Recent Stories

Articles by Cassandra Douglas

November 8, 2017

Meet the Cast Part 2: Little Woman

This is the second and final part to Lincoln High’s Meet the Cast of Little Woman. View the first one here. The musical will be premiering this Friday at 7p.m. at Lincoln High School.   Tanner Tomak as Laurie Year: Freshman Been in musicals since: This is my 3rd year in musicals. Will you be singing: Yes. What interested you in this role: I liked that it wasn’t a major role to start off. What is unique about your costume(s): There’s a lot of sweaters! Favorite song: 5 Forever because its upbeat and happy. What have you done to prepare:…

November 7, 2017

Meet the Cast Part 1: Little Woman

Lincoln High School will be performing the classic tale, Little Woman as their musical this year. According to Laura Adam, the Musical Director, the musical will showcase the talent of the students who have dedicated a lot of time and energy to their roles. “We start a workshop in June with 3-4 different shows and choose the one that best suits the students. We chose Little Woman because they all seem to enjoy the relatabilty of the characters despite the Civil War setting. The characters in the musical are relatable, timeless and experience things people still go through today.” All…

November 3, 2017

Meet the Candidates Recap

Yesterday evening held the final Meet the Candidate session for this local election. Four council seats and four school board seats are up for election. All school board candidates were present except for Norm Boots. Less than half of the council candidates were present for the meeting. Incumbent Michele Lamenza, former Councilman James Barry and newcomer Caleb Cragle were the council candidates present. School Board Recap: Each candidate gave their opening statements and why they believe they would be the best candidate for the position. Barb Wilson, newcomer running for school board, believes she would be a good candidate because…

November 1, 2017

Final Meet the Candidate Night

Updated – 11/2/2017 9a.m. Tomorrow evening, November 2, is the final Meet the Candidate night for this election hosted by the Ellwood City Kitchen Cabinet, voting for positions on both School Board and Borough Council is scheduled for November 7. There are four seats up for election for both of the committees. School Board member Matthew Morella and Councilman Brad Ovial are not seeking reelection. Current School Board members, Kathy Pansera, Renee Pitrelli and Anthony Buzelli are hoping to be reelected. Councilwoman Michele Lamenza is also seeking reelection. Councilmen David DeCaria and Connie MacDonald were running for reelection, however will…

October 31, 2017

Ellwood City School District Negotiations Update: ‘I Don’t Want My Name Associated With These Jabs’

Tensions were high at the Ellwood City School Board meeting this morning between School Board Member, formerly School Board President, Renee Pitrelli and her fellow School Board peers. The Board voted to approve the negotiations update press release, written by the board attorney, in a roll call vote with Pitrelli voting against it and school board member Matthew Morella absent. The official release is below: “Ellwood City Area School District Negotiations Update, November 1, 2017 To provide the public with accurate information regarding the status and progress of the negotiations between the School District and the Service Employees International Union…

October 27, 2017

Old Photo Friday: Then and Now

Thanks to the courtesy of the Ellwood City Historical Society, we have a box full of old photos to use for Old Photo Friday! This is the first of the Then and Now series we will be posting from time to time. The old photo’s years are listed on the caption of each photo. If you have any old photos you’d like to send in to contribute to Old Photo Friday please send them to ecstaff@ellwoodcity.org.

October 27, 2017

Updates on the Ellwood City Hospital

Over the past week dozens of employees had been laid off at the Ellwood City Hospital, an action that left the community wondering what’s going on. Updates about the current state of the Ellwood City Hospital have remained far and in between since information about the sale had been made public earlier this year. On October 24, CEO Beverly Annarumo released the following statement on the sale of the hospital: “We are getting very close to closing on the sale of the hospital. And yes, we did have a layoff yesterday. On the bright side, we were able to retain…

October 19, 2017

Ellwood City Social Service Organization Asks for Extra $1,000 Donation by Borough

The Holy Redeemer Ministerial Social Service Organization is asking council to approve a donation for their Energy Fund in the amount of $4,000 – $1,000 more than the original requested amount, paid for by the Borough’s general fund. The motion was discussed Monday evening at the council meeting and has been approved for the $3,000 donation but is pending approval for the requested $1,000 extra. Despite Borough Manager Bob Villella stating any extra money is usually already allocated, Council President Connie MacDonald believes council can work something out. “It [the extra money requested] is something that we should be able…

October 19, 2017

Motion Approved: T&M to Regrade Ebony Way

The owners of T&M Hardware have had dreams of expanding the store for nearly two decades and finally, over the past year, they have been making the dream a reality. Earlier this year the owners finished razing the properties next to the store to make room for expansions. Now, after much careful planning and due diligence, they are nearly ready to start construction. The owners plan on using the empty lot to expand the shop an estimated amount of 5,000 square feet, using the additional lot space for a larger parking lot. At Monday’s council meeting, store owner Tim Post…

October 18, 2017

Junior Councilman Appointed to Ellwood City Council

An exciting announcement was made Monday evening during the Council Meeting – Junior student at Lincoln High School, Colin Smith, was appointed Junior Councilman on the committee. Smith, who is a member of the National Honor Society, kicker on the football team, Blue Band member, and active volunteer in the community, took his Oath of Office Monday evening, signed his name on the X, and pulled up a chair around the table. He heard about the position via the school guidance counselor and although he doesn’t want to pursue a future in politics, he wants to use the opportunity to…