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February 11, 2021

Course Examines Rise, Fall of Steel Industry

New Castle, PA – It lifted a region, provided livelihoods to hundreds of thousands, forged secondary and tertiary commerce up and down and across western Pennsylvania. It fed, it housed and it clothed, financed births and weddings and funerals, empowered its sometimes poorly educated immigrant workers to patronize main streets for a century. And then the steel industry collapsed. “Life changed dramatically,” said author Dale Perelman, a New Castle resident whose course titled The Birth and Death of Steel in Western Pennsylvania is one of 47 classes this spring on Butler County Community College’s menu of Lifelong Learning opportunities in…

February 10, 2021

BC3 Effort To Assist Food-Insecure Students Turns 2

A Butler County Community College initiative to confront food insecurity this month marks its second anniversary, not from its original snack rack, not from its subsequent cramped room behind a kitchen, but from a spacious classroom whose shelves of nutritious nonperishables help to feed a drive-up food bank that provided Thanksgiving turkeys and holiday hams last fall. The free grab-and-go food station that debuted in February 2019 outside Karen Jack’s office in the college’s Student Success Center followed a report that nearly 40 percent of BC3 students who responded to a 2018 survey indicated they experienced low or very low…

February 10, 2021

NOTICE: Reminder Regarding Snow Removal

According to the Borough of Ellwood City Code Officer, Ralph Chiappetta, the borough has been receiving many calls about snow and ice on sidewalks. Furthermore, the code officer has issued the following reminder regarding snow and ice removal as borough residences are required to have snow and ice cleared from sidewalks within 24 hours of the snowfall per the following ordiance: 674.04 SNOW AND ICE ON SIDEWALKS. (a) Removal of Snow and Ice by Owner, Occupant or Tenant. The owner, occupant or tenant of every property upon or alongside any street in the Borough shall remove or cause to be…

February 8, 2021

Lincoln High School Moves To Full Remote Learning

According to information made available on the district website, and effective Tuesday, February 9, 2021, Lincoln High School is moving to full remote learning. Throughout the day on Monday, February 8, 2021, the district received notice of five additional cases of COVID-19 within Lincoln Jr/Sr High School. The district will notify a parent/guardian directly if his or her child is identified through contact tracing to be a specific risk. Per the press release, and together with the three previous cases reported on Friday, Lincoln has exceeded the number of cases allowable by the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education. Therefore,…

February 8, 2021

$912 Million COVID-19 Relief Package Enacted

A comprehensive $912 million relief package to help restaurants, schools, employers, and tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic received final legislative approval and was signed into law by the Governor on Friday (February 5), according to Senator Elder Vogel, who strongly supported the bill. Senate Bill 109 (Act 1 of 2021) 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 new law…

February 5, 2021

NOTICE: Reminder Regarding Junk, Abandoned, or Unregistered Vehicles

According to the Borough of Ellwood City Code Officer, Ralph Chiappetta, there has been a large problem with junk, abandoned or unregistered vehicles in the borough. Chiappetta would like to remind residents that you may have a vehicle that is not inspected, registered, or legally drivable on the street stored in a garage as defined in the following ordinances. A tarp or canvas enclosure is NOT a garage. You may not have a vehicle stored in your yard. This is covered under IPMC 2012 section 202, INOPERABLE MOTOR VEHICLE A vehicle which cannot be driven upon the public streets for…

February 3, 2021

Senator Vogel Raises Concerns About Governor Wolf’s Tax & Spend Budget

Senator Elder Vogel today raised serious concerns about the Governor’s proposal to raise income taxes, increase state spending and slash Pennsylvania’s support for agricultural programs. The Governor today (February 3) unveiled his proposed $40.2 billion General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22, which includes a $3.1 billion (8.2 percent) increase in state spending, a substantial Personal Income Tax (PIT) rate hike, imposition of Marcellus Shale extraction tax, and elimination of funding for vital agricultural programs and services. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees the budget review process in the Senate, and Chairman of the Senate Agriculture…

February 3, 2021

Animal Cruelty Investigation Case In Lawrence County

According to a Pennsylvania State Police Troop D Press Release, an animal cruelty investigation report was file in Washington Township, Lawrence County last week. According to the report, and on Saturday, January 23, 2021 at approximately 3:30 p.m., PA State Police assisted Lawrence County Humane Officer and responded to 535 Rabbit Haven Lane, just northeast of New Castle, in reference to an Animal cruelty complaint. The residence was reported to be a single wide mobile home sitting on a basement. The initial investigation determined that the residence was deplorable, holding numerous dogs and other animals in unsanitary conditions inside and…

February 2, 2021

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…

February 1, 2021

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…