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October 29, 2021

Senate Approves Telemedicine Bill

HARRISBURG – The Senate today approved legislation that promotes telemedicine as a way to overcome barriers to quality patient care created by distance and reduce the costs of those services, according to the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Beaver). “No one was even remotely aware of COVID-19 and the impact that it could have on our society when I first introduced this bill. But, if we take nothing else away from this pandemic, we now fully understand the critical need for this tool,” said Senator Vogel. “This bill is about building the infrastructure for telemedicine. It’s about establishing who…

October 28, 2021

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Mary Black – Fact, Fiction, or Both?

Editor’s note: This article originally appears on our website in 2015, but we are republishing as a Halloween treat. Halloween is a time of year when ghost stories, folklores, and other scary tales begin to surface. In and around Lawrence County, one story seems to never lose its fascination. Mary Black, an alleged witch in Lawrence County during the 1800s, has been the antagonist of countless folklores since the 1950s. Her life, and the stories that accompany it, is constantly debated – but, is it fact, fiction, or perhaps a little of both. The answer is a little of both….

October 27, 2021

NOTICE: Ellwood City School Board of Directors Special Meeting

In a notice made available by the Ellwood City Area School District this week, the Board of Directors have scheduled a Special Meeting on Friday, October 29, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. The Special Meeting will be pertaining to Delinquent Real Estate Taxes. This meeting will be held virtually. A link will be provided on the school district website the day of the meeting.  The school district website can be found at, www.ellwood.k12.pa.us.

October 27, 2021

Beaver County Reassessment Program Set To Begin

All things change with time. Beaver County’s Assessment system is no exception. Beaver County has contracted with Tyler Technologies to conduct a reassessment project to update property assessments from a base year of 1982, providing an efficient technical process with current, accurate property values. According to information made available by Franklin Township, starting Thursday, Tyler Technologies will begin visiting properties in Franklin Township as part of this county reassessment program. Data collectors will be visiting and collecting information relative to individual properties in the area, beginning Thursday, October 28, 2021. The majority of the data collection is expected to be…

October 27, 2021

Senate Approves Legislation Banning Deceptive “Spoofing” Phone Calls

Harrisburg – In an effort to crack down on deceptive and nuisance telephone calls, the Senate today approved a bill banning the practice of caller ID “spoofing,” according to Senator Elder Vogel (R-47) who supported the bill. Senate Bill 236 is designed to protect citizens from misleading telemarketing “robocalls,” particularly those that disguise their real phone number by making it look like a local number, increasing the likelihood that the call will be answered. The computerized telemarketing messages can be intrusive, and can also prey on trusting Pennsylvanians, including vulnerable senior citizens because the calls come across the Caller ID…

October 26, 2021

Don’t Throw Summer Plants Away: Donate Them

Charlene Hall is on a mission to save the “summer” plants. Hall, 34, a local mom of two, wants to take any plants you no longer want off of your hands. She said many residents believe that once the summer is over, the plants used to beatify outdoor landscapes need to be thrown away. Hall said that is rarely the case. “People go out in spring and buy big pots of arrangements and don’t really know about each individual plant that is in there,” she said. Those pots full of plants just might contain a couple that can be repotted…

October 25, 2021

Ellwood City Public Library Activities For Week of October 25

The Ellwood City Area Public Library offers a variety of weekly activities. Information is available by calling the library at 724-758-6458. PLEASE NOTE: The Library has partnered with Seneca Library District, Oil Creek Library District, Erie County Public Library and Crawford County Federated Library System for e-books. You can now use the Overdrive or Libby App. to borrow books from the above Libraries. Please call the library with any questions. WE’RE OPEN! The Library is open. Newspapers, magazines and toys will not be available for the time being. Masks are required to be worn, covering mouth and nose, while in…

October 25, 2021

Wolf Administration Continues Work to Address Bus Driver Shortage; Encourages Drivers to Apply

PennDOT Deputy Secretary Kurt Myers and Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Noe Ortega today joined the Pennsylvania School Bus Association to encourage interested individuals to obtain Commercial Driver’s License to address bus driver shortage in Pennsylvania. “We want to do our part to encourage those looking for employment or supplemental income to consider obtaining a school bus endorsement to help get our children to school. That’s the critical part of all of this,” said PennDOT Deputy Secretary Myers. “We believe these efforts will help to ensure the safe and effective transportation of our commonwealth students.” To address the…

October 23, 2021

PHOTOS: Back In Spook-tacular Fashion, The Ellwood City Halloween Parade

The annual Ellwood City Halloween Parade returned after a year hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns. The 2021 parade stretched through downtown Ellwood City from 4th Street west to 8th Street and was well attended. “The community is ready to attend events in the town and be back to a normal,” Ellwood City Parade Committee member Josh D’Amico said last week. “Everyone we have talked to is very excited we are having the parade this year.” REMINDER: Enter to win, the EllwoodCity.org Annual Halloween Costume Contest!!! OF NOTE: The Borough of Ellwood City, Franklin Township, Ellport Borough, Perry Township, and North…

October 23, 2021

NWS Provides Details of Two Confirmed EF-1 Tornadoes

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has confirmed two tornadoes touched down during the volatile weather this past Thursday evening in our area. According to the NWS report, a EF-1 tornado laid a roughly 2 mile path in New Galilee while a second EF-1 tornado laid a 2.62 mile path in Franklin Township. Both tornadoes had estimated max wind speeds of 90 MPH. The first tornado, recorded at 6:56 p.m. was confined along either side of Fairlane Boulevard/State Route 351 in New Galilee. Majority of the damage was hardwood and softwood trees missing large branches. One softwood tree was uprooted,…