Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 12
Judge to hear arguments in sheriff’s challenge of Westmoreland vehicle policy
A judge will hear arguments next month in a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a policy requiring GPS tracking of all Westmoreland County government vehicles. Sheriff James Albert challenged the policy, claiming it violates his right as an independent elected official to manage his office and contends the tracking could...
East Huntingdon solar farm ordinance faces court challenge from Erie-based company
An Erie-based energy company is suing East Huntingdon, claiming a new ordinance effectively bans solar farms in the township. GreenKey Development Inc. says in its lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court that East Huntingdon supervisors hastily and improperly adopted an ordinance in February to set specific and strict requirements for...
Mt. Pleasant drunk driver sentenced to jail term for 2020 crash that injured 2 pedestrians
Vincent Polito’s life was changed forever when he was struck by a drunk driver along the side of a Mt. Pleasant road nearly five years ago. Polito, 23, now requires around-the-clock care as a result physical and cognitive injuries sustained when a vehicle driven by 35-year-old Elizabeth Sirianni hit him...
Westmoreland commissioners quickly fill vacant HR director’s post
Westmoreland County commissioners on Monday named Amanda Bernard as the county’s new director of human resources, starting April 28. It’s a return engagement for Bernard. She served in the position for about two years before she left for another job in 2020 and was replaced by Alexis Bevan, who formally...
Greensburg’s Main Street reimagined with mix of housing, retail, restaurants
An ambitious attempt to revitalize some century-old buildings on Greensburg’s Main Street will likely involve some future scholars to reach its maximum potential. The Westmoreland County Housing Authority intends to convert the century-old First Commonwealth Building and adjoining PNC Bank buildings into housing, retail, office and meeting spaces in what...
Republicans axed from Norwin school board race
Three Norwin School Board candidates were removed Wednesday from the May primary ballots. A Westmoreland County judge ruled technical errors rendered nomination petitions submitted by incumbent Alex Detschelt, along with Republican hopefuls Tammy Moreno and Randall Pedder, as invalid. Detschelt, a controversial first-term member of the board who has twice...
Lawsuit claims Ligonier Valley police failures led to man’s death after 2020 crash
Surviving family members of a Latrobe-area man paralyzed in 2020 car crash in Ligonier Township claim failures of local police led to his eventual death, according to allegations raised in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County. The family claims that Ligonier Valley police detained Donald R. Hall, 49, outside a...
Westmoreland eyes surcharge to tax sale, sheriff’s sale buyers
Properties sold at tax auctions and sheriff sales will be assessed an additional $250 surcharge under a plan likely to be approved this week by Westmoreland County commissioners. The proposed ordinance is expected to generate about $75,000 to bolster funds available for demolition and rehabilitation of abandoned property. The surcharge...
Latrobe woman charged in knife attack pleads guilty to lesser charge
A Latrobe man told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he no longer wanted to see his former girlfriend prosecuted for stabbing him in the chest last year. “We had a long relationship and I did a lot of things that wasn’t reported. My last case was dismissed, so this should...
‘I had a bad year’: Arnold man pleads guilty to gas station robbery
An Arnold man faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Monday to the robbery of a New Kensington gas station. Chad William Fitzgerald, 34, was charged last year in connection with an Aug. 14, 2024, heist at the Sunoco gas station on Tarentum...
Jeannette, Monessen mayoral candidates removed from primary ballots
Three mayoral candidates in Jeannette and one in Monessen were removed Monday from May’s primary ballots. Following a series of court hearings, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. ruled Democrat Robin Mozley and Republicans Ron Kastner and Ed Day failed to submit the proper paperwork needed to run...
Judge sets bond in New Kensington attempted murder case
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday set a $500,000 straight cash bond for a former Ohio man charged in connection with an alleged shooting two years ago in New Kensington. Iven Cashua Miller Jr., 37, who was previously identified as being from Cleveland and now lists a New Kensington address,...
School board hopeful bounced from ballot; more candidate challenges on tap
A Republican candidate seeking a spot on the Penn-Trafford School Board was removed Friday from the primary ballot, and a decision on another candidate vying for a seat on the Franklin Regional School board was deferred. Additional court hearings are scheduled for Monday on challenges of three Jeannette and one...
South Greensburg nursing aide sentenced for 2022 attack on elderly resident
A South Greensburg woman was ordered to serve up to two years on probation for an assault of an elderly nursing home resident in 2022. Donna Marie Flock, 57, on Wednesday pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of striking, shoving, kicking and making threats against a resident at Newhaven...
Westmoreland County water authority board allocates funds for fire hydrant replacements
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County on Wednesday allocated $250,000 to install and replace fire hydrants throughout its five-county service area during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Officials said the program is part of the authority’s annual effort to upgrade the water system through a variety of capital improvements such as new...
Westmoreland Human Services moving to put scattered staff under 1 roof
Staff who comprise the county’s consolidated Westmoreland Human Services department could be relocated to a centralized location. County officials confirmed Tuesday preliminary talks are underway for a project that could see the county move more than 300 employees to the site of the county housing authority’s former headquarters on South...
Westmoreland housing authority says federal budget cuts unlikely to impact local services
Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials said Tuesday they expect cuts in federal funding to have no immediate impact on local services. The authority receives about $24 million annually from the federal government to operate its public housing program, pay for capital improvements and fund vouchers for subsidized housing. The continuing...
Municipalities ask courts to dissolve dormant Crabtree sewer authority
More than a decade after three municipalities created the Crabtree Municipal Authority, they’ve asked a Westmoreland County judge to formally dissolve the agency. In a court filing last week, lawyers for Hempfield, Salem and Unity townships called for the authority, which has been dormant for several years, to be disbanded....
GOP endorses incumbents for Westmoreland row officer seats
Westmoreland Republicans this weekend endorsed five incumbent row officers and a newly appointed judge in advance of the May 20 primary election. Two of those incumbents, Register of Wills Jon Wian and Coroner Tim Carson, face nomination challengers this spring. Wian was appointed in February serve in the role until...
2 plead guilty to Arnold drive-by shooting, high-speed police chase through several A-K Valley towns
Two Pittsburgh residents pleaded guilty Friday to their role in a drive-by shooting more than two years ago in Arnold. The incident ended with a high-speed chase through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley and a collision with a police vehicle. Tishan Lowe Jr., 33 and Imani Patterson, 27, were charged...
Democrats sit out primary for Westmoreland County row offices
No Democratic candidates have filed to run for Westmoreland County row offices this year, further weakening a political brand that dominated the area just two decades ago. Two Republican incumbents — newly appointed Register of Wills Jon Wian and first-term Coroner Tim Carson — face opposition in this spring’s Republican...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A Greensburg man in jail since January was paroled Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges. Bryan J. Thompson, 56, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts in connection with allegations he failed to get medical attention for his 3-year-old dog, a rottweiler named Leo. One felony count of aggravated...
California woman sentenced to jail for local cryptocurrency scam
A California woman was ordered Wednesday to serve at least five months in jail for her role for an attempted scam involving cryptocurrency investments. Yamei Shi, 35, pleaded guilty in Westmoreland County to felony counts of deceptive business practices and the criminal use of a communication device as part of...
Palmer airport terminal expansion project impacted by winter weather
Construction of a new, larger terminal at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity is about two months behind schedule, officials said Tuesday. This winter’s cold and snow delayed ongoing work to build the foundation for the $22 million, 32,000-square-foot terminal that will double the size of the flight waiting areas,...
Jeannette man receives prison sentence for child porn possession
A Jeannette man was ordered Tuesday to serve up to up to 52 months in prison for the possession and dissemination of child pornography. Anthony J. Cortazzo IV, 38, pleaded guilty in December to 11 felony counts in connection with an investigation launched last year after a former girlfriend reported...
