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Human Interest

September 6, 2019

Ellwood Elderberry Essentials Opens Doors to Healing Powers

Enthusiastic over elderberry. That’s Shauna Cucunato, owner of newly opened Ellwood Elderberry Essentials. Cucunato will share her enthusiasm and all she knows about elderberry tomorrow September 7 during her Grand Opening event at 429 Lawrence Ave with Katy’s – Homestyle Bakery & More where her products will have a permanent home. “I am so excited to be opening,” Cucunato said. Although she is a nursing student and has a strong belief in modern medicine, plenty of research has led her to believe that elderberry is a magical fruit. “Medicines are convenient,” she said. “But there are sometimes terrible side effects that…

August 30, 2019

Baierl Toyota Deletes School Lunch Debt for Ellwood Schools

More than $22,000 of school lunch debt will be gone for parents and students of Ellwood City Area School District. Baierl Toyota of Mars, PA will present a check to Superintendent Joseph Mancini and John Dzurina, Food Service Coordinator for the District Friday afternoon at the dealership. “All in all, we are very appreciative of Baierl Toyota and their generosity to the students and families of Ellwood City,” Mancini said. Michael Hull, General Manager of Bariel Toyota of Mars, stated in a KDKA report that “we have a lot of customers that come in from Ellwood City and we wanted…

August 28, 2019

Peebles in Franklin Plaza to Become Gordmans

The store closing sign on the front of the Peebles store in Franklin Plaza signifies an end but also a new beginning. “Stage has exciting news,” said Blakely Graham, manager of brand publicity for Stage. “We are planning to convert the Peebles location in Ellwood City, Pa to a Gordmans store in early 2020.” Both Gordmans and Peebles are part of the Stage community of stores, which also includes Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, and Stage. Peebles will remain open until the conversion. “The Peebles store is planned to close in the days leading up to the Gordmans grand opening in…

August 23, 2019

TV Anchor to Shower BC3 Lifelong Learning Students With Behind-Scenes Severe Weather Info

(NEW CASTLE, PA) Rod Cowan has covered tropical storms in Florida. “The news van was rocking in the sand. Someone said, ‘Put the jacks down.’ I said, ‘The jacks are down.’” A historic ice storm in West Virginia. “The power lines were drooping with icicles.” A tornado in Ohio. “The hairs on the back of my neck tingled.” And a “snowicane” in Pennsylvania in which his red 1998 Toyota Corolla was somewhere under 16 inches of snow in his neighborhood of Camp Hill. The on-air weather anchor and meteorologist at WKBN-TV, Youngstown, will instruct a 12-hour “Severe Weather & You”…

August 19, 2019

Life Changing Gift: A Surprise for Local Man

The look on CJ DeGennaro’s face was priceless. CJ, 31, suffers from cerebral palsy. On August 17, CJ received the gift of a Safe Step walk-in tub, but it was a complete surprise to CJ. CJ had been nominated 110 times during the last two years to receive this tub by his friends, his family, his community. A crowd that worked hard to make this happen gathered in his driveway. As his family and friends and nominators stood around awaiting CJ’s return from breakfast at Christy’s diner, they anticipated his reaction. Pop out comments from the crowd filled the summer…

August 15, 2019

RACE Swim Team Hosting Tryouts

RACE is looking to build a team for the 2019-2020 swim season and will be hosting tryouts on Monday at 5 p.m. “Joining a swim team can give kids many benefits and be incredibly rewarding,” said Gwen Nulph, RACE coach. “It gives them the chance to be part of a team, build camaraderie, improve skills, get consistent physical activity, set and strive for goals, and have a lot of fun!” What is RACE?  Riverside Aqua Club of Ellwood (RACE) was established with the purpose of teaching competitive swimming and developing teamwork. Its mission is to build and maintain a competitive…

August 14, 2019

Local Woman Qualifies For Olympic Swimming Trials

She never imagined she would have the chance to do what she loves on a world stage. Taylor Petrak, 2017 Lincoln High School Graduate, has qualified for the Olympic Swimming Trials. As a very young “fish in the water,” Taylor didn’t necessarily have her sights set directly on the Olympics. “I never had any specific goals of making it to the Olympics,” she said. “It was not on my radar.” But a wave of talent and speed now has the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a major spot on Taylor’s radar. She qualified for the trials on July 23 posting…

August 13, 2019

Council to Vote to Amend Hospital Zoning Ordinance

Ellwood City Council will vote August 19 to amend the hospital/medical district zoning ordinance that they originally passed in in a unanimous vote on May 20. They will vote to add to the definition of “Health Services” “facilities and residences included in a continuum of care entity.” Borough Manager David Allen said the wording basically boiled down to nursing homes. Solicitor Ed Leymarie said the move will resolve an appeal filed by Penn Med LLC, a lender who is seeking a more than $5 million judgement against Americore Health LLC, Ellwood Medical Center LLC, and Ellwood Medical Center Real Estate…

July 31, 2019

VIDEO: Local Dance Studio Claims National Title

Ellwood City’s very own Diamond Dance Academy was awarded a National Championship title at the 2019 Access Broadway Nationals in New Jersey earlier this month. The dancers left owning the Stage Door Cup, which is presented to America’s Best Debut School. Diamond Dance opened back in 2009 with director Shauna Dorwarth. Dorwarth is now celebrating the academy’s 10th year in business on August 6. “When you join DDA [Diamond Dance Academy] you’re not just another number,” Dorwarth said. “You are apart of a team, and together we can accomplish anything.” Their competitive season begins at the end of February every…

July 24, 2019

Hitched And Unhitched; Spring Into Love

Springtime means warmer weather, blooming flowers, iced drinks, and outdoor activities. Although our spring was wet with rain, love was in the air. Fairs, festivals, and fireworks are bringing in summer and what better way to move into the oncoming summer season than with a glorious wedding. According to WeddingWire.com, both May and June are in the top five months for popular wedding months. Here’s a list of those locals who took the next step in the relationship with saying “I Do” or those who decided their paths need to separate. Check out the Hitched and Unhitched list for April,…