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April 17, 2015

Senior Privilege Will Set Bad Habits Before College, but It Doesn’t Matter

[Statements, opinion, and views expressed in this column are those of the author named and are not necessarily those of the EllwoodCity.org and Thought Process Enterprises team.] The new scheduling policy, Senior Privilege, caused quite a stir among the school board at last Thursday’s meeting. In short, the policy allows seniors in good standing to come late or leave early for two periods. Some members of the board expressed concern that the policy would appeal to slackers and set up bad habits before college. As someone who was just in college, I have to agree. Saying that the policy appeals…

April 14, 2015

Photos: Lady Wolverines Fight It Out with the Lady Panthers, Win 3-1

On Monday evening, the Ellwood City and Riverside softball teams met at Riverside High School for the rivalry showdown. The close game ended with the Lady Wolverines pulling ahead of the Lady Panthers and winning 3-1. It was Ellwood’s first real fight of the season, as the combined score for their first four games is 35-2. Both teams had gone about a week without a game due to weather. Ellwood’s Allie McKelvey got the first run of the game in the first inning. Afterward, the game stalemated until McKelvey got another run, batted in by Summer Maine, in the fifth…

April 10, 2015

Religious Freedom and ‘Corporations Are People” Used as Excuses for Discrimination and Financial Agendas

[EllwoodCity.org is beginning a weekly column on local, regional, and national news and events that will publish on Fridays. Statements, opinion, and views expressed in this column are those of the author named and are not necessarily those of the EllwoodCity.org and Thought Process Enterprises team.] I’m impressed by the stamina of the anti-LGBT front. Despite continually losing ground, the stalwart defenders of upright moral values always rally to draw a new line in the sand. As someone who really doesn’t care about what other people do, I can’t imagine myself being motivated enough to fight a downhill battle that’s…

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April 9, 2015

Fresh Take Foods Shares Owner’s Love of Food and Community

Michael Dillow finds food brings out great conversation and brings people together. He’s been working in the food service industry his entire adult life and has recently opened Fresh Take Foods, located on 810 Second St. The take-out restaurant opened April 2, although it will celebrate a grand opening April 15. For now, it mostly serves pizza, although that will soon expand to pasta and chicken. The establishment is true to its name in that fresh sauce is made daily and two to three batches of dough are made daily. Dillow also orders only the freshest ingredient available. Dillow explained…

March 17, 2015

Ellwood’s Petrak is the Swimming State Champion

Taylor Petrak’s greatest challenge, being a swimmer in a school without a team or pool, became her strength and motivation. Petrak, a sophomore at Lincoln High School, won the 50 yard freestyle last Wednesday at the PIAA competition at Bucknell University. With a time of 23.62 seconds, she tied her WPIAL record and beat the second place finisher by roughly .4 seconds, a sizable difference in a short-distance event. Petrak placed third in the 100 yard freestyle and had the satisfaction of achieving a new personal record of 51.23. Rather than allow her status as Ellwood’s sole swimmer be an…

March 10, 2015

Photos: Dress Rehearsal of ‘Anything Goes,’ Presented by Riverside High School

Riverside High School Theater will present Anything Goes, a musical comedy by Cole Porter, this weekend from March 12 to 15. The musical features memorable songs such as “Anything Goes,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and a cast favorite, “Blow, Gabriel, Blow.” “Anything Goes,” written and first performed in 1934, takes place on the S.S. American and features a cast of 70 students from grades 4 through 12. The musical follows a beautiful debutante, a British lord, a gangster, an evangelist turned nightclub singer and a stock broker as they all search for love. Billy Crocker, the stock…

March 9, 2015

It’s Time Fitness Brings Full Facility Gym and Personal Training to Ellwood City

When Tony Joseph drove past the empty Walnut Ridge, he envisioned something more: a multi-service athletic facility. “When I walked into the building, I could see exactly what I wanted the rooms to become,” Joseph said. “I knew this was something I could provide to the community that we didn’t have.” That vision is now a reality. It’s Time Fitness provides conventional gym services such as a weight room and fitness class room, and additional amenities such as a salon, practice room for athletes, and a martial arts studio rented by Richard Lee Morris. The final part of Joseph’s goal,…

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March 5, 2015

Riverside’s Swim Team Sets School Records; Sends Seven to States

Apparently, panthers can swim really well. Riverside’s swim team outperformed competition and their own school records at the WPIAL tournaments on Feb. 20 and 21. Three relays and three individuals qualified for the PIAAs, and four school records were set. The three relays were the work of the Lady Panthers. The 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle placed third and fourth and automatically advanced to the state competition. The 200 medley placed fifth, which doesn’t automatically qualify for the PIAA. “There was no guarantee that any of the relays would get to states, but the girls did not hesitate,” Coach Bill…

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March 4, 2015

Remembering Charlie Hogan (1983-1994) in the Best Way: Hockey

by Jonalyn Telesz The Lawrence County Lightning mites hockey team from Hess Ice Rink in New Castle traveled to Indiana, Pa. to compete in the 20th Annual Charlie Hogan Hockey Tournament on Feb. 7 and 8. The Charlie Hogan Tournament is a memorial for the late Charlie Hogan of the 1991-94 mite and squirt level PAHL Championship teams with the Indiana Youth Hockey Association. Charlie lost his life when he was only 10 years old. The tournament helps bring together young hockey players from all over the state to celebrate their love for this great sport and remember the life…