Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 14
Saturday morning snow disrupts travel across Western Pa.
Roads throughout Western Pennsylvania were closed or saw traffic restrictions as a result of early morning storm that dumped an inch or two of snow throughout the region. Emergency dispatchers in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties reported numerous crashes. Route 30 near Greengate Center in Hempfield was among the roadways where...
Westmoreland’s new register of wills and judge take office
Westmoreland County’s new register of wills and judge were sworn in to office Tuesday at the courthouse in Greensburg. Jon Wian, 43, of Delmont, was installed as the head of the county row office where wills, estates, adoptions and guardianships are filed. Both Wian and Common Pleas Court Judge Matt...
Spirit to resume daily flights to Florida from Westmoreland airport
Spirit Airlines will resume daily flights next week from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Florida. That announcement is expected to help reverse financial losses that began last fall amid a reduced flight schedule as the facility’s lone commercial carrier worked through bankruptcy concerns. “This will help,” said Westmoreland...
Death penalty trial remains on hold for New Kensington man charged with toddler’s murder
The lawyer for a New Kensington man facing a potential death sentence told a Westmoreland County judge Monday a defense-hired expert must review medical evidence before the case can proceed to trial. Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 35, has been in jail without bond since his arrest in 2020 on charges...
Civilian vigilante group’s sting leads to dismissal of child porn charges against Hempfield man
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday dismissed hundreds of child pornography charges against a Hempfield man identified in a sting operation by an online Texas-based civilian vigilante group. The continued prosecution of Thomas James Hibbard, 62, had been in question since late December when Judge Tim Krieger ruled evidence collected...
Westmoreland sheriff says deputy shortage strains department, but agrees to pause planned service cutback
A plan to halt the transport of some criminal defendants to hearings at local magistrate offices was put on a temporary hold Friday after intervention from a Westmoreland County judge. Sheriff James Albert this week issued an edict that would have limited his department’s workload starting next week in response...
Westmoreland County readies for U.S. 250th birthday bash
Fresh on the heels of Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday celebration in 2024, local officials are looking to the forward to the nation’s Semiquincentennial. The celebration will actually begin this spring at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield to commemorate what history experts tout as one of the first signs of U.S....
Westmoreland voters to elect new register of wills for abbreviated term
Westmoreland County voters this year will elect a new register of wills to serve an abbreviated term that runs through the end of 2027. Jon Wian, 43, of Delmont was appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro and confirmed this week by the state Senate to run the courthouse office where wills,...
Jury convicts New Alexandria man of resisting arrest
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday sided with police officers who used force to subdue a New Alexandria man who was found wandering through a Unity neighborhood two years ago. After nearly three hours of deliberations, the jury convicted Denton Krapf of one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest in connection...
Judge cites VP Vance as example for Arnold teen shooter
A Westmoreland County judge told an Arnold teen he should look to new Vice President JD Vance for inspiration. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said Vance’s story portrayed in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and a subsequent movie adaptation showing the vice president’s difficult upbringing was something Ikquan Hassain Amid Lynn,...
Video shows state police punching New Alexandria man during 2023 arrest as resisting arrest trial beginsVideo
State police officers testified Tuesday they believed a New Alexandria man was under the influence of drugs when he refused to comply with troopers responding to a call two years ago of a man wandering through yards in a Unity neighborhood. Westmoreland prosecutors contend Denton Krapf, 48, resisted arrest on...
State Senate signs off on new Westmoreland register of wills, judge
Westmoreland County’s newest row officer and a judge could be sworn later this week after the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday confirmed both nominations from Gov. Josh Shapiro to fill the vacancies. Republican Jon Wian, 43, of Delmont takes over the Register of Wills, the office where wills, estates, adoptions and...
Teen pleads guilty in Arnold street shooting
An Arnold teenager who has been in jail for the past three years as he awaited trial for the attempted murder of five people in 2021 pleaded guilty Monday to lesser charges. Ikquan Hassain Amid Lynn, 18, told a Westmoreland County judge it was in his best interest to admit...
Experts warn Trump tariffs could depress U.S. economy
Bill Mohler can see hard times coming. Co-owner of Sendell Volkswagen, east of Greensburg, Mohler said President Trump’s expected 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada will have a dramatic impact on his business. “It will mean the price of cars and parts could go up 25%,” Mohler said...
Prosecutors reveal suspected motive for St. Clair mother’s murder
Westmoreland County prosecutors contend a long simmering period of discord between a New Florence woman and her mother provided a motive for her killing in late 2023. According to a court filing, investigators believe the Dec. 11, 2023, fatal shooting of 71-year-old Alice Robson was the culmination of years of...
Judge sets $1M bond for daughter charged with theft of Greensburg Beverage CEO’s estate
The lawyer for a Murrysville woman who, along with her mother, is accused of taking more than $4 million of a relative’s inheritance, told a Westmoreland County judge the case against his client has no factual basis. “Their theory is not supported by the evidence,” said defense attorney Paul Ellis...
Greensburg man to serve 20-to-40 year prison term for child rape
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape of a child. James Dickant Jr., 35, was convicted of nine counts in a nonjury trial in October in which prosecutors claimed he had repeated sexual contact with a young child over a period...
Rostraver road rage shooter sentenced to 80 years in prison for ‘cold-blooded killing’
A Westmoreland County judge said Wednesday the New Year’s Eve road rage killing three years ago of a Rostraver woman was “one of the most callous, senseless, arrogant cold-blooded killings with malice” that he has seen. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani sentenced Anthony Hairston, 29, of Belle Vernon, to...
Hempfield man to serve prison sentence for woman’s assault
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to eight years in prison for a brutal attack against a woman nearly three years ago. Cody J. Mattei, 34, pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of strangulation, aggravated assault, victim intimidation and a weapons offense in connection with 2022 incident...
Westmoreland commissioners seek more oversight of juvenile detention center
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center, plagued for more than two years by staffing and other issues, may be getting more oversight, if county commissioners get their way. Commissioners, who account for a half of the board that oversees the eight-bed secured facility for juvenile offenders, said they want monthly updates...
Governor nominates Wian, Schimizzi to fill Westmoreland County Courthouse vacancies
Westmoreland County’s Register of Wills Office could be getting a new leader as part of a deal reached between Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Senate to fill dozens of vacancies throughout Pennsylvania. The governor this month nominated Jon Wian, chief of staff to Republican Commissioner Sean Kertes, to serve...
Westmoreland water authority calls for reduction of use as winter freeze, thaw impacts supply
Nearly 122,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers have been urged to conserve water as work crews identify leaks and service line breaks that resulted from last week’s cold snap. Officials said the frigid winter temperatures and this weekend’s thaw stressed the water system’s infrastructure and supply. Water line breaks...
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport bleeds cash as leaders pin hopes for brighter future on terminal project
Westmoreland County directs $2.6 million annually to support Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe, but a drop in commercial flights over the past five years has left the facility “bleeding” money. Today, the once-thriving airport loses money every month it operates. As the new year gets underway, the county airport...
O’Barto announces reelection bid for Westmoreland prothonotary
Republican Gina O’Barto will seek reelection as Westmoreland County prothonotary. O’Barto, 61, of Unity, was first elected in 2021. She replaced longtime prothonotary Christina O’Brien, a Democrat who served 12 years in office but did not seek reelection four years ago. O’Barto defeated O’Brien’s handpicked successor, former Recorder of Deeds...
Guilty plea deal reached for man charged in 2019 Youngwood pharmacy robbery
The attorney for a Southwest Greensburg man told a Westmoreland County judge on Friday that his client was suicidal and in pain when he pointed a gun at staff at Hayden’s Pharmacy and demanded drugs. Gregory J. Cervo, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, theft and flight from...
