Local News

POLICE: Weekly Police Blotter

ENDANGERMENT OF A CHILD: Katie Defonde, 39, of Ellwood City, is charged with endangerment of a child after an incident on March 14th. According to a criminal complaint and at approximately 4:22p.m. police were dispatched to Orchard Avenue due to a report of a child found unattended in the street. When police made contact with the caller, he stated that he and his wife had found the approximately one-year-old alone and unsupervised in the street. Navolio also made reference to where he thought the child’s residence was located. When officers arrived at the location and made contact with Defonde, she…


Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Invites Public to Help Beautify and Pick Up PA

Harrisburg, PA – As part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to maintaining the Commonwealth’s natural resources and enhancing tourism, Pennsylvanians are invited to register for the 2025 Pick Up Pennsylvania litter cleanup initiative. A collaborative effort among the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Pick Up Pennsylvania offers civic-minded volunteers an opportunity to help keep their communities clean and free from litter.  Litter can pollute streams and rivers with microplastics, degrading water quality, and harming the fish, birds, and wildlife that depend on healthy streams and rivers to thrive. Pick Up PA, an annual volunteer…


PART TWO: Lincoln High School’s Production of Seussical Cast Q&A

The Lincoln High School Musical Theater will present the musical, Seussical March 28-30th in the high school auditorium. Under the direction of Rick Hudson, this musical is based on the Dr. Seuss storybook series. Seussical the Musical is a whimsical and colorful musical that brings to life the fantastical worlds of Dr. Seuss. At its heart, the story follows Horton the Elephant, who discovers a tiny world of creatures living on a speck of dust and vows to protect them, despite being ridiculed. Alongside him is the mischievous Cat in the Hat, who narrates the tale, while characters like Gertrude…


ARISE, Borough Of Ellwood City Launch Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Mayor Anthony J. Court, together with representatives from Arise, adorned downtown Ellwood City with ribbons and signs to mark the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. During April, ARISE is bringing awareness to survivors of sexual assault. Every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.  Mayor Court commended Olivia Gaffron, Grace Schmarewski, and their staff for their dedication to bringing Sexual Assault Awareness to the communities. Since 1981, ARISE has been the community’s response to violence and abuse, serving victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Other Serious Crimes and Older Victims…


PART ONE: Lincoln High School’s Production of Seussical Cast Q&A

The Lincoln High School Musical Theater will present the musical, Seussical March 28-30th in the high school auditorium. Under the direction of Rick Hudson, this musical is based on the Dr. Seuss storybook series. Seussical is a musical of The Cat in the Hat, who tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard…


McDonald’s Honors Local Legend With College Scholarship Program

Seniors graduating from Ellwood City High School and Riverside High School are eligible to apply for the Dom Viccari-McDonald’s of Ellwood City Scholarship. The annual scholarship is named to honor the man who worked tirelessly to improve Ellwood City for all residents, first as a five-term council member and three-term council president, and later as borough manager for more than seven years until his retirement in 2013. Viccari passed away in 2022 at age 89. New this year: The program has been doubled. Now TWO $1,000 scholarships will be awarded, one to an Ellwood City graduating senior and another to…


Ellwood City Public Library Activities For Week Of March 24th

The Ellwood City Area Public Library offers a variety of weekly activities. Information is available by calling the library at 724-758-6458. 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. 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….


Barbershop Quartets More Than You Realize

It’s not four guys wearing straw hats and standing under a lamppost. At least not any longer. At its March meeting, the Ellwood City Area Historical Society stretched the legend of the barbershop quartet into its current form during a presentation by representatives of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The “barbershoppers” introduced the roots of close harmony singing in the late 1800s which brought about the four-part quartet that we are familiar with today. From there, the discussion examined the invitation in 1938 that called singers to gather in Kansas City. Subsequent meetings brought more singers and more participation to a…


Coval Appointed As BC3’s Ninth President

Megan M. Coval was introduced as the ninth president of Butler County Community College on Thursday. BC3 trustees during their regular meeting today unanimously approved the appointment of Coval, who has led western Pennsylvania’s oldest community college as interim president since May. Coval to begin acting as interim president as of May 2024 to succeed Ellwood City native Dr. Nick Neupauer, who had announced his retirement after 17 years as president in January. Trustees’ responsibilities include selecting BC3’s president. They voted 15-0 in support of a motion from the board’s personnel committee to designate Coval as the college’s chief executive…


Beaver County Conservation District Hosting Tire Collection Event In May

The Beaver County Conservation District’s Mosquito Vector Disease Program is hosting a tire collection at the district office and environmental center May 3, 2025. The tire collection is offered with funding assistance through our PA Department of Environmental Protection West Nile Virus grant. This allows us to assist residents with disposal of old car and light truck tires and help clean up our communities and limit habitat for mosquitoes that are vectors for diseases like West Nile Virus. The collection is open to Beaver County residents and accepting car and light truck tires up to 20” off rim. Other tires…