Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 103
Judge denies Crystal Belle’s murder appeal for Jeannette killing
The third-degree murder conviction of a Jeannette woman serving up to 30 years in prison for the beating death of her live-in boyfriend nearly four years ago will stand. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani this week denied the appeal of Crystal Belle, who contended evidence presented against...
Broadband internet survey deadline extended for Westmoreland, other regional counties
Westmoreland County planners have extended the deadline for residents to participate in a study of local broadband internet needs until the end of April. The online survey is part of an eight-county assessment of infrastructure needs for the service that has become increasingly relevant as more residents have been routed...
Westmoreland Transit bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus driver has tested positive for the coronavirus. Transit officials learned about the positive test result on Wednesday. They said the driver last worked Saturday and determined the worker had little in-person interaction with other authority employees or riders that day. The bus operated by...
Pennsylvania bill would ensure full pay for first responders stricken with coronavirus
State Rep. Eric Nelson this week proposed an amendment to state law that will ensure police and firefighters continue to be paid should they have to miss work because of the coronavirus. Nelson, R-Hempfield, said the proposed legislation will expand the state’s Heart and Lung Act that requires certain emergency...
Unity lawyer is new Westmoreland Bar Association president
Unity lawyer Scott Avolio is the new president of the Westmoreland Bar Association. More than 70 lawyers convened via a virtual gathering earlier this week as part of the association’s annual meeting to select its new leadership. The bar association includes about 500 practicing lawyers in the county, many of...
Westmoreland coroner says county has 11 coronavirus deaths
Westmoreland County has 11 deaths related to coronavirus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported one death in the county through Thursday, with that number rising to five in its Friday update. But Bacha said Friday morning that 10 additional fatalities are attributed to covid-19, all of...
Westmoreland County government offices closed on Good Friday
The Westmoreland County Courthouse, district courts and other government offices will be closed in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Friday’s closing was previously scheduled and not part of the county’s coronavirus response plan. Government offices are expected to reopen 8:30 a.m. Monday....
No hotheads allowed: All who enter Westmoreland County Courthouse have temperature taken
Steve and Sarah Zolock knew they were healthy but a quick check as they entered the Westmoreland County Courthouse confirmed their unofficial diagnosis. The Zolocks, who traveled from their Rostraver home on Thursday to renew permits to carry concealed guns, were required to complete a cursory screening before they were...
Cleanup underway at Rostraver’s Cedar Creek Park after storm topples 65 trees
Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver is expected to remain closed until at least Saturday as work crews clean up more than 65 trees felled during Wednesday morning’s storm. “Many of them were 60-to-80-foot pine trees and it will take a couple of days to clear,” said Greg McCloskey, director of...
Family friends from Murrysville, Greensburg now share a liver despite pandemic
Julia Bolkovac has known Jimmy Singer her whole life. When the Murrysville native learned Singer of Greensburg was in desperate need of a liver transplant, Bolkovac couldn’t act fast enough to serve as his donor. But, when Bolkovac’s job as a cardiac nurse at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh put her...
Westmoreland County worries about dwindling cache of protective gear
Shortages of personal protective equipment such as gowns and masks have become dire in Westmoreland County. The county’s supply is dwindling as the number of coronavirus cases rises, infecting staff and residents at two or more local nursing homes, where supplies are desperately being sought, Public Safety Director Roland Mertz...
Winners of Pa. House special elections sworn into office
State Rep. Eric Davanzo and two other victors from last month’s special election were sworn in to office Monday in Harrisburg. Davanzo, R-South Huntingdon, will complete the remaining nine months in the seat previously held by state Rep. Justin Walsh, who resigned in January after he was elected to be...
‘Pandemic’ overtime pay cost Westmoreland County nearly $700K in 1st 2 weeks
Westmoreland County paid $678,000 in overtime wages to more than 1,200 employees for nearly two weeks of work in late March during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners instituted “pandemic” pay for staff required to report in person for work at the courthouse and in other county offices...
Westmoreland court reductions extended through April 30
Most Westmoreland County courts will remain shuttered through April 30. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway on Monday extended the current reductions of court functions as part of the state’s coronavirus response plan. The order cancels all trials in April, as well as other basic court functions such as...
Westmoreland County company turns out vital parts for coronavirus test kits
The frontline fighters against the coronavirus in Westmoreland County most certainly include medical professionals, first responders and other health care workers treating patients. But workers at Latrobe-based Carclo Technical Plastics are quietly supporting their efforts through the manufacturing of tiny plastic collection tubes used around the globe in coronavirus testing...
Westmoreland to charge fee for paying criminal court costs via credit card
Criminal defendants who make restitution and court cost payments by credit card now have to pay for that service. Westmoreland County commissioners this week authorized a 2.95% surcharge on all credit card transactions made in the county’s Clerk of Courts office. Until now, Westmoreland County taxpayers paid the credit card...
Commercial flights at Arnold Palmer airport to cease next week
Commercial flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will stop starting Wednesday and, as a result, about a third of its 90 workers will be furloughed, officials said. Spirit Airlines, the lone commercial carrier at the Unity airport, will continue to operate its daily schedules through Tuesday but then will halt...
Hundreds of Westmoreland County employees to be furloughed Friday
Furloughs of hundreds of Westmoreland County employees will begin at the end of the workday Friday, but the final number of workers who will be off the job still is in flux, officials said. Commissioners last week announced that budget strains caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic prompted a suspension...
Westmoreland checking for covid-19 symptoms at 911 center, may expand to courthouse
Westmoreland County on Thursday started screening public safety employees for coronavirus symptoms and could soon expand the program to include courthouse staff and visitors. Commissioners approved a monthlong contract with Amerisafe Group to furnish trained employees to conduct screenings at the county’s public safety headquarters on Donohoe Road in Hempfield,...
Westmoreland DA opposes county-paid expert for Penn Township murder appeal
Westmoreland taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for an expert to testify on behalf of Greensburg woman appealing her 2006 murder conviction, according to the county’s top prosecutor. In court documents filed Wednesday, District Attorney John Peck said expert testimony is irrelevant in the pending appeal of Jennifer...
Cost savings of postponed primary in Westmoreland could be eaten up by mail-in ballots
The five-week postponement of Pennsylvania’s primary could save Westmoreland County taxpayers up to $84,000. Commissioners said they will rescind the deal to rent ballot scanners that are no longer needed for the primary but that additional costs still could be accrued to pay for an unanticipated increase in mail-in ballots...
Westmoreland jail population declines; Allegheny jail serves as model during pandemic
The number of adults and juveniles incarcerated in Westmoreland County corrections facilities continued to drop over the past week as the jail and juvenile detention center saw fewer new commitments while the public deals with the coronavirus pandemic. The jail had 519 inmates Monday, a decrease of more than 40...
Westmoreland officials say first responders are running out of personal protection equipment
Westmoreland County’s first responders could run out of personal protective equipment by next week, public safety officials said Monday. Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said the county’s stockpile of masks, gloves, medical gowns and other equipment used by first responders is quickly drying up, a situation made worse by the...
Westmoreland County under stay-at-home order as confirmed coronavirus cases grow
Westmoreland County residents have been ordered to stay at home. Gov. Tom Wolf announced an additional nine Pennsylvania counties will be under restrictions as part of the state’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The new order, which is in effect from 8 p.m. Friday through April 6,...
Westmoreland County to further reduce bus service during coronavirus crisis
Westmoreland County transit officials will further reduce commuter and local bus service starting March 30. Ridership has dropped about 80% over the last two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said Thursday. All non-life sustaining businesses in the state have been ordered closed, resulting in...
