Human Interest

Coming Soon To Main Street

Ellwood City has its fair share of good places to sit down and eat on days where no one feels like cooking. There’s something for everyone and the list just got a tad bigger. What was previously known as Main Street Bar and Grill is now under new management as Mike’s Main Street Bar and Grill. New owner Mike Ward purchased the Main Street building from Greg Ottaviani earlier this year and already has changes underway. Ward is not an Ellwood City native, but from the Philidelphia area. He, however, does have friends from this area from his college days…


BC3’s Highest Number Of High School Equivalency Graduates

(Butler, PA) Butler County Community College’s free adult literacy program July 24 will graduate 60 students from Butler and Mercer counties with high school equivalency diplomas, the most since at least the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the director of the 33-year-old program said. Forty students attending BC3 adult literacy classes in Butler County and 20 in Mercer County passed General Education Development tests that measure proficiency in language arts, which includes reading and writing; and in mathematics, science and social studies between July 1, 2018, and June 30, Barb Gade said. BC3’s 14th commencement exercises for students having earned their high…


BCS Debutes Mobile Lab For Online Manufacturing

(New Castle, PA) Butler County Community College’s manufacturing pre-apprenticeship certificate program, registered with the state Department of Labor and Industry and free to eligible students, will debut at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in August as mostly online and bolstered by eight hands-on lab sessions using equipment to be brought to BC3’s additional location in New Castle. The mostly online format may be “attractive to individuals who have barriers to getting to class every day,” said Kelly McKissick, coordinator of professional education and certificate programs in BC3’s Workforce Development division. Manufacturers are Lawrence County’s second-largest employers, with 12.5 percent of the…


PHOTOS: 50 Houses Fixed By Carpenter’s Project

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King It started with a need in our community, and within 18 years it has become a community-wide project. The Carpenters Project started when a group of people in Calvin Presbyterian Church were talking to the man in charge of enforcing the borough’s codes for homes and noticed an issue. “We knew there was a need,” said one of the founders of the Carpenter Project Marsha Timblin. “There were fixes that needed to be made but not enough money to do…


6th And Final Beautification Award Handed Out

The 6th and final Beautification Award and gift certificate for 2019 has been handed out. Congratulations to Vivian and Bob Hummel from Woodside Avenue. The Mayor’s Office says the pair has done a wonderful job on maintaining their property and it shows. Congratulations to all of the 2019 winners. To view the rest of the winners, follow the following links. First, second, third, fourth, and fifth.


Lagoon, Koscinski Hired as Armed Police Officers for Ellwood City Schools

The Ellwood City Area School Board hired two armed school police officers for the 2019-2020 school year. Robert Lagoon of Zelienople and Brad Koscinski of Grove City were announced as the first armed officers who will serve the school district thanks to a $156,400 grant provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The grant will allow the district to employ the two officers for two years. A unanimous vote by the board to hire the men was followed with praise from one board member. “I’d like to thank Mr. Mancini and Mr. Sovich for seeing that we were…


FIREWORKS VIDEO, 2019 Ellwood City Festival Summary

Over 150 vendors came out to celebrate Ellwood City’s way to kick off summer over the weekend. Live bands played, painted rocks hidden and found, dancers performed, and winners were announced. To conclude the festivities, fireworks were set off in the Ellwood City football stadium. It looked to be a battle to get fireworks, but our community pulled through, led by 26-year-old Eric Rayner who helped stoke fundraising efforts that doubled projections. Rayner was placed into the Festival Hall of Fame as the man on a mission to save the Ellwood City firework display. This year’s Zambelli display lasted close…


PHOTOS: 2019 Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food & Entertainment Festival

The annual Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Foods and Entertainment Festival was held this past weekend in Ewing Park.  Early entertainment included the annual Little Miss Firecracker pageant, won this year by Aria Cannon, and the annual Ellwood City Ledger 10k Race, while food and daily entertainment captivated those in attendance throughout the weekend. Over 150 vendors participated in the event this year with new vendors making up about one-third of the participation. The festival was capped off with another amazing entertainment feat – fireworks – made possible by generous donations from those in the community and spearheaded by local resident,…


First Recipients of Annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship Named

Cassie Widmaier and Mia DeCaria are the first recipients of the annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship. “The future of our youth is important to the staff at Eric Ryan Corporation and to me,” said ERC CEO Keith Venezie. “I am pleased to be able to help assist students with their career goals. A solid college education is a huge step toward achieving those goals, and I look forward to seeing how it will impact their success and our community.” Eric Ryan Corporation developed this scholarship award for the children of ERC employees. The $500 scholarship was open to any employee…


Rock Hide N Seek At The Festival

Local artist Danette Morningstar Hall decided to take a local spin onto the countywide rock hide n seek. The idea behind Beaver County Rocks is simple: find a rock, take a picture of it, and rehide it for someone else to stumble upon. “I’ve found a few of other people’s rocks and it’s always so exciting, so I wanted to pay it forward,” said Hall. The rocks Hall used are from her ever-growing rock collection fro Presque Isle. Hall says she seems to “to not be able to leave without a bucket of rocks” each time she visits. She has…