Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 68
Westmoreland officials favor congressional map that unifies county
Westmoreland County could be consolidated into one congressional district or see some of its western and northern communities split off into another that includes parts of Pittsburgh and the city’s eastern suburbs under proposals that redraw the map determining Pennsylvania’s representation in Washington, D.C. The state will lose one seat...
Westmoreland transit authority approves new garage project in Hempfield
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority is rolling ahead with plans to build a new $10.5 million storage garage for the agency’s bus fleet in Hempfield. The 16,000-square-foot garage is to be built at the authority’s existing maintenance facility property on Route 66 to provide indoor storage for up to 20...
Norwin teacher, husband in court over participation in ‘Frozen Jr.’ performance
Lawyers for a Norwin middle school teacher and her husband on trial for charges they did not comply with child safety laws told a Westmoreland County jury on Friday no crimes were committed. Tobitha Sasso, 42, and Brad Geyer, 39, both of Greensburg are on trial for misdemeanor charges related...
Westmoreland municipal authority, CNX reach deal to reforest reservoir site
Thousands of new trees will be planted around the Beaver Run Reservoir as part of a $1.8 million plan finalized Wednesday to reforest about 140 acres where more than 50 gas wells have operated over the past decade. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members signed off on the reforestation...
Judge rejects former Greensburg man’s appeal in sex case
A former Greensburg man serving up to 10 years in prison for sex crimes against a juvenile will remain behind bars after a Westmoreland County judge rejected an appeal. David A. Baker, 35, pleaded guilty in August to two felony counts of taking sexually explicit pictures and video of a...
Water rates stand pat in new Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County budget
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers will see no rate changes for the next year under part of a new $107.6 million operating budget unanimously approved Wednesday by the agency’s board of directors. Water rates last were increased in 2017 as part of a three-year plan to raise revenues...
Westmoreland commissioners approve airport bond refinancing
Westmoreland commissioners have approved refinancing more than $5 million in bonds for the county’s airport authority, a move officials said will save taxpayers nearly $140,000 annually through 2029. Tuesday’s unanimous vote completes the required approvals needed to move forward with the financial plan that commissioners and the airport authority board...
Self-defense claim made in Lower Burrell baby shower shooting
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday lowered the bond of an Arnold man who police said shot three people during a baby shower last fall at the Lower Burrell fire hall in Kinloch. Isiah Jumaane Hampton, 25, is awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated assault and one charge of...
Attempted murder charge dismissed in Upper Burrell man’s attack on mother
An Upper Burrell man who police said pointed a gun and pulled the trigger during a domestic dispute two years ago with his wheelchair-bound mother was paroled from prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Matthew Best, 33, had been in jail since his arrest on Oct....
Prosecutors seek to nix plea deal for Derry man now suspected in Florida sexual assault
Westmoreland prosecutors want to void a plea deal made in October with a Derry Township man in two sexual assault cases after it was disclosed that he is a suspect in another attack against a woman authorities contend occurred earlier this month in Florida. “The commonwealth is no longer comfortable...
Plea deal reached in New Kensington man’s fatal overdose in 2017
A Lower Burrell man was ordered to serve up to eight years on probation for the sale of drugs that caused the 2017 fatal overdose of a childhood friend in New Kensington. Donald K. Lewandowski Jr., 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony drug count in connection with the May...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to police altercation, burglary charges
A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty this week to charges in two separate cases related to an incident with police last year and an unrelated burglary of a home a year earlier. Daniel Sebulsky Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in connection with...
Greensburg man claims co-defendant’s plea deal hid from defense
The lawyer for a Greensburg man sentenced this week to serve life in prison for the 2017 murder of a Vandergrift woman claims prosecutors hid evidence of a plea deal offered to a co-defendant and key witness in the case. Defense attorney Tim Andrews contends Westmoreland County prosecutors suppressed evidence...
Derry man awaiting sentencing for attacks against 2 women named suspect in Florida sexual assault
A warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of a Derry Township man who had been free on bail while awaiting sentencing for the sexual assaults of two women. Westmoreland County prosecutors said in court documents Khachek Hamerski is being investigated in Florida in an alleged sexual assault that occurred...
Staffing problems expected at Westmoreland Manor from federal vaccine mandate
Westmoreland Manor could have a growing staffing problem before the end of January after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the federally imposed covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers. Manor administrator Abby Testa said this week that about 77% of staffers at the county-owned nursing home have been...
Former nurse pleads guilty to indecent assault of residents at Lower Burrell care home
A former nurse at a Lower Burrell care nursing home and rehabilitation center was sentenced Wednesday to at least 6 months in jail for indecent assaults against two residents last year. Jacques C. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington pleaded guilty to six offenses in which police said he had sexual...
Prosecutors drop strangulation, assault charges against Arona man
Strangulation and assault charges against an Arona man were dismissed Wednesday by Westmoreland County prosecutors after his accuser said she would not testify against him at trial. Shawn Grbach, 43, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to serve one year on probation...
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew tests positive for coronavirus for 2nd time
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said Wednesday he again has tested positive for the coronavirus. Chew, a first-term Republican, said he has been at home this week and is experiencing symptoms from the virus. “Today is the worst day of congestion and breathing,” Chew wrote in an email. “It’s expected...
Bail rejected in New Kensington drive-by shooting case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ruled a suspect in a drive-by shooting last June in New Kensington that left one man wounded will remain in jail pending his attempted homicide trial. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request for bail from Ernest Gary IV, 18, of New...
Witness covid disclosure cuts short Westmoreland County rape trial
The nonjury trial of a Monessen man charged with raping a former California University of Pennsylvania student in 2019 was halted Tuesday after the alleged victim testified that she recently tested positive for coronavirus. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani initially allowed the 21-year-old Pitcairn woman to testify while wearing...
Westmoreland district court redistricting plan unveiled
Westmoreland officials this week unveiled a redistricting plan for the county’s district court system that shifts boundaries of two areas but retains all 16 courts. The plan comes more than a year after county court leaders enacted a plan to eliminate one court and shift boundary lines in several districts...
Bell man to remain in jail for alleged knife attack against teen
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday deferred a decision on a defense request from a Bell man accused in an alleged knife attack against a teenage boy in November. Richard Cain, 58, has been held without bail since his arrest on two charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and two...
Greensburg man to serve life in prison for murder, burning of Vandergrift woman
Beverly Richason didn’t hold back her anger in court Monday as she spoke about the horror her daughter endured when killed by friends who then burned her remains beyond recognition and left them in a heap of ashes in the woods more than four years ago. “She had her faults,...
Bail rejected for suspect in North Huntingdon kidnapping
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected a request to set bail for one of three men charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a North Huntingdon teen last month. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said Cameron Diontra Bessent, 22, of West Mifflin is a danger to society and...
Judge suspends Hempfield man’s driving privileges in sentence for DUI crash
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to seven years on probation for causing a violent head-on collision that left another motorist severely injured more than two years ago. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a key component in the sentence he imposed Thursday against Joseph...
