Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 106
Westmoreland prison officials screening inmates to help avoid coronavirus outbreak
Westmoreland officials said Monday there are no comprehensive plans to reduce the inmate population at the county jail in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout Pennsylvania, officials have begun releasing inmates from local lockups. Westmoreland officials said there is no dire need to take similar action at the facility in...
Lack of details on local coronavirus cases frustrates Westmoreland officials
Westmoreland County officials are frustrated with the lack of specific information disseminated about local coronavirus cases from the state health department. “We learn more from the media than from anywhere else,” Roland “Bud” Mertz, public safety director, said Monday. Mertz said he’s asked but has been unable to get any...
Westmoreland County parks reopen
Westmoreland County’s 10 parks reopened on Thursday. Public Works Director Greg McCloskey said padlocks that barred entrance to the parks were removed to allow individuals to enter the grounds. As part of the county’s decision to reduce operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials opted to close the parks...
Westmoreland Register of Wills closes office except for emergency guardianship petitions
The Westmoreland County Register of Wills office will be closed through April 3. Since Wednesday, the office in the Greensburg courthouse operated on reduced hours as part of a partial shutdown of county operations but still accepted filings and processed marriage license applications. The office closure follows the state’s Supreme...
Prosecutors: Baby should be removed from South Huntingdon home due to deplorable conditions
A 10-month baby allegedly assaulted by his father should be removed from the custody of relatives because of deplorable conditions of their home, Westmoreland County prosecutors said. Assistant District Kelly Hammers on Thursday filed emergency petitions seeking to modify bond conditions for the baby’s mother, aunt, grandmother and grandmother’s boyfriend...
Westmoreland voting machine demos canceled
Public demonstrations of Westmoreland County’s new voting equipment are on hold, officials said Thursday. The elections bureau scheduled a number of events throughout the county before the April 28 primary to allow voters a chance to test drive the machines purchased last year. Officials said the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and...
Westmoreland water, sewer authority meet remotely as part of pandemic protocolVideo
Low-interest rates expected to be set in response to the drastic stock market decline could be a boon to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Board members, who met by phone Wednesday as part of an unusual meeting amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, approved the refinancing of up to $50...
Westmoreland County survives 1st day of scaled-back operations
Editor’s note: Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton announced Thursday that starting March 20 the office would only accept emergency guardian petitions. All other office functions will be suspended through April 3. Gallows humor was a theme in the Register of Wills office Wednesday as the handful of...
Republican Eric Davanzo poised to claim House 58th District special election
A Republican will continue to represent the state House 58th District. Eric Davanzo, 43, of South Huntingdon won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the January resignation of Republican Justin Walsh. With all 66 precincts reporting, Davanzo received 52% of the vote. Democrat Robert Prah Jr....
Westmoreland municipal authority to meet via telephone
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board will meet as scheduled Wednesday, but just how that will be done will be a bit unusual in these unusual times. Agency Solicitor Scott Avolio said board members will call in from home or other locations to allow the water and sewer utility...
Westmoreland County special election for House 58th District still scheduled Tuesday
Tuesday’s special election to fill the vacant 58th District state House seat is expected to be held as scheduled, despite widespread cancellations and shutdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic. The health scare has resulted in two polling locations, one in Rostraver and another in South Huntingdon, being moved at the...
Westmoreland County to limit courthouse business, close senior centers
A partial shutdown of the Westmoreland County Courthouse operations will start Wednesday, commissioners have ordered. Beginning mid-week only “essential” personnel will report to work to maintain government operations, Commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes said. “We don’t want people coming to the courthouse,” he said. The scaling back was delayed to accommodate...
58th state House candidates swap negative ads, complain of inaccuracy
Candidates for the vacant 58th District state House seat in Tuesday’s special election are spending the final days of the campaign responding to the flurry of what they called inaccurate negative ads. Both major party candidates, Democrat Robert Prah Jr. and Republican Eric Davanzo, said high-volume mailings, television and online...
Westmoreland County declares state of emergency to prepare for coronavirusVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioners declared a state of emergency Saturday morning, a move officials said will enhance government efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The emergency declaration gives county officials the ability to quickly activate emergency personnel and pay for needed responses, county officials said during a courthouse news conference....
Monessen man gets 6-20 years for child sex assault
A Monessen man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy. Michael Christofel, 39, pleaded guilty Friday to charges he had multiple incidents of sexual contact with the boy in October and November 2018 in Monessen. According to court records, the victim’s...
Westmoreland halts most visits to county nursing home
Westmoreland County commissioners on Friday halted visitation for most residents at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. Commissioners will conduct a news conference at 9 a.m. Saturday at the courthouse to unveil the county’s full response plan to the coronavirus pandemic. The new restriction at the 400-bed Westmoreland Manor started...
Westmoreland County postpones jury trials, asks residents to conduct business online if possibleVideo
Westmoreland County’s criminal court judges postponed all jury trials in March in response to the ongoing concern about the coronavirus. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger on Thursday conducted hearings for inmates at the county jail via video conferencing rather than have them brought to the courthouse. “I’m doing this as...
Westmoreland Transit to continue service, step up vehicle cleaning
Westmoreland County Transit officials say the ongoing coronavirus scare for now will not impact local and commuter bus service and the agency’s Go Westmoreland paratransit shared-ride programs will continue at current levels. Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said buses and other vehicles will undergo additional disinfection to ensure the...
Westmoreland County prepares for high volume of mail-in votes
Westmoreland County will be ready if large numbers of voters decide to stay home on Election Day. Officials will spend about $100,000 for new equipment to help count mail-in votes in next month’s primary and in the November general election. County commissioners approved buying two high-speed scanners from Election Systems...
State warns of scammers posing as court officials
Pennsylvania court officials this week warned of a recently reported telephone scam seeking payments for bail and expenses to help incarcerated family members. Officials said the rouse involves a call from what appears to be the state’s Commonwealth Court telephone number and a demand for payments through PayPal. Officials cautioned...
Municipal authority laborer sues power companies after cutting into unmarked power line
A Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County laborer in a lawsuit filed against West Penn Power and First Energy claims he was injured when he cut an unmarked electrical line during water line repairs last year in Delmont. Michael Obney, 39, of Hempfield contends he sustained electrical burns on his hands...
Westmoreland 911 quizzes callers about coronavirus as county prepares outbreak plan
Callers to Westmoreland County 911 are being asked if they have potentially been exposed to the coronavirus or are experiencing any symptoms of the illness. Operators on Tuesday started questioning callers seeking assistance for breathing issues or other respiratory symptoms if they’ve been to the countries hit hardest by the...
$10K bond request denied for man accused of raping 12-year-old who later gave birth
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday rejected a bond request from a Connellsville man awaiting trial on charges of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2013. Prosecutors say the girl gave birth to the man’s child nine months later. Shawn Melville, 42, was charged last year with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,...
Sewickley man sent to prison for sexually assaulting 2 mentally disabled women
A Sewickley man will serve up to four years in prison for sexually assaulting two mentally disabled women at his home in 2018. Wayne E. Smith, 75, pleaded guilty Monday to forcing the women, ages 23 and 24, to have sex — acts they were unable to consent to because...
First defendant in Youngwood murder cases pleads guilty, gets 15 to 30 years in prison
Matthew Genard was weeks away from a fresh start in Florida when he was brutally stabbed to death during a drug-related robbery more than two years ago in Youngwood. Genard’s eldest sister told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that the family’s youngest sibling was ready to turn his life...
