news

Council to Hire New Borough Manager

Yesterday, Ellwood City Borough Council voted 5-2 not to renew [previous] Borough Manager Robert Villella’s contract for another two years – effectively ending his term yesterday. Starting today, a collaborated effort between the new Council President Judith Dici, council, and the other Borough employees, will be used in place of the Borough Manager to perform day-to-day duties while council searches for an individual replacement. Council did not release an official statement on the reason for letting Villella go, however, new council members Rob Brough and Lisa Guerrera released their own statement: According to Borough Secretary, Linda List, there is no…


Portersville Christian School Information Night/Open House

Portersville Christian School will hold an Information Night/Open House at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 9, for families interested in enrolling students for the 2018-2019 school year. The school is accepting student applications and registrations prior to the release of next year’s tuition schedule at the end of March.  In addition to kindergarten, there are openings in most grade levels for fall of 2018.  Interested families who have students entering kindergarten and grades 7 and 9 are encouraged to apply early, since these grades tend to fill up fast. Portersville Christian School (PCS) provides a distinctively Christian education to students…


Local Dog Owner Starts Petition for Ellwood Dog Park

A dog park is longed for by many Ellwood and surrounding area residents, including a woman named Ashley Fisher, a resident of North Sewickley, who decided it’s time to initiate a change. Fisher started a petition last week, called “Let’s build a Dog Park!” on The Petition Site, which already has nearly 100 signatures. The end goal is to have 1,000 signatures before being presented to council. “I would love a place to socialize with other dog lovers while my dog is having some supervised fun off leash,” Fisher, who owns a three year old Goldendoodle named Winston, stated. She…


“Second Saturday” – Soup Supper

The Wuretemburg United Methodist Church will be hosting their “Second Saturday” Soup Supper this month on January 13th,  4 – 6:30pm, the details are below: Wurtemburg United Methodist Church 1244 Portersville Road  (Rt 488 by 3rd bridge) Ellwood City, PA  16117 Soups:  Wedding Soup and Beef Veggie Soup Includes:  Italian Bread, Homemade Rolls, Dessert, Beverages & Refills Eat-in and Take-out are both $6; under age 5 Free. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are just $1.00 Quarts of Soup are $6.00 Come, relax and enjoy fresh homemade soups and desserts. This is the first soup supper for the season. We will look forward…


Ellwood City Area Public Library Activities for Week of January 1, 2017

Activities taking place at the Ellwood City Area Public Library include the following: The library will be closed on Monday, January 1, in observance of the New Year’s Day Holiday. Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, January 2. Wednesday, January 3, at 10 :00 a.m. — “Coloring for Adults,” a weekly program that is free and open to the public. “Coloring for Adults” is a program designed to help reduce the stresses of everyday life. Everyone is welcome, so call the library at 724-758-6458 for more information. Wednesday, January 3, at 3:00 p.m. – Creative Writing Workshop for students in…


VIDEO: ECPD Looking for Armed Robbery Suspect

The Ellwood City Police Department is looking for an armed robber, according to a post on their Facebook. They have since uploaded security footage video to the page showing the thief shying away from the camera and taking money from the cash register. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the station.


Old Photo Friday: Tornado Rips Through Ellwood in 1985

Do you remember when the tornado ripped through Ellwood City, causing damage to homes, businesses, landscape and automobiles in 1985? The tornado, which touched down Friday May 31st 1985, affected numerous businesses and residences surrounding Ellwood City in Big Beaver Borough, North Sewickley Township, Marion Township, and on into southern Butler County. Most notably, the Spotlight 88 drive in Movie Theater was devastated by the tornado. If you do, tell us about your experience and what you were doing at the time this happened! A gallery of photos below, provided by the Ellwood City Historical Society, shows the devastation the…


Bonus: Top Five Police Reports for 2017

Along with part one and two of our annual top-ten articles for the year series, we had a lot of views on our police reports this year so we decided to tally up the top five and do a bonus round: Easter Sunday Shooter Suspected in Western Pennsylvania Steven Stephens of Cleveland, Ohio, fled the state and entered Pennsylvania to flee from police after fatally shooting a pedestrian at random on Easter Sunday. Shortly after, Stephens’ body was found in his vehicle after he had committed suicide. Attempted Robbery at Lawrence Ave. Wesbanco The suspect, who is still at large,…


Avoid Fines by Following Borough Anti-Tethering Rules

Borough Manager Bob Villella reminds residents of the borough to be mindful of the anti-tethering rules especially in this bitter cold weather: TETHERING OF DOGS; KEEPING OF DOGS OUTDOORS.    (a)   It shall be unlawful for any person to tether, fasten, chain, tie, restrain or cause an unattended dog to be fastened, chained, tied or restrained to houses, trees, fences, garages, stakes or other stationary or highly immobile objects by means of a rope, chain, strap or other physical restraint for the purpose of confinement, except in circumstances where all of the following requirements are satisfied:       (1)   The tethering is not for a…


Lawrence Avenue Developer Seeks Potential Businesses

The area of 509 to 515 Lawrence Avenue has been awarded to Lutz & Myers Inc. for redeveloping, and now Ron Lutz says the next step for developing is finding potential businesses. Lutz & Myers will be relying on the help of potential businesses to decide on which blueprint design they will choose for construction since they have several possible blueprints drawn up for the area. The blueprints contain anywhere between 3 to 8 businesses – each one catered to different needs of potential businesses. “Depending on the amount of space needed, per each potential business, will be the deciding…