Recent Stories

Articles by Tracey Ferguson

February 11, 2021

ECASD Superintendent Offers Update on COVID Lockdown; Board Rescinds Approval of Choir Trip

During the Ellwood City Area School District Board of Directors February 11 meeting, Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said Lincoln High School was forced to go on lockdown following a breakout of COVID cases in the district. According to Shipley, on Friday February 5, there were 3 cases and upon return to school the following Monday there were 7 cases and then an additional case on Tuesday. He did not say whether the cases were among students or staff. The plan moving forward, Shipley said, is for Lincoln students to have full-remote learning until February 23 when the cases will return…

February 2, 2021

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…

February 2, 2021

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…

January 20, 2021

PART 2: Riverside Winter Sports Q&A

High school sports are back in full swing as winter sports have picked up since the holiday break. Basketball is among the popular sports for students at Riverside. We caught up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries, to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. This is part two of a two part series featuring area seniors in winter sports, for a look at PART 1 of our series, click here. Samantha Finch How many years have you been in Basketball? I have…

January 19, 2021

PART 1: Ellwood Winter Sports Q&A

High school sports are back in full swing as winter sports have picked up since the holiday break. Basketball and Hockey are among the popular sports for students at Lincoln. We caught up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries, to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. This is part one of a two part series featuring area seniors in winter sports with Riverside winter sports Q&A coming Wednesday. Sammy DiCaprio How many years have you been in Basketball? About 10 years….

January 18, 2021

Ellwood City Borough Council to Advertise Bids for Waste Collection

Trash was the top topic at Ellwood City’s Borough Council meeting Monday night. Council voted to advertise bids for the collection of refuse, recycling, and yard waste. Borough Manager David Allen said this is just the bidding process and that a final decision as to the process and collection company will come later. Before voting to allow the bidding process, Councilwoman Lisa Guererra requested that officials take into consideration the concerns and needs of all community members including the ones who like the bags, who don’t like the bags, and those who pay to have their own dumpsters. She said…

January 18, 2021

Ellwood City Borough Council to Meet Tonight

Ellwood City Borough Council will meet virtually tonight at 6 p.m. How to join the meeting: Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/96286869918?pwd=alVZejErMEZOTVdHU2U1UENSUUU2UT09 Meeting ID: 962 8686 9918 Passcode: 259097 One tap mobile +13017158592,,96286869918#,,,,*259097# US (Washington D.C) +13126266799,,96286869918#,,,,*259097# US (Chicago) On the agenda: A motion to approve the Pre-Paid Voucher List dated 1/ 12/21, in the amount of$357,565.89, and the List of Vouchers to be Paid dated 1/13/21 , in the amount of $163,599.10. A motion to adopt a Resolution, as submitted, re-establishing electric reconnection charges. A motion to adopt the 2021 IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rate of 56 cents per mile. A motion…

January 12, 2021

Eric Ryan Corporation Offering Complimentary Audit of Consumer Utility Bills

Eric Ryan Corporation is offering to the Ellwood City community a complimentary audit of your home gas/electric bills. Keith Venezie, CEO of the Eric Ryan Corporation, a local utility and phone bill auditing company, noticed his home gas bill was higher than normal. When he reviewed the bill, he discovered that he was being charged three times what he should have been billed. It prompted him to realize that this could very well be happening to others in the community—especially to those not familiar with energy purchasing. “As a company that specializes in the telecommunications and utility industries, I felt…

January 8, 2021

ECASD to Transition to Hybrid Learning Model on January 25

Ellwood City Area School District will return to a hybrid model of learning starting January 25. The district’s board of directors voted unanimously Thursday evening to implement a hybrid model where students will attend school in person two days a week and will attend school virtually three. Directors Norman Boots and Jennifer Tomon were absent from the meeting. Until January 25, students will continue full-time virtual learning. The meeting opened with a statement from Board President Jean Biehls who welcomed Wesley Shipley as the district’s superintendent. She said Shipley will have a starting salary of $150,000 and will lead the…

December 22, 2020

Borough Manager: Website, Trash Collection Plan Early Priorities in 2021

During Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council meeting, two projects were highlighted as priorities in the new year. Borough Manager David Allen said the projects of focus in the next two months include modernization of the borough’s website and trash. “We are working to modernize website and improve its functionality,” he said. A plan for the website will include more forms and document availability, more community announcements, and ways to make payments due to the borough. “We want to enhance user experience on our website,” he said. As far as trash goes, Allen said he has had several meetings with other…