Gettysburg Times (Newspaper) - February 15, 2010, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania VOL. 108, NO. 38 GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2010 50¢ ADVERTISE IN THE TIMES - Call: 717- 334- 1131 E- MAIL: news@ gburgtimes. com sports@ gburgtimes. com WEB: www. gettysburgtimes. com Classifieds .................. B10- B11 Comics ................................. B6 Crossword .......................... B10 Deaths .................................. A2 Horoscope ............................ B6 Lottery .................................. A3 Opinion ................................ A4 Sports ............................. B1- B4 INSIDE F OLLOW U S O N : Preparing for Fat Tuesday D ARRYL W HEELER / G ETTYSBURG T IMES David Shaffer, left, turns the fastnachts over as Brad Becker, center, removes the finished ones from the oil. Pictured at right is Corwyn Smith who is waiting to unload a tray of the delicious treats. St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg made about 200 dozens fastnachts on Sunday and are planning on making about 1,000 dozen for Tuesday. GASD budget opponents organize BY JOHN MESSEDER Times Staff Writer A group of Gettysburg Area School District residents disappointed in the district’s preliminary budget will meet Monday evening at the Pike Restaurant and Lounge to discuss future plans. Organizer and Franklin Township resident William Hewitt said Sunday night he expected “ in the neighborhood of 30” to attend. “ Many of the people participated in a task force effort last fall, organized by the school district,” he said. Hewitt said the task force, comprised of non- school board members of the GASD community, “ looked at ( the upcoming budget) over a five- to- six week period and felt that the school district and school board had not done everything they could to minimize spending.” He said the school board gave the group a list of suggested budgetary areas to consider. Among them, he said, were “ not worthy to look at,” ( See OPPONENTS on Page A3) BY ALEX J. HAYES Times Staff Writer Shortly after 5: 30 a. m., Sunday, teenagers and adults started to arrive at St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg. Not for an early morning sermon, but for several hours of mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting and deep frying dough in preparation for the day of indulgence. Tuesday is Fastnacht Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. Members of many Christian denominations, including Lutherans and Catholics, fast during the Lenten Season, the 40 days before Easter spent preparing for Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The day before Ash Wednesday, many Pennsylvania Dutch would rid their cupboards of any fattening products and fry them into donut- like pastries called fastnachts. There is no widely agreed upon recipe for fastnachts, but Amy Beck, youth minister at St. James, said the church quickly learned during its nowannual sale’s inaugural year in ( See FASTNACHTS on Page A5) Fastnacht sale benefits St. James Youth Ministry D ARRYL W HEELER / G ETTYSBURG T IMES Hannah Gardner dips a fastnacht in some powered sugar before placing it in a box on Sunday “ When you bypass the referendum — when you tell the people your vote doesn’t count — that’s not smart.” — William Hewitt, Franklin Township C AROLYN K ASTER / A SSOCIATED P RESS Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania attorney general, right, and Pat Toomey shake hands after accepting their endorsements during the Republican Party of Pennsylvania's Annual Winter Meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday. BY PETER JACKSON Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG, ( AP) — The Republican State Committee overwhelmingly endorsed Tom Corbett for governor and Pat Toomey for U. S. Senate on Saturday after rejecting conservatives’ call for the party to stay neutral in the May 18 primary. Corbett also revealed to reporters that he has pledged in writing to oppose any tax increase if he is elected governor — a commitment he has previously stopped short of making — but did not mention it in his speech. Corbett signed the “ taxpayer protection pledge” advocated by the Washington- based Americans for Tax Reform earlier this week, according to his campaign manager, Brian Nutt. The pledge promises that he will “ oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Nutt said Corbett excluded the pledge from his speech because it was subordinate to his goal of cutting taxes. “ He’s always been for reducing the tax burden on Pennsylvania families,” Nutt said. “ That’s more the message.” In their speeches, Corbett and Toomey painted the Democrats in Harrisburg and Washington as advocates of big spending and big government, while promising to cut taxes, rein in spending and promote policies friendly to the businesses that they said are the only true job creators. Corbett, the state attorney general best known for his office’s ongoing investigation of alleged corruption in the Legislature, said that during his first week as governor he ( See GOP on Page A5) GOP backs Corbett for governor, Toomey for Senate BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER Times Staff Writer Today is the deadline for final land development plans for the controversial Peakview Mobile Home Park in Huntington Township. The township’s planning commission is scheduled to meet Monday, Feb. 22 to review the updated documents. Overall, the Peakview proposal is planned for a 140- acre plot of land near the intersection of Route 94 and Idaville- York Springs Road in Upper Adams County. Preliminary land development plans depict more than 270 mobile home units. A final vote by the township’s three- person board of supervisors is scheduled March 10 at 7: 30 p. m. Three weeks ago, the Gettysburg Times placed an inquiry to speak with CACO Three developer Robert Mumma, through his Harrisburg attorney Charles Suhr. Mumma has not responded to that inquiry. Huntington Township Solicitor Bob Campbell opposed the final plans at a recent meeting, pointing out that in the five years since preliminary approval was granted, the developer still did not obtain proper permits for water and sewer systems. Township officials have voiced concern about an outdated traffic impact study, a proposed recreation area, turn lanes and a wetland delineation plan. The developer’s traffic study has not been updated since 2006. The project is contentious, because it is proposed for farmland situated in the heart of the Fruit Belt, near York Springs. It is opposed by a local preservation group: Save Our Rural Heritage. Originally proposed 10 years ago, the Peakview land development plans were submitted at a time when Huntington Township did not have a zoning ordinance. Although a zoning ordinance was created one year later, the mobile home park ( See PARK on Page A5) Huntington Twp. trailer park plans due today McMurray dominates Daytona Clouds, cold, snow — Sports, Page B1 — Page A8 Snap and Go robbed — Police and fire, Page A3
