Local News

Abundance of Half Days this Fall Helped Students and Local Restaurants

If you work downtown, you may have noticed that every other Friday, there were groups of high school students flocking Lawrence Avenue. Of the 15 Fridays this year, students had a half day on eight of them. However, that pattern has concluded. For the Ellwood City Area School District, this school year has no more than usual half days, but they were grouped into the first three months. The next half day won’t be until May. While for students, half days mean less school, for teachers, they mean Act 80 days with several hours of training. According to Superintendent Joe…


Relay for Life Upcoming Events

Looking For A Few Good Persons As the Ellwood City Relay For Life starts its 2016 year, we are in search of individuals that are outstanding in working with the community to lead our committee to greater rewards than in years past. Even if you have just a few moments in your busy schedule, we could use your guidance and knowledge. Openings are in the areas of Chairperson, Sponsorship, Team recruitment, Chinese Auction, Logistics and Survivors. You are invited to join us at our committee meetings to learn more about these openings and other places your service can be helpful…


Photos: Christmas Parade 2015

The weekend of Christmas festivities is past but the memories remain, as does the Ellwoodcity.org photo gallery. Friday, downtown Ellwood was sufficiently hectic to cause minor traffic jams as the community gathered for “Light Up Night” and the basketball tip off tournament. Saturday, Ellwoodians once again flocked to Lawrence Avenue for the Christmas Parade. With Scott and Caroline Golmic at the helm, the parade was a success. The weather also obliged with clear skies and warm temperatures all weekend.    


Police: Being a Firefighter Doesn’t Grant Legal Immunity

Fire Firefighter Assaults Fiance According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 2, Corey Wearing, 35, of Ellwood City assaulted his fiance. On Dec. 3, police visited the victim at the Ellwood City hospital where she was being treated for injuries. The victim stated she was at her house in Ellwood City and had gotten into an argument with Wearing. Wearing was angered with the victim’s son, who is autistic, for asking questions. He subsequently assaulted the victim. The victim had a black and blue eye, injury in the middle of her forehead, injuries on her back, neck and shoulder area,…


2016 Calendar for Ellwood City School Board Meetings

The Ellwood City School Board approved the suggested dates for meetings at its final 2015 meeting on Dec. 3. Meetings will follow the general guideline of the second Thursday of the month with an agenda meeting the preceding Monday. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. In June, the regular meeting will be held Monday, June 13 because the meeting must be held 30 days after the budget approval and Thursday, June 9 would not be 30 days after. Due to Labor Day and Columbus Day, the agenda and regular meetings will be combined in September and October. The Lawrence County…


December Ellwood City School Board December Meeting Brief

The following is a brief summary of the Ellwood City School Board meeting held on Thursday, Dec. 3: The meeting was the last meeting of 2015 and the last meeting with board members George Garda, Bob Stevenson and Jennifer Grossman, although Stevenson and Grossman were absent. Superintendent Joe Mancini thanked the three leaving members for their service and thanked Garda for his many years of service to the Ellwood School District as both an administrator and board member. At the conclusion of the meeting, new members Erica Gray, Jennifer Tomon and Danielle Woodhead were sworn in. Renee Pitrelli was voted…


Library Activities Week of Dec. 7, 2015

Activities taking place at the Ellwood City Area Public Library include the following: Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 6:30 p.m. — “Holiday Family Laptime” at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8. The event is designed for babies as young as 6 months old as well as preschoolers. Holiday stories, songs and finger plays will be featured. Call the library to register or for more information. Thursday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m. – “Hooked on Books,” a book discussion group designed for students in 6th through 8th grades. The group will discuss the book, “Tomorrow When the War Began,” by John Marsden….


Nativities on Display at Wurtemburg Methodist Church

Wurtemburg Methodist Church will be displaying Nativity scenes from Dec. 10 to 12. There will be 200 plus Nativities for your viewing pleasure. The event is free and welcome to all ages. There will also be refreshments, kid’s activities, free Nativity drawing and a Nativity store. Dec. 10 and 11: 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 12: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Keep Christ in Christmas! Wurtemburg Methodist Church is on 1244 Portersville Road, Ellwood City. For more information, contact the church at 724-758-9685


Morella Allies with New Members to Elect Pitrelli School Board President

With the support of three new members, Renee Pitrelli was elected President of the Ellwood City Area School Board at Thursday’s reorganization meeting. It was a contested vote. At the start of yesterday’s meeting, Mike Nuepauer sat in the president’s chair and LeRoy Cortez served as vice-president. Both favored keeping things as is and were supported by Anthony Buzzelli and Kathy Pansera. Each of the four has served at least two terms. However, board members Renee Pitrelli and Matt Morella had different plans. Backed by the three new members, Erica Gray, Jennifer Tomon and Danielle Woodhead, Pitrelli ended the meeting…


New Ellwood City Borough Website Launched

The new Ellwood City Borough website launched yesterday, providing residents with a more engaging and informative online resource. Currently, the old website is still functional, though the homepage should soon have a redirect link to the new website. A quick comparison between the old and new reveals why it was time for change. The old borough website was designed primarily for desktop use. The new website is mobile friendly and features more contemporary aesthetics, such as bigger pictures, drop down menus and a more user friendly layout. Most importantly, the website provides a far more informative resource for residents and…