Recent Stories

Local News

April 29, 2015

Police to Start Issuing Citations for Route 351/River Road Stop Sign

Did you notice the Koppel bridge stop sign changed? If you didn’t, don’t feel bad. According to North Sewickley Police Chief Jeff Becze, drivers have had a hard time adjusting to the revised sign. The North Sewickley Police Department has been forgiving of offending drivers for now as people acclimate to the change. However, Becze said that will soon change and citations will be issued for violations. The intersection is at Route 351 and River Road, near the Koppel Bridge. Formerly, the stop sign only applied to traffic driving straight on River Road. Drivers turning right on 351 toward the…

No Picture

April 22, 2015

Parking Meters May Be Coming to Crescent Avenue

At the meeting on Monday, April 20, Ellwood City Borough Council voted unanimously to advertise an ordinance placing three two-hour parking meters on the intersection of Crescent and Sixth Street, between Sixth and Vosler Way. This followed complaints from local business owners that cars have been parking all day in the area, hindering customer parking for the businesses. At the meeting, visitor Robert Wilson, of Robb’s Ignition, addressed the Council and explained that he prefers to park cars there after working on them until the customer can pick them up. According to Wilson, he is not the only business owner…

No Picture

April 9, 2015

Fresh Take Foods Shares Owner’s Love of Food and Community

Michael Dillow finds food brings out great conversation and brings people together. He’s been working in the food service industry his entire adult life and has recently opened Fresh Take Foods, located on 810 Second St. The take-out restaurant opened April 2, although it will celebrate a grand opening April 15. For now, it mostly serves pizza, although that will soon expand to pasta and chicken. The establishment is true to its name in that fresh sauce is made daily and two to three batches of dough are made daily. Dillow also orders only the freshest ingredient available. Dillow explained…

March 10, 2015

Photos: Dress Rehearsal of ‘Anything Goes,’ Presented by Riverside High School

Riverside High School Theater will present Anything Goes, a musical comedy by Cole Porter, this weekend from March 12 to 15. The musical features memorable songs such as “Anything Goes,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and a cast favorite, “Blow, Gabriel, Blow.” “Anything Goes,” written and first performed in 1934, takes place on the S.S. American and features a cast of 70 students from grades 4 through 12. The musical follows a beautiful debutante, a British lord, a gangster, an evangelist turned nightclub singer and a stock broker as they all search for love. Billy Crocker, the stock…

March 9, 2015

It’s Time Fitness Brings Full Facility Gym and Personal Training to Ellwood City

When Tony Joseph drove past the empty Walnut Ridge, he envisioned something more: a multi-service athletic facility. “When I walked into the building, I could see exactly what I wanted the rooms to become,” Joseph said. “I knew this was something I could provide to the community that we didn’t have.” That vision is now a reality. It’s Time Fitness provides conventional gym services such as a weight room and fitness class room, and additional amenities such as a salon, practice room for athletes, and a martial arts studio rented by Richard Lee Morris. The final part of Joseph’s goal,…

No Picture

March 4, 2015

Remembering Charlie Hogan (1983-1994) in the Best Way: Hockey

by Jonalyn Telesz The Lawrence County Lightning mites hockey team from Hess Ice Rink in New Castle traveled to Indiana, Pa. to compete in the 20th Annual Charlie Hogan Hockey Tournament on Feb. 7 and 8. The Charlie Hogan Tournament is a memorial for the late Charlie Hogan of the 1991-94 mite and squirt level PAHL Championship teams with the Indiana Youth Hockey Association. Charlie lost his life when he was only 10 years old. The tournament helps bring together young hockey players from all over the state to celebrate their love for this great sport and remember the life…

February 26, 2015

Former Ellwood Resident Purchases Jacqueline House Bed and Breakfast

For quite some time, Rebecca Hink daydreamed of being an innkeeper of her own bed and breakfast. From her years of business traveling, she developed an appreciation for the comfort and personalized hospitality that a B&B offers over a hotel. On Oct. 30, she made her vision a reality when she purchased the Jacqueline House in New Wilmington. “I’ve been involved in the corporate world for a long time,” Hink, formerly of Ellwood City, said. “This is a chance to get back into the real world and give people hospitality and relaxation.” The house will open on March 20 and…

No Picture

February 11, 2015

Police: Twelve Cited, One Arrested for Underage Drinking

An officer was dispatched to Second Street at 3 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 to investigate a noise complaint. According to the police report, tenant John Lucchessi, 20, greeted the officer and allowed him inside. The officer found numerous intoxicated underage guests and called for assistance. Investigating officers rounded up suspects from the second and third floor and an attic crawlspace. Officers also confiscated marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A K-9 unit was called in and discovered Thomas Maine, 20, of Ellwood City, hiding under debris in the crawl space. Lucchessi admitted to supplying the drugs and alcohol and was arrested,…

No Picture

February 4, 2015

The Ellwood Library: A Gem to the Community

Thirteen years ago, Veronica Pacella, the new director of the Ellwood City Area Public Library, was at a crossroads. The 1990’s was a bad time for libraries, and the new century would only be worse. When Pacella was a child, libraries were a regular part of her social life . Now, it seemed the library would be obsolete by the next decade. Pacella, her staff and the Board of Trustees decided to take a stand. There would be no going back and no decreasing of the library’s functions.. Instead, the library would be reinvented. Who it served, what it did,…