Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 61
Westmoreland County on pace to finish recount in GOP Senate race on Friday
Westmoreland County election officials said the state-ordered recount of ballots cast in last month’s Republican U.S. Senate primary is on pace to be completed Friday. About 15 county staffers worked 12-hour shifts Wednesday and Thursday to scan the more than 87,000 ballots cast this spring. “The worst-case scenario is we...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to killing Penn Township couple
The man who was brazen enough to gun down their brother and his girlfriend last year refused to even make eye contact with Seth and Zack Erdeljac as they sat in court for his sentencing Wednesday. “Evil does exist in this world, and it is sitting here in the courtroom...
Write-in candidate wins Democratic primary to run for 55th District state House seat
A retired corporate executive has won the Democratic primary to run for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives seat in the 55th District. Westmoreland County elections officials Tuesday issued a precertification of results from the May primary that included more than 600 write-in votes for Scott Gauss of Murrysville in...
Greensburg woman resentenced for 2010 torture killing of mentally disabled victim
The youngest member of a group of six Greensburg roommates convicted for the 2010 torture slaying of a mentally disabled woman will be eligible for parole at the age of 78 under a new sentence imposed Tuesday. Angela Marinucci, now 29, was resentenced to a term of 60 years to...
Provisional ballots challenged as Westmoreland officials gear up for recount
John Holwell had no intention of letting the ballot he cast this month be invalidated, so he came to the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Friday armed with information to defend his vote. “I was ready to do battle,” said Holwell, 66, of Madison. Holwell’s provisional ballot was one of eight...
Ohio man sentenced for sex crimes involving Irwin teen
An Ohio man will serve up to 23 months in jail for sending pornographic images to a 14-year-old Irwin girl last year. Phillip A. Puszak, 35, pleaded guilty in March to three felony counts of disseminating explicit sexual materials and unlawful contact with to a minor and one misdemeanor charge...
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...
