Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 63
Greensburg man sentenced to prison for teen bathroom images
A Greensburg man was ordered Thursday to serve up to five years in prison for secretly recording images of two teenage girls in a bathroom. Carlos Rafael Alvarado, 49, was convicted following a nonjury trial in February of one felony charge of attempting to record illicit images of a child...
Westmoreland Transit fares hold steady as officials warn of potential increases in 2023
Fares to ride Westmoreland County Transit Authority buses and paratransit vehicles will remain at current levels for now under a $15.9 million budget unanimously approved this week. But a system overhaul — including the revamping of bus routes — is likely to spur fare increases next summer as the authority...
Westmoreland courthouse construction project prompts revision to bail payment process
Westmoreland County Park Police Chief Henry Fontana said he wasn’t quite sure how his department became responsible for collecting bail payments on behalf of inmates seeking release from prison at night or on weekends. But that’s about to change, thanks in part to the $7 million reconstruction of the underground...
Mt. Pleasant contractor pleads guilty for work not performed
A Mt. Pleasant contractor will serve up to three years on probation for accepting payment for work he never performed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears said Wednesday that penalty could be converted into a jail sentence unless at least $8,000 in restitution is paid by Sept. 1....
Judge says Greensburg shooting suspect will be prosecuted as an adult
An Allegheny County man who turned 18 just one month after he was charged with the attempted murder of three people outside of a Greensburg apartment building will be tried as an adult. A Westmoreland County judge this week rejected a defense request to transfer the criminal prosecution of Jaron...
Judge grants defense access to financial records in alleged Murrysville theft
A judge ordered the owners of a now defunct Murrysville business that streamed wildlife videos over the internet to turn over personal financial and tax records to lawyers representing a former employee accused of stealing from the company four years ago. Attorneys for Rick V. Furnari, 61, of Murrysville claim...
Westmoreland elections board to rule on undated mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County election officials said Monday that a decision about whether to count 64 undated mail-in ballots could be made later this week. Interim Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said vote counting was completed Friday with the review and tabulation of 278 provisional ballots submitted at the polls on Election...
Motorcyclists seek blessing ahead of spring riding season
George Cunningham knows both the joys and the potential dangers of motorcycle riding. Cunningham, 50, of Derry was among the nearly 100 bikers who gathered late Sunday morning at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Latrobe for the 18th annual Blessing of the Bikes. “I’m on two wheels, so it’s...
Man dead in Washington County police-involved shooting
One man was killed Saturday in a confrontation with Pennsylvania State Police following a traffic stop in Washington County. Police said troopers responded to a retail theft call at 6 p.m. at the Rural King store at the Washington County Mall, identified the suspect’s vehicle and later located it in...
3 shot on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Three people were shot early Sunday on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Police said they were directed to the 1700 block of East Carson Street to respond to a call just before 3 a.m. that shots were fired. One man was wounded in the leg. A woman sustained multiple gunshot wounds to...
Hometown heroes honored in Greensburg
George Whipkey sat in the front row Saturday morning at St. Clair Park in Greensburg and watched as city leaders honored him and more than 90 hometown heroes. But Whipkey, 81, a Marine Corps veteran and Southwest Greensburg police sergeant, wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge his place among the honorees....
Police investigate woman’s shooting in Homewood
Pittsburgh police are investigating the shooting of a woman Saturday morning in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Police said they found a female with a gunshot wound to the back at 2:40 a.m. after hearing reports of gunfire on Frankstown and Brushtown avenues. The victim was conscious and alert when she...
Inflation blamed for Westmoreland municipal authority cost overruns
Inflation led to an 11% increase in Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County expenses in March, and utility leaders said Wednesday they are bracing for more cost overruns in the months ahead. “I don’t think prices will get cheaper, and we will continue to look at overages,” authority business manager Brian...
Voter turnout strong for Westmoreland primary as political leaders look to fall campaign
More than 41% of Republicans and nearly 40% of registered Democrats in Westmoreland County voted in Tuesday’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primaries, numbers that have local political leaders predicting an energetic fall campaign. The county’s results closely mirror statewide totals as Democrats backed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for Senate while...
Cooper unseats incumbent Silvis; Dunbar wins in landslide
Former Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairwoman Jill Cooper unseated first-term incumbent Rep. Jason Silvis in the GOP primary for the redrawn 55th state House district. Two years ago, Silvis, 47, defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Petrarca in 2020 to win the legislative seat that was previously based in Derry. A redistricting...
Hempfield man pleads guilty in woman’s shooting
A Hempfield man was paroled Monday after he pleaded guilty to charges related to an incident last year in which a woman sustained a gunshot wound to her ring finger. Police said Timothy John Luchon, 40, had a physical altercation with a woman at a home near New Stanton on...
Ex-inmate’s lawsuit claims Westmoreland County violated settlement terms, wants $150K
A New Mexico man who received a $150,000 payment to settle a federal lawsuit against Westmoreland County claims public officials violated terms of a confidentiality agreement and wants an additional payment from taxpayers. Westmoreland commissioners, at a public meeting in February, approved the settlement with James Mapp, 34, to end...
Primary voter turnout expectations low across Pittsburgh region
Voters at Harold Zion Lutheran Church in Hempfield will receive one of four different ballots on Tuesday as Westmoreland election officials navigate the first Election Day that features a splitting of Hempfield’s Middletown precinct into two Congressional districts. Hempfield Middletown, with its 668 registered voters, was split in half as...
East Huntingdon industrial park is an official sellout
The sixth industrial park in Westmoreland County will be filled to capacity with the impending sale of a 6-acre lot in East Huntingdon to a plastics manufacturer, officials announced Thursday. The Westmoreland commissioners, acting as the county’s Industrial Development Corp., approved a $319,000 deal with Roechling Industrial Mt. Pleasant LP...
Westmoreland to study county’s broadband needs
Westmoreland commissioners are expected to pay a consulting firm more than $659,000 this year to study how to improve high-speed internet access. Michael Baker International will conduct the study to assess the needs and create a blueprint of how to implement a plan to upgrade the infrastructure needed to improve...
Internet access funds could boost connections for low-income families
Mandy Zalich knows just how important internet service has become in Westmoreland County. For many low-income residents, the rising costs of the service has left them more than just disconnected. This week’s announcement from the Biden administration of a plan to provide $30 monthly subsidies for high-speed internet access is...
Westmoreland gets grant to buy mobile 911 dispatch units
Five mobile consoles will be purchased this year to serve as a temporary backup system for Westmoreland County 911 emergency dispatch operations, officials said. A $529,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will pay for the mobile units that will be like the hardware used by dispatchers at the...
Man’s goatee leads to arrest during Greensburg traffic stop
A Greensburg police officer said he immediately knew the man sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle pulled over during a February traffic stop wasn’t who he claimed to be. Police said the man initially insisted he was an 11-year-old named Billy Irwin and gave multiple dates of birth....
Bail rejected for Greensburg man charged in shooting outside Rialto Cafe
Bail was denied Wednesday for a Greensburg man accused of the attempted homicide of a bystander struck with an errant bullet fired during a gunfight earlier this year outside of a city bar. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani rejected a defense motion that sought to allow 23-year-old...
Westmoreland sheriff, commissioners battle over Trump rally staffing
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert confirmed Tuesday he assigned eight deputies to work at last week’s political rally featuring former President Trump despite objections from county leaders. Albert said that in the hours leading up to Friday’s rally at the county fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township, he determined liability concerns...
