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Human Interest

September 22, 2017

First Fall Foliage Report

Pennsylvania is known for its extremely beautiful landscape especially in the fall. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources  posted the first fall foliage report of the 2017 year, highlighting different regions throughout the state. The chart shows the expected peak time trees will be turning into their typical fall colors. It appears as though Lawrence and surrounding counties will peak between October 8-14. As of right now, trees are estimated to be about 5-10% turned. Check out the full report here.  

September 21, 2017

College, Smiley Street Repave Project Reaches Completion

As a result of a Joint Paving Project between the Borough of Ellwood City, Columbia Gas and the PA American Water Company, the street from College to Smiley Street was repaved. This project which involved these utilities brought about new water and natural gas services to the residents. In addition, the participating utilities actually performed restorative and replacement sidewalk and handicap ramp improvements and even some driveway aprons where necessary. “This is an indication of the types of projects the Borough has been engaged in with the utilities and will continue to work with them to get the projects completed…

September 20, 2017

Free Public Wifi Hotspot to be Installed at Pittsburgh Circle Playground

By early October Circle Playground should have public wifi installed courtesy of Armstrong Cable. This will be the third borough-owned property in the community to have free public wifi. The other two areas are the Community Plaza on Lawrence Avenue and the public pool at Ewing Park. Borough Manager Bob Villella says the wifi installation will be beneficial for the Borough as well as the local community. “This will be a great thing not only for the community, but for the Borough as well,” Villella stated. “We will now have the ability to install security cameras to monitor the premises…

September 20, 2017

Bridge Work Expected to Cause Delays, Traffic & 80-Mile Detour

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is using an innovative engineering procedure, Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), which allows workers to replace bridges in 55 hours instead of requiring a year or more of roadway construction. As a result, there will be a PA Turnpike closure in our area that will likely have a major impact on travel at the end of September. This closure will result in a significant detour that will add more than an hour to travel time. “Motorists will face a lengthy detour that will add more than an hour to their travel times,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said….

September 19, 2017

VIDEO: Lawrence Avenue, Bell Avenue Demolition

The demolition of the buildings stretching from Bell Ave., to Lawrence Ave., is making “great progress,” according to Borough Manager Bob Villella. Recently the construction group has brought in an even larger – more specified machine to complete the job due to the tight space. The Volvo [pictured below] is larger than the standard, standing at over 70ft tall, and has extra features including a retracting and expanding axle, water sprayer to keep dust down, and cameras all around for a complete 360 view around and on the claw for precise viewings of everything going on from inside the cabin….

September 15, 2017

Lemon Toss Challenge: “More Than Just a Fundraiser”

As part of childhood cancer awareness month, two local teachers have decided to take part in raising awareness and funds for the cause by organizing a lemon toss challenge at the Wolverines, Beaver Falls football game this evening. Cara Atkinson, a teacher at the Ellwood City School District and creator and sponsor of Club Hope at the high school, has teamed up with her brother, Nick Nardone, the head coach of Beaver Falls to put together what they hope to be a annual event. “This is our first year doing the lemon toss challenge, but we hope to make it…

September 13, 2017

PHOTOS: Lawrence Avenue, Bell Avenue Demolition Progress

Following the progress being made on the demolition of 509 through 515 Lawrence Ave., these photos were snapped this morning by our journalist to show the current state of the buildings. As of right now the front side of the stretch is still intact. We are still waiting to hear back from the Borough Manager regarding the expected completion time of the project. Updates to follow.

September 5, 2017

Katy’s Bakery Cookie Walk Extended to Two Weeks

For many Ellwoodians, the Christmas Cookie Walk has been a yearly Christmas tradition since the start of the event, growing in popularity each time. For this reason, Katy McGrath, the owner of Katy’s Bakery, decided it would be a good idea to extend the time the cookies are available from one day to two weeks. “The Christmas Cookie Blitz is sort of a modified cookie walk – since it’s extended over a period of two weeks I imagine it won’t be as hectic and for those who can’t make it out because of the weather or their schedule, they’ll have…

September 1, 2017

Creator of Bigfoot The Movie Asks for Community’s Help Getting Movie on Netflix

One of the biggest local hits, Bigfoot The Movie, created by Jared Show, an Ellwood City native now residing in California, was shot in Ellwood City during fall of 2013 and spring of 2014 and is still an often-talked-about subject among locals. Since the first airing, the movie has made its way onto several streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Xbox, OverDrive, and Vimeo, but has yet to reach Netflix and Hulu. “So far the movie has been getting a great response and that’s why we would love to get the movie on Netflix, because we just…

August 31, 2017

2017 Freshmen: BC3’s Affordability Pays Off

Butler, PA – Michael Booser, Eric Homa and Patrick Kresh have just started their studies at Butler County Community College, and are already anticipating their savings by pursuing higher education at what the Pittsburgh Business Times reported in January as the school with the least expensive tuition among 24 regional colleges and universities. “I am getting the most education for the least amount of cost,” Booser said. Added Homa: “It benefits you in the long run because you are not in as much debt when you leave college and get into your career.” Forbes.com reported Feb. 23 that the average…