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March 19, 2018

Police: New Castle Man Charged with Viewing Child Pornography

According to the criminal complaint filed on March 6, Steven Robert Nerone, 35, of 1704 E Washington St, New Castle, was charged with dissemination of child pornography. In February 2017, state police investigated a report from Microsoft that a Skype user had uploaded a known picture of child pornography. State police requested a subpoena to be issued to Comcast for an IP address identification. The Comcast report identified the IP user as Nerone. In October, police obtained a search warrant and interviewed the suspect. In December, police seized Nerone’s hard drive and thumb drive and located over 450 pictures and…

March 19, 2018

Ellwood City Public Library Activities for Week of March 19

Activities taking place at the Ellwood City Area Public Library include the following: Monday, March 19, at 1:30 p.m. – Afternoon Book Discussion Group for Adults. The group will discuss the book, “The Edge of Lost,” by Kristina McMorris. New members are welcome. Call the library at 724-758-6458 for more information. Tuesday, March 20, at 10:00 a.m. — Family Laptime, a weekly program designed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. The spring session, which will be held every Tuesday through April 24, features stories, songs, games and more. Registration is requested, so call the library for more information and to register….

March 19, 2018

Ellwood Historical Society Monthly Meeting Recap

The Ellwood City Area Historical Society monthly membership meeting was held last Monday, March 12, 2018. Guy Prestia, a World War II Veteran led the Pledge to the American flag. Those in attendance were reminded of the annual Robert and Janice Barensfeld Scholarships.  Two (2) $1500.00 scholarships will be awarded at the May meeting.  Graduating students from Lincoln High and Riverside High Schools are eligible.  Applications may be obtained from the Guidance Counselors of the schools.  The scholarships have been awarded through the Historical Society since the year 1999. W.Ryan Kegel was introduced  as the speaker for the evening.  Ryan spoke…

March 16, 2018

Letter to the Editor – Council’s Decision to Save Money Will Have Opposite Effect

As is often the case with government, the recent decision by Ellwood City Borough Council to recoup costs from local non-profits is likely to have the exact opposite effect from what is desired. These actions are being taken in the name of fiscal responsibility, but the reality is that the Borough gets much more benefit from these groups than what it contributes. If the Borough were to put a bid out to hire a contractor to clean up the waterways, how much do you think it would cost? What about hiring bands to play at the plaza downtown or paying…

March 16, 2018

Chamber of Commerce, Other Organizations Urge Council to Reconsider Charging Events

The Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce took issue with council’s decision to charge nonprofits recoup fees for events held in the borough. At Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council agenda meeting, chamber President Ray Santillo urged council to reconsider. Santillo argued that events such as Relay for Life and the Concert Series promote a healthy local economy and urged council to compromise and solve problems amicably while marketing the community positively. He also pointed out that chamber members pay dues, and the chamber helps with funding events, such as providing electric panels for the downtown car cruise. Santillo praised the quantity…

March 15, 2018

PHOTO: Eagle Scout Commendation Presented Monday

At the Borough Council meeting on Monday, members of council along with Mayor Court presented a “Commendation” to a local Eagle Scout. Christopher Brandt achieved his Eagle Scout Award – Troop 806. “Amazing accomplishment and dedication for a terrific guy. Congrats again my friend — You’re Awesome!” In photo with Mayor Court and Chris are his proud Parents Tim & Sally Brandt. Also pictured are Council President, Judy Dici, Councilman Rob Brough and Councilwoman Lisa Corey Guerrera.

March 15, 2018

Visitor Requests Council to Resign for Alleged Violation of Freedom of Speech

At the Ellwood City Borough Council agenda meeting, Dawn Santagata requested that the entire council resign due to alleged violations of the First Amendment’s right to freedom of speech. In a prepared statement, Santagata asserted her freedom of speech was violated when her comments were deleted from a Facebook page titled Ellwood City Council – Rob Brough and Lisa Guerrera. The two council members use the page to post information on council topics. Santaga cited a 2017 court case, Davison vs. Loudon County Board of Supervisors, in which a federal court determined a public official couldn’t delete dissenting viewpoints from…

March 14, 2018

Lincoln Students Participate in National Student Walkout

At 10 .m. today, Lincoln High School students gathered outside to participate in a nation-wide protest against gun violence in schools. The Lincoln High School administration supported students’ right to protest, and the Ellwood City Police Department provided three officers for security. According to Principal Kirk Lape, the demonstration proceeded without issue. Although there was no exact count, he said a “significant amount” of students participated. Students gathered around the miniature State of Liberty statue for 17 minutes, one minute for each victim of Florida school shooting. Today marks the one month anniversary of the tragic.

March 14, 2018

NOTICE: Recycling In Plastic Bags No Longer Accepted

According to a press release made available Tuesday afternoon, and effective immediately, Valley Waste will no longer accept recycling in plastic bags. Recycling must be placed loose in carts or bins. Please do not put plastic bags in your home recycling bin. The Valley Waste Recycling Center is meant to sort cans, bottles, paper and cardboard. It is not meant to sort plastic bags. Plastic bags are among the greatest headaches for recyclers. They slow down systems, drive up costs and hurt the quality of materials. It is not that used plastic bags cannot be recycled into new materials, they…

March 14, 2018

Ellwood Resident Criticizes Borough for Failure to Comply with Right to Know Law

At Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council meeting, visitor Dave McQuade criticized council for a slow response to his Right to Know Requests, for its decision to charge events recoup fees and for statements made on social media. McQuade filed two requests on the weekend of March 2 and said the borough had yet to respond. By state law, an agency has five business days to respond in writing.  The first request was for the current procedures for holding events in the borough. The second request was for the police contract. The requests were in response to council’s decision in February to…