Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 54
Westmoreland transit halts drug testing of administrative staff
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority board has eliminated a requirement for members of the agency’s administrative team to be subjected to random drug testing. The board signed off on a request after officials said the requirement was unnecessary. Its elimination also could save money, officials said. “No one has ever...
Pay hike approved for Westmoreland DA spokesperson, finance department
A monthslong search for a public information officer for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is nearly over after commissioners agreed to a 50% salary increase before the job is even filled. The county’s salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeff Balzer, approved raising the salary for...
Westmoreland commissioners launch program to link students to local jobs
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved the creation of what they termed a “groundbreaking” program to invest in the future of local students. Commissioners allocated $949,000 toward a newly formed Westmoreland Workforce Development Plan that will be available at all 17 county school districts to promote occupational guidance and...
New Kensington man claims self-defense for 2020 shooting in Arnold
A New Kensington man accused in the shooting death of a man inside an Arnold home more than two years ago told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that he fired the fatal shots in self-defense. Mario Matthew Gatti, 33, was the lone defense witness to testify during his two-day trial....
Westmoreland waives residency requirement for county jobs
The Westmoreland commissioners said a residency requirement for all county employees will be lifted in an effort to find candidates for more than 200 vacant government jobs. Officials said the county has struggled to replenish its workforce and suggested that the residency requirement, which has been in place for years,...
Salem man on trial for attempted rape of teen
The lawyer for a Salem man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday that alcohol consumed by his client’s accuser renders her an unreliable witness. Zachary Saflin, 23, is charged with attempted rape, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, false imprisonment, indecent assault...
Prosecutors: Arnold fatal shooting took less than 30 seconds
Westmoreland County prosecutors said it took a New Kensington man less than 30 seconds to park his car in an Arnold alley, walk into a townhouse wielding a gun, push over a woman, shoot and kill an unarmed man and return to his car. Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker told...
Construction issues slow rebuild of Westmoreland courthouse garage
A series of setbacks is blamed for delays in completing a $7 million project to rebuild the two-story underground parking garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg. Public Works Director Greg McCloskey said the work, which began in April, is now expected to be finished in February. “We’ve had...
McKees Rocks woman charged with shooting boyfriend through closed door
Allegheny County police said a McKees Rocks woman fired 13 shots at a boyfriend following a domestic incident Sunday morning. Tiffany Johnson, 36, was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the shooting that left a man with gunshot wounds to his foot and wrist, according to...
North Side residents fed up, as 3 people killed, 1 injured in Saturday night shooting
Robert Steadman has had enough. A longtime resident of Pittsburgh’s North Side, Steadman has seen too much violence, and hours after three people were killed and another wounded during a shooting Saturday night near Allegheny Commons, Steadman said it is time for action. “You get tired of it. It’s just...
Pittsburgh teen killed by vehicle in Ross identified
A teenager was killed Saturday in a Ross Township parking lot. The Allegheny County medical examiner has identified the victim as Christopher X. Lucas, 15, of Pittsburgh. The teen was hit by a vehicle at the North Hills Village shopping plaza along McKnight Road late Saturday afternoon, according to Tribune-Review...
Arrest made in McKees Rocks shooting that left victim in critical condition
A McKees Rocks man was arrested Saturday for an early morning shooting in the borough that left one man seriously injured. Edmond Fields, 49, was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, false identification to law enforcement and carrying a firearm without a license. As of Saturday evening, he was being...
Belt makers among longest tenured vendors at Fort Ligonier Days
For more than four decades, Maureen and Fred Light watched the crowds grow as Fort Ligonier Days blossomed from a small-town fall street festival to a weekend event that draws tens of thousands of visitors. Under sun-drenched skies with red and brown leaves drifting down from the trees, the Lights...
Boyfriend pleads guilty for intentional crash that left 4 trapped in overturned vehicle
Just before Jamar Freshley was escorted out of a Westmoreland County courtroom he turned to tell his girlfriend, “I love you.” Freshley, 33, of New Kensington, pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault and other offenses. Police said he slammed his car into the vehicle driven by his girlfriend last Oct....
Details of theft probe of Victor Steban’s home to remain under wraps
Helen Mongelluzzo knows her longtime friend Victor Steban isn’t likely to ever be released from prison. Still, she appeared Tuesday in a Westmoreland courtroom seeking information about allegations raised last year that motorcycles and other belongings were stolen from his home following his arrest on murder and other charges. Mongelluzzo,...
Judge dismisses insurance fraud charge from Bell arson case
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled there was not enough evidence to support a criminal charge of insurance fraud against a former Bell woman accused in the torching of her home two years ago. Following a pretrial hearing Tuesday, one felony count was dismissed in the ongoing case against Britny...
Allegheny Township woman tasered in police stop pleads guilty to assault
An Allegheny Township woman was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail in connection with an incident last year in New Kensington in which she punched and kicked a police officer. Cally Jade Mills, 30, pleaded guilty in four criminal cases, including an incident last Nov. 30 that...
Mail-in ballots sent to Westmoreland voters
Westmoreland County has sent out the first batch of more than 14,000 mail-in ballots to voters, the election bureau director said Friday. “Our goal was to get them in the mail (Friday), and, starting today, people should start receiving them in their mailboxes,” Greg McCloskey said. As of Friday, Westmoreland...
Greensburg shooting suspect seeks separate trial
The lawyer for a Greensburg man charged in connection with a shootout earlier this year in downtown Greensburg wants a separate trial from another man with whom police said he exchanged gunfire. In court documents filed this week, attorney Brent McCune said the defenses of his client, Evan Curley, and...
Defense: Confession in East Huntingdon man’s fatal overdose improperly obtained by police
A Fayette County man charged with providing drugs to a former high school friend who died two years ago from an overdose claims his confession was a result of improper questioning by police. Steven Shively, 33, of Everson is awaiting trial on charges of drug delivery resulting in death and...
New Florence man charged in police assault seeks release from jail
A former New Florence man acquitted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2015 claims his speedy trial rights were violated as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted police at his home last year. Ray A. Shetler Jr., 38, wants to be released on a nominal...
Westmoreland redevelopment agency to focus on blight prevention
Westmoreland redevelopment officials Monday announced a renewed focus on community blight prevention, hoping to nip future problems in the bud. “We want to be proactive in providing our communities with a plan. We don’t want to just be a demolition authority,” agency Executive Director Brian Lawrence said. The effort comes...
Westmoreland set to return portion of unspent rental assistance funds as program continues
Low-income Westmoreland County renters lost out on more than $10 million in federal funds from 2021 because the program was mired in red tape, an official said. Qualifications for the program — designed to help renters who suffered direct financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic — were onerous and difficult...
Homeless man pleads guilty to burglary of Greensburg church
A homeless man from Oregon was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for the burglary of a Greensburg church five days before Christmas in 2020. Timothy Lansdale, 57, pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges of burglary and for failing to register with the state police as a...
Leechburg man sentenced in attempted carjacking case
A Leechburg man has been ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail in connection with an attempted carjacking last spring in Allegheny Township. Jeffrey Scott Nedley, 40, pleaded guilty Friday to charges in three cases, including an April 22 incident near the Crossroads Motel on Route 356 in...
