Recent Stories

Articles by Tracey Ferguson

August 22, 2019

Adult Dance Party/Karaoke Night to Make Waves at Ewing Park Pool

Although Councilwoman Marilyn Mancini doesn’t plan to sing at the Adult Dance Party/Karaoke Night, she invites everyone to stop by and say hello at the gate. Mancini said this Adult Dance Party is special because it will feature Karaoke this time. “This will be the last Adult Dance party at the pool for this summer and we are making it a karaoke night!” she said. “The DJ is Frank Pezzi—a Ellwood City resident.  His DJ name is Franco.” The party will be held at the pool, Monday, August 26th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Rain date is August 27th…

August 22, 2019

Ellwood to Join Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)

In a 5-2 vote, Council decided that Ellwood City would join Lawrence County’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). The two “no” votes came from Councilman George Celli and Councilman James Barry. This is the second time CIRT participation was up for a vote in council. On June 17 council had a 5-2 vote of no. At that time Councilwomen Marilyn Mancini and Michele Lamenza were the only members who voted to participate. This time around, council President, Judith Dici, and council members Lisa Guerrera and Rob Brough changed their votes. Guerrera had one question, “Does this cost anything?” Dici, who…

August 21, 2019

Council Votes to Amend Hospital Zoning Ordinance

In a unanimous vote, Ellwood City Council voted on August 19 to amend the hospital/medical district zoning ordinance that they originally passed in May. The proposed amendment will be sent to the borough and Lawrence County planning commissions for review. The amendment adds to the definition of “Health Services” “facilities and residences included in a continuum of care entity.” Borough Manager David Allen said the wording basically boiled down to nursing homes. Solicitor Ed Leymarie said during an Aug 12 agenda meeting that the move will resolve an appeal filed by Penn Med LLC, a lender who is seeking a…

August 20, 2019

Medical Center to Host Free Diabetes Education Program

The Ellwood City Medical Center will host a Free Diabetes Nutrition Education Community Snacks & Facts Program. It will be Presented by Jason Barnot RD, LDN – Registered Dietitian/Licensed Nutritionist Date: Friday September 6, 2019 Time: 1 p.m. Place: Ellwood City Medical Center, Basement Cafeteria Back Dining Room Topics: How to read food labels and food ingredients What foods will help lower blood sugars and what foods will raise them Nutritional supplements Healthy snacking ideas Please RSVP to 724-544-9845 or on the Ellwood City Medical Center Facebook page event by Monday September 2, 2019.

August 19, 2019

Life Changing Gift: A Surprise for Local Man

The look on CJ DeGennaro’s face was priceless. CJ, 31, suffers from cerebral palsy. On August 17, CJ received the gift of a Safe Step walk-in tub, but it was a complete surprise to CJ. CJ had been nominated 110 times during the last two years to receive this tub by his friends, his family, his community. A crowd that worked hard to make this happen gathered in his driveway. As his family and friends and nominators stood around awaiting CJ’s return from breakfast at Christy’s diner, they anticipated his reaction. Pop out comments from the crowd filled the summer…

August 16, 2019

Board to Re-evaluate Soccer Program Funding in September

During  a special board meeting on Friday morning, Ellwood City School Board decided to allow the soccer program to use the Ewing Park School property for practice and to order nets to facilitate those practices, according to District Superintendent Joseph Mancini, who was reached for comment following the meeting. He said the games will continue to be held at Stiefel Park. He added that the board will re-evaluate the funding request at the September board meeting. Practices are being moved to Ewing Park to allow for more practice availability time in the hopes to attract additional players. This “special meeting”…

August 15, 2019

RACE Swim Team Hosting Tryouts

RACE is looking to build a team for the 2019-2020 swim season and will be hosting tryouts on Monday at 5 p.m. “Joining a swim team can give kids many benefits and be incredibly rewarding,” said Gwen Nulph, RACE coach. “It gives them the chance to be part of a team, build camaraderie, improve skills, get consistent physical activity, set and strive for goals, and have a lot of fun!” What is RACE?  Riverside Aqua Club of Ellwood (RACE) was established with the purpose of teaching competitive swimming and developing teamwork. Its mission is to build and maintain a competitive…

August 14, 2019

Local Woman Qualifies For Olympic Swimming Trials

She never imagined she would have the chance to do what she loves on a world stage. Taylor Petrak, 2017 Lincoln High School Graduate, has qualified for the Olympic Swimming Trials. As a very young “fish in the water,” Taylor didn’t necessarily have her sights set directly on the Olympics. “I never had any specific goals of making it to the Olympics,” she said. “It was not on my radar.” But a wave of talent and speed now has the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a major spot on Taylor’s radar. She qualified for the trials on July 23 posting…

August 13, 2019

Council to Vote to Amend Hospital Zoning Ordinance

Ellwood City Council will vote August 19 to amend the hospital/medical district zoning ordinance that they originally passed in in a unanimous vote on May 20. They will vote to add to the definition of “Health Services” “facilities and residences included in a continuum of care entity.” Borough Manager David Allen said the wording basically boiled down to nursing homes. Solicitor Ed Leymarie said the move will resolve an appeal filed by Penn Med LLC, a lender who is seeking a more than $5 million judgement against Americore Health LLC, Ellwood Medical Center LLC, and Ellwood Medical Center Real Estate…

August 9, 2019

ECASD Security Update: School Police Officer Replaced; Vestibule Completion Delayed

In an effort to make Ellwood City Area Schools more secure, The Ellwood City Area School Board—during the spring and summer months—hired two armed school police officers for the 2019-2020 school year and also voted to improve security vestibules at North Side, Hartman, and Perry Lower Intermediate. Updates, new votes occurred during this week’s ECASB’s agenda and regular meetings: School Police In July the board hired Robert Lagoon of Zelienople and Brad Koscinski of Grove City as the first armed officers to serve the school district. During the board’s regular meeting on Thursday the board voted to accept the resignation…