Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 105
Allegheny County reports 3 more coronavirus deaths; total cases up to 1,035
Allegheny County on Sunday reported three more deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the countywide total to 50. The 50 people who have died range in age from 56 to 103 years old, with the most deaths occurring in people over 70, county data show. The county also reported 26 new...
2 injured in crash in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhoodVideo
Two people were injured Sunday morning when their pickup truck slammed into a pole and a building in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood. Police said a man and a woman, who were not identified, were removed from the vehicle and taken to a hospital where they are listed in critical condition. The...
Self-employed, independent contractors, others can now get state, federal jobless benefits
Pennsylvania’s self-employed workers and independent contractors can now file applications for unemployment benefits. The state’s Department of Labor and Industry said Saturday that workers who were previously ineligible for unemployment compensation will be permitted to seek benefits for wages lost because of the coronavirus pandemic. Department officials said state residents...
Allegheny County coronavirus cases top 1,000; county notes more test results
Allegheny County saw a jump of 62 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours. New data released Saturday morning revealed that a total of 1,009 cases of the virus have been reported in Allegheny County since March 14, when the first positive case was identified. That compares to 22...
Sheetz designates special hour for high-risk shoppers
Sheetz stores will set aside one hour each on Sunday for customers who are high risk to contract covid-19. Sundays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. will be reserved for those who are at a higher risk to contract the disease brought on by the coronavirus. The program will be...
Judge denies Crystal Belle’s murder appeal for Jeannette killing
The third-degree murder conviction of a Jeannette woman serving up to 30 years in prison for the beating death of her live-in boyfriend nearly four years ago will stand. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani this week denied the appeal of Crystal Belle, who contended evidence presented against...
Broadband internet survey deadline extended for Westmoreland, other regional counties
Westmoreland County planners have extended the deadline for residents to participate in a study of local broadband internet needs until the end of April. The online survey is part of an eight-county assessment of infrastructure needs for the service that has become increasingly relevant as more residents have been routed...
Westmoreland Transit bus driver tests positive for coronavirus
A Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus driver has tested positive for the coronavirus. Transit officials learned about the positive test result on Wednesday. They said the driver last worked Saturday and determined the worker had little in-person interaction with other authority employees or riders that day. The bus operated by...
Pennsylvania bill would ensure full pay for first responders stricken with coronavirus
State Rep. Eric Nelson this week proposed an amendment to state law that will ensure police and firefighters continue to be paid should they have to miss work because of the coronavirus. Nelson, R-Hempfield, said the proposed legislation will expand the state’s Heart and Lung Act that requires certain emergency...
Unity lawyer is new Westmoreland Bar Association president
Unity lawyer Scott Avolio is the new president of the Westmoreland Bar Association. More than 70 lawyers convened via a virtual gathering earlier this week as part of the association’s annual meeting to select its new leadership. The bar association includes about 500 practicing lawyers in the county, many of...
Westmoreland coroner says county has 11 coronavirus deaths
Westmoreland County has 11 deaths related to coronavirus, according to Coroner Ken Bacha. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported one death in the county through Thursday, with that number rising to five in its Friday update. But Bacha said Friday morning that 10 additional fatalities are attributed to covid-19, all of...
Westmoreland County government offices closed on Good Friday
The Westmoreland County Courthouse, district courts and other government offices will be closed in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Friday’s closing was previously scheduled and not part of the county’s coronavirus response plan. Government offices are expected to reopen 8:30 a.m. Monday....
No hotheads allowed: All who enter Westmoreland County Courthouse have temperature taken
Steve and Sarah Zolock knew they were healthy but a quick check as they entered the Westmoreland County Courthouse confirmed their unofficial diagnosis. The Zolocks, who traveled from their Rostraver home on Thursday to renew permits to carry concealed guns, were required to complete a cursory screening before they were...
Cleanup underway at Rostraver’s Cedar Creek Park after storm topples 65 trees
Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver is expected to remain closed until at least Saturday as work crews clean up more than 65 trees felled during Wednesday morning’s storm. “Many of them were 60-to-80-foot pine trees and it will take a couple of days to clear,” said Greg McCloskey, director of...
Family friends from Murrysville, Greensburg now share a liver despite pandemic
Julia Bolkovac has known Jimmy Singer her whole life. When the Murrysville native learned Singer of Greensburg was in desperate need of a liver transplant, Bolkovac couldn’t act fast enough to serve as his donor. But, when Bolkovac’s job as a cardiac nurse at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh put her...
Westmoreland County worries about dwindling cache of protective gear
Shortages of personal protective equipment such as gowns and masks have become dire in Westmoreland County. The county’s supply is dwindling as the number of coronavirus cases rises, infecting staff and residents at two or more local nursing homes, where supplies are desperately being sought, Public Safety Director Roland Mertz...
Winners of Pa. House special elections sworn into office
State Rep. Eric Davanzo and two other victors from last month’s special election were sworn in to office Monday in Harrisburg. Davanzo, R-South Huntingdon, will complete the remaining nine months in the seat previously held by state Rep. Justin Walsh, who resigned in January after he was elected to be...
‘Pandemic’ overtime pay cost Westmoreland County nearly $700K in 1st 2 weeks
Westmoreland County paid $678,000 in overtime wages to more than 1,200 employees for nearly two weeks of work in late March during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners instituted “pandemic” pay for staff required to report in person for work at the courthouse and in other county offices...
Westmoreland court reductions extended through April 30
Most Westmoreland County courts will remain shuttered through April 30. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway on Monday extended the current reductions of court functions as part of the state’s coronavirus response plan. The order cancels all trials in April, as well as other basic court functions such as...
Westmoreland County company turns out vital parts for coronavirus test kits
The frontline fighters against the coronavirus in Westmoreland County most certainly include medical professionals, first responders and other health care workers treating patients. But workers at Latrobe-based Carclo Technical Plastics are quietly supporting their efforts through the manufacturing of tiny plastic collection tubes used around the globe in coronavirus testing...
Westmoreland to charge fee for paying criminal court costs via credit card
Criminal defendants who make restitution and court cost payments by credit card now have to pay for that service. Westmoreland County commissioners this week authorized a 2.95% surcharge on all credit card transactions made in the county’s Clerk of Courts office. Until now, Westmoreland County taxpayers paid the credit card...
Commercial flights at Arnold Palmer airport to cease next week
Commercial flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will stop starting Wednesday and, as a result, about a third of its 90 workers will be furloughed, officials said. Spirit Airlines, the lone commercial carrier at the Unity airport, will continue to operate its daily schedules through Tuesday but then will halt...
Hundreds of Westmoreland County employees to be furloughed Friday
Furloughs of hundreds of Westmoreland County employees will begin at the end of the workday Friday, but the final number of workers who will be off the job still is in flux, officials said. Commissioners last week announced that budget strains caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic prompted a suspension...
Westmoreland checking for covid-19 symptoms at 911 center, may expand to courthouse
Westmoreland County on Thursday started screening public safety employees for coronavirus symptoms and could soon expand the program to include courthouse staff and visitors. Commissioners approved a monthlong contract with Amerisafe Group to furnish trained employees to conduct screenings at the county’s public safety headquarters on Donohoe Road in Hempfield,...
Westmoreland DA opposes county-paid expert for Penn Township murder appeal
Westmoreland taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for an expert to testify on behalf of Greensburg woman appealing her 2006 murder conviction, according to the county’s top prosecutor. In court documents filed Wednesday, District Attorney John Peck said expert testimony is irrelevant in the pending appeal of Jennifer...
