Judge orders one-year closure of New Kensington Elks Lodge
A judge granted the district attorney's request to close the Third Avenue lodge for one year after repeated violent incidents and alleged licensing violations endangered the community.
On July 31, 2026, a Westmoreland County Common Pleas judge granted the district attorney’s injunction ordering the New Kensington Elks Lodge on Third Avenue closed for one year. The DA’s office said the lodge was a nuisance that violated its Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board conditional license and fostered criminal activity; the injunction followed the December 2025 shooting death of 46-year-old Jeffrey Ballard, after which his brother, 38-year-old Steffon Ballard, was charged with criminal homicide and related offenses.