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Human Interest

April 26, 2016

Write On Fair at the Ellwood Library Celebrates Local Authors

Becoming a published author is no easy feat, and there are over 30 published authors in the Ellwood area. To honor these individual and celebrate local literary culture, the Ellwood City Area Public Library will host an author fair this Friday, April 29. Write On, organized by the Ellwood City Library 100th Anniversary Committee, will showcase 22 local authors. The committee identified over 30 authors, but not all were able to attend. The committee, which was created last year to celebrate the library’s centennial, stayed together to continue organizing events. “It’s a wonderful number for a first time out,” Veronica…

March 22, 2016

Wampum Native Stephen Johns Debuts in NHL and Scores First Goal

Ellwood City now boasts a National Hockey League Player. Stephen Johns made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on March 11 and has since played four more games. On March 17, he scored his first goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Johns is a native of Wampum and a Class of 2010 Lincoln High School graduate. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2014. The 6’4″, 213 pound defenseman signed a two year contract with the Stars with an $800,000 annual salary. Johns’ talent and dedication were noticed by Ellwood residents while he was still a Lincoln…

March 18, 2016

“Casualties of Steel,” a Documentary on the Closing of Ellwood’s U.S. Steel

In 1974, U.S. Steel closed its seamless tube mill in Ellwood City. “Casualties of Steel,” a documentary, chronicles the cultural impact of that closing through first hand accounts of the people who lived during the booming times of steel and its sad aftermath. This film was created by Ben Minett as a requirement for an ethnography class at Carnegie Mellon University. The documentary has no narrator and instead progresses through the voices of Ellwood City residents. Minett is a 1997 Riverside High School graduate. He created “Casualties of Steel” during his master’s degree studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Minett lives…

March 3, 2016

Seussical the Musical: Q&A with Leads

The Riverside High School Theater will present the family musical, “Seussical” on March 3 through March 6 in the high school auditorium. A cast of over 100 students from the high school, middle school and elementary will participate in the production. This is the 53nd Anniversary of Theater at Riverside, so we hope you can join us for this landmark show. “Oh, the things you can think” when Dr. Seuss’s best-loved characters collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper. Now one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony winners Lynn Ahrens…

February 17, 2016

Winter Storm Results in First Snow Day of the School Year for Ellwood City

At the Ellwood City Area school board meeting last Thursday, Feb 11, Superintendent Joe Mancini said that students will still have Monday off because there hasn’t been a snow day yet. A few school board members responded with, “Don’t say that yet!” It was semi-prescient. Students did indeed have Monday, designated as a snow-makeup day, off. Ironically, the first snow day of the year came yesterday, giving students a four-day weekend. Both Ellwood and Riverside districts had cancellations. For Ellwood, the next snow-makeup day is March 24, the Thursday before Good Friday. The winter storm also caused the Riverside girls…

February 8, 2016

Local Resident to Be Featured Tonight “Get Marty” Television Series

Local resident Joseph Gasper will be featured tonight on KDKA during the popular Marty Griffin series, “Get Marty”, a segment that appears on the six o’clock news. 97 year-old Gasper, one of the area’s last surviving veterans, was injured on Dec. 7, 1941 at the attack on Pearl Harbor. His family had tried several times 18 months ago to get a chair lift installed, so he could safely go downstairs from his bedroom to the rest of the house. The Veterans Association was unable to install a chair lift. Gasper, who Griffin featured on his Facebook Page in December before…

January 22, 2016

New Chamber Director Settles In, Set Goals

“First week on the job and we already lost Trader Horn,” Ray Santillo joked as he worked on arranging his new desk. Santillo is the new executive director the Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce, a role he began on Monday, Jan. 11. Although there are many challenges ahead, he has a matching enthusiasm for the work and the Ellwood area. Santillo is a lifelong resident of Ellwood City, who raised four children here and says he is blessed that they all live nearby. He made his career with Riverside school district as a teacher, coach and ultimately principal of…

December 29, 2015

The Top Ten of 2015, Part 2

The top ten stories of 2015 concludes today with Part 2 and the five most popular articles of the year. Part 1 can be viewed here. We thank all our readers for contributing to our one million plus page views this year. The EllwoodCity.org staff wishes everyone a safe and happy 2016! Council to Vote Today on Drug Addiction Treatment Clinic Ellwood’s newest health care service, Freedom Health Care Services, caused considerable controversy due to its location in a Walnut Ridge residential area. Borough council approved the drug addiction counseling facility in a 4-2 vote, although several residents protested. Confusion…

December 29, 2015

The Top 10 Stories of 2015, Part 1

In following previous years’ tradition, EllwoodCity.org brings the calendar to a close with the top 10 most popular stories of 2015. Today is Part 1 in a 2-part series. We thank all our readers for contributing to our one million plus page views this year. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Part 2. The EllwoodCity.org staff wishes everyone a safe and happy 2016! Inmetco Fire Under Control The Inmetco fire created a smoke cloud so big it is rumored to have been visible from West Virginia. Emergency responders from all over the area rushed to the scene and firefighters…

December 9, 2015

Abundance of Half Days this Fall Helped Students and Local Restaurants

If you work downtown, you may have noticed that every other Friday, there were groups of high school students flocking Lawrence Avenue. Of the 15 Fridays this year, students had a half day on eight of them. However, that pattern has concluded. For the Ellwood City Area School District, this school year has no more than usual half days, but they were grouped into the first three months. The next half day won’t be until May. While for students, half days mean less school, for teachers, they mean Act 80 days with several hours of training. According to Superintendent Joe…