Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 73
Greensburg woman’s appeal rejected in drug delivery resulting in death case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Greensburg woman who was sentenced to serve a 14-year prison term for the sale of heroin that caused the fatal overdose of a woman last year. Jamie Lynn Dickant, 35, sought to rescind her guilty plea and contended she...
Westmoreland jail moves to in-house covid-19 shots
Covid-19 vaccinations will soon be administered in-house to inmates at Westmoreland County Prison. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday that the jail’s medical provider has been granted permission to administer shots, a move local officials hope will increase the vaccination rate at the Hempfield lockup. “Vaccinations will be offered to all...
Tablets for all at Westmoreland County Prison
Every inmate at Westmoreland County Prison will have access to new tablets on which they can conduct video visits, make calls or watch movies. Westmoreland Commissioners on Monday approved a new contract extension with the private company that provides communication services to the jail that officials said will generate more...
Former Jeannette man returns to court to appeal conviction for house fire that killed wife, sons
A former Jeannette man serving three consecutive life sentences in connection with the 1993 deaths of his wife and two young children in a house fire appeared Monday in a Westmoreland County courtroom as part of his ongoing appeal. James C. Young, 54, has maintained since his 1995 trial that...
Peck seeks to fight off Ziccarelli challenge in Westmoreland district attorney race
For the first time in a quarter century, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck has a race on his hands. Republican Nicole Ziccarelli, fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid for state Senate last fall, insists it’s time to change leadership in the county prosecutor’s office. “I respect the...
Acting office holder, coach face off in rookie campaigns for Westmoreland Clerk of Courts
Megan Loughner was on a different career path in 2010 when she went to work for Bryan Kline, the newly elected Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts. Loughner was 24 with aspirations to work as an intelligence officer. She was awaiting a final job offer with the U.S. Department of Justice...
Westmoreland district attorney race sees challenger Ziccarelli outspend Peck 9-to-1
Nicole Ziccarelli, the Republican candidate with designs on unseating six-term Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck, holds a substantial edge in campaign fundraising and spending heading into the Nov. 2 election. The lastest campaign finance reports, filed Friday, show Ziccarelli since June has spent more than $141,000 — an amount...
Monessen man to serve 10 to 20 years in prison for rape of a child
A Monessen man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the rape of a preteen. Quentin Timothy Simpson, 24, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of rape, indecent assault and other offenses in connection with a sexual assault last year. According to court records, police said Simpson showed pornographic...
Covid-19 vaccinations lag at Westmoreland County Transit Authority
Covid-19 vaccinations among Westmoreland County Transit Authority drivers, mechanics and administrative staff continue to lag. Executive Director Alan Blahovec said just 57% of the agency’s nearly 140-person workforce has been vaccinated and little progress to increase that number is expected in the coming months. “The noes we’ve gotten are pretty...
Quality assurance manager hired for Westmoreland elections, pay is $80K
Westmoreland County will pay $80,000 a year to the man hired to serve as the quality assurance manager for the election bureau. Commissioners created the position this year to serve as a backstop for potential problems in the department that oversees elections. This week, the commissioners — acting as the...
Pandemic bonuses approved for Westmoreland Manor staff
Nurses, administrators and support staff at Westmoreland Manor will receive bonuses for their work over the last 20 months during the coronavirus pandemic. County commissioners on Thursday voted to divert about $670,000 of the $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds awarded directly to the county-owned nursing home this...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County pays fine for fish kill in Dunbar Creek
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine for its role in an incident last month that killed about 1,500 fish in Dunbar Creek, Fayette County. A water line break on Sept. 11 near Connellsville triggered the incident. The authority sells water to more than...
Poll workers needed in Westmoreland County for Nov. 2 election
Poll workers are needed for the Nov. 2 election in Westmoreland County. Officials said at least three judges of elections and 10 poll worker vacancies remain less than two weeks before the general election. Judges are needed to oversee polling locations in Arnold, Derry and New Kensington, while poll workers...
Former Greensburg chiropractor sentenced to probation for open lewdness
A former Greensburg chiropractor was ordered Tuesday to serve three years on probation and barred from seeking restoration of his professional license after he pleaded no contest to charges in connection with claims that he had improper contact with four females. Westmoreland County prosecutors amended the criminal charges against Moses...
Westmoreland election bureau to remain open evenings and weekends through Nov. 2
Westmoreland County’s Election Bureau will remain open until 8 p.m. through the Nov. 2 election, officials said. The hours will allow additional time for the office to process mail-in ballot applications and perform other administrative duties, according to election bureau Office Manager Jessica Goughnour. The elections office willbe open daily...
Jeannette woman to remain in custody as mental health is evaluated
A Jeannette woman will remain jailed while she awaits trial for possession of a weapon of mass destruction after utility workers were injured as they attempted to restore water service to her home last year. Deborah Samulski, 62, was paroled Monday after serving three months behind bars following her conviction...
Georgia woman gets house arrest, probation for delivering heroin to Westmoreland County
A Westmoreland County judge said a Georgia woman prosecutors described as a drug mule who transported large quantities of heroin into the area was a good person who “made a bad choice.” On Monday, he rejected a potential prison sentence in lieu of house arrest. Sade Franklin, 35, formerly of...
Derry Township man pleads guilty to sexual assaults of women in Ligonier, Penn Township
Two women told a Westmoreland County judge that three years after they were sexually assaulted by a man they once considered a friend, they still struggle to deal with the emotional and physical implications of the attacks and his continued freedom. “I’ve felt like a prisoner since that day,” a...
Race for Westmoreland prothonotary pits former row officer against fiscal clerk
Westmoreland County will have a new prothonotary in 2022. But the officeholder elected this fall to replace retiring Democrat Christina O’Brien will not be an unfamiliar face. Democrat Tom Murphy, 57, of New Kensington served 16 years as the county’s Recorder of Deeds until he was ousted for the second...
Investigation ongoing into deaths of elderly Mt. Pleasant Township couple
Investigators said there were no signs of foul play in connection with an elderly Mt. Pleasant Township couple found dead in their home this week. According to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office, the bodies of Donald Werry, 78, and wife, Patricia Werry, 72, were discovered Wednesday in their home on...
New Kensington man gets 4-to-11-year prison sentence for four 2019 crimes
A New Kensington man was ordered Thursday to serve from four to 11 years in prison for a series of crimes committed in 2019, including the strangulation of a former girlfriend. Kalell Dired McCord, 29, pleaded guilty in August to multiple counts in four cases filed over the last two...
Irwin senior housing project approved for funding; construction set to begin in 2022
Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials expect construction of a new 50-unit apartment building for low-income seniors to begin next year in Irwin and the doors of the proposed four-story facility to open in early 2024. “There is a tremendous need for this. We have long waiting lists in all of...
Lawsuit regarding Mt. Pleasant student alleges bus company negligence
The parents of a former Mt. Pleasant Area School district kindergarten student claim their daughter was injured and received improper medical care during a bus ride home from classes more than a decade ago. According to a two-count lawsuit filed this month in Westmoreland County court against First Student Inc.,...
Westmoreland County approves drop boxes for mail-in ballots
A drop box for mail-in ballots will be available at the Westmoreland County Courthouse starting Oct. 18 and at five regional locations during the two weekends before the Nov. 2 general election. Westmoreland elections officials said more than 19,000 ballots were mailed to voters on Wednesday, according to election bureau...
Westmoreland coroner challenged by former Scottdale mayor
Ken Bacha wants to break his father’s record. Leo Bacha served as Westmoreland County coroner for 23 years and four months before he retired in 2002, the longest tenure anyone has had in the office. A victory for Democrat Ken Bacha in November would mean the opportunity to take over...
