Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 8
Westmoreland County OKs settlement of racial discrimination lawsuit
The Westmoreland County commissioners have approved a $12,000 payout to settle a lawsuit filed by a former jail guard who claimed she was improperly fired after she raised allegations of racial discrimination. According to the lawsuit filed in 2019, Bonita Hughey of Jeannette contended she was fired from her job...
Westmoreland plots program to shelter more homeless during cold winter
As the mercury continues to rise this summer, Westmoreland officials have started to explore how the county might keep its homeless residents warm this winter. The county’s Homeless Advisory Board met Wednesday at the courthouse in Greensburg to consider the expansion of a program that, since 2015, has helped to...
Westmoreland County launches review team with goal to reduce suicides
Heather McLean knows even one loss from suicide is too many. Because of that, she and a group of Westmoreland County leaders have started to explore the root causes and common themes that could improve treatment and prevention to reduce the number of suicides in the county, which reached a...
Mt. Pleasant man convicted of sexual assault of child
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday convicted a Mt. Pleasant man of the repeated sexual abuse of a teen about a decade ago. Following a brief trial that started Monday and included testimony from the alleged victim and their mother, the jury deliberated more than four hours before reaching its...
McGrew out as Westmoreland’s chief public defender
Westmoreland County’s longtime chief public defender, Wayne McGrew, resigned late last week. “His last day officially was last Friday,” said Commissioner Ted Kopas. “I believe his resignation is in the best interest of the office.” It was not clear what prompted the resignation. McGrew did not return a phone call...
Former Monessen man resentenced to life in prison for children’s murder in 1973
Susan Worlton only knew her sisters from her mother’s stories and the few pictures that remain. In a courtroom Friday, Worlton told a Westmoreland County judge how the violent murders of her sisters five decades earlier have impacted her family. She and her mother were among the witnesses at the...
Plans progress for Westmoreland human services hub
Westmoreland County’s plan for centralized hub to house its human services programs received a $500,000 boost from a Pittsburgh foundation. Commissioners this week accepted a grant from the Eden Hall Foundation that officials said could help pay for relocation of hundreds of employees and social service programs to one location....
Westmoreland commissioners say opioid settlement funds needed but won’t cover prior costs
Westmoreland commissioners said the roughly $2.6 million doled out Thursday from legal settlements with major drug makers and distributors will not even come close to covering the damages the county sustained from the opioid addiction crisis. The money was awarded to agencies and nonprofits aimed at drug treatment, recovery and...
OnlyFans performer pleads guilty to extorting $24K from North Huntington man in online scheme
A North Carolina woman was paroled from the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to operating an online theft and extortion plot last year against a North Huntingdon man. Prosecutors said the scheme had the victim paying nearly $24,000 over several months to a woman who investigators...
Westmoreland County launches grant program to increase access to online services
The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local...
Victim’s father offers no forgiveness for brother charged in nephew’s fatal overdose
Daniel Rebosky told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he will not forgive his brother for the role he played in his son’s 2021 overdose death. “God teaches us to forgive, but I cannot forgive Michael Rebosky because he let this happen,” Daniel Rebosky said during a sentencing hearing for his...
Torture claim allowed against Delmont parents charged in adopted son’s murder
Testimony that a 5-year-old Delmont boy was tortured by his adoptive parents will be admissible at an upcoming trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled on Monday. Following a daylong hearing, Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said he will allow prosecutors to present the evidence of torture against parents Lauren and...
Pa. AG Sunday to defer to state’s Democratic governor in Trump legal fights
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday says he’s not looking for a fight with the Trump administration. The attorney general, during a wide-ranging interview with TribLive on Friday afternoon during a stop at the White Rabbit Cafe in Greensburg, said dealing with the political tension that has ripped through the nation...
Yough River crossing included in MAWC system upgrades
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County intends to cross the Youghiogheny River. The agency’s board on Wednesday signed off on $12.7 million upgrades to its system that provides water to more than 123,000 customers in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties. Among the upgrades is installation of a 48-inch...
New Alexandria man sentenced for 2023 confrontation with police
A New Alexandria man convicted of resisting arrest during a 2023 confrontation with state police in Unity was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation but will serve no additional jail time. Denton G. Krapf, 49, was found guilty in February of one misdemeanor count by a Westmoreland County jury....
Observation of federal Juneteenth holiday varies throughout region
Many areas of Western Pennsylvania are inconsistent in their approach to observing Juneteenth. Federal and state offices are closed and employees will have a paid day off Thursday for the official holiday that was designated in 2021. Meanwhile, workers at courthouses in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be on the...
Housing authority director says federal budget cuts to have drastic impact on residents
Two key programs that assist low-income Westmoreland County Housing Authority residents are on the chopping block as part of the Trump administration’s federal budget proposal awaiting congressional approval. Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said the bill passed last month by the U.S. House, and awaiting a Senate vote, slashes...
Hunker man pleads guilty in forged check theft scheme, ordered to repay victims
A three-year theft ring operated by a Hunker man swindled dozens of businesses and led to the prosecution of two innocent people whose stolen checks were used in the scheme. Police said William D. Barnhart used forged stolen checks to purchase high-priced merchandise throughout the region. Barnhart, 56, pleaded guilty...
Bubble bursts for Greensburg record attempt
Greensburg blew it. The city’s attempt to set a new world record for group bubble-gum blowing fell short Saturday. But organizers pledged to try again. “We did get a Westmoreland County record but did not make the world record,” said Amy Beeghly, president of the Greensburg Business & Professional Association,...
Father’s Day fishing derby brings out dads and kids
The lure of the lake made Father’s Day special for Sean Joyce and his two boys. Joyce, along with 14-year-old Declan and Finn, celebrating his 12th birthday, were among the hundreds at Twin Lakes Park, straddling the border between Unity and Latrobe for Westmoreland County’s annual Father’s Day Fishing Derby....
Man killed in Safari Club shooting in Duquesne
One man was killed following a shooting late Friday night inside a Duquesne bar. The shooting was reported just before midnight at the Safari Club on the 700 block of Grant Avenue, Allegheny County police said. Witnesses told investigators there was a physical altercation inside the bar that led to...
New York men plead guilty in sweepstakes scam that prompted sting in Unity
Two men from New York soon will be paroled after serving two months in jail for swindling an elderly Unity woman while posing as delivery men who offered a $5 million lottery award. Floyd B. Forrest, 26, and Reheem J. Anderson, 22, each pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony theft...
McKeesport man pleads guilty to gun theft from North Huntingdon home
An Allegheny County man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the theft of guns from a North Huntingdon home in 2021. John Steven Hudak, 49, of McKeesport was charged nearly three years ago with the theft and illegal possession and sales of 13 guns from a home safe while its owner...
Palace Theatre moves to cashless payments
The Palace Theatre in Greensburg has gone cashless. Audience members looking to purchase snacks and drinks while attending shows will be required to use plastic and digital payment options, according to Daniel Stainer, spokesman for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust. The trust, which owns and operates the Palace Theatre, instituted the...
‘Snowbirds’ jet team highlights 100th anniversary of Westmoreland air show
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials expect as many as 50,000 spectators will gather at the runway next weekend to gaze into the sky as nine acts perform air stunts and flyovers. It will be the 100th anniversary of the first air show held at what is now called Arnold Palmer...
