Local News

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter

Keep the shovels and snow plows out Ellwood City! Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter on Tuesday during the annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Pennsylvania. Among cardboard cutouts of fans who had hoped to be there in person at Gobbler’s Knob park in Jefferson County, Phil was greeted by his handler, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Jeff Lundy, and made the prognosis of the prolonged winter. According to Groundhog.org, the morning call went as follows: Now this second day of February, two thousand and twenty-one, the one hundred and thirty fifth annual trek of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club……


Lincoln Students Find Way to Give through Games

Local tenth graders Hayden Slade and Grady Smith are best friends with one major thing in common: They LOVE games. So, the duo decided to take their passion and turn it into a charitable opportunity. And in 2018 Games to Give, their non-profit dedicated to providing games to adults and children in need and to active U.S. military personnel serving overseas and others, began. “We are two teenagers who love playing board games, so we decided to start a nonprofit organization to allow us to share games with others,” Grady said. Since the organization’s inception, Hayden and Grady have given…


Local Website Company Announces Scholarship

A local website design company is offering a $1,000 scholarship to an Ellwood City or Riverside student planning to study marketing or web development. Heartbeat Websites, a web design and development company that offers complete website solutions for one monthly price to small businesses, has partnered with a local entrepreneur to offer the opportunity. Heartbeat’s owner, Matt Reider, said the scholarship is a way to help students take the next step in toward their professional goals. “It’s a way to give back and help students avoid debt,” he said. Although this is the first time Heartbeat has offered the scholarship, Reider…


Bernstine Announces State Grant for Beaver County

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) today announced that a $198,000 Strategic Management Planning (STMP) grant has been awarded for the City of Beaver Falls, Beaver County. “This is great news for our area,” said Bernstine. Beaver Falls’ renaissance will be driven by the need to increase community revitalization efforts. This grant is an investment in our community in many areas. It provides assistance and supports jobs that pay for our workers to remain a vital part of our community.” The STMP grant, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, will include the following: Consultant service for…


Carofino Elected As Pennsylvania Association of Realtors 2021 District Vice President

LEMOYNE, PA – The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors recently installed local real estate agent, Joe Carofino, as the district vice president for District 9 during a virtual ceremony last week. District 9 encompasses Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties. Carofino is the broker and owner of Advantage Homes Real Estate, New Castle. He is active on his local board, the Lawrence County Board of Realtors, where he served as president twice. At the state level, Carofino participates on the Association Services Coordinating, Executive and Strategic Oversight committees. Additionally, he is a federal political coordinator for…


Ellwood City Public Library Activities For Week of February 1

The Ellwood City Area Public Library offers a variety of weekly activities.  Information is available by calling the library at 724-758-6458. PLEASE NOTE The Library will continue doing curbside pick-up. Please call us with the book(s), authors, genre or recommended material you would like to check out and our staff will see that it is in alphabetical order in the lobby for you. Limitations for patrons are 10 items to include books and limited to a total of three DVD’s or books on CD per person. All patrons must wear a mask when entering the lobby and wait until there…


Ellwood City Tax Office Announces Hour Changes

The Borough of Ellwood City Tax Office this week announced changes to its hours. According to Tax Collector Sue Gatto, the office is now open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with hours from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on those respective days. The borough tax office is located within the municipal building, 525 Lawrence Avenue, Ellwood City, PA 16117.


Ellwood City School District Announces Spring Musical Dates

According to a release from the district, the Ellwood City Area School District is proud to announce their spring musical is planned for Friday, March 26, Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, 2021. “The students are so excited to be performing the hysterical musical comedy about the eccentric Addams Family,” said Choral Director and Musical Producer Felecia Greco in a statement. “Audiences will remember these crazy characters from the popular TV show.” Greco hopes to have in person audiences for the performances and can only confirm as the date of the performances gets closer. “We are hoping to have…


BC3 Announces President’s List, Dean’s List and Graduates for Fall 2020

Butler, PA – Butler County Community College is proud to announce the names of students who have made the President’s List and Dean’s List for the Fall 2020 semester, as well as the names of those who have graduated recently. Three Ellwood City area students earned President List accolades, a fourth Ellwood City area student earned Dean’s List accolades, and overall twenty-one area students graduated. Students who have achieved a cumulative GPA (grade-point average) of 3.75 or higher are named to the President’s List following completion of at least 12 semester hours or upon completion of degree requirements. Students who…


Senate Approves $912 Million COVID-19 Relief Package

The Senate is poised to approve a comprehensive $912 million relief package to help restaurants, schools, employers, and tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Senator Elder Vogel, who supported the bill in the Senate and on Tuesday when it came before the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. Senate Bill 109 amends the state Fiscal Code to allocate $569.8 million for Rental and Utility Assistance, $197 million for education programs, and $145 million to support Pennsylvania’s struggling hospitality industry as it copes with the devastation created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor’s mandated closings and restrictions. The bill…