Recent Stories

Articles by Jonathan Cortez

May 6, 2016

Photos: National Day of Prayer

Ellwood City observed National Day of Prayer with a gathering in the Community Plaza on Lawrence Avenue at noon yesterday. “Wake Up America” was the theme. It was the 65th annual National Day of Prayer. Rev. Norina Owens of Women of Faith International Inc. gave the welcome. State Representative Jaret Gibbons, D-10, gave the greeting and pledge. Janelle Fox, a student at Lincoln High School, sung the national anthem. 10 local pastors prayed for topics including business, churches, education and more. Connie MacDonald, Ellwood City council president, provided closing remarks. Suzanne Bleakney, Ellwood City Community Partnership, spoke on behalf of…

May 5, 2016

Borough Encourages Residents in Ellwood and Surrounding Area to Register for CodeRED Emergency Notifications

The Ellwood City Borough has announced the launch of CodeRED, a community alert notification system. All borough residents and those in the Ellwood City area are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED alerts. Those enrolled in the system will receive emergency notifications such as power outages or Amber alerts as well as other notifications such as road closures and snow plow schedules. Residents can sign up to receive notifications via home phone, cell phone and/or text message. Registration can be completed on the borough’s website, by mail or in person at the Ellwood City Municipal Building. Council President Connie MacDonald…

May 2, 2016

Opinion: Tubman Twenties Are a Nice Gesture

Harriet Tubman is scheduled to replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill in 2020. Americans around the nation will now be putting their germs on her face. I’ve always thought of the $20 bill as the iconic American bill. It’s what the bank gives you by default when you take cash out, it’s a convenient amount of currency and it’s the most commonly counterfeited bill inside the country. Now, who is on our currency is all about symbolism. There are no shortage of important Americans to choose from and only six faces get picked (not counting $2…

April 26, 2016

Write On Fair at the Ellwood Library Celebrates Local Authors

Becoming a published author is no easy feat, and there are over 30 published authors in the Ellwood area. To honor these individual and celebrate local literary culture, the Ellwood City Area Public Library will host an author fair this Friday, April 29. Write On, organized by the Ellwood City Library 100th Anniversary Committee, will showcase 22 local authors. The committee identified over 30 authors, but not all were able to attend. The committee, which was created last year to celebrate the library’s centennial, stayed together to continue organizing events. “It’s a wonderful number for a first time out,” Veronica…

April 25, 2016

Opinion: The Primary of the Anti-Establishment Candidates

[Statements, opinion, and views expressed in this column are those of the author named and are not necessarily those of the EllwoodCity.org and Thought Process Enterprises team.] Tuesday is an exciting election here in Pennsylvania. By this time, the primaries in both parties are usually decided but come Tuesday, voters in either party have a choice between two candidates still running pitched campaigns. If we match the national trend, there will be a larger than average voter turnout, which in a democracy, is an essential aspect of government. This will be the first primary I vote in and first election…

April 20, 2016

In Split Decision, Council Votes to Hire a Full-Time Police Officer

In a 5-2 decision, Ellwood City borough council voted to hire a full-time probationary patrol officer at its meeting on Monday. A candidate has not yet been selected and hiring is contingent upon successful completion of all background checks and certifications. The motion was initially proposed in March by council member Marilyn Mancini, supported by Judi Dici. The two convinced council to suspend a motion to advertise for part-time officers in favor of researching hiring a full-time officer. The motion was added to the agenda at the agenda meeting on April 11. Dici and Mancini both believe a full-time officer…

April 19, 2016

Police: New Castle Man Caught After Extended Chase from Ellwood to Zelienople

A New Castle man was apprehended by Ellwood City police after an extended car chase Saturday night from Ellwood to the Zelienople Airport. Wesley Jay Cox, 34, of New Castle, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, fleeing police, reckless endangerment, accident causing damage to property, driving while suspended and reckless driving. The incident began around 9 p.m. on April 16 when an officer observed a Nissan Altima traveling in the vicinity of Plum Way and Spring Avenue. Because of reports of narcotics activity in the area, the officer followed the vehicle and ran a…

April 18, 2016

Ellwood City Softball Team Masters Three Conference Games

The Ellwood City softball team swung past three conference opponents in three days. The Lady Wolverines shut down Riverside 15-0 on Thursday, defeated Neshannock 11-8 on Friday and finished the weekend with a victory against Mohawk 7-1 on Saturday. On Thursday’s away game against rival Riverside, Ellwood’s Skyla Greco pitched a near perfect game, striking out 12 batters as her team defeated Riverside 15-0. The Lady Wolverines consistently scored each inning. The mercy rule went into affect after five innings. Greco didn’t just keep the Lady Panthers pinned on defense, but spearheaded Ellwood’s offense with five RBIs and three hits….

April 15, 2016

Truck Hitting Telephone Pole Causes Power Outage

Much of downtown Ellwood City lost power briefly when a truck knocked over a telephone pole on Division Avenue. Affected areas included Lawrence, Beaver and Crescent Avenues. The outage began around 10:30 a.m., and power was restored by 11. Ellwood City police, fire fighters and electric department personnel responded to the accident. Photos by Jonathan Cortez for Ellwoodcity.org.

April 15, 2016

Platt Found Guilty

After 11 hours of deliberation over Wednesday and Thursday, the jury found defendant Leon Platt guilty of third-degree murder. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is accused of murdering Richard Hogue, 28, just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 in an apartment on 411 Loop St. in Ellwood City. Lawrence County Judge J. Craig Cox is hearing the case, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Minett is prosecuting and defense attorney John Bongivengo is representing Platt. Although the prosecution pushed for a first-degree murder charge, the jury ultimately decided on third-degree. Per Pennsylvania law, murders in the third-degree are committed with malice but…