Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 96
West Newton man pleads guilty to felony aggravated assault for hurting 14-month-old child
A West Newton man pleaded guilty Wednesday to causing injuries to a 14-month-old child while the boy’s mother was at work last year. Police said Salvatore Salvio, 26, last Sept. 12 inflicted injuries that caused substantial facial bruises and 13 puncture wounds to the child’s feet. “He’s doing great now,”...
7 write-in primary ballots discovered uncounted from Unity polling place, to be counted next week
An unopened envelope containing seven provisional ballots cast at a Unity polling precinct in June was discovered among stored voting equipment more than a month after final results were certified, Westmoreland County officials revealed Wednesday. Those votes will be opened and counted next week. They could change the outcome of...
Suspended Pirates closer Vazquez denies sex with teen, says he feared being shot by police
Felipe Vazquez, the suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher accused of sex crimes involving an underage girl, on Tuesday denied he confessed to police and said he feared he could be shot if he didn’t cooperate with their investigation. The 29-year-old testified for more than two hours during a pretrial hearing before...
More video hearings could be in store for Westmoreland courts
Members of Westmoreland County’s Prison Board plan to explore an expanded program that allows for additional court hearings by video. Common Pleas President Judge Rita Hathaway and court administrators lobbied the board to buy new equipment that will double the number of hearings conducted remotely to ensure safety of defendants...
Greensburg rally pushes extension of eviction, foreclosure ban; Wolf hints at action
About a dozen members of Voice of Westmoreland rallied Monday in front of the courthouse to lobby Westmoreland County President Judge Rita Hathaway to issue an order barring evictions and foreclosures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “This is incredibly important so people don’t lose their homes,” said Celina Culver, organizer...
Greensburg Bishop Malesic bids farewell to dioceseVideo
It was five years ago that Bishop Edward C. Malesic celebrated Mass at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg to formally take the reins of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. On Sunday, Malesic, 60, again presided over Mass at the cathedral, but this time it was to bid farewell to...
Mayor Peduto declares Juneteenth official holiday in Pittsburgh
Mayor Bill Peduto said Saturday that Juneteenth will be an official holiday in Pittsburgh. Peduto said that starting June 19, 2021, the city will honor the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. Peduto made the announcement at the Black Voting Rights Forum at St. Benedict the...
Volunteers get Police Athletic League ball fields in North Huntingdon ready for fall playVideo
For months, the ball fields at the Police Athletic League complex in North Huntingdon sat idle as the coronavirus pandemic halted just about every indoor and outdoor activity. As spring turned to summer, restrictions were eased and sounds of the crack of the bat and balls popping into leather mitts...
Handcuffed prisoner escapes in Fairfield Township while en route to Westmoreland County Prison
Police closed off a section of Route 711 in Fairfield Township on Saturday afternoon to search for a handcuffed prisoner who escaped while in transit to the Westmoreland County Prison. A 911 dispatcher confirmed the prisoner took off from Seward police custody after he claimed he was ill and was...
6 hurt in crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Whitehall
Six people were injured early Saturday morning in a three-vehicle crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Whitehall. According to Allegheny County 911, two people were thrown through a windshield and two others were found on the ground when rescue crews arrived. Rescue crews were dispatched at 12:45 a.m. Those...
Pedestrian identified who was killed in 1-vehicle crash in North Fayette
A Washington County man was killed early Saturday morning as he walked along Route 22 in North Fayette Township, police said. State police reported that Daniel Grennell, 35, of Langeloth, was struck by a pickup truck at 12:48 a.m. as it drove eastbound on an overpass above Old Steubenvelle Pike....
All polling places to be open Election Day across Westmoreland County; crush of mail-in ballots expected
All 307 polling locations across Westmoreland County will be open for in-person voting in the November general election, county commissioners said. “We want to give people the option to use our new machines. They are still brand new, and we’re still paying for them,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Commissioners were...
Westmoreland transit authority looks to bump up local bus service
A portion of Westmoreland County’s local bus service, slowed because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be restored in September. Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said that an informal survey of riders determined an interest in added public transportation for routes around the county. Specifics about which routes...
Leechburg man gets probation for Russian Roulette shooting
A Leechburg man will serve two years on probation after he was sentenced Tuesday for an incident that left his live-in girlfriend wounded after being shot in the face during a drunken game of Russian Roulette. Roy Edward Berry Jr., 50, was convicted of five misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment...
Virus relief grants for Westmoreland small businesses, nonprofits pushed to September
Westmoreland County small businesses and nonprofit agencies will have to wait until September to find out if they’ve been award grants through the county to compensate them for lost revenue and expenses related to the coronavirus. Commissioners said Tuesday the process to review the 450 applications submitted in late July...
Father of convicted cop killer gets time served in witness intimidation case
The father of the Allegheny County man sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of a New Kensington police officer was paroled Monday after being sentenced for the intimidation of a witness who was to testify against his son. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ordered Gregory Baucum Jr....
Judge rejects appeal from man convicted of killing New Kensington cop
A Westmoreland County judge rejected the appeal of the man sentenced to death for the murder of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw. In a 42-page opinion made public Monday, Judge Rita Hathaway said jurors had sufficient evidence to convict Rahmael Sal Holt, 32, of Harrison, Allegheny County, of first-degree...
$650K Greensburg mansion eyed for group home for Torrance residents
A seven-bedroom brick mansion along Greensburg’s West Pittsburgh Street — and next to Morey Place, a tree-lined street in a neighborhood dotted with other well-maintained brick homes — could become a group home for people with intellectual disabilities transitioning back into the community. A proposed $1.4 million project to open...
Judge again denies bail for jailed Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez
The offered sale of a $5 million Florida home as collateral to ensure future court appearances of suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was not enough to convince a judge to release him from jail. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears on Thursday rejected a second request for...
Pa. Supreme Court delays considering appeal of former Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court put on hold the appeal of Westmoreland County’s former sheriff, who is seeking the dismissal of two criminal offenses related to allegations of public corruption. The court this week said it will delay a decision on whether it will consider the appeal in the pending case...
Beer-guzzling baby nets probation sentence for Greensburg man
The lawyer for a Greensburg man told a judge on Tuesday his client didn’t even know there was a baby in his home when police found the 9-month-old girl guzzling a beer. Defense attorney Brian Aston said Reed Marino Smith was as a surprised as police officers when they spotted...
2 men to stand trial for 2017 fatal robbery in Youngwood
Trials for two men charged with the fatal stabbing and robbery of a Youngwood drug dealer nearly three years ago will be held this fall with a jury to hear evidence in one case and a judge to decide the outcome in another. Christopher David, 42, of Youngwood told Westmoreland...
Westmoreland leaders mull solutions to accommodate expected volume of mail-in ballots
Additional opportunities for Westmoreland County’s mail-in voters this fall are being considered as local officials plan for potential slowdowns related to budget cuts at the U.S. Postal Service. Commissioners said Monday no plans have been finalized, but they might consider creating satellite elections bureau locations to allow voters another option...
In-person visits to resume at county-owned Westmoreland Manor in Hempfield
No additional staffers or residents of Westmoreland Manor have tested positive for coronavirus since last month, so in-person visitation at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield could begin in two weeks, officials said Monday. In-person outdoor visits were suspended in late July, the same week they started, when officials learned...
Westmoreland finds new county elections bureau director in its tax office
The deputy director of Westmoreland County’s tax department was hired Monday as the new head of the county’s elections bureau. JoAnn Sebastiani, 62, of Hempfield will take over the office that will be under the microscope this fall as county officials gear up for what is expected to be the...
