Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 21
Housing authority plans for new senior apartments in Rostraver
Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials confirmed Wednesday that a property agreement has been reached for the planned construction of a 50-unit apartment complex in Rostraver. Authority board members are expected to consider the proposed $600,000 purchase this month of six acres near Willowbrook Plaza on Route 51. It would be...
Delmont man pleads guilty to sex assault of second teen
A Delmont man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the sexual assault of a teenage girl, months after he was sentenced to house arrest and probation for a similar offense against another juvenile in 2022. Dezhane Markel Emm Amey, 24, will be eligible for parole in early October after he was ordered...
Hamilton out as Westmoreland County Register of Wills, first deputy takes over as office head
The tumultuous tenure of Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton ended Tuesday. Hamilton, 47, of Hempfield, officially walked away from the elected position she has held since January 2016, leaving a vacancy in the courthouse office that issues marriage licenses and oversees wills, estates and adoptions . Her...
Commissioners say low turnout casts doubt on future of road meetings
Westmoreland commissioners’ road tour, which took public meetings from Allegheny Township to Youngwood and finally to Rostraver this year, ended with sparse crowds, raising doubt about the future of the program that was restarted after a two-decade hiatus. Commissioners met Thursday night in the activity center at Cedar Creek Park...
Proposed cap on raises for elected officials stalls in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland’s Democratic minority commissioner claims his proposal to cap pay raises for elected county officials is being blocked by his Republican colleagues. Commissioner Ted Kopas has lobbied for imposition of a 2.5% cap on all annual raises awarded to the county’s elected officials, saying the current system that controls future...
Payroll irregularities lead to suspension of Westmoreland purchasing director, deputy
Westmoreland County’s director of purchasing and his deputy are suspended without pay over allegations they and four staffers were paid for extended workdays without prior approval. Purchasing Director Kristopher Cardiff and his deputy, Kristen Coyne, have been off the job since Aug. 15 after county commissioners authorized suspensions for both...
Lyft driver pleads guilty to North Huntingdon 3-vehicle crash
An Allegheny County woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to being drunk when she caused a three-vehicle crash in North Huntingdon that injured six people. Police said Slobodanka Bulatovic, 48, of North Versailles, was a driver for ride-sharing company Lyft and was en route to North Huntingdon for a fare when she...
Westmoreland commissioners urged to switch to paper ballots for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners were urged Tuesday to abandon touch-screen computerized voting at the polls in November in favor of paper ballots. A group of about a half-dozen residents spoke during the commissioners public agenda meeting at the courthouse and claimed the system used by the county since 2020 was...
Attorney for North Huntingdon sex offender claims his client was assaulted at Westmoreland County Prison
A North Huntingdon man who admitted to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl claimed that he was assaulted at the Westmoreland County Prison while awaiting resolution of his court case, his attorney said Monday. Defense attorney Pat Thomassey pleaded for leniency saying James Gockel, 41, has lived a troubled life that...
Guards at fault for jail cell escape; inmate tampering claims dropped
Westmoreland County officials on Monday said guards failed to ensure a cell door was locked, an oversight that led to an inmate’s escape attempt earlier this month. Three guards were fired by the prison board, although no explanation was given as to the reasons for the terminations. Commissioner Doug Chew,...
Monessen teen appeals prison sentence for classmate’s fatal shooting
A Monessen teen convicted in the killing of a 16-year-old classmate in 2022 claims in an appeal filed Monday that a Westmoreland County judge abused his discretion when he imposed a maximum 25-year prison sentence. Terry Newton, 18, was ordered in July to serve at least eight years in prison...
A ‘flood of ads’: Pa. residents face barrage of political messaging
Political ads are back as an unavoidable part of everyday life in Pennsylvania. On television, they air in 30-second spots during sporting events, late night talk shows, newscasts, daytime soaps and nighttime dramas. While streaming shows or surfing the web, viewers see candidates from both major political parties and special...
Prosecutors won’t drop felony charge in case involving old dog’s oozing 10-inch tumor
A Westmoreland County judge Friday questioned a continued push by prosecutors to seek a jail sentence for a North Belle Vernon man charged with failing to get lifesaving medical care for his aging dog. The case against Dan Karbowsky, 55, has languished for more than two years and appears headed...
Man charged in North Belle Vernon shooting botched by thrown soda can takes plea deal
An attempted homicide charge was dismissed against a Rostraver man accused of firing a shot in the parking lot of a North Belle Vernon gas station. Amire Rodrick Ganoung, 20, pleaded guilty Friday to felony counts of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm without a license and a misdemeanor charge...
Lawsuit claims Westmoreland failed to pay for cost overruns of courthouse parking garage
The construction company hired to rebuild an underground garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse claims it still is owed nearly $1 million. Carl Walker Construction of Robinson filed a lawsuit this week seeking payment for its work on the project plagued by cost overruns and delays. The company was hired...
Greensburg father pleads guilty for violent incident with autistic son
A Greensburg father pleaded guilty to charges filed in connection with an incident last summer in which, authorities said, he had a physical altercation with his autistic son for the second time since 2017. Finley Michael Steward, 66, was ordered to serve seven years on probation, which includes an 18-month...
Municipal authority to install new billing system to accept more payment options
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water and sewer customers will see enhanced payment options when a new billing system is implemented in early 2026. Authority board members on Wednesday approved a $350,000 contract with Blair County-based Muni-Link to modernize the system used to bill and communicate with customers, replacing outdated...
Greensburg teen’s lawyer argues armed robbery prosecution endangers community
The attorney for a Greensburg teenager charged in connection with what police said was a violent armed robbery warned Tuesday that continued prosecution in adult court will only teach the juvenile to be a better criminal. Defense attorney Tim Andrews argued that robbery and other related offenses filed against Cayden...
Security review underway after Westmoreland inmate jammed lock with paper to escape cell
Westmoreland officials said a review of security protocols at the county jail is underway after an inmate used a piece of paper to escape from his cell and then assaulted a guard making early-morning rounds last week. Warden Steve Pelesky said the inmate — identified in court documents as John...
Derry Township man pleads guilty to sex assaults of 6 teens
A Derry Township man was ordered to serve up to 40 years in prison for the sexual assaults of six teenage girls last year. Christopher R. Fraser, 20, pleaded guilty to 19 charges in six cases in which he was charged with having sex with girls between the ages of...
Judge to rule if lack of remains prevents continuation of murder case against Thomas Stanko
A Westmoreland County judge will decide early next year whether there is sufficient evidence for the murder case to proceed against a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend. Defense attorney Marc Daffner argued during a court appearance Monday for Thomas Stanko, 53, that, because the body of his...
West Newton man to serve decade-long prison term for 3-year crime spree
A West Newton man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison for a series of crimes over a three-year period that included an assault, threats made against police and the theft of an American flag from a Madison funeral home. Shayne R. Moore, 33, pleaded guilty to...
Prosecutor calls for jury to decide how Greensburg mother’s mental state impacts attempted murder case
A Westmoreland County prosecutor said Thursday a jury should decide how a Greensburg woman’s mental health issues impacted what police contend was an attempt to kill her 8-year-old daughter with illegal drugs. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said during a pretrial hearing that a pending psychological evaluation of 31-year-old Skye...
Westmoreland DA unveils courthouse retreat for crime victims
It was a pre-teen victim of a sexual assault who two years ago made it clear to Westmoreland prosecutors that the sterile courthouse environment was not a comfortable place to spend time. Victims and their families had few options during court downtime. They could sit outside the courtroom as a...
Guilty plea averts trial for woman accused of running over man with car in Hempfield
A woman pleaded guilty to lesser charges Wednesday in a case brought after she was accused of running over her boyfriend with a car at a Hempfield home last year. Cassidy Christi Colbert, 30, of East McKeesport, was originally charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and other...
