Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville NOVEMBER 12, 2025
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 6,480 HOMES
VOL LXVI • NO 37
Where Young Men Find New Beginnings BY CAT SHANNON
BUY 5, Familiar Tale With a GET 1 Fresh Wonderland Twist FREE! W The cast and crew of “Alice in Wonderland.” Photo by Cat Shannon
BY CAT SHANNON
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hen Columbia Borough School District’s theater department presents its fall play, audiences will see some familiar characters on stage in a well-known setting but presented in a completely new way. “Alice in Wonderland” will be performed on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. and on
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“It’s a great day to be a kid in Columbia,” said Paul Resch, Janson Foundation director, during opening remarks at a ribbon cutting for a new playground in Janson Park. The ceremony, held in late September, officially opened the site for community use. Constructed with input from students at nearby schools, including wish lists from fourth-graders at Park Elementary and Our Lady of the Angels schools, the new See Park pg 3 Children enjoy the new swings at Janson Park.
See Beginnings pg 2
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bunch of characters, but there are also characters from ‘Through the Looking Glass,’” explained Kayla Peters, who portrays one of the characters from the latter work, the Red Queen. And while it’s a play, it features original music written by local musicians Steven and Elizabeth Roldan. “It’s almost like talk-singing,” See Tale pg 4
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Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2 and 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 901 Ironville Pike, Columbia. T h e s h o w i s a f a s t- p a c e d smash-up of two Lewis Carroll classics - “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” “It’s the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ about a girl who goes down a rabbit hole and meets a
Within the walls of Manos House in Columbia, a new generation is finding its footing. At the nonprofit residential program for young men ages 14 to 20 with drug and alcohol histories, transformation happens every day through structure, compassion and a belief in second chances. “ We fo c u s o n a h o l i s t i c approach,” said executive director Chris Runkle. “We serve their needs from the substance use side, but we also serve their educational and emotional health needs as well.” Manos House has been guiding young men through that challenge since 1972. Originally founded as a halfway house for adults transitioning out of prison, the organization shifted its focus to adolescents, offering substance use treatment, counseling and education under one roof. The education piece was especially needed, Runkle said. “Our kids are coming in highly deficient in academic credits,” he explained. “We may get an 18-year-old who has zero high school credits.” To remedy the issue, Manos House opened Prospect Grove High School, an on-site school with certified teachers and a small student-to-teacher ratio. Although the school helped with one piece of the problem, the young men needed support in another area as well. “We were seeing the young men being discharged after completing their program, but then we realized the homes they were
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