media Drawing on wood panel by Madison Grebinger. Related:   View other weekend edition content

The recent terrorist attack on Paris has shaken the world and invigorated our determination to end the reign of ISIS in the middle-east before they can commit another brutal attack. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by the atrocity. We do not know whether this event is an isolated incident or the beginning of a series of attacks from ISIS with the effort of demoralizing the world and showing their strength. This would be an ironic methodology as this attack has only made us angry. ISIS’s increased warmongering is attracting the attention of countries that previously stayed out of the business of fighting terrorists. One month ago France had no intention of going to war yet now they are committed to the cause, with their president vowing to destroy the perpetrators of the recent attacks in Paris. France has had terrorism problems in the past such as the Charlie Hebdo shooting earlier this year, but this recent savage attack in Paris has pushed the French to the edge...

In the past few weeks, we have covered major news when it comes to the fossil fuel industries: the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, the rejection of the Keystone XL, the global economic standpoint on natural gas, local movements against the industries, y outh movements against the industries.  Now’s the time to introduce the best solution to climate change we have so far. Intriguing, no? All of us have heard the term “greenhouse gases” thrown around in climate dialogue, but what do they really do? These sly gases, namely carbon dioxide, essentially trap heat energy. The more gases, the higher the atmospheric temperature, the smaller the iconic iceberg beneath the polar bear. All around, the effects of increased greenhouse gas concentration are negative. And I could bring up a bunch of scientific arguments and facts in hope that you would care or even listen, but there are only so many “our oceans are dying” and “air is becoming unbreathable” statements the general popula...

Finishing the season 9-3, the Pioneers took another step in the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs, but will have to move on from several key seniors next year. L-S lost in the second round of the playoffs 54-20 to Solanco. The Pioneers' biggest strength this year was the passing game -- star quarterback Bear Shank joined the 7000-yard club -- and their ability to create turnovers, helping them blow out many opponents in the regular season. However, the defensive secondary made a few key errors that allowed big plays, but this weakness ultimately had little bearing on the outcome of games. Injuries also hurt the Pioneers, losing players such as Darren Metz, Merek Hilliker and a hobbled Shane Lawler for the playoffs, and even losing Garrett Groshong during the last game. There are many seniors on the team this year, but as noted at the beginning of the season, many more sophomores. This sets the Pioneers up for success the next two years; that's not to say key losses inc...

Fetterolf’s Fiction: Creative Writing Selections Part of an ongoing series of creative writing selections from Ms. Fetterolf's creative writing class. Check back next weekend for another installment. BC by  Makenna Glessner I hear my own heartbeat in my already spinning head. This is the third night this week I have found myself running. Concealed by this dark alleyway, I am still able to hear everything they say about me on their boxy radios. “We are still on the lookout for BC. They have yet again placed a painting on the MET walls without being caught. We have no motive to why BC would hang their personal art, but the public seems to love it. Who is BC?!. Everyone is going crazy trying to find this mysterious artist. At this point we believe they're around five six but have no lead to what he or she looks like. We have no further evidence.”

Artwork from John Kieley's science-fiction / fantasy space saga, "Space Gladiators" continues

During American Education Week, many students thank their teachers either verbally or through small tokens of appreciation. A frequently forgotten group that helps school run smoothly is the support staff, which consists of custodians, cafeteria workers, and aides to name a few. And it is to that dedicated group of professionals that we say “thank you”. Every school has them, although probably fewer than several years ago, as their jobs can be the first to go under the budgetary chopping block. In fact, according to data extrapolated from obnoxiously long and convoluted spreadsheets downloaded from State Department of Education's website, there has been a 5.5% decrease in the number of support staff employed in Lancaster County’s public schools in the last three years, a rather disturbing statistic considering the challenges facing today’s public schools. This decrease leaves more work for the remainder of the support staff, as there is certainly not a 5.5% decrease in the amo...

Just a day after the induction of new National Honor Society members, the Tri-M Music Honor Society does the same. However, the criteria are a tad different. Terms such as half note, quarter rest, or cut time are the normal language of a member to this society. Tri-M -- formerly known as Modern Music Masters -- is designed to recognize students for their musical achievements and to provide leadership and service opportunities to young musicians.  Last month, nineteen eager musicians waited in the music hallway to audition for the society. Some held guitars; while others held music to a song they were going to sing. Any instrument was acceptable. The officers of Tri-M -- Megan Doolittle (president), Mackenzie Miller (vice president), Jarrod Lloyd (secretary), and Kelly Harnish (treasurer) -- along with music teachers Mr. Larry Royer and Mr. Erik Welchans served as the audition judges. As each musician performed, the following criteria were examined for acceptan...

Congressman Joe Pitts  Official House Portrait Since 1997, Congressman Joe Pitts, who resides in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has represented Pennsylvania's Sixteenth Congressional District in the House of Representatives. LSNews.org editor-in-chief Benjamin Pontz had the opportunity to ask him seven questions relevant to high school students and the Lampeter-Strasburg community. Here is what he said: Q: A few months ago, you were quoted as saying, “ There are too many tests. We have testing galore. Teachers are teaching to the test. ” You voted against No Child Left Behind in 2001, the support of a Republican president notwithstanding. Recently, President Obama announced his support of limiting educational time spent on testing to 2%. Do you support the President’s proposal? What role should the federal government have in legislating education? A: I used to teach math and science at a public school, and so I have a different perspective from many other legisla...

After Ms. Kim Kann was convicted of disorderly conduct in a July hearing resulting from events in April, she appealed her case. Though the appeal hearing was originally scheduled for a date in October, a scheduling conflict came up, and Kann’s anticipation for the whole ordeal grew. It reached its climax today in courtroom four of the Lancaster County Courthouse. Judge Louis Farina presided over the hearing, which involved a 24-minute video recording displaying the events from a Conestoga Township meeting in April. Kann had many friends in attendance. Those friends gathered together just before 10 o’clock this morning in the Courthouse lobby in support of Kann. Although not necessarily  familiar with the legal processes, spirits were high as they exchanged stories and handshakes. This loyal crowd included a few photographers, Kann’s middle school social studies teacher, several people who spoke at the same meeting at which Kann was arrested, and an LNP report...

The LSHS National Honor Society inducted 36 new members last night. Several weeks ago, the hectic application process began for juniors and seniors. Although a limited percentage of those that applied were actually accepted into the club, the inductees still more than doubled the returning 15 members. These 15 students assisted in a tag day breakfast on November 6 to welcome the newest recruits. While they were relieved that the stress of applying was over, students were also warned that missing a meeting could result in expulsion from the club. A group photo of the inductees and current members The tag day meeting also entailed a fundraiser and some community service ideas. The 2015-2016 officers, which include Robin Feaster, Bri Garber, Emily Deardorff, Chaz Wolf, and Alyssa Van Lenten, plan to make NHS more service based, which coincides with the service requirement for applying. The actual induction ceremony last night ran smoothly thanks to all the hard work put...