Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 55
Financing wrapped up for new Irwin senior apartments
Construction for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s proposed 50-unit senior living community in Irwin is expected to begin Dec. 10. Housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said financing for the $14 million project will be complete next month, setting the stage for a 16-month construction period that is slated to...
Judge denies bias, upholds sentence in 2010 Greensburg torture killing
The 60-years-to-life prison sentence imposed on one of six Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture and slaying of a mentally disabled woman will stand, a judge ruled Friday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway said the lengthy prison term imposed against 29-year-old Angela Marinucci was not a result...
Drug charges related to North Huntingdon woman’s death dismissed
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed drug delivery resulting in death charges against two men accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a North Huntingdon woman nearly three years ago. Police said Iona J. Runkle, 46, was found dead Jan. 12, 2020, in her mobile home at the Dusty...
Westmoreland voters not allowed to fix undated mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County election officials said voters who submit undated mail-in ballots will not be permitted to correct that error or other deficiencies before Election Day. That could result in their votes not being counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday barred county election offices from counting undated mail-in ballots and...
Salem restaurant, government spar over jury verdict
The lawyer for the owner of a Salem restaurant found liable for labor law violations challenged the government’s effort to collect $429,000 in back pay and other damages Tuesday. After a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, jurors found that from April 2014 to July 2017, owners of...
Plea talks end for Export man charged in Vandergrift woman’s killing
An Export man will stand trial next year in connection with the murder of a Vandergrift woman whose charred remains were found in a wooded area near Keystone State Park in 2017. Defense attorney Brian Aston said during a court hearing Tuesday that efforts over the last year to resolve...
WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA
WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...
Westmoreland judge: Shetler must remain in jail pending trial
A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...
Arnold woman charged in fatal overdose to await trial on house arrest after new drug arrest
An Arnold woman awaiting trial for allegedly providing drugs to a Lower Burrell woman who died of an overdose two years ago will remain free on bond after her recent arrest on unrelated drug offenses, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. Sentrillia A. McDonald, 42, was ordered to serve house...
Davanzo, Bach square off for state House seat in 58th District
The candidates running to represent voters in the state House 58th District offer clear differences that fall in line with the partisan divide in Harrisburg. Incumbent Republican Eric Davanzo, an anti-abortion candidate who favors elimination of mail-in voting and opposes strict gun control, is seeking his second full two-year term...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to incident with teen babysitters
A Hempfield man was ordered Friday to serve two years on probation in connection with an incident in 2018 that prompted two teenage babysitters to flee his home. Gregory Bittner, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of corruption of a minor and simple assault after two 15-year-old girls claimed he...
Westmoreland broadband study set to end as early findings identify service gaps
More than 43% of county residents who participated in a study of Westmoreland County’s broadband have little to no internet service, according to preliminary results announced Thursday. Since July, the county has conducted a survey of homes and businesses to gauge broadband connectivity and early findings indicated that as much...
Officials look to market shuttered Westmoreland test track
Westmoreland County officials will continue to pursue development of a $20 million test track facility despite the shuttering of Argo AI, a marquee tenant at the East Huntingdon site. “There’s a strong demand for test track space, and I’m pretty confident we will be able to back-fill this facility with...
Complaint alleges Southwest Greensburg improperly pushed for elimination of library tax
A complaint was lodged this week with the Westmoreland County Board of Elections asking it to investigate a claim that Southwest Greensburg improperly lobbied borough voters to support a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. If the referendum is approved, it would eliminate a 1-mill annual library tax. The complaint...
Early voting soars in Westmoreland County
Exceeding expectations, nearly 22,000 Westmoreland County voters already have cast ballots with less than two weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election. County officials said the number of mail-in applications requested and returned by voters has continued to surpass estimates. As of Wednesday, more than 36,000 mail-in and...
Trump set for campaign rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Westmoreland County just days ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. According Trump’s Save America website, the former president will hold a campaign rally Nov. 5 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. Details of the rally have yet to be...
Police get DNA from Belle Vernon man accused in New Year’s road rage killing
DNA from three people was found on the gun used to kill a motorist in a New Year’s Day road rage incident in Rostraver, a Westmoreland County detective testified Tuesday. Since August, investigators have attempted to secure a DNA sample from Anthony Hairston, who was charged with first-degree murder and...
Derry Township man convicted of attempted murder
A Derry Township man told a judge on Tuesday he just wanted to scare a man who he believed had started a fire near his camper when he fired a series of “warning shots” across a rural field. But at least one round struck Jonathan David Corey in the buttocks...
Experts: Fetterman’s health unlikely to impact the Pa. Senate race
Tuesday night’s debate between Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz will be the first and only meeting of the two candidates before the Nov. 8 election. Its outcome could go a long way in deciding who wins a seat that political pundits say could determine...
Westmoreland transit halts drug testing of administrative staff
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority board has eliminated a requirement for members of the agency’s administrative team to be subjected to random drug testing. The board signed off on a request after officials said the requirement was unnecessary. Its elimination also could save money, officials said. “No one has ever...
Pay hike approved for Westmoreland DA spokesperson, finance department
A monthslong search for a public information officer for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is nearly over after commissioners agreed to a 50% salary increase before the job is even filled. The county’s salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeff Balzer, approved raising the salary for...
Westmoreland commissioners launch program to link students to local jobs
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved the creation of what they termed a “groundbreaking” program to invest in the future of local students. Commissioners allocated $949,000 toward a newly formed Westmoreland Workforce Development Plan that will be available at all 17 county school districts to promote occupational guidance and...
New Kensington man claims self-defense for 2020 shooting in Arnold
A New Kensington man accused in the shooting death of a man inside an Arnold home more than two years ago told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that he fired the fatal shots in self-defense. Mario Matthew Gatti, 33, was the lone defense witness to testify during his two-day trial....
Westmoreland waives residency requirement for county jobs
The Westmoreland commissioners said a residency requirement for all county employees will be lifted in an effort to find candidates for more than 200 vacant government jobs. Officials said the county has struggled to replenish its workforce and suggested that the residency requirement, which has been in place for years,...
Salem man on trial for attempted rape of teen
The lawyer for a Salem man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday that alcohol consumed by his client’s accuser renders her an unreliable witness. Zachary Saflin, 23, is charged with attempted rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, false imprisonment, indecent assault...
