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December 15, 2015

Borough Council to Vote on 1-Mill Tax Hike

The Ellwood City Borough Council will vote next Monday, Dec. 21 on a proposed 1-mill property tax increase. The tax increase will be part of the 2016 budget adoption. The 2015 budget has a 6.75-mill tax rate, which is set to increase to 7.75. Last year, there was a 0.5-mill increase. This year, the owner of a property valued at $75,000 would have paid $506.25. With the tax hike, the owner will pay $581.25, a $75 increase. The tax increase is primarily due to increased pension obligation for borough employees. Council had discussed the approaching problem in several meetings throughout…

December 15, 2015

Wampum Parade Committee Thanks Participates

We are thankful to so many people for making the 43rd Wampum Parade one of the best! It takes an army of helpers to put on a parade. We are especially appreciative of the following: Thank you to the Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas Judges Dominick Motto, John Hodge and Craig Cox for serving as our Float judges. Their active role at the ballpark and at the Judges’ Stand gave our parade an air of dignity. The people who made the effort and took the time to participate with a float or by dressing as a character deserve applause….

December 14, 2015

Mysterious Mini-Nativity Appears on Municipal Building Property (Updated Dec. 16)

Update: The owner retrieved the possessions, and the borough is taking no further action. A mini-nativity scene mysteriously appeared on the Ellwood City Borough Municipal Building property near the main entrance on Lawrence Avenue. The tiny figurines were displayed in front of and on the Fireman’s Memorial. In addition, there was a sign that read “Ellwood, the city with the Nativity.” At approximately 11:15 a.m., Borough Manager Bob Villella removed the sign and Nativity and placed the items in a box. The items will be available for the owner to claim. It is unknown who placed the sign and mini-nativity…

December 11, 2015

Winter Sports Preview 3: With an Experienced Lineup, Lady Panthers Looking to Successful Season

Experience is one thing the Lady Panthers have in abundance. Going into the 2015-16 season, the girls have six seniors fresh from a 19-4 season last year. Having finished 9-3 in their class AA section and advanced to the first round of playoffs, the Riverside girls basketball team is of course aiming for those goals again. However, teamwork and daily practice take precedent to earned titles. “We would like to compete for a section title and the playoffs but we never talk about it in that manner,” head coach John Wolf said. “We simply take our next opponent and work…

December 11, 2015

Mayor Presents Annual “Holiday Merchant Awards”

On Thursday, Mayor Court presented his annual “Holiday Merchant Awards” to the Ellwood City Ledger and to Nancy Smith Tailor Shop for their Holiday Window displays. Both businesses were nominated by people who thought their window decorations show the true spirit of the Holiday season. Receiving a window display award sign and a gift certificate from a local restaurant for the Ellwood City Ledger was Jackie Eidenmiller, Circulation Manger, and Tina Bequeath, Publisher. Receiving a window display award sign and gift certificate for the Tailor Shop was the owner herself, Nancy Smith. Mayor Court thanks all businesses who are participating…

December 11, 2015

Wampum Area Business Association Thanks Contributors to “Light Up the Town”

Wampum Area Business Association (WABA) and Wampum Christmas Parade would like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s “Light up the Town” a success. We had an excellent turnout and a great time. Our thanks goes to Marshall’s Funeral Home for the use of their parking lot for the activities and Olayer Farms for setting up hay wagons for the stage and Stramba Farms for use of their alpaca fence for the dance area. We would also like to thank the Ellwood City Kindergarten children carolers for their wonderful singing performance and Dance Expression and Diamond Dance for their…

December 11, 2015

Hitched and Unhitched Back

 The first Hitched and Unhitched of the new Ellwoodcity.org is now live and it’s an extra big one! Find out who took the vows in the months of September, October and November. In total, over twenty couples filed for marriage in the Ellwood City area this fall. This season was apparently not too corrosive to marriages, as only five couples filed for divorce. The page can be viewed at: Hitched and Unhitched.  

December 9, 2015

Winter Sports Preview 2: Lady Wolverines Shooting for a Second Playoff Run

Last year was an exciting year for the Lady Wolverines. For the first time in 17 years, the Ellwood girls basketball team, under coach Jolene Krupa, advanced to the playoffs. The elation of the playoff season was short lived with a loss in the first game against Ford City. The season ended with total record of 12-11 overall and 5-7 in conference. This year, the team has its sites raised higher: top three in section and to advance at least one stage farther in the playoffs. With a loss of only two seniors, the core of the squad is returning,…

December 9, 2015

Abundance of Half Days this Fall Helped Students and Local Restaurants

If you work downtown, you may have noticed that every other Friday, there were groups of high school students flocking Lawrence Avenue. Of the 15 Fridays this year, students had a half day on eight of them. However, that pattern has concluded. For the Ellwood City Area School District, this school year has no more than usual half days, but they were grouped into the first three months. The next half day won’t be until May. While for students, half days mean less school, for teachers, they mean Act 80 days with several hours of training. According to Superintendent Joe…

December 8, 2015

Winter Sports Preview 1: Ellwood City Wrestling

As a sophomore, Tyler Albers won the wrestling MAC tournament, placed third in the WPIAL and advanced to the PIAA state tournament. This year, as a junior, he’s hoping to improve that performance. In addition, six other Ellwood City wrestlers qualified for the WPIAL championships last season. For Craig Alberts, now on his third year as head coach, this season is promising for both individual achievement and team performance. Although the team lost three seniors, including WPIAL medalist Mike Sinclair, six returning starters and an influx of freshmen invigorate the lineup. “We would like to advance as many of our…