Ember Duke stories, Page 3
Officer-involved shooting in Lower Burrell deemed justified
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli deemed the use of force justified in a February officer-involved shooting at a home in Lower Burrell. The gunfire exchange between officers and Jordan Lindner happened on Feb. 14 after, police say, he shot into a home on Rodgers Drive and then at officers...
2 Pagans motorcycle gang members held in jail on bail after preliminary hearing
Two Lower Burrell men who police say are members of the Pagans motorcycle gang are being held in the Westmoreland County jail on $300,000 bond following a January assault at Mogie’s Irish Pub. Robert Browne, 27, and Devin Colucci, 25, face charges of assault, robbery, theft, harassment, disorderly conduct and...
Las Hachas in New Kensington to close, but maybe not for long
New Kensington axe throwing spot Las Hachas will close this weekend, but the venue’s future could still include targets and blades. The storefront owners, Brian Mangone and Brian Heidenreich, along with building owner Olde Towne Overhaul, are looking for a new tenant who wants to keep it an entertainment destination....
Last call for doughnuts as New Kensington franchise closes doors
It was mostly business as usual for New Kensington’s Donut Connection on its last day of service. About noon Tuesday, the drive-thru saw a steady stream of cars and a few mingling eat-in customers. Dozen-sized boxes were filled with frosted and glazed doughnuts. Franchise owner Gayatri Patel said the shop’s...
2 New Kensington families healing and accepting community aid after house fire
A day after a Sunday morning fire tore through half of a duplex in New Kensington, residents are recovering from injuries and accepting community donations. Firefighters were alerted just before 8 a.m. Sunday. When crews arrived, flames, which gutted the McCargo Street side of the house, extended into the attic...
Area students reflect on good citizenship for annual Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest
Elin Bash was among the first cohort of girls to start at The Kiski School in 2024. She remembers how big of a change it was, as she transferred at the start of her junior year. At times, she said, she had to fight for her space in student-run clubs....
Upper Burrell residents notified of surveying for fracking lateral lines
Upper Burrell will soon undergo surveying for lateral fracking lines that could connect to natural gas company EQT’s Hermes well pad in neighboring Murrysville. Township residents received letters this week from Wisconsin consulting firm Verdanterra, which will conduct the surveying. “While surveying for well lateral locations, we may require access...
New Kensington event space, library and police fleet slated for upgrades, paid for with casino tax revenue
Three projects in New Kensington receive a total of $186,000 coming from tax revenue collected from Westmoreland’s casino. The grants were part of a countywide grant package of more than $470,000, paid for with tax revenue from Live! Casino. They include Girl Scout Little House renovations, Peoples Library modernizations and...
Faces of the Valley: New Kensington Arnold School District secures new head of safety
William Leek Jr. has always wanted to help people. He pursued that goal on a professional level through a series of public service and safety roles. That included a stint in the Marine Corps Reserves, as a police officer with the Rehoboth Beach Police Department for two years and later...
Lower Burrell to upgrade stormwater system on Rodgers Drive
Lower Burrell will be upgrading its Rodgers Drive stormwater system to address flooding, improve pedestrian safety and better comply with federal water runoff guidelines. The upgrades will include installing 225 feet of stormwater pipe and two new inlets. It also will include 200 feet of cured-in-place-pipe lining — a form...
Mount St. Peter church air quality tests likely won’t halt Holy Week schedule
Mount St. Peter Catholic Church in New Kensington likely will be open for Friday’s fish fry and Holy Week Masses following air quality testing this week. On Monday morning, the New Kensington Catholic Community, comprising Mount St. Peter, St. Mary Czestochowa and St. Joseph churches, announced via Facebook that a...
March Madness ups threat of problem gambling, especially for younger men
March Madness tipped off this week, a collection of 67 single-elimination basketball games that not only will crown a champion in 2½ weeks but also draw billions of dollars in sports bets. Young men are particularly at risk of developing gambling problems, experts say. According to a 2024 survey conducted...
New Kensington-Arnold students gifted supplies at yearly Adopt-A-School program
Sixth grader Landon Fernandez said he might use new school supplies gifted to him to draw, study and help with his homework. Bags of school supplies, including notebooks, colored pencils, glue and more were given to all 600 students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold on Friday. It...
Arnold police to wear body cameras
Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci said getting body-worn cameras for police officers was one of her top priorities coming into office. Now that the department has them, she hopes they’ll help to protect those officers and the community. “(It will be beneficial) if there are any questions of legal disputes on...
New business workshop coming to Lower Burrell
For potential entrepreneurs looking to get in on Lower Burrell’s business district, an upcoming informational session may be a great first step, said Councilwoman Carley Logan. On April 16 the Lower Burrell New Business Workshop will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Fisher Hall at Burrell Lake Park. Logan, who...
Tarentum Night Market may avoid being canceled
The lights may be back on this summer for the Tarentum Night Market. Late Tuesday, market officials announced on Facebook it would be canceled for the 2026 season. It was later found the market could not afford required liability insurance, and it would not be awarded a permit by Tarentum...
Lower Burrell walking club takes steps to boost community connections
Lower Burrell’s new walking club will foster community connection, nature appreciation and health benefits, according to walking host Lindsay Taylor. In early April, Lower Burrell’s Nature Neighbor Walking Club will hold its first meeting at Burrell Lake Park. An official date will be announced on the Lower Burrell Parks and...
Kotecki Dog Park closed as safety precaution
High winds over the weekend caused a pole at the Kotecki Dog Park in Lower Burrell to lean far enough that officials decided to close the park Monday and Tuesday out of “an abundance of caution.” Mayor Chris Fabry said it doesn’t look like the pole will fall, but the...
New Kensington Restaurant Ramble returns with new options
A night of crab rangoon, pizza, baked goods and various other treats is on the horizon in downtown New Kensington. The city’s fifth annual Restaurant Ramble will return March 28, with three new participating eateries: Ash Taphouse, Begonia Bistro and Lucky Duck Candy Co. For $35 a ticket, participants can...
New Kensington, Arnold water lines getting upgrade
The New Kensington Municipal Water Authority is replacing lead lines in New Ken and Arnold to comply with federal regulations. The project to replace 115 service lines, which started at the beginning of the year, will wrap up in a few weeks, said the authority’s Distribution Superintendent Ed Saliba Jr....
New Kensington man charged in 2023 murder
An inmate at the Westmoreland County jail has been charged in connection to a 2023 murder in New Kensington. Raijon Deqae Wilson, 30, of New Kensington is charged with homicide in the shooting death of Troy Vickers Jr. On Oct. 19, 2023, Vickers was found shot in the head on...
Women entrepreneurs find unity, success in New Kensington
Part of Leah Delaney’s inspiration as a small-business owner is showing her young daughters what feminine success looks like. “I feel that women are so strong in so many ways,” Delaney said. “Tap into that feminine energy and radiate who we are.” Delaney’s studio, AngelWing Yoga and Wellness, opened five...
Arnold, Vandergrift, East Vandergrift to leave Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council
Three municipalities are leaving the Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council, citing membership costs and internal administrative changes. Arnold Council voted Tuesday to leave, citing lack of recent progress as a deciding factor. Councilman Aaron Moore said the council is well-intentioned, but the only deliverable it has produced was a 2025 blight plan....
Lower Burrell votes to donate land for Stewart Elementary housing project
Lower Burrell didn’t donate the pickleball courts behind city hall to Burrell School District as part of the deal to redevelop the Stewart Elementary School property because the city never really owned the courts. The city mistakenly built them on land owned by the school district. City council this week...
Upper Burrell teen to display Holocaust education project at Tri-City Historical Society
When Burrell High School senior Lily Sassani wanted to bring light to little-known stories about Girl Scouts’ role in society during the Holocaust, she turned to history books. After two years of research, writing and interviews, she shaped her findings into a Holocaust education patch that troops across the world...
