Local News

First Recipients of Annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship Named

Cassie Widmaier and Mia DeCaria are the first recipients of the annual Eric Ryan Corporation Employee Scholarship. “The future of our youth is important to the staff at Eric Ryan Corporation and to me,” said ERC CEO Keith Venezie. “I am pleased to be able to help assist students with their career goals. A solid college education is a huge step toward achieving those goals, and I look forward to seeing how it will impact their success and our community.” Eric Ryan Corporation developed this scholarship award for the children of ERC employees. The $500 scholarship was open to any employee…


Library Activities For The Week Of July 1

The Ellwood City Area Public Library offers a variety of weekly activities. Information is available by calling the library at 724-758-6458. Activities taking place this week include MONDAY, JULY 1 10:00 a.m. – “Coloring for Adults,” a weekly program that is free and open to the public. It is designed to help reduce stresses of everyday life. All adults are welcome. TUESDAY, JULY 2 10:00 a.m. – “Jump Start to Kindergarten,” a program designed for children entering kindergarten in the fall. The program focuses on reviewing – in a fun way – what children need to know to begin school….


Rock Hide N Seek At The Festival

Local artist Danette Morningstar Hall decided to take a local spin onto the countywide rock hide n seek. The idea behind Beaver County Rocks is simple: find a rock, take a picture of it, and rehide it for someone else to stumble upon. “I’ve found a few of other people’s rocks and it’s always so exciting, so I wanted to pay it forward,” said Hall. The rocks Hall used are from her ever-growing rock collection fro Presque Isle. Hall says she seems to “to not be able to leave without a bucket of rocks” each time she visits. She has…


Senator Vogel Lauds Budget Commitment to Agriculture

The Senate today (June 27) approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2019-20 that reaffirms Pennsylvania’s strong commitment to farming families, according to Senator Elder Vogel (R-47), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. Video House Bill 790 also includes no tax increases, provides funding for essential services, promotes workforce development efforts, bolsters education spending at all levels and makes a substantial investment in the state Rainy Day Fund. Video HB 790 maintains Senate Republicans’ commitment to Pennsylvania’s farmers by restoring all of the Governor’s proposed cuts and increases the overall appropriation to the Department of Agriculture by 13…


Bernstine: House Advances Bipartisan School-to-Work Bill

HARRISBURG –The House of Representatives this week advanced legislation which would allow high school students to obtain real-world work experience while still in school. The bipartisan bill to prepare Pennsylvania’s youth for the 21st-century workforce was authored by state Reps. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence), Kate Klunk (R-York) and Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia). House Bill 796 would establish a pilot grant program which would encourage schools and local businesses to collaborate to provide work-based learning opportunities for high school students. “This innovative pilot program would bring our business leaders and students together to transform our education system and prepare Pennsylvania students for jobs…


New $90K Tool To Bolster BC3’s Distinctive Metrology Program

(Butler, PA) A state-of-the-art $90,000 FARO measurement tool gifted to Butler County Community College will enhance a distinctive and nationally known metrology program whose graduates have the highest potential starting salaries among the college’s occupational associate degree selections in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, a BC3 administrator said. The FARO Quantum S 2.5-meter, seven-axis articulating arm coordinate measuring machine, donated by the manufacturer to the BC3 Education Foundation for use in the college’s metrology program, will “open up opportunities for measurement,” said Matt Kovac, BC3’s dean of STEM, “that we would not have had before.” Eric S. Stanfield is a…


Food Vendors—Tempters of the Tastebuds—to be Inducted into Festival Hall of Fame

Sausage sandwiches, elephant ears, apple dumplings, lamb dinners, pepperoni puffs, meatball sandwiches … hungry yet? For some Festival goers, the best part of the event is the food. “Some people just go to the Festival for the food,” said Raylene Boots, Festival Chairwoman. “Everyone has a favorite.” There are some “booths” that are well known … maybe even famous around Ellwood City’s Festival. Festival Hall of Fame Inductees Wolves, Rotary, and First United Methodist are truly among those daydream-worthy booths that push the salivary glands into overdrive. But more than just mouthwatering foods, these booths have a mission to give…


Ellwood City History Center Open During Festival

The History Center will be open during the festival this year. Andrew Kindle, 1st Vice President of the Historical Society announced that the History Center will be open for visitors. The History Center will be open from  11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m on Friday( June 28 ) and Saturday (June 29). “We will not have a booth at the Festival this year and being open will give visitors to town and the community a chance to view all of our collected artifacts and memorabilia,” Kindle said. “Among the many displays is our latest collection, donated by the Kline family. It is a…


BC3 At Lawrence Crossing To Showcase Need For Medical Assistants

(New Castle, PA) BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, the only of Butler County Community College’s five additional locations to offer a two-year degree and one-year certificate program for a profession whose salary averages $33,610 and expects 29 percent job growth, will host hands-on activities and presentations during its first Spotlight on Medical Assistant event July 10. Scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, 2849 W. State St., New Castle, the event will introduce prospective students in Lawrence and Mercer counties to career paths in clinical and administrative health care available through BC3’s medical assistant program, said…


Bernstine: State Budget Surplus Should Be Returned to PA Taxpayers

HARRISBURG – State Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) voted “no” today on House Bill 790, the 2019-20 state budget spending plan, which spends almost $34 billion. After it ultimately passed in the House by a 140-62 vote, Bernstine issued the following statement: “I didn’t come here to be a copy-paste legislator, I came here to lead on real issues. Before I got elected, I watched Harrisburg politicians put the highest gasoline tax in the country on people’s backs, and I refuse to spend more of their money than is absolutely necessary. Taxpayers were overtaxed by nearly $850 million this year, and…