Recent Stories

Human Interest

December 30, 2025

PART 2: Top Stories Of 2025

In following previous years’ tradition, EllwoodCity.org brings the 2025 calendar year to a close with the Top 10 most popular stories of the year. [VIEW PART 1] Today is the first part of our two-part series featuring the top news stories of the year based on analytics and social media reach.  The year continued to see changes in the Ellwood City area, and plenty more twists and turns. EllwoodCity.org has been right there, keeping members of our community updated with the best information possible! We would like to thank our valued readership that helped generated nearly 4.2 MILLION PAGE VIEWS this calendar year…

December 29, 2025

PART 1: Top Stories Of 2025

In following previous years’ tradition, EllwoodCity.org brings the 2025 calendar year to a close with the Top 10 most popular stories of the year. Today is the first part of our two-part series featuring the top news stories of the year based on analytics and social media reach.  The year continued to see changes in the Ellwood City area, and plenty more twists and turns. EllwoodCity.org has been right there, keeping members of our community updated with the best information possible! We would like to thank our valued readership that helped generated nearly 4.2 MILLION PAGE VIEWS this calendar year and our local…

December 19, 2025

Winter Sports Q&A – Part 3

Winter sports have arrived in the Ellwood City area. Basketball, Swimming, and Hockey are among the popular sports for students this year. We caught up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries, to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. This is part three of a three part series featuring area athletes in winter sports. Yesterday we published Winter Sports Q&A – Part 2 and on Wednesday, we published Winter Sports Q&A – Part 1 Craig Patterson School you attend? Lincoln High School…

December 18, 2025

Winter Sports Q&A – Part 2

Winter sports have arrived in the Ellwood City area. Basketball, Swimming, and Hockey are among the popular sports for students this year. We caught up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries, to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. This is part two of a three part series featuring area athletes in winter sports. Our Winter Sports Q&A – Part 1 segment posted on Wednesday. McCartney Plassmeyer School you attend? Riverside Sport? Basketball Grade? Senior How many years have you have participated? 8-ish…

December 17, 2025

Winter Sports Q&A – Part 1

Winter sports have arrived in the Ellwood City area. Basketball, Swimming, and Hockey are among the popular sports for students this year. We caught up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries, to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. This is part one of a three part series featuring area athletes in winter sports. Our Winter Sports Q&A – Part 2 segment is coming tomorrow. Emma Stockman School you attend? Riverside High School Sport? Basketball Grade? 11th How many years have you have…

Business

December 10, 2025

NEW Business: Meet the Heart Behind Rosies Daycare Center

There’s a good chance you’ve heard the buzz about Rosies Daycare Center—the warm, cheerful new space tucked inside a lovingly repurposed old school building at 603 Bridge Street in Ellwood City. And behind every color-splashed craft wall, every happy preschool circle time, and every laugh from the group of kids, you’ll find one very determined, very passionate hometown woman: Mackenzie Annarumo. Mackenzie, who grew up just down the road in Fombell, now lives two doors down from her childhood home. With her husband of four years (together for ten!) and their preteen son, she’s turned her love of community into…

December 9, 2025

New Little Free Library Brings Big Community Spirit to Ellport

A new chapter is opening—literally—in Ellport, with the debut of the borough’s very own Little Free Library, a charming, book-filled box ready to spark curiosity, conversation, and community connection. The beautifully painted library, perched at Ellport Playground Park (Sheeler Field area), is hard to miss. Painted blue and white with the iconic Free Little Library tag with the words “Take a Book, Leave a Book” proudly displayed, it looks like something straight out of a storybook itself. To have a Little Free Library in Ellport was an idea that Dawna Poole, Ellport resident, felt strongly should be brought to life….

December 9, 2025

Borough Manager Completes The Certified Borough Officials Program

Ellwood City’s Borough Manager, Kevin Swogger, recently completed The Certified Borough Officials Program. I feel the training and courses I have completed help me to be a better leader/manager for the community and the Borough,” Swogger said. “The classes range from on-line to in classroom and cover a wide range of areas such as administrative, management, planning, zoning, and code enforcement to name a few. It also includes Annual Conferences and Newly Elected Municipal Officials (NEMO) Boot Camp.” The Certified Borough Officials (CBO) designation is a voluntary, educational achievement program for borough officials. It is designed to promote continuing education for…

December 5, 2025

Local Writers Publish Sports-Mystery Conspiracy Novel

Three local writers have collaborated to publish Game Changers, a sports-mystery conspiracy novel that takes place at the intersection of a corrupt government, big business, sports, and gambling. The book is available from Amazon at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2GFGS1C Co-authored by Tim Wesley and Tom Bickert (of Ellwood City), and edited by Jim Pane, Game Changers is an intriguing glimpse into a fictional sports conspiracy started by a low-level government employee.  The tale includes a corrupt businessman, a mobster, and a reporter digging for the facts. “Our story is captivating and the characters are classics,” Wesley said.  “There’s Sherman Shipton,…

October 30, 2025

Faith in the School Day: Local Program Offers Released Time Bible Classes

Kids Quest has quietly become a vibrant hub of support, enrichment, and faith for elementary students in Ellwood City. Far more than just religious education, Kids Quest bridges academics, recreation, and spiritual formation across generations. “This is an effort involving many churches and families in our district,” said founding board member Sean Brubaker. Over the past few years, its programs have grown, its volunteers rallied, and its impact begun to ripple across neighborhoods—providing a space where children feel valued, supported, and encouraged to grow. “We have been around for five years now and have had as many as 80 students enrolled…