Local News

PennDOT to Start Suspending Vehicle Registrations for Unpaid Tolls

The new state law, Act 165, which was approved last fall, takes effect this Friday. Any drivers with unpaid tolls greater than $500 or who have at least six toll violations are at risk for vehicle registration suspension. As part of a limited time amnesty offer, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will waive fees for anyone who settles their debts before the deadline of 7p.m. Friday, and for anyone who has had the debts sent to a collection agency the turnpike will waive half of the associated fees. Pennsylvania’s top 10,000 worst toll offenders, who in collection owe more than $17…


VIDEO: Blue Jeans Celebrates Fifth Birthday at Living Treasures

Today, a crowd of zoo-goers wished Blue Jeans, one of the giraffes at Living Treasures Moraine, a Happy Birthday and presented her a birthday treat. Living Treasures is known for their exotic animal encounters and occasional events like this; they recently celebrated their “Christmas in July” event where the animals received Christmas-themed treats and activities throughout the day. Join the birthday celebration and wish Blue Jeans a happy birthday today at the park, which will be open until 8p.m. this evening. The zoo’s official Facebook page uploaded a video of the festivities:


32 Year-Old Accused of Sexually Assaulting Young Boy in Chippewa Walmart Bathroom

According to KDKA News, Adam Michael Tatusko, 32, of West Mayfield is facing a number of charges, including indecent assault and corruption of minors after sexually assaulting a young boy in the bathroom of the Chippewa Walmart last Tuesday. Reports state that Tatusko followed the young boy into the bathroom, waited until no one else was in the bathroom, and used a “Doctor Who wand,” claiming it was a taser, to force the child into a stall and take his clothes off. The assault ended after the boy’s father went into the restroom and called for his son, who ignored Tatusko’s…


Ellwood City Storytelling Festival Scheduled

The Ellwood City Storytelling Festival, a free event, will be held on September 16 from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Ewing Park. The festival is a beloved community event that features free activities for children and professional storytellers. This year’s theme “Into the Woods” will feature many tales. The storytelling stage will feature the talent of Tim Hartman, Bill Pate, Jocelyn Dabney, Mike Perry, and Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy. The event will keep children busy with free balloon art by Haberman Magic; free face painting by Face Painting by Nancy; and free horse-drawn trolley rides. Festival goers will be able to purchase…


6th Annual Connoquenessing Creek Cleanup

Calling All Volunteers & Supporters! The 6th Annual Connoquenessing Creek Cleanup is approaching! Please help us restore this important waterway back to its beautiful, natural state by removing the physical garbage that consumes it. The Connoquenessing Creek is polluted with tires and garbage and in 2000 it was rated the second most polluted waterway in America. 275,125 pounds of garbage and 2,600 tires have already been removed since the start of the clean-ups! Register before by emailing me back or call (724) 371-0416 or just show up! Dates: August 19 & September 9, 2017 Meeting Location: Live Out Baptist Church,…


Ellwood City Area Public Library Activities For Week of July 31, 2017

Activities taking place at the Ellwood City Area Public Library include the following: Monday, July 31, at 10:00 a.m. — “Coloring for Adults,” a weekly program that is free and open to the public. “Coloring for Adults” designed to help reduce the stresses of everyday life. Everyone is welcome, so call the library for more information. This program has been moved to Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. through August 9 because of Summer Reading Program activities. Call the library at 724-758-6458 for more information. Wednesday, August 2, at 6:30 p.m. – Evening Book Discussion Group for Adults. The group will…


Phone Scammers Target Posies by Patti

Local Ellwood business, Posies by Patti updated their Facebook page with a warning to their customers: “SCAM ALERT!! SCAM ALERT!! It has come to our attention that our BUSINESS NAME and possibly our PHONE NUMBER is being used in a SCAM. Caller ID will show POSIES BY PATTI but it will be a scammer. Please DO NOT give out any personal information or agree to anything the scammers ask. They are trying to get your information for their use. If you get any phone calls from Posies by Patti, HANG UP IMMEDIATELY and please feel free to call us to…


Art On The Avenue Expected To Be a Hit

Judging by how well last year’s Author Fair went, library director Veronica Pacella expects Art on the Avenue to be just as popular. “It was such a hit last year, everyone had a great time. We had upwards of 250 people attend the Author Fair last year, the library was so crowded I couldn’t even get to all of the authors to speak with them because they always had a crowd around their table,” Pacella said. “We had 25 authors last year and we will have 28 artists this year – so we expect an even bigger crowd.” Art on…


Franklin Township’s 5th Annual Community Day National Night Out

Franklin Township is hosting their 5th annual Community Day National Night Out Event on Tuesday, August 1, from 6-9p.m. in the Franklin Plaza. There will be free children activities including face painting, balloon twisting, bounce house, inflatable slide, at petting zoo. There will also be fire safety training, CPR instruction, food vendors, and Iceburgh from the Pittsburgh Penguins.  


Children’s Art Camp: ‘Art Camp is Torture, this is Fun!’

Marianne Hilke, a long-time art enthusiast and instructor, is teaching the four-day-long children’s art camp at Daysprings which started Monday. The camp is from 10-11:45a.m. with a snack break intermission. Each day the children watch a short video about a famous artist which is followed by art projects done with graphite, pastel, crayon and colored pencil. Today, the students, aged 7-9, learned about critically acclaimed artists Pierre Renoir and Walt Disney – then used colored pencil to recreate a Renoir painting and graphite to sketch Mickey or Minnie Mouse. “The children get to do fun and creative things while simultaneously…