Random Picture Monday (04-30-12)

Fifth and Barnes. 

Dear Lord

J-Dub took Vegas to a whole other level.

He is currently on the Hangover Heaven Bus, getting straightened out.



This shot was taken right before he blacked-out.





See ya Monday.






Hopefully.

The Three Amigos

Three short years ago, we decided to take the extra time we had, and
use it in a way that might shine a brighter light on our
fair town.

We got a domain name.
A free blog site.
Some +2 corrective glasses from the Dollar Store.
A thirty-pack of PBR Light.
And a free internet signal from our unsuspecting neighbor.

And here is the gem we first posted:

Welcome to theNEWK!


This is your one stop interweb place for all things concerning the New Kensington, Pa. and surrounding areas.

We will have everything from restaurant reviews to local events and personalities.

Check back daily and don't forget to tell your friends.

Amazing and intriguing stuff, eh?


We've seen a lot.
We've learned a lot.
We've met some of the most amazing people, that we likely wouldn't
have had the chance to meet, without this site.

Every time we lack the energy/motivation to make one of our daily
posts, we think of all of the amazing emails we've read over these
few years.


The town made us start this site.
We continue it because of the readers.



We tried to come up with something awesome to do around here.

But we said...


"Screw it, we're going to Vegas."




Wish us luck.

Ask J-Dub (04-25-12)

It's time for another installment of Ask J-Dub.

Why?

Because he's awesome.

As pictured...

Q: You people post like everyday. What's up with that?

Unsigned

J-Dub: We try and post every day of the week. So right off the bat, your
exaggeration bothers me. But I will let it slide. This time.

The reason I will let it slide, is because today is actually a little bit of
a milestone here at theNewk.com.

This is our 800th post!

Not bad, eh?

Sure, sure...

Many of them have been dreadfully written and pointless, but hey, we
aren't charging you to read our drivel.

So go ahead and thank us.

Hell, send us your own email to thenewkblog.com.

Or send us a check.




-



Huge deal tomorrow, so you gotta check us out.

Hide yo kids, hide yo wives...

Ask J-Dub (04-24-12)

We have been trying to convince our man J-Dub (pictured below) to
pen an advice-type column for us here.


Many of the emails we get at thenewkblog@gmail.com, as us various
questions about different goings-ons.

And out of everyone we know, J-Dub is the man we turn to for advice, and
general worldly knowledges.



So here is a recent email we received...

Q: Some prelim elections are happening soon. Who are you voting for and why?

- T

J-Dub: We generally stay away from politics around here. But since you
too the time to ask, I will shoot a few thought-nuggets your way...

The Congressional race between Critz and Altmire seems to be the
hot ticket around these parts. The two Dem reps are running against
each other in the new 12th District.

With local boy Santorum stepping out of the presidential race, and
Mitt pretty much running away with things, we don't see many folks
leaving their crib for that.

I do know one thing... Altmire signed the crap out of the overpass.

That makes us not like him so much.

Random Picture Monday (04-23-12)

Is it Spring yet, or what?

Do It. Or Die.

Go Pens.

Do It. Or Die.

Go Pens.

We Just Don't Care

This video clip has some bad words.

We usually don't use much crude language around here.


But did you see the Pens game last night?!?


Watch this video, bad words and all.

Cause we don't give a damn today.






Do it.

Do It. Or Die.

Go Pens.

Author Interview (Kenya Smith)

Today, we are celebrating a local author who recently published his first book for children based on his own experiences as a father . Meet Kenya Smith, author, poet, father, Renaissance man in general and find out about his childhood in the NewK and his new book.

1. What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Kenya Smith. I'm an author, student, full-time Nursing Assistant (for now), partner and father.




2. Where were you raised and what schools did you attend?

I guess you could say that I was raised in New Kensington. I/we moved here from Brooklyn N.Y. in 1987. I always say that I grew up in Brooklyn, and became a man in New Ken. I attended Valley High School. Of course you have to throw Vo-Tech in there. Back then...(did I say that?), yes back then it was called N.W.A.V.T.S (Northern Westmoreland Area Vocational Technical School). I put that in there because I learned a lot about cooking from my chef's training course. After graduation in 1992 I attended C.C.A.C Allegheny Campus through the Job Corps program. I quit in 1995. I started going to school again in 2007 after the birth of my son, and I'm doing very well. I've recently been accepted to the PTA (Physical Therapy Assistant) program. If all goes well (which it will) I'll graduate in 2014 with a degree.



3. Did you have a mentor or role model growing up in New Kensington?

Not many mentors to follow in New Kensington. You rely on your friendships in which I still have with my best friend (Richard Rose) of 21 years. I looked up to some of the older cats in New Ken like Jimbo...it takes time to figure out why you look up to certain individuals. Sometimes it's to learn what TO do or what NOT to do. I guess I just remember certain times of my life in which an individual made an impact on my life. Mr. Commodore, & Mr. Wilcek were instrumental in guiding my path. Mr. Bitar caught me in the hall one day and asked me why I didn't smile...I told him that I didn't have a reason to. He told me that I should because it brings out my personality. I've been smiling ever since & one day thanked him for the advice.



4. What do you like the most about living in this area?

I like the fact that it is a diverse area. You find all kinds here. I guess I like the fact that it's an area that gives you room to grow. I didn't like moving here when we did. I grew to like the area and most of the people in it.



5. If you left the New Kensington area, what 3 places or businesses would you miss the most?

I would miss Perry di Pizzaman's, I would miss driving past Valley High School, and I would miss....I guess Eat n' Park. Those are the places with many memories. Although I don't eat at Perry's often I could always be taken back to the first time I had a slice of their pizza. It was the closest thing to a N.Y. slice that I could get. It was also a huge hang-out spot for us back in the day. I don't know WHERE the kids go after football games now...we went to Perry's where the music was playing and the food was good. A lifetime of memories at VHS...the football games were great. One could find warmth in the midst of friends on the coldest nights. People would go to Eat n' Park after the games. I only knew that because I used to work there. It was my 2nd "official" job.




6. What do you think is the most common misconception about New Kensington and it's residents?

I think the most common misconception about New Ken is that "everyone is bad." New Ken is a small town, so word gets around fast, which also means many things can be misconstrued once it gets to say...the 5th ear. It's not the people HERE most of the time, it's the people from out of town. Every small town has their good and bad areas. New Kensington has had it's share of bad news and seeds....Only some know what it takes to keep it together, but those are the people who leave.



7. What inspired you to write a children's book?

I drew my inspiration from my love to write. This all began as an idea to write a book of poetry...which at this point is on the back burner. I could have done that. . .it would have been cheaper. My son was born in 2007 and my fiance had a dog at the time. He was 10 years old. When we brought our son home (after 3 months because of his prematurity), I watched how they bonded together. Guiness grew a cancer in his leg & wouldn't last long. In 2010 I decided to write about their bond and to use it as a way to teach children how to take care of a dog. I also decided that it would be a great tribute to him. He (Guiness) had to get used to me too. I titled the book Food Left For Ginny because my son could not say Guiness when he was a toddler. I owe a lot to my illustrator Katherine Brown because she capture the images very well in this way. We sent her actual pictures of Kai, and Guiness. The book has a good back story as well...the fact that Guiness was around before Kai. I wrote it in past AND present tense to show what he used to do, and did once we had Kai.


8. Any plans for another book in the works?

My plan is for a series of childrens books which will teach them how to take care of their "typical family pet." Last summer we all heard about this fad where people were raising exotic animals...in Ohio some escaped. I say typical because people don't typically have a tiger lying around in the yard. Speaking of typical, the next book will be titled (tentatively) Cats Don't Fetch Balls! It will teach children how to take care of cats, but give a lighthearted look at a cats life...what they do and DON'T do. I have two other titles for the series, giving the people 4 in all. I've discussed collaborating about a 5th one about horses. My 6th childrens book will be about a "monster" and how he/she/it awoke a kid from his/her sleep. Then....there is/are my books of poetry. I'm on Fastpencil.com and here on Facebook where my poetry can be found. The first book of poetry will be called Life in this Leather Jacket KonciousLea Written. This book of poetry will be autobiographical so to speak. At this point I probably have enough for 3 books of poetry (once the month of April ends).



9. Please give us the information on how to purchase your book and plug any events you have coming up in the future.

The book can be found on my publishers site authorhouse.com. I've been doing really well on amazon.com so most of the time I refer people there. I'm trying to get in the top 100 in books. Even if it's for ONE day. My book can be found on barnesandnoble.com as well. If one wanted to go to BNB to purchase a book it would be ordered, as my book is considered to be print on demand. I've been posting events on my fan page KonciouSLea. Promoting a book doesn't get the bills paid, therefore work comes first. I've been reading in libraries. My last appearance was at my school at Boyce campus. People can look for a couple of stories that they will do for me. I think this will launch Food Left For Ginny even further. The deans were very impressed and not only have they decided to do a feature story of me in the President's news letter, but they will do another story which will include a press release. My plan is to get Food Left.....in all school libraries that I make appearances in to spread the word that they may place it in the districts libraries. I'm planning a book signing. . .hopefully next month. I'm looking forward to signing my fans books. I'm also considering a fan page on Facebook for Food Left. . . .this will give people a place to go with their children to leave comments directly from them. My fan page isn't always children friendly because of the content of some of my poetry. I'm also deeply considering having a child's audio for the book. These are all thoughts which take time to filter through. If you ask me if I thought I would be a children's author I would have told you no 3 years ago. This is a great accomplishment for me, and I'm proud of it....even if I sold just ONE book.

(Clicking this picture won't allow you to look inside. We stole this
picture from Amazon.)

Thank you very much Kenya for taking the time to talk to us.

We wish you the very best of luck, and look forward to getting a chance
to read your book.

Random Picture Monday (04-16-12)

L.A.

Save The Drama...

Don't be all upset with us.

Don't be all salty.

Don't be all... whatevs.



It's Friday the 13th, and we got sh*t to do.


It's not our fault that tomorrow is the first day of trout, and tonight
is not only the opening night of the Three Stooges Movie, but the
Pens also play.


We have no time to waste!



But be ready for next week, as some awesome things will be posted.



There may even be an interview in the works...



Have a great weekend.

Go Pens.

Do it.

Man-Hill Rescue

A Burrell resident had to be rescued from his home recently.

The Manchester Hill man was removed from the basement, after
rescue crews had to cut a hole in the house.

Hazmat crews were also on site, but the "residual stink" was deemed
harmless.

They were able to safely get the 600lb man out of the house, onto a
flatbed tow truck, then transported to an awaiting ambulance.

From what we understand, he is a well known resident in these parts.



We hope everything turns out for the best for him.






-


Go Pens.

Do it.

It's Go Time

Get your mind right.

Lick a stick.

"Hey guys... I'm a total D-Bag!"

Buy this guy a beer.

"Suck it, Talbo."

And as much as we wanna hate Scotty Hartnell.

We just can't do it.

It's playoff time.


Are you ready?

Did you put away your razor?

Are you willing to accept the fact that we may miss a post or two, due
to evenings spent at the bar, drinking beer and watching sports?




Alright, Pens...



Do it.

We Smiled

Oh emails...

How you warm our hearts and make us all tingly in just
the right places.


There is something so pure and beautiful about a well written email.

It also doesn't hurt when it is full of compliments...

Love The Blog!

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to thank you for taking the time to write it. I sadly do not get to visit everyday, but when I do you never fail to put a smile on my face. As new-ish residents to the area, when we first moved here we heard all sorts of bad things about the place, but simply couldn't figure out why. I mean the place has charm & personality and I have not met a single boring person here. My guy and I came here first from about 3 hours south to see the building for sale on *** & ***. It was not what we were looking for (have you seen the basement in that place?! Scary...but kinda cool.) Basement aside, we fell in love with the place and knew this is where we had to be. We drove up and down the streets in old downtown New Ken and wrote down addresses of places that looked empty and tried to find the owners to see if they wanted to sell. We got lucky back in June or July, I forget which, and became the happy owners of a little bit of this awesome city. I see now that this "quick line" has snowballed into me being chatty, I blame the coffee, but I will stop now after just one more. Thank you!

- Happy NewKer =)

Sincere thanks for taking the time from your day to drop us
a line.


Welcome to the NewK!


And thank you for loving our community.

Random Picture Monday (04-09-12)

The gateway to the Post Office.

We're Clean

In 2009, schools in Pa had their students take the
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Test.

And within the last year, a group of schools were flagged
for possibly cheating on these tests.

Our district was one of these schools.

It was the last thing we need.

Because we all know, that just accusing New Ken/Arnold of
cheating has all the surrounding districts saying things like...

"It figures..."
"We're sure it's true..."
"Buncha hoodlums over there..."


They don't have to admit it.

We know what's up.


It turns out, we have been cleared of all charges.

The fact that it only gets a little snippet in the paper, compared
to the full page article when the accusations were made, doesn't
bother us all that much.

Actually.

It bothers us a whole bunch.


We demand justice!


Like the Hurricane.

Green Thumbs Unite

A different sort of beauty will soon bloom from the lot where
Pittsburgh Beauty Academy once prospered.

That lot, and another, will soon be home to delicate flowers, and
delicious veggies.


See, back in 2006, someone set fire to the buildings, and the city
has since had them torn down.

Now, with help from the WCCC and the Redevelopment Authority
of New Kensington, those lonely lots won't go to waste.

Neither will the food it produces.

As they plan on donating all Newk-grown vegetables to local food banks.

Class move, right there.



Well done to all involved in this.

We can't wait for the new roots to take hold in our town.

Vincent Tang Is Our Hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKPkrHcdWVs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We emailed this post. 

If the above is just a link, click on it.
Then thank us later.

Oh My Gawd!!!

Not Forgotten

A great local man/leader/role model/father/friend is being
buried today.

We are unable to be there to pay our respects.

For that, we are saddened.

May comfort and clarity come to his family and friends
before the sun sets on this sorrowful day in New Kensington.

We were lucky to have you.

Godspeed, Chief.





- Your friends at theNewk.com

Random Picture Monday (04-02-12)

Look at us getting all artsy and crap.