Local News

Young Voices Again Filling The Halls Of Former St. Agatha Catholic School

This past Sunday, Father Jim Wehner, pastor of Divine Grace Parish, blessed Rosie’s Daycare Center in Ellwood City, located in the former St. Agatha Catholic School at 603 Bridge Street. Owner Mackenzie Annarumo had asked for the blessing and prayers that Jesus and the Blessed Mother will watch over the children and staff. Annarumo opened the daycare facility in late 2025. “Ellwood City is my home. My husband grew up here too,” Annarumo said in December 2025. “There’s a huge need for quality childcare everywhere, and Ellwood needed it—so I did everything I could to meet that need.” St. Agatha…


POLICE: Weekly Police Blotter

POSSESSION: James Locke, 39, of Ellwood City, is charged with Possession of Paraphernalia after officers received a report on Locke regarding an active warrant occurring on August 18th. According to a criminal complaint, and at approximately 3:00p.m., police arrived in reported area and upon search of the residence found that Locke had been hiding in a hole in the wall in the second floor of a residence on Fairview Avenue. Locke and another party were removed from the wall and were searched. Officers seized two syringes from Locke’s person, and both were filled with crystal meth. Locke and the second…


Summer 2026 Update: Beaver River Bridge Replacement Project

Spanning 1,645 feet in length, the $294M Beaver River Bridge Replacement Project is currently in stage 4 of construction as summer wraps up. According to a press release made available on the PATurnpike.com website, all four piers and pier tables for the westbound Beaver River Bridge crossing have been completed. Fifteen-foot segmental concrete placements are finished from westbound Piers 1 and 4 headings. Segmental concrete placements for Piers 2 and 3 headings are nearing completion. Closure segment placements were scheduled for July and August and will complete the connection of the westbound bridge deck. Mainline Pennsylvania Turnpike lanes have been…


Ellwood City Public Library Activities For Week Of September 7th

The Ellwood City Area Public Library offers a variety of weekly activities. Information is available by calling the library at 724-758-6458. HOURS Hours are Monday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Please remember no one is available to take your calls unless it is in the hours listed above. BOOK SALE COLLECTION: We are now taking donations for the book sale in October. We do not take text books, readers digest condensed books, magazines, encyclopedias or VHS tapes. Activities…


American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania Urges Community To Donate on National Blood Donation Day

Gov. Josh Shapiro has proclaimed Sept. 4 as Blood Donation Day in Pennsylvania as the American Red Cross urges people not to wait to make a lifesaving impact. The proclamation honors blood donors and calls on Pennsylvanians to support blood drives in their communities. The timing matters. The blood supply remains vulnerable after recovering from critically low levels during a summer blood shortage, and September is when schedules tighten again. School starts, fall sports begin, work travel picks up, and donation appointments get pushed aside. The donations collected this month are what hospitals draw on through the fall. “We are…


New Wilmington’s Got Talent Announces 2026 Winners

Talent was on full display at “New Wilmington’s Got Talent,” held Sunday, August 23, at the Admiral Robert Shumaker Borough Park Amphitheater. Inspired by the hit show America’s Got Talent, the event featured a fun mix of performances by youth from across the region. This year’s competition featured two age categories: Young Stars, for performers age 14 and under, and Rising Stars, for performers ages 15–21. Winners included: 1st place Young Stars: Regan Marshall, age 10, from Bessemer, PA, singing and dancing to “Naughty” from Matilda the Musical. 2nd place Young Stars: Frankie B. Jr., age 14, from Youngstown, OH,…


Lawrence County Children & Youth Services to Host Fourth Community Care for Kids Mobile Health Clinic

NEW CASTLE, PA — Lawrence County Children & Youth Services (CYS) will host its fourth Community Care for Kids Clinic on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lawrence County Children & Youth Services office, located at 1001 E. Washington Street in New Castle. The mobile health clinic connects children and families served by CYS with healthcare providers, services, and resources in one convenient setting. The event is part of CYS’s ongoing effort to help children in care and their families establish connections with healthcare providers and address important health, safety, and wellness needs. Lawrence…


Route 288 Wampum Avenue Utility Work Begins September 8th

Pittsburgh – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is announcing utility work on Wampum Avenue (Route 288) in Ellwood City Borough and Wayne Township, Lawrence County will begin Tuesday, September 8 weather permitting. Beginning Tuesday, single-lane alternating traffic restrictions controlled by flaggers will occur on Wampum Avenue between College Street and Rainbow Drive from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily through late November. Crews from Team Fishel will conduct gas line work for Columbia Gas. PennDOT is not involved in this work and is providing this information as a public service announcement only. For additional information contact Joe Garofalo at…


Record 15 Lawrence County students get $19K in BC3 scholarships

A New Castle resident inspired as a teen to serve in the military, as did her older sister and – and grandfathers during warfare – is among a record 15 Butler County Community College students from Lawrence County selected to receive BC3 Education Foundation scholarships for the upcoming academic year and totaling $19,475. Olivia Ehko, 37, a single mother raising a 14-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, has a 3.79 grade-point average while pursuing an associate degree in BC3’s human resource management and administrative support career program. She was among a record 400 BC3 students who applied for 165 BC3…


The Red Cross And Hello Kitty & Friends Join Forces To Help Save Lives

The Red Cross and Hello Kitty® and Friends are partnering in September to remind donors that comfort and care are always better when shared. Just one blood or platelet donation can help more than one patient enjoy a happier future. As a thank-you, those who come to give Sept. 1-20, 2026, will get an exclusive Red Cross × Hello Kitty plush mascot clip and surprise sticker pack, while supplies last. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HelloKitty. Thanks to the generosity of thousands of people who rolled up a sleeve this summer, the blood supply continues to recover from critically low levels. As we enter…