Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 58
Boil water advisory issued in Rostraver
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers in Rostraver are under a boil water advisory following a Thursday night water main break. Officials said 265 customers, many along the Interstate 70 corridor and an area near Cedar Creek Park, are under the advisory. Authority spokesman Matthew Junker called the advisory...
Valley High School music teacher pleads guilty to sexting students
A former music teacher at Valley High School in New Kensington was ordered to serve nine months on house arrest and five years on probation for sending sexually-themed text messages to two students. Sean Timothy O’Neil, 35, of North Apollo, pleaded guilty in two related cases on Thursday in which...
Judge rules appeal in Jeannette murder, arson case filed decades late
A Jeannette man serving three consecutive life sentences for setting the 1993 fire to his home that killed his wife and two children was decades late in filing his appeal, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. James Young, 55, claims his conviction on three counts of first-degree murder was based on...
Greensburg rape victim demands justice as attacker sentenced to prison
The sister of a Greensburg woman raped by a neighbor at knifepoint asked that justice be served as part of a plea bargain finalized Thursday. “Never did I think anything like this would happen. I thought I was going to die,” the woman wrote in a letter read in court...
Military service sways judge in gun case sentencing
A Mt. Pleasant man would have been given more jail time on a firearms conviction if he weren’t a wounded veteran, a judge said. Prosecutors argued for multiple consecutive sentences that totaled more than 40 years behind bars be imposed against Michael Charles Lint, 36, for convictions to charges that...
Westmoreland prison guard union president charged in domestic violence case in North Irwin
The president of the union that represents guards at Westmoreland County Prison is charged with strangulation and other related offenses after an alleged domestic violence incident last weekend in North Irwin. Scott Allen Kennedy, 40, was arraigned earlier this week by North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware and released on...
Prosecution says it will seek 1st-degree murder conviction for Jeannette slaying
Authorities will seek a first-degree murder conviction in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Jeannette, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said. Stuart Ali, 47, was charged with a general count of criminal homicide for the April 15, 2021 killing of 43-year-old Marcus Davis in Jeannette. Davis’ body was found...
What’s That: Greensburg’s Art in the Alley
A alley between the Union Trust Building and the Palace Theatre in Greensburg is more that just a shortcut from a parking lot to the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Since 2018 its been home to about 50 pieces of art affixed the building’s facades that onlookers can examine day and night....
Trib Total Media to host job fairs
Trib Total Media is hiring. The company will hold job fairs in both Greensburg and Tarentum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. On-site interviews will be conducted and some positions are eligible for up to a $5,000 signing bonus, according to Human Resources Director Brian Osborne....
Judge: Jury to decide self-defense claim in Greensburg shooting
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled there is no basis to dismiss attempted murder and other charges against a man wounded in a downtown shootout in Greensburg earlier this year. Following a hearing Monday, Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said a defense theory suggesting Evan Curley, 23, acted in self-defense...
Armstrong man pleads guilty for teen shooting in New Kensington
An Armstrong County man pleaded guilty Monday for his role in the shooting of a teenage girl two years ago in New Kensington. Police said Deonte Joseph Slomkoski, 19, was identified as the man who shot at the girl during a fight on Sept. 18, 2020 on Freeport Street. According...
Westmoreland courthouse garage project moves to building phase
Demolition of the two-story parking garage under the Westmoreland County Courthouse is complete, and construction of a new structure will begin Aug. 12. Greg McCloskey, the director of county operations, said Friday the $7 million project that started in April is on budget. It is, however, several weeks behind schedule,...
Greensburg man charged with assault of child
Greensburg police on Wednesday charged a city man with the assault of a 10-year-old boy. Charges of aggravated assault, strangulation, child endangerment and other related offenses were filed against Aaron Michael Adair, 30, in connection with an incident police said occurred July 21. Police said witnesses claimed they saw Adair...
JetBlue-Spirit deal brings hope and concern for Western Pa.
Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said he’s hopeful a $3.8 billion deal for JetBlue to purchase Spirit Airlines ultimately will be a boon for local travelers. But there are no guarantees. The deal was announced Thursday. Spirit has been the sole carrier at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport...
Rape case against Derry Township man to remain in adult court
A 21-year-old Derry Township man awaiting trial on more than 100 offenses including 30 charges of rape will be prosecuted as an adult, a judge ruled. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani rejected a defense request to transfer the case, filed last year against Tyler Alan Eisworth, to...
Monessen councilman sues former mayor for libel, slander
A lawsuit alleging libel and slander was filed Tuesday by a Monessen councilman against the city’s former mayor. Councilman Anthony Orzechowski claims published comments and statements by Mayor Matt Shorraw in the months leading up to last year’s election and continuing into 2022 were intentionally false and erroneously suggested criminal...
Trump, no; Steelers, yes: Westmoreland park police will work at Steelers training camp
Westmoreland County commissioners may have taken a pass at providing security for former President Donald Trump, but they decided to help beef up patrols for the Pittsburgh Steelers. County park police will be on hand at the team’s summer training camp, which began Tuesday at Saint Vincent College in Unity....
Greensburg man claims sentence for child rape is too long
In an appeal filed this week, the lawyer for a Greensburg man ordered to serve what is likely to amount to a life prison term for the rape of a 5-year-old child claims the sentence is too long. Charles Jason Hunter was sentenced to serve 84 to 168 years in...
Unity man receives up to 45 years in prison for sexual assaults of 2 children
Steven M. Cope Jr. told a Westmoreland County judge this week that all he wanted was a chance to be a constructive member of society. The judge ruled that will have wait for at least 22½ years. Cope, 26, of Unity was sentenced to serve up to 45 years in...
Judge rules intent to harm supports murder count in Derry Township homicide
Westmoreland County prosecutors will be allowed to seek a first-degree murder conviction against a Unity man who, police say, shot into a Derry Township home and killed a woman as she slept. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger, in a 20-page opinion issued Friday, rejected a defense request that claimed there...
Penn Township man charged in double homicide found competent to stand trial
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled a Penn Township man charged with the 2021 killings of his father and aunt is competent to stand trial. Police contend Neal M. Hubish, 42, killed his father, Arthur Hubish, 71, and aunt Maria Puskarich, 76, inside their Burrell Hill Road home Nov. 9....
Westmoreland parks upgrades targeted in amended tourism plan
A year since local tourism slowly rebounded after the coronavirus pandemic, the Westmoreland County commissioners are allocating an additional $128,000 for grants and upgrades at county parks. The commissioners failed to finalize a tourism plan last year but voted this month to reimburse the county for money paid to arts...
Westmoreland jury convicts Mt. Pleasant man of rape
A Mt. Pleasant man has been convicted of the rape and sexual assault of two girls. Westmoreland County jurors found Kenneth R. Daniels II, 42, guilty of 10 counts including felony charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault. Prosecutors dismissed one sex-related charge during the trial,...
McKeesport residents say MAWC water remains contaminated
Barbara Girgash pleaded Wednesday with Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members for help. Girgash, along with her McKeesport neighbor Pat Puko, said, a year after toxic chemicals infiltrated the city’s water system — runoff from foam used to extinguish a fire — testing indicates high levels of the dangerous...
Westmoreland DA to add information officer, fiscal coordinator/grant writer
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said three new jobs in her office will improve transparency and enhance the prosecutor’s efforts to secure additional public funding for services. The county’s salary board, which includes the three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, signed off on Ziccarelli’s plan to create the new...
