Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 11
Westmoreland judge schedules 2 oldest criminal cases for September
A trial date was set Tuesday for the capital murder case against a New Kensington man charged with the beating death of a toddler in 2020. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ordered the case against Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 36, to begin in September. In doing so he...
Tiny Donegal Borough will cut council size in 2028, lack of participation cited
Donegal Borough Mayor Keith Deckinger is convinced his tiny town, which serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands, has an encouraging future. Its past and present, he said, had been stymied because of a lack of people willing to govern. Deckinger went to court Monday to ask a Westmoreland...
Westmoreland shifts funding to install more ramps, chairlifts in low-income homes
Westmoreland County will shift funding to improve access to low-income homes over the next 20 months. Commissioners on Thursday voted 2-1 to reallocate $200,000 to cover additional costs associated with accessibility projects as part of the county’s Whole Home Repair program initiated in 2023. The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority is...
Uniontown woman pleads guilty to tampering with evidence in Rostraver road rage killing
A woman was ordered to serve two years on probation for tampering with evidence that was eventually used to convict a Belle Vernon man of the road rage killing of a motorist in Rostraver shortly after New Year’s 2022. Shaquala Lashawn Poole, 32, of Uniontown pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor...
Westmoreland revises plans for county’s newest industrial park
Construction of Westmoreland County’s 20th industrial park could begin in 2027 on a revised plan for a 110-acre site that straddles Hempfield and Unity townships. Jason Rigone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., said Thursday the final design work could soon begin for the proposed $8 million...
Westmoreland register of wills to implement credit card fees
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Jon Wian said Tuesday his office will no longer foot the bill for customers who make payments with a credit card. Beginning June 1, customers who pay fees to file wills, estate documents, apply for marriage licenses and request copies of documents in the Register...
Water authority hires private firm to make payments in response to vendor scam
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has hired a Georgia-based company to pay its vendors. Officials said the deal, which they described as a trial run that could net the authority up to $180,000 annually in additional revenue through commissions, is in response to a fraud scheme that resulted in...
$1.2M project will replace asbestos-infused cement water pipe in North Huntingdon
A $1.2 million project was approved Wednesday to replace a nearly mile-long stretch of waterline in North Huntingdon, including a 75-year-old section of cement pipe that is infused with asbestos. Officials called the project a standard replacement for the existing line that runs along McKee Road, from Clay Pike to...
Former cheer booster treasurer pleads guilty to stealing funds
An Upper Burrell woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to the theft of nearly $19,000 from the Burrell Cheer Boosters. Ashley Marie Frieberg, 41, agreed to repay the organization $8,900 as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge related to theft allegations leveled against...
Westmoreland finalizes plans for May primary, mail-in ballots will begin next week
Westmoreland County voters could see primary ballots arrive in their mailboxes as early as next week, officials said on Tuesday. Election Bureau director Scott Ross said the county to date has processed more than 21,000 mail-in ballot applications leading up to the May 20 Democratic and Republican primaries, where voters...
Westmoreland DA declines appeal, sets stage for retrial in 1993 fatal Jeannette fire
Westmoreland County prosecutors will not appeal a judge’s ruling that overturned the decades-old murder and arson convictions of a former Jeannette man. During a pretrial conference Monday, Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said the case against James Young will proceed. The new trial will happen 30 years after Young was...
Investigators identify person of interest in death of Rostraver womanVideo
Investigators said Monday they have identified a person of interest in the slaying of a woman last week in her Rostraver home. Police said the body of Jennah M. Seibert, 24, was found Friday afternoon, the victim of a shooting. On Monday, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said investigators...
Oakmont-based Chelsea Building Products breaks ground on new plant in Sewickley Township
Construction is underway for a new manufacturing facility that officials said could bring as many as 150 new jobs to Westmoreland County. Officials this week held a groundbreaking for a 228,000 square-foot building at Commerce Crossing, the county’s newest industrial park, in Sewickley Township. Chelsea Building Products paid $1.8 million...
132-year-old Charleroi glass plant ends production, set to close
Elaine Smith had to hear the Corning whistle one last time. Smith, 70, of Monessen retired in 2020 after a 45-year career at the Pyrex glass plant, which has been a staple in Charleroi for more than a century. She said she was ready for tears to flow Friday for...
Jury deadlocks in trial of Greensburg man charged with nephew’s fatal overdose
A mistrial was declared Thursday in the case of a Greensburg man charged with providing his nephew with a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin. After more than seven hours of deliberations, a Westmoreland County jury deadlocked on the most serious of the six charges against Michael Rebosky, 59. Prosecutors said...
Driver run over by own garbage truck sues Penn Township, property owner for negligence
A garbage truck driver has filed a lawsuit against Penn Township and a resident, claiming he was run over by his own truck after it struck a leaning and overhanging tree. Tyler Spade of Uniontown, a driver for Republic Services, which provides garbage removal services in Penn Township, claims he...
Monessen club sued over March shooting
A private club in Monessen is being sued over claims that failed security led to a member’s injuries last month. Amir Reid, address unknown, contends the Monessen Elks Oaky Lodge No. 697 knowingly served an intoxicated guest and failed to act when he brandished a firearm during a fight outside...
Trial begins for Greensburg man accused in nephew’s overdose death
Daniel Rebosky insisted to a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday that his son, Christopher, was not a drug addict. “He had a routine. He’d get up, go to church. He was a true believer and was someone who never missed a family event. He hosted dinners at this home and...
Conservator appointed to dissolve Latrobe attorney’s practice as criminal case continues
A Westmoreland County judge has appointed an overseer to close the practice of a Latrobe lawyer accused of bilking a client. Common Pleas President Judge Christopher Feliciani assigned North Huntingdon attorney John Eric Bumbaugh to review case files and communicate with current and former clients of John Allen Roth, who...
Voting machine testing gets underway in Westmoreland
Westmoreland election officials want assurances that each vote cast during the Republican and Democratic primaries next month are accurately recorded. To that end, Election Bureau staff on Monday started what is expected to be a weeklong process to test each of the county’s 900 touch screen voting machines and 350...
Greengate Mall remembered as community gathering spot
Chad Altman couldn’t help himself. One day in 2003, he saw a chance to preserve a piece of his youth — and went for it. With a flashlight attached to his forehead, he walked through the tunnel entrance of the empty Greengate Mall. And he started collecting. “I grabbed things...
1 man injured in Wilkinsburg shooting
Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting early Sunday morning in Wilkinsburg that left one man hospitalized. Authorities said the unidentified man was found inside a residence on the 500 block of North Avenue at 2:40 a.m. with gunshot wounds. He was listed in critical but stable condition, according to...
Long waits continue for murder defendants seeking Westmoreland County trials
There are 17 defendants facing homicide charges in a dozen pending cases in Westmoreland County. None of them will go to trial when the next criminal term begins Monday. According to the county’s court administration office, five homicide trials have been pending for at least three years. One, a death...
Rain doesn’t dampen opening day of trout season
The first day of trout season has always been a big deal for the Gombosh family. It became more so after 15-year-old Joey Gombosh fell ill and died in 1995 after he returned from a fishing outing at Northmoreland Park. “This keeps his memory alive,” said Bob Gombosh, who along...
Protesters rally at Westmoreland County Courthouse to oppose Trump agenda
Andrew Wilson said he never attends political protests. On Saturday, he and about 600 others gathered in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse for one of the hundreds of rallies conducted across the country, including a similar event in downtown Pittsburgh, to protest President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions...
