Ember Duke stories, Page 2
Upper Burrell residents remain unclear about data center’s project scope
As Pennsylvania’s artificial intelligence industry starts to take off, Upper Burrell residents say they still feel left in the dark about a data center coming to the township. While officials work toward an ordinance that would impose zoning and permitting guidelines for any potential data center development, progress continues on...
Visitors feel welcomed by Pittsburgh, making the most of draft experience
The 2026 NFL Draft marked Brennan Bach’s first trip to Pittsburgh, and the Baltimore native said the city made a lasting impression. “I like the rivers, I like the scenery — it’s really nice. The city feels pretty clean,” Bach said. “So far, everyone’s been friendly.” Outside of draft activities,...
Free pre-K class coming to Lower Burrell via nonprofit program
Westmoreland Community Action is taking enrollment for a new pre-K program in Lower Burrell. The nonprofit’s program is free to families and funded through state Pre-K Counts and federal Head Start grants. Enrollment for the 2026-27 class is filling fast, but applications are still open, said Tammy Dietrich, program manager...
New Kensington-Arnold School District pauses elementary building realignment plans
New Kensington-Arnold School District has paused a proposed plan to realign the district’s school buildings. The realignment, recommended by Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck in January, would reduce the number of building transitions in early elementary school. Early ideas for the plan proposed Martin Elementary housing kindergarten and first grade, while second...
Penn State New Kensington project fair highlights renewable energy adaptation for climate change
The frequency and intensity of climate disasters aren’t slowing down, so proactive research and development that protects energy systems is crucial, said Tom Bartnik, director of The Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State. At a project fair Tuesday night, Penn State New Kensington students took to the floor to...
Resident removed from Springdale council meeting by police after public comment dispute
Springdale police removed resident Danny Rosenmund from Tuesday night’s borough council meeting following a confrontation during the public comment session. Rosenmund was addressing the board when a council member informed him he had exceeded his three-minute time limit, according to Dani Jameson, a Harmar resident who witnessed the incident. Jameson...
Fridays on Fifth to return for 6th season with new eats, live music
New Kensington’s Fridays on Fifth will be kicking off its 2026 season Friday, April 24 with an array of food trucks and live music from ’90s cover band High Fidelity. Organizer Tony Vigilante said he tries to book a variety of food options without menu duplicates at the monthly food...
Peoples Library gets sensory spaces for neurodivergent inclusivity
Though libraries are typically quiet spaces, they aren’t always the most sensory friendly spots for people with special needs, according to Elle Kisiday, an occupational therapist at nonprofit Achieving True Self. Now, though, visitors might find the New Kensington and Lower Burrell People’s Libraries a bit more serene following the...
Burrell officials consider adding vending machines to schools
Burrell School Board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to install vending machines in school buildings. The board is considering a three-year contract with New Kensington-based Iron City Vending Co. Food Service Director Megan Mlinarcik and Business Manager Jennifer Callahan recommended the contract to the board as a possible...
Trash mounds along Allegheny River in Braeburn to be cleaned up
Illegal trash dumping has always been a problem along the Allegheny River in Lower Burrell’s Braeburn neighborhood, said Wade Schantz, a resident who adopted a stretch of Lowe Road. The past week has been no exception, with large piles of abandoned furniture and scattered waste along the road, accumulating mostly...
Parks Township nuclear waste cleanup expected to take 6 to 8 yearsVideo
To residents, cleanup at a Parks Township nuclear waste dump will look like a few trucks leaving the site every week, said Nicholas Melin, commander of the Pittsburgh District of the Army Corps of Engineers. Behind the site’s electric fence, 10 trenches containing about 33,000 cubic yards of materials will...
Vandergrift street improvement project to boost mobility and downtown aesthetics
McKinley Avenue in downtown Vandergrift is reaching the final stage of a makeover that started last year. The McKinley Avenue Improvement Project will boost mobility, access to local businesses and neighborhood beautification, said Aleesha Kelly, a resident who helps nonprofits with improvement projects. Kelly led the McKinley Avenue effort, which...
Vandergrift woman forms medieval-themed event in Monroeville to mix fantasy and reality
Aleesha Kelly of Vandergrift likes things that are mysterious. She harnesses that curiosity for the different and unknown through curating immersive, themed events under her business Mystic Market, a Magickal Menagerie. She has helped organize events like the Vandergrift Artsfest and the Witching Hours Night Market. Now, she has turned...
Burrell School District proposes tax hike to offset growing costs
In its first budget draft for next year, Burrell School District proposed a roughly 4% real estate tax increase that would largely foot the bill for growing special education and cyber charter tuition costs. Rising expenses and loss of business property tax revenue continue to hurt the district, school board...
Tri-City daytime volunteer fire crew clears more hurdles toward completion
The Tri-City Duty Crew, a daytime volunteer fire cooperative, is heading into its last phase before completion, though a start-up date remains undetermined. The joint effort will create a daytime workforce of volunteers from the fire departments of New Kensington, Arnold and Lower Burrell to be deployed in unison to...
New Lower Burrell food truck to serve up fresh eats, community aid
When Jill Sheerer returned from Alabama to her native Lower Burrell, she brought along a little something to share with the community. Her food truck, Jilly’s Cafe, made the journey north not long after Sheerer had replanted roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley. She’ll be opening the mobile eatery April 19...
Burrell Life Skills Prom hosts students from across the region
The annual Life Skills Prom, drawing students from nine area schools this year, provided a chance for life skills students to engage with peers and exercise practical skills. Hannah Cress, a life skills teacher at Franklin Regional Senior High School, said the event is a cheerful and safe occasion that...
Upper Burrell data center town hall scheduled for May
Upper Burrell Township and developer TECFusions will hold a public town hall May 5 at Penn State New Kensington to discuss an incoming data center and field community concerns. It will be at 6 p.m. in the theater at 3550 Seventh Street Road. At a March township supervisors meeting, residents...
Ridgway man killed in Route 28/66 crash in Armstrong County
A Ridgway man has died after his car struck a tractor-trailer truck late Wednesday afternoon. Nathan Anthony Brown, 33, was killed at the intersection of Hoover Road and Route 28/66 in Boggs Township shortly before 5 p.m., according to Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers’ report. Brown was traveling northbound on...
ICE has left Pittsburgh International Airport
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are no longer stationed at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said in a statement that airport operations are “unaffected,” but deferred to the Department of Homeland Security for specifics on why ICE was pulled from the airport Tuesday and...
Free smoke alarms available to New Kensington residents
The New Kensington Fire Department once again will collaborate with the American Red Cross to install free smoke alarms in houses across the city this month after success from the same initiative four years ago. In 2022, the department and Red Cross volunteers installed about 400 smoke alarms as part...
Building the Valley: New Kensington’s Catoris Candies celebrates 100 years of treats
In the production room at New Kensington’s Catoris Candies, owner John Gentile flipped through a small, yellowed notepad of candy recipes. Most of the scribbled instructions have been followed since the shop’s opening 100 years ago, he said. Still, Gentile often takes creative liberties in developing new sweets, especially variations...
Construction continues on New Kensington industrial park
The view from the New Kensington Bridge will look a bit different come year’s end. Since the Regional Industrial Development Corp. and the Westmoreland County Industrial Corp. bought the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park along the Allegheny River, the site, known for its brick buildings with missing windows, has been...
Work to restore historic Massy Harbison cabin in New Kensington to continue despite funding setback
Renovations to the Massy Harbison cabin in New Kensington are moving along, but repairs originally meant to be finished this summer may become a multiyear process. The Massy Harbison-Fort Hand Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, which serves the Alle-Kiski Valley, has been restoring the cabin that found its...
Respect the chair: April Fools’ Day prank targeting parking chairs in New Kensington draws ire, smiles
Don’t worry, New Kensington isn’t declaring war on the Western Pennsylvania “parking chair.” A Facebook post, masquerading as a city announcement and posted on April 1, was exactly what is was meant to be: an April Fools’ Day prank. The post surfaced in a Facebook group simply titled “New Kensington,”...
