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June 28, 2019

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…

June 28, 2019

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…

June 27, 2019

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…

June 27, 2019

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…

June 26, 2019

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…

June 26, 2019

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…

June 26, 2019

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…

June 26, 2019

Larry ‘Hoss’ Crable —Cherished Crafter—to be Inducted into Festival Hall of Fame

That unmistakable sound of the hammer hitting the anvil is a sound that will resonate forever in the hearts of the family, friends, and Festival-goers who were lucky enough to know Larry “Hoss” Crable. “You could hear it the entire way across the park,” said Crable’s daughter Laura Goehring. “I remember when I was little walking to the grounds and knowing the greatest weekend of the year has started when I heard the distinct hammer sound,” Niece Jillian Court recalls. “I knew that I’d find him, my aunt and cousins if I followed the sound.” That sound is one that…

June 26, 2019

4th Winner Of The Mayor Beautification Award

On Monday, June 24th Mayor Anthony J. Court presented to Rhonda Norman of Foch Street, Ellwood City with a yard sign and a restaurant gift certificate as the fourth winner of the award this year “Exceptional job by Hogue’s Lawn and Landscape Maintenance,” said Court. “Beautiful!” There are two more winners left to be awarded for this 2019 Season. Nominations will be accepted by phone, mail, on the Mayor’s Facebook page or in person at his office in the Municipal Building. As always, it is nice to see Ellwood City come to life with beautiful yard displays and an abundance…

June 25, 2019

Pat Marinaccio—Champion of the Arts—to be Inducted into Festival Hall of Fame

Bittersweet. It’s a feeling that Lee Marinaccio knows all too well. Lee lost his father, Pat, mid January shortly before his dad would have celebrated his 93rd birthday. That’s the bitter part that Lee lives with. Losing a parent is a tragedy that stares into the face of thousands on a daily basis, but for each person that loss is something personal, something that no one else can possibly understand. Then, a sweet surprise came in the form of a Festival Hall of Fame induction that will honor Pat Marinaccio’s Festival legacy forever. You see, Marinaccio was a part of…