Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 53
Republican Cooper wins 55th House seat
Murrysville political organizer Jill Cooper will keep the redrawn 55th state House District in red. Republican Cooper, 60, a former chairwoman of the Westmoreland County GOP Committee, and Democrat Scott Gauss, a 69-year-old retired human resources director for the Boeing Corp., were vying to represent the district that includes Murrysville,...
Republican Davanzo retains 58th District seat
State Rep. Eric Davanzo has won reelection to represent the 58th District of the state House. Davanzo, 47, a Republican from Smithton, defeated Democrat Ken Bach for the seat that includes Monessen, East Huntingdon, Sewickley, South Huntingdon, North Belle Vernon, Rostraver, Scottdale, Smithton, Sutersville, West Newton and parts of Mt....
Voters in Norwin, South Greensburg support library funding
Voters in the Norwin School District and Southwest Greensburg on Tuesday rejected efforts slash funding for their local libraries. Norwin voters from North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin overwhelmingly voted down a proposal to reduce the 1.2 mill tax rate by about 85%. With all 32 precincts reporting, 64% of...
Trial begins for Youngwood man accused of rape, kidnapping
An 18-year-old woman told a Westmoreland County jury that she was raped and sexually assaulted for hours earlier this year at a Youngwood home. “It seemed like it lasted forever,” she testified Tuesday during the first day in the rape trial of Brandon Giron. Giron, 23, is charged with rape,...
Westmoreland parents sentenced for locking child in closet
Shawn and Tammy Jo Waulk told a Westmoreland County judge Monday they were embarrassed and regretted their actions two years ago when they locked their 9-year-old son in a closet and left him alone as they attended a relative’s birthday party. “I made a horrible mistake, and there is no...
Western Pa. election officials prepare for heavy voter turnout
Expect heavy turnout on Election Day, as this year’s midterm races are likely to draw voters in numbers rivaling that of presidential contests, officials said. Election bureau workers will continue to count and tally votes until the task is completed, according to counties throughout Southwest Pennsylvania. That includes opening and...
Financing wrapped up for new Irwin senior apartments
Construction for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s proposed 50-unit senior living community in Irwin is expected to begin Dec. 10. Housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said financing for the $14 million project will be complete next month, setting the stage for a 16-month construction period that is slated to...
Judge denies bias, upholds sentence in 2010 Greensburg torture killing
The 60-years-to-life prison sentence imposed on one of six Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture and slaying of a mentally disabled woman will stand, a judge ruled Friday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway said the lengthy prison term imposed against 29-year-old Angela Marinucci was not a result...
Drug charges related to North Huntingdon woman’s death dismissed
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed drug delivery resulting in death charges against two men accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a North Huntingdon woman nearly three years ago. Police said Iona J. Runkle, 46, was found dead Jan. 12, 2020, in her mobile home at the Dusty...
Westmoreland voters not allowed to fix undated mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County election officials said voters who submit undated mail-in ballots will not be permitted to correct that error or other deficiencies before Election Day. That could result in their votes not being counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday barred county election offices from counting undated mail-in ballots and...
Salem restaurant, government spar over jury verdict
The lawyer for the owner of a Salem restaurant found liable for labor law violations challenged the government’s effort to collect $429,000 in back pay and other damages Tuesday. After a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, jurors found that from April 2014 to July 2017, owners of...
Plea talks end for Export man charged in Vandergrift woman’s killing
An Export man will stand trial next year in connection with the murder of a Vandergrift woman whose charred remains were found in a wooded area near Keystone State Park in 2017. Defense attorney Brian Aston said during a court hearing Tuesday that efforts over the last year to resolve...
WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA
WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...
Westmoreland judge: Shetler must remain in jail pending trial
A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...
Arnold woman charged in fatal overdose to await trial on house arrest after new drug arrest
An Arnold woman awaiting trial for allegedly providing drugs to a Lower Burrell woman who died of an overdose two years ago will remain free on bond after her recent arrest on unrelated drug offenses, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. Sentrillia A. McDonald, 42, was ordered to serve house...
Davanzo, Bach square off for state House seat in 58th District
The candidates running to represent voters in the state House 58th District offer clear differences that fall in line with the partisan divide in Harrisburg. Incumbent Republican Eric Davanzo, an anti-abortion candidate who favors elimination of mail-in voting and opposes strict gun control, is seeking his second full two-year term...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to incident with teen babysitters
A Hempfield man was ordered Friday to serve two years on probation in connection with an incident in 2018 that prompted two teenage babysitters to flee his home. Gregory Bittner, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of corruption of a minor and simple assault after two 15-year-old girls claimed he...
Westmoreland broadband study set to end as early findings identify service gaps
More than 43% of county residents who participated in a study of Westmoreland County’s broadband have little to no internet service, according to preliminary results announced Thursday. Since July, the county has conducted a survey of homes and businesses to gauge broadband connectivity and early findings indicated that as much...
Officials look to market shuttered Westmoreland test track
Westmoreland County officials will continue to pursue development of a $20 million test track facility despite the shuttering of Argo AI, a marquee tenant at the East Huntingdon site. “There’s a strong demand for test track space, and I’m pretty confident we will be able to back-fill this facility with...
Complaint alleges Southwest Greensburg improperly pushed for elimination of library tax
A complaint was lodged this week with the Westmoreland County Board of Elections asking it to investigate a claim that Southwest Greensburg improperly lobbied borough voters to support a referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. If the referendum is approved, it would eliminate a 1-mill annual library tax. The complaint...
Early voting soars in Westmoreland County
Exceeding expectations, nearly 22,000 Westmoreland County voters already have cast ballots with less than two weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election. County officials said the number of mail-in applications requested and returned by voters has continued to surpass estimates. As of Wednesday, more than 36,000 mail-in and...
Trump set for campaign rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Westmoreland County just days ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. According Trump’s Save America website, the former president will hold a campaign rally Nov. 5 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. Details of the rally have yet to be...
Police get DNA from Belle Vernon man accused in New Year’s road rage killing
DNA from three people was found on the gun used to kill a motorist in a New Year’s Day road rage incident in Rostraver, a Westmoreland County detective testified Tuesday. Since August, investigators have attempted to secure a DNA sample from Anthony Hairston, who was charged with first-degree murder and...
Derry Township man convicted of attempted murder
A Derry Township man told a judge on Tuesday he just wanted to scare a man who he believed had started a fire near his camper when he fired a series of “warning shots” across a rural field. But at least one round struck Jonathan David Corey in the buttocks...
Experts: Fetterman’s health unlikely to impact the Pa. Senate race
Tuesday night’s debate between Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz will be the first and only meeting of the two candidates before the Nov. 8 election. Its outcome could go a long way in deciding who wins a seat that political pundits say could determine...
