Recent Stories

Human Interest

August 28, 2017

‘Life on a Chain is No Life At All,’ New Anti-Tethering Act Effective Today

In the ongoing attempt to stop animal abuse, the new Pennsylvania anti-tethering act, part of the recently approved Libre’s Law, is effective starting today. The act will place reasonable limitations on continuous tethering of dogs outside. Specifically, this law requires: A leash must be three times the length of the pet or 10 feet, whichever is longer. No tow or logged chain or pinch, choke, or prong collars used with a tether. A well-fitted collar and no open sores or wounds on the dog’s body. The lead must be on a swivel and ideally a lead that has a coated cover…

August 24, 2017

Anglers Warned to Not Eat Fish from Shenango River

The Pennsylvania Departments of Agriculture (Ag), Environmental Protection (DEP), and Health (DOH) along with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced a “DO NOT EAT” advisory for all fish species caught in the Shenango River in Mercer and Lawrence Counties due to extremely high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). The advisory extends to all fish between the Shenango Lake Dam and the mouth of the Shenango River in New Castle, PA. DEP is currently investigating possible sources of the PCB contamination. A “DO NOT EAT” advisory was already in effect for the river for muskellunge, carp, and channel catfish, and…

August 23, 2017

Back to School: Updated Art Studio

The Ellwood City School District students are officially back to school starting today! As with every new school year, things change, usually for the better and the benefit of the students. This year one of the biggest renovations the Ellwood City High School made is an updated art classroom and studio. While the art classroom has been updated, the art studio is still undergoing further improvements, according to Ellwood City High School art instructor, Amanda Hatkevich who has been working on the two-room updates since mid-summer. “The classroom is basically done for right now but the studio is still a…

August 21, 2017

Partial Solar Eclipse Will Be Visible in Ellwood City

The highly anticipated solar eclipse across the nation from the west coast to the east coast of America is happening today, which will be visible at different times throughout regions of the nation. While Ellwood City is not in the “direct path” of the eclipse, according to TimeandDate.com, Ellwoodians will be able to see a partial eclipse starting at 1:09p.m., the peak of the eclipse will be at 2:34p.m. and the end at 3:54p.m. for a total duration of 2 hours and 44 minutes. The weather forecast predicts clouds and possible rain storms throughout the day. Eclipse’s are not necessarily…

August 21, 2017

Helling Stadium Fallen Pole Causes Severe Damage

Proceeding a storm with 60mph winds Friday evening, during a delayed football game at Helling Stadium a light pole at the stadium fell, struck two people, and damaged areas of the field and a Noga Ambulance. According to recent reports, 13-year-old Jaidyn Le’Viere, a junior cheerleading coach entering eight grade at Lincoln Junior-Senior High School, sustained injuries including lacerations in her back and a broken hip. An unidentified adult male was also injured by the pole, believed to have sustained a broken arm as a result of the pole’s collapse. The light pole fell towards a pop-up tent between the…

August 17, 2017

Pollution Control Project Funded in Lawrence County

Lawrence County Conservation District received $2,000 to implement a Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project. “This grant allows our conservation district to address local pollution issues. We plan to educate local residents on how they can do their part to ensure there is enough clean water for future generations,” said Katie Schmidt, Watershed Specialist. Education and outreach about the project began in May of this year, and the District is continuing to look for volunteers. Training will occur in the fall and the project will be continued indefinitely afterward. Thirty-seven projects will be funded in 31 of the state’s counties. Projects…

August 15, 2017

Hauntings of the Area

Joyce Ross, a New Castle resident and volunteer at the Lawrence County Historical Society, has always had a passion for the paranormal. She remembers the days when her father used to tell her about the local haunting legends, a pastime she now shares with her son. “When I was a little girl my dad introduced me to the legend of Mary Black; I didn’t think much of it at the time but as I got older it came back into my interest and I told my son, who suggested ghosting hunting where she was buried. We never found her exact…

August 15, 2017

Bernstine to Request Traffic Study on Rt. 65

State Representative Aaron Bernstine will be requesting a traffic study from PennDot for Route 65 in North Sewickley Township due to an increasing number of complaints. “There have been numerous accidents and we would like to request a traffic study to talk about what can be done to make this road more safe,” his official Facebook page states. The post has received a lot of support and suggestions from residents, one of which suggests a potentially dangerous blind spot due to foliage. “Aaron, now that this is mentioned, just a hair North on 65 at the intersection on 65/Mercer Road…

August 14, 2017

First 2017 United Fund Check Presented to Director of Ellwood Family Center

Andrew Kindle, Treasurer of the Ellwood City United Fund, presented a check to Ricki Coccia, Director of Ellwood Family Center as the first disbursement of collected funds for the year 2017. “All agencies will receive 20% less because of the shortfall in the 2017 campaign,” Kindle said. The United Fund had discussed holding the money for a later disbursement date, but decided that it would cause a hardship on the agencies who really need the funds. Kevin Green, CEO/Ex Dir of City Rescue Mission, agreed and stated, “we thank you for the recent gift(allotment), it will be put to good…

August 8, 2017

The Public Works Construction is ‘Progressing Well’

The demolition of the Ellwood City Public Works Building and a few other surrounding lots is progressing well, according to Borough Manager, Robert Villella. As part of the Ellwood City Revitalization project, the demolition and rebuild of the Public Works Building was deemed one of the top necessities. “The previous building was extremely outdated and not efficient, and in some ways even dangerous for our workers, the layout was impractical, making it hard to store the necessary items, and it was becoming an eyesore in the community. Overall it was just in not only the workers best interest, but also…