Recent Stories

Home Page

No Picture

December 29, 2014

Police: Three Juveniles Charged for Vandalism

The Ellwood City Police arrested three juveniles on Friday regarding the recent string of vandalism acts throughout the Borough. The 14, 15 and 16-year-old males will be charged for the following incidents: Nov. 20/21 – The building located at 231 Fifth St. had its display windows smashed with rocks. The building owner is Joe Morabito. Nov. 20/21 – A 2006 Ford Taurus owned by Herman Feldman was damaged while parked in front of his office at 228 Fifth Street. Nov. 29 – The building owned by Morabito located at 231 Fifth St. had its windows again damaged by rocks. Dec….

December 18, 2014

ESB Shareholders Sue to Block Sale of Bank

A press release from the law offices of Brodsky & Smith based out of Bala Cynwyd, Pa. announced that a lawsuit was filed on Dec. 15 by ESB Financial, Inc. shareholders regarding the sale of the Ellwood City branch. WesBanco Inc. of Wheeling, W. Va. disclosed that they had purchased ESB Bank in October. The agreement stated that WesBanco would pay ESB shareholders 0.502 shares of WesBanco stock and $1.76 in cash for each share of their ESB common stock. Shareholders are now claiming that ESB and WesBanco has devalued the price of their stocks. Plaintiffs are also saying that…

No Picture

November 26, 2014

Small Business Saturday Helps Build Local Economy

Thriving towns all need solid support from dedicated community members. On Saturday, Nov. 29, the community has a chance to come together and provide a positive impact on the local economy as businesses celebrate Small Business Saturday. Bob Rivers, owner of National Grind coffee shop on Lawrence Avenue and board of directors member of the Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce, discussed the importance in shopping local this time of year. “It’s a great way to kick off the holiday season,” Rivers said of Small Business Saturday. “This is the best time, with Black Friday coming up, Small Business Saturday, and…

November 25, 2014

Ellwood City to Honor Fallen Firefighters 25 Years Later

by Ryan Shaffer On Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m., the Ellwood City Volunteer Fire Department will hold a memorial service to pay tribute to two firefighters who lost their lives fighting a structure fire on Lawrence Avenue. Nearly 25 years ago, on Dec. 4, 1989, David “Ernie” Martino and Paul Frederick entered the Elton Hotel, formerly located in the vacant lot between PNC Bank and Nido’s Beauty Salon, and never came back out. Fire chief Rick Myers explained the significance of their actions on that cold winter morning. “They paid the ultimate sacrifice for this community,” Myers said. “Every…

No Picture

November 14, 2014

Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce Announces New Executive Director

The Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that they have named Lori Wilkerson-Hilliard as the new Executive Director of the Chamber. She will be replacing current Executive Director Terri Stramba, who has held the position for the last three years. “The decision to leave the Chamber to focus on the recent expansion of my family business has been a difficult one, as I love this job,” Stramba said. “However, knowing that Lori shares my passion for the community and the mission of the Chamber makes it easy to move from leading the Chamber…

November 13, 2014

Young Girl WIth Hirschprung’s Disease Inspires with Smiles

by Ryan Shaffer Imagine a crisp, sunny spring day with colorful flowering erupting from the Earth during first bloom. The sun beams softly onto them as they awaken from their lengthy winter hibernation, and the effervescent dew gleans on the bright petals. Ellwood City’s Nan Beachem gets to enjoy that same warm feeling everyday when she sees her daughter Kyree’s captivating smile. Twenty-four years ago, Beachem began her commitment to altruism when she and her then-husband started fostering newborn children until adoption became available. It took little time for the two to move on to older children who needed transitioned…

No Picture

October 24, 2014

One Tomato, Two Tomato, Three Tomato, More

Nearly six months ago, Nino Riccio took a leap of faith and invested in the combination of his two New Castle restaurants. On Nov. 1, the chef and business owner plans to hold a soft opening for the II Tomato doors at its newer, larger location at 2409 Wilmington Road. The restaurant will then be open to the public Monday, Nov. 3. Riccio, who lives in Ellwood City, wanted to free himself up from the constant ten-minute drive between II Tomato, a fine dining establishment on East Long Avenue, and III Tomato, a sandwich shop and pizzeria on Wilmington Road….

No Picture

October 7, 2014

Ellwood City Woman Defies Odds on Appalachian Trail

by Ryan Shaffer Leaving a structured civilization construed of the most updated technology for nearly six months seems less-than-feasible for most. Though, for Ellwood City resident Sarah Beatrice, it was a dream come true. The 29-year-0ld embarked on a 2,185-mile journey through one of the most wondrous attractions along the east coast of the United States, the Appalachian Trail, with only a 26-lb backpack full of only bare necessities. “It was the most beautiful and rewarding, yet hardest thing I have ever done,” Beatrice said. “It was not just another walk in the woods.” Each year, approximately 2,000 people travel…

No Picture

September 24, 2014

Cheeseman’s Opens for a 15th Season

No one celebrates Fall quite like the Cheesemans of Portersville. Since 1999, the family has transformed 60 acres of their farmland into hosting ground for two of Western Pennsylvania’s most anticipated events: The Pumpkin Festival and Fright Farm. This weekend, the Cheesemans will open their barn doors up to the public for a fifteenth consecutive year with the commencement of Fright Farm on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Sept. 27, at noon, the Pumpkin Festival begins. According to Jen Cheeseman, the family took a chance and grew pumpkins, which sparked the idea of creating the events…

No Picture

September 23, 2014

Derby, Fall Fest Packed Full of Fun

Ready, Set, Go … to the Ellwood City Main Drag Derby and Fall Fest on Saturday, Sept. 27. The day starts at 9 a.m. when the derby cars will begin to glide down Lawrence Avenue, and it will continue until 4 p.m. with activities at Fall Fest. So far there are 32 participants in the soapbox derby-style race including 25 stock car, four super stock cars and three vintage cars. According to derby event organizer Earla Marshall, who is working with the Kitchen Cabinet to host the event, the vintage car participants will not race; they will take the initial…