Wonderline

The following questions were asked recently on the Wonderline:

Q: I missed the day that the pipeline meeting is supposed to be held in York. Can you print again the day and the time, that the meeting will be held?
A: The meeting regarding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline will be held in the city auditorium at Sixth and Nebraska. It will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., with presentations to be made at 4 and 6 p.m. (which will include a full overview of the project), on Wednesday, July 9.

Q: Why doesn’t York spray for mosquitoes? I travel around, and most towns I’ve been to do spray for mosquitoes.
A: This question is asked every year, on the Wonderline, and has already been asked this year.
The answer from city officials remains the following: “The city hasn't done mass spraying for 15 years or more. First of all, the city doesn't have the equipment to do so. Also, breeding areas are concentrated in locations of standing water, and this community doesn’t have many areas like that.”
They also say there are negatives to community-wide spraying — there are environmental issues, people with allergies may be affected and if windows are open, the chemical will drift into buildings.
As Public Works Director Orville Davidson said in earlier interviews, “it generally creates more negative concerns than positive benefits — at least that's what we've seen in our prior experiences and are the reasons we discontinued spraying in the first place. The residents simply didn't appreciate it being put into the atmosphere.
“In order to be effective, spraying has to be done repeatedly to have an effect," Davidson explained. "The best answer is to eliminate the breeding areas."

Q: Where exactly through York County will the oil pipeline go, if it is constructed?
A: The News-Times has not obtained a map of the exact location, as of yet. That information will likely be released during the upcoming open house/meeting at the community center, next week. If a property owner has been contacted by the company, they should definitely attend the meeting, in order to discuss the impact it could have on their land.
The News-Times is expecting more detailed information than we have received so far, at that time — and will publish as much information as possible, following that informational meeting.

Q: What happened with that Lincoln woman who fell off her horse while on vacation in Colorado? Did they ever find her? I heard some things about it last week and haven’t since.
A: She remains missing. A funeral service was held in Lincoln on Monday.
The Associated Press reported that rescue teams suspended the search for 56-year-old Mary Brake, who fell into a Colorado creek while horseback riding with her husband and nine-year-old daughter on June 20. She was washed downstream after falling into the swift-moving creek after her horse lost its footing. Authorities say they have exhausted all options in the search for Brake. She is assumed deceased and her body has not been recovered. A rosary service was held Sunday night at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln, with the funeral at the church on Monday.

Q: I recently was notified that the lady ("world's greatest ironer") who does my ironing is retiring and I am in search of someone who takes in ironing. Is there anyone in York who does ironing for hire?
A: That is a great question. If anyone provides such a service, they should contact the Wonderline at 362-4478.

Q: Is there anyone in the community who gives piano lessons?
A: Jenna Schwarz gives piano lessons and can be reached at 362-7559, also Ronda Gerken can be reached at 362-2300. 

Q: A while back, there was a question about who to call if you haven’t gotten your stimulus check from the government. I hadn’t received mine yet, so I tore that piece of the Wonderline out and stuck it on my refrigerator. But now it’s gone and I don’t know who to call, because I still haven’t gotten my check.
A: Area residents may call the IRS office in Lincoln at 437-5060 — they are open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is located at 100 Centennial N. Mall.

Q: I’m an older person, living here in York, and I have boxes of personal information that I need to destroy. Is there anyone in this community who does paper shredding?
A: As always, if a company provides such a service, they are asked to contact the Wonderline at 362-4478.

Q: Why can’t I get my Wonderline question answered? 
A: Wonderline tries to answer as many questions as possible each week, yet the file still holds slightly more than 200 inquiries that have already been asked (with dozens coming in each week). Each question is different — some lend themselves easily to be answered, while some take time. There are dozens of questions that Wonderline has been researching for a while now — and we aren’t willing to give up, without finding the answer. And there are questions that simply cannot be answered, because of the nature of the inquiry or because the people holding the answers refuse to participate. There are questions that are completely inappropriate, some that are difficult (if not impossible) to understand, and others that completely suggest a specific mind-set or opinion that would lend themselves better as letters to the editor (if they were signed).

Wonderline attempts to answer as many questions as possible each week — if you have a question in the file, please be patient, because we are working on it. And please, continue to send in your questions each week.

And on another note, Wonderline received a question recently from a man who said he’d submitted it several times before and it was never answered — but Wonderline had no record of that question being asked before. So, if there’s a chance it never made it to the Wonderline desk, it doesn’t hurt to call in and inquire.

Q: Why does the underpass has to be closed for such a long time period?
A: The majority of the work on the underpass will entail the extensive work that will be done on the storm sewer line, to alleviate the flooding that has been frequently seen in the past few years. Because of the depth of the line, extra time will be necessary.
They will also be resurfacing the driving lanes, repairing the facade and more.
Contractors say they hope to have the entire project finished within two months — barring bad weather or other problems.

Q: Is the state department of roads paying for all this work that’s going on right now, in the city of York?
A: All of the work being done on the “old Highway 81 corridor” (being Lincoln and Grant Avenues) is part of the highway relinquishment project. It is being funded by the state, and when the project is completed, those areas will be turned over to the city (or the county, as is the case with Fourth Street). Once the relinquishment is done, it becomes the city and/or county’s responsibility to maintain those roadways.
The city will later on be doing work on a number of the side streets — that will be funded by the city.