Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 56
Mt. Pleasant Twp. property owner blames flooding on storm drain replacement delays
Shannon Pologruto frets when it rains. She knows just a moderate storm, such as the cell that moved through the Mt. Pleasant Township area Tuesday night, will result in substantial flooding at the Diamond Street apartment building she owns with her husband. “We had two feet of water around the...
Westmoreland County intends to file another lawsuit over opioid deaths
Westmoreland County has signaled it intends to file another opioid lawsuit with new litigation that names several national pharmacies as defendants. The county, through its private outside counsel based in Eastern Pennsylvania, made a court filing earlier this month in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court, a formal step that launches...
Westmoreland Democrats say concerns abound as November election nears
Anger and discord among voters has made the campaign season leading up to the November general election a potential safety hazard for members of her party, Westmoreland County’s Democratic Committee chairwoman said Thursday. “It is not easy to be a Democrat in Westmoreland County, and it’s not always safe,” Michelle...
Convicted sex offender, Latrobe man pleads guilty to sexual assault
A Latrobe man convicted more than a decade ago in two cases in which he and family members were accused of enslaving teenage girls was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 10 years in prison for sexual assault. Jonathan Pollard, 33, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated indecent...
7th suspect arrested in New Kensington shooting
A seventh person suspected in the July slaying of a man in New Kensington was arrested Thursday. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that 16-year-old Da’Montae Brooks was taken into custody at a home in Dunbar, Fayette County, by state police and members of an unspecified fugitive task force....
Westmoreland Democrats say concerns abound as November election nears
Anger and discord among voters has made the campaign season leading up to the November general election a potential safety hazard for members of her party, Westmoreland County’s Democratic Committee chairwoman said Thursday. “It is not easy to be a Democrat in Westmoreland County, and it’s not always safe,” Michelle...
Walk for suicide awareness set for Saturday at Twin Lakes Park
Laurie Barnett Levine doesn’t know what to make of the early registration numbers ahead of this weekend’s 16th annual Ray of Hope suicide awareness walk at Twin Lakes Park. “The number of people who are attending is going up. We’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad...
‘Neighborhood Karen’ blamed for Jeannette man’s arrest
The lawyer for a Jeannette man charged last year with obstruction of a police investigation told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday the case is based on a bogus report from a “neighborhood Karen.” Defense attorney Robert Domenick argued that three criminal counts filed by Jeannette police against John Durbiano should...
Judge rules North Huntingdon robbery suspect to be prosecuted as an adult
A North Huntingdon man charged in late 2020 with the armed robbery of a man he paid $40 to drive him to Mt. Pleasant will be prosecuted as an adult, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. Elijah Ben Chaabane was less than two months shy of his 18th birthday when he...
Breast cancer awareness fundraiser planned for Sept. 10
Real Men Wear Pink, a concert and food festival, will be held Sept. 10 in Salem to raise money for the American Cancer Society. “We raised $13,000 the first year and $34,000 last year. This year we want to do better,” said organizer Chris Guido, a co-owner of All Saints...
Mother sues Penn Township Athletic Association after son is injured while pitching
The mother of a boy who was hurt while pitching batting practice last year for a Penn Township Athletic Association travel baseball team has sued the organization, claiming he was directed to participate in an unsafe drill. Judith Gross of Manor said coaches were negligent and careless when they ordered...
Upgrades eyed to aid Westmoreland airport’s future
More than $2.5 million in federal funds received this summer will be used to help navigate uncertainty caused by the announced purchase of Spirit Airlines, the director of the agency that runs Arnold Palmer Regional Airport said Wednesday. Officials remain cautiously optimistic about how competitor JetBlue’s proposed purchase of Spirit...
Monessen man sentenced to prison for gun, drug offenses
A Monessen man was ordered to serve up to eight years in prison this week after he pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession and drug charges. Police said Terrance Stepoli, 30, fled from officers who responded to a call of a fight at the former Sweeney’s Steakhouse in Rostraver on...
Unity man ordered to probation, house arrest after felony sex assault charges dismissed
A Unity man pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sex charge this week after prosecutors agreed to dismiss more serious felony counts after he was accused of having sexual contact with a pre-teen girl in 2019. Christopher Simoncini, 36, was ordered to serve three years on probation, including a 12-month period...
Westmoreland courthouse ‘legend’ Myrna McCloskey mourned
Election nights at the Westmoreland County Courthouse used to be the place to be for local politicos to gather. Long after polls closed at 8 p.m., and after working a full day at the courthouse, it was common to see Myrna McCloskey seated at a small table in the commissioners’...
Charges withdrawn against man suspected in Unity woman’s disappearance
Criminal charges in three unrelated cases were dismissed against a man authorities have labeled a “person of interest” in a Unity woman’s disappearance. Charges of attempted burglary, forgery and tampering with evidence stemming from arrests in 2018 and 2019 were withdrawn against Thomas Stanko, 52, of Unity this month. Those...
Man enters guilty plea related to 2017 Youngwood house fire
An Irwin man pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a 2017 fire at his former home in Youngwood. Shaun Wallace, 41, was ordered to serve two years on probation and six months of house arrest for his involvement in the second of two fires police said were...
‘Yankee work ethic’ key for Norwin grad involved in high-profile court cases
As the teenage editor of the Norwin High School yearbook back in the 1990s, A.J. Balbo was all about the details. Nearly three decades later, he continues that sharp focus as he works as a high-profile lawyer in Georgia. Balbo, a North Huntingdon native, has carved a legal practice that...
Re-creation of medieval times delights fans of Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
Vendors peddled wares of the times as food on sticks and other delicacies wafted past dueling matches, singalongs and a jousting tournament Sunday at the annual Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival in South Huntingdon. Scott Walton of Blairsville was among the dozens of actors and performers draped in medieval garb for the...
Man dead after crashing into Jersey barrier on North Side
A man was killed Saturday night when his vehicle collided with a Jersey barrier on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as 30-year-old Anthony Nsemo of Pittsburgh. Police said Nsemo’s vehicle struck the barrier at the intersection of Ridge and Allegheny avenues shortly after 9...
Scouts service project readies Unity playground for start of school year
When students at Mountain View Elementary School in Unity return to class Monday, they’ll find a playground area freshened by their own hands. More than two dozen members of Mountain View Cub Scouts Pack 476 spent Saturday cleaning up garbage and removing brush from the school’s outside recreation area. The...
Route 30 reopens near Idlewild after crash closed it for nearly 90 minutes
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital following a two-vehicle crash on Route 30 near Idlewild & SoakZone on Saturday afternoon in Ligonier Township. The eastbound lanes of Route 30 were closed for nearly 90 minutes and were reopened just after 3 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911. Officials...
Mt. Pleasant woman’s appeal of human trafficking conviction rejected
A Chinese national’s 2019 human trafficking conviction was upheld this week by a state appeals court. Hui Xu, 48, formerly of Mt. Pleasant, completed a sentence of nearly two years in jail in 2021. She pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking and single charges of promoting prostitution and...
Owners of Trump House in Youngstown not liable for 2016 crash, appeals court rules
The owners of a shrine to former President Donald Trump in Youngstown are not liable for a vehicle crash nearly six years ago that injured two people, a state appeals court has ruled. The Pennsylvania Superior Court this week affirmed a previous ruling by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Chris...
Penn-Trafford to explore school mergers, new construction
The Penn-Trafford School board has authorized two studies to explore the district’s future, which could include closing underused facilities and building larger schools to accommodate rising enrollment. Board members agreed to pay two companies about $18,000 each for a demographic analysis of the district and the feasibility study examining consolidation...
