Local News

Riverside Beaver Co. SD Masking Order Update

The Riverside Beaver County School District has posted a masking order update from its administration on the district website this week. In the statement the district advises it will follow the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s order that all staff, students, and visitors wear a mask while indoors in any school building starting on Tuesday, September 7th. The full statement reads as follows: With the recent order imposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, we feel it necessary  to restate the goals of the Riverside School District as we continue to navigate together through these trying times. We empathize with the…


ECASD to Enforce State’s Mask Mandate

Although the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors didn’t take any formal action Thursday evening regarding an announcement on August 31 from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf that masks are required in schools, the district does plan to enforce the mandate. Wolf announced the secretary of health’s order mandating masks in the state for all schools and licensed child care centers. The new requirement will take effect on Tuesday, September 7 and requires students, teachers and staff to wear masks when inside school buildings. The new mandate will not apply to school sports or outdoor activities. “The science is clear. The Delta variant…


Wolf Administration to Host Vaccine Clinic in Lawrence County

Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Commission for Women, the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs (GACLA), Adagio Health and the United Way of Lawrence County will host a walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Thursday, September 9, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Adagio Health Medical Office, 200 S Jefferson St # 2, New Castle, PA 16101. The clinic is set to take place at the same time of the United Way’s “Day of Caring” to help promote the event. “The Pennsylvania Commission for Women is proud to be hosting this vaccine clinic with the Governor’s Advisory Commission…


Wolf Administration Requires Masking in Schools, Early Learning and Child Care Settings

With a focus on protecting students and keeping them in classrooms, Governor Tom Wolf joined the departments of Health, Human Services and Education today to discuss the current state of COVID-19 and a new Secretary of Health order requiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs and child care providers. The order takes effect 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. “My office has received an outpouring of messages from parents asking the administration to protect all children by requiring masks in schools,” said Gov. Wolf. “The science is clear. The Delta variant is highly transmissible and dangerous to the unvaccinated, many of whom…


Spotted Lanternfly Workshop Planned

An upcoming FREE workshop presented by the Beaver County Conservation District will provide information about the alien invader, the Spotted Lanternfly, and how to reduce the problems caused by this non-native invasive pest. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14th at The Barn at Old Economy Park in Baden.  The workshop is schedule to start at 6:00 p.m. and last until 8:00 p.m. Attendees will learn how to identify and destroy the Spotted Lanternfly.  A limited number of free traps will be available for use on your property.  Attendees can also learn about the local quarantine and what it…


Local Mom Earns Diploma Through Adult Literacy Program Aided by BC3

(New Castle, PA) Katlin Phillippi earned A’s and B’s and C’s at Lincoln High School in Ellwood City and in the health assistant program at the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center in New Castle, then dropped out in her sophomore year. She was the mother of 2-year-old daughter and her boyfriend, Trevor, the father of Sophey, had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Trevor was temporarily confined to a wheelchair and could no longer work at his job at a Lawrence County warehouse. “I felt like I had to drop out,” Phillippi said. “I felt like it was my…


Ellwood City Public Library Activities For Week Of August 30

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. Anything printed or copied must be paid for with exact change or check. Newspapers, magazines and toys will not be available for the time…


Former New Castle Anesthesiologist Sentenced for Illegal Prescriptions and Distributing

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for unlawfully prescribing and distributing controlled substances, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today. United States District Judge David S. Cercone, sentenced Thomas Ranieri, 68, to two years of supervised release, with the first year served as home detention. During his plea hearing on August 21, 2019, the defendant admitted that he previously was a physician who practiced as an anesthesiologist and pain-management specialist in clinics located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and multiple locations in Ohio. From January 2, 2013, to June 26, 2013,…


Historical Society Fund Drive – A Success!

The Ellwood City Area Historical Society has had fund drives since the early days of the formation of the Society, 33 years ago, with the purpose of the Society to collect, protect and preserve the artifacts of the history of our town and its surrounding area. “The annual fund drive was becoming less effective in raising money to help cover our operating budget, says fund drive chairman Andrew Kindle. “More money was coming in toward dues payments then donations.” The Ways and Means committee at the monthly meeting in June sat down to discuss the problem of low donations. The…


New Sunshine Act Changes Take Effect, Apply to Local Government, School Board Meetings

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) today alerted Pennsylvanians to an upcoming change to the state’s Sunshine Act, which would increase transparency in government. The new provisions will take effect on Sunday, Aug. 29, and require public agencies, including municipalities and school districts, to post public meeting agendas at least 24 hours prior to the start of a meeting. The changes are a result of Act 65 of 2021, which was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in June. Bernstine championed the measure in the House of Representatives. “With heated school board and local government meetings taking place across the state…