Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 11
Study highlights economic impact of Westmoreland Cultural Trust
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, through its operation of the Palace Theatre in Greensburg and other real estate holdings and sponsored activities, had an economic impact to the county of nearly $13 million last year, according to a study released by the nonprofit agency. Executive Director Benjamin Luczak said the trust...
Future of Ligonier boutique hotel pavilion in limbo after zoning board rescinds permit
Ligonier Borough’s zoning hearing board has rescinded an occupancy permit for a unique outdoor pavilion built last fall to host events near the historic Diamond. But in a legal notice published in the Tribune-Review this week, owners of Thistledown at Seger House, a nine-room boutique hotel on West Main Street,...
Key witness in police shooting to testify on tape amid concerns of potential flight, overdose
Prosecutors have valid concerns that a key witness against a Clairton man accused in the 2023 shooting of a Monroeville police officer could flee or die before next month’s trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. The witness, according to prosecutors, was a passenger with Bruce Alvarado as he fled in...
Greensburg man sentenced to prison for girlfriend’s beatings
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for two brutal attacks that injured an East Huntingdon woman in 2023. James Dennis Lehneke Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in two separate cases to multiple felony charges, including strangulation, aggravated assault and related offenses that police said occurred several...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to lesser charges in fatal overdose
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed a charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with the fatal overdose of a Greensburg man who died in 2023. Hugh Hawkey, 49, of Greensburg, pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser drug-related counts after a Westmoreland County judge ruled in favor of the defense’s challenge...
Derry Township couple plead guilty to child’s beating
A Derry Township couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to repeatedly assaulting a teenage boy so severely he is permanently disfigured. Charles E. Harr, 54, and his wife, Jamie Denise Harr, 53, were charged with multiple felony offenses in connection with allegations they beat and strangled the child for more than four...
Westmoreland jail population nears limit; juvenile detention center expansion plan progresses
The inmate population at Westmoreland County Prison has swelled to its highest numbers this decade, prompting officials to watch for signs of overcrowding. Meanwhile, local leaders said they want to increase the number of teens housed next door at the county’s juvenile detention center in Hempfield. The jail on Monday...
Ligoner Township man pleads guilty in father’s stabbing
A Ligonier Township man pleaded guilty to lesser charges for stabbing his father last year. Michael Glenn Glass, 27, has been in jail since his arrest in March 2024 after he was charged with felony attempted homicide, aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and possession of instruments of...
New Kensington murder suspect denied new lawyer for pending retrial
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday a New Kensington man cannot have a new lawyer ahead of a retrial scheduled in June in connection with a fatal shooting five years ago during what police said was a botched robbery. Latresse Williams, 35, was acquitted of first-degree murder following a weeklong...
Washington County man pleads guilty to 12th DUI for 2023 Ligonier crash
A Washington County man with 11 prior DUI convictions pleaded guilty Friday to driving drunk in Ligonier Township two years ago, causing a crash that injured three motorcycle riders. William C. Strogish, 68, of Ellsworth faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year, said...
Child Government Day highlights careers at Westmoreland courthouse
Lila and Hallie Saxman didn’t just get to see their dad in action on Friday. They also were able to see what happens under the 119-year-old golden dome at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg as part of an annual tradition: employees bring their children to work. More than 60...
Westmoreland drug court moves into new era; founding judge honored
Westmoreland County’s drug court has entered a new era. Its two founding judges, who have presided over the program since its inception a decade ago, have now relinquished their roles in the program that has seen 94 graduates. Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio announced Thursday the end of her...
Lawsuit: Greensburg Central Catholic student injured after exposure to toxic fumes, fall
An eighth grade student at Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Hempfield was injured after being exposed to toxic fumes in the school’s gymnasium, his father said in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court. The lawsuit claims the student was among several children who became sick while attending...
Man pleads guilty to lesser charge in 2022 Jeannette fatal stabbing
A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Jeannette neighbor nearly three years ago. Prosecutors said Antwone Dupree Thurston II, 25, stabbed and slashed 62-year-old William Osselburn 11 times during an altercation on Sept. 26, 2022, outside of...
Judge rules pretrial challenge filed too late in attempted murder case in New Kensington
A defense effort to have attempted murder charges dismissed against a former Ohio man accused in a New Kensington shooting last year cannot be argued before a pending trial, a judge ruled Tuesday. The lawyer for Iven Cashua Miller Jr., 38, contended the case against his client has substantially changed...
Charges upheld against Rostraver man accused in rape of unconscious woman
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a defense bid to dismiss charges against a Rostraver man accused of using a date rape drug to sexually assault an unconscious woman in her home last year. Nathaniel Tire Johnston, 34, is charged with rape and other offenses based on allegations made...
Westmoreland judge schedules 2 oldest criminal cases for September
A trial date was set Tuesday for the capital murder case against a New Kensington man charged with the beating death of a toddler in 2020. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ordered the case against Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 36, to begin in September. In doing so he...
Tiny Donegal Borough will cut council size in 2028, lack of participation cited
Donegal Borough Mayor Keith Deckinger is convinced his tiny town, which serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands, has an encouraging future. Its past and present, he said, had been stymied because of a lack of people willing to govern. Deckinger went to court Monday to ask a Westmoreland...
Westmoreland shifts funding to install more ramps, chairlifts in low-income homes
Westmoreland County will shift funding to improve access to low-income homes over the next 20 months. Commissioners on Thursday voted 2-1 to reallocate $200,000 to cover additional costs associated with accessibility projects as part of the county’s Whole Home Repair program initiated in 2023. The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority is...
Uniontown woman pleads guilty to tampering with evidence in Rostraver road rage killing
A woman was ordered to serve two years on probation for tampering with evidence that was eventually used to convict a Belle Vernon man of the road rage killing of a motorist in Rostraver shortly after New Year’s 2022. Shaquala Lashawn Poole, 32, of Uniontown pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor...
Westmoreland revises plans for county’s newest industrial park
Construction of Westmoreland County’s 20th industrial park could begin in 2027 on a revised plan for a 110-acre site that straddles Hempfield and Unity townships. Jason Rigone, executive director of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., said Thursday the final design work could soon begin for the proposed $8 million...
Westmoreland register of wills to implement credit card fees
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Jon Wian said Tuesday his office will no longer foot the bill for customers who make payments with a credit card. Beginning June 1, customers who pay fees to file wills, estate documents, apply for marriage licenses and request copies of documents in the Register...
Water authority hires private firm to make payments in response to vendor scam
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has hired a Georgia-based company to pay its vendors. Officials said the deal, which they described as a trial run that could net the authority up to $180,000 annually in additional revenue through commissions, is in response to a fraud scheme that resulted in...
$1.2M project will replace asbestos-infused cement water pipe in North Huntingdon
A $1.2 million project was approved Wednesday to replace a nearly mile-long stretch of waterline in North Huntingdon, including a 75-year-old section of cement pipe that is infused with asbestos. Officials called the project a standard replacement for the existing line that runs along McKee Road, from Clay Pike to...
Former cheer booster treasurer pleads guilty to stealing funds
An Upper Burrell woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to the theft of nearly $19,000 from the Burrell Cheer Boosters. Ashley Marie Frieberg, 41, agreed to repay the organization $8,900 as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge related to theft allegations leveled against...
