Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 110
Westmoreland commissioners reacquire oversight of real estate program
Westmoreland County Commissioners reclaimed control of a real estate program that generates as much as $2 million annually. Commissioners last week voted to transfer the Unified Parcel Identifier department back to their control, stripping it from oversight responsibilities of incoming Recorder of Deeds Frank Schiefer. “It makes sense for the...
Westmoreland County court fees to increase in 2020
The new year will ring in higher court costs for criminal defendants in Westmoreland County. Eight different fees will be increased by about 2% when the courthouse opens for business on Jan. 2, Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline said. “I have the authority to raise fees every three years and,...
Westmoreland County election winners sworn into officeVideo
Months of campaigning and election-night nerves were a thing of past on Thursday as Westmoreland County’s new slate of government officials were sworn into office. The former candidates and now newly elected officials, with family members and supporters by their sides, one-by-one came before the county’s Common Pleas Court judges...
Judge denies Yakopec’s request for transfer back to Westmoreland prison
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday rejected a request from the son of a Lower Burrell district judge to be transferred back to the county’s jail to finish serving out a six-month sentence for drug offenses. The attorney for Stephen Yakopec III, 29, of Lower Burrell in court documents filed this...
13 Latrobe area churches band together to serve free Christmas meals to all who need themVideo
Anna Louise Castellano spent Christmas Day with her extended family. It’s a family that included many folks she didn’t even know but who gathered together Wednesday afternoon for a Christmas meal at St. John the Evangelist Church in Latrobe, in what has become a local tradition. “This is for anybody...
Police: Woman shot in Duquesne drive-by
Allegheny County Police are investigating the drive-by shooting of a 32-year-old woman in Duquesne. Police said Wednesday morning the woman was struck by a bullet. They said the wounds aren’t life-threatening. Police said it was not immediately clear whether the victim was specifically targeted. Authorities said the shooter was in...
Delay in funding change may have saved Westmoreland’s paratransit system
Westmoreland County transit officials Monday said they support the continued delay of a new funding method that could have gutted local paratransit operations for low-income, elderly and disabled residents. “We are relieved,” Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said. “There is no way we would have been able...
Judge Rita Hathaway shifts to Westmoreland civil court as part of bench reorganization
Westmoreland County’s longest-serving judge, and one of its most experienced on the criminal court bench, will take on a new assignment in January. Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway, who for the past 16 years has presided over criminal cases, will shift to the civil division as part of a reorganization...
Transit authority on track to start running Westmoreland bus service in January
Staff at the Westmoreland County Transit Authority has grown by more than 600% over the last month as the agency continues to gear up for its takeover of bus and paratransit services on Jan. 2. What was once primarily an administrative organization with 18 employees, the authority has transitioned to...
1st trial in 2017 Youngwood homicide to begin in March
The first of what could be four trials for defendants accused in the 2017 stabbing death of a Youngwood man is scheduled to begin March 9. First up will be Jason Sullenberger, 42, of Youngwood. He is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses in connection with the death of...
Latrobe man gets house arrest after pleading guilty to animal cruelty involving 17 animals
A Latrobe man will serve three months of house arrest and two years on probation after he pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of animal cruelty. According to court records, Andrew T. Pevarnik, 44, was charged in September after humane officers found 17 dead animals in a Derry Township...
Westmoreland County agrees to $45K settlement with Delmont woman for injuries
A Delmont woman will be paid $45,000 for injuries she claims to have sustained in a fall at Twin Lakes Park while attending the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival nearly six years ago. According to the lawsuit filed against Westmoreland County in 2016, Juliana Artascos said she was injured after...
Westmoreland prosecutors, defense attorneys will get raises
Westmoreland County prosecutors and defense lawyers are getting raises. The county commissioners on Thursday ratified a new, four-year labor contract with the union that represents 34 assistant district attorneys and public defenders. The deal with the Assistant District Attorneys Wage and Policy Committee calls for the lawyers to receive 2.75%...
Anderson attends last meeting as Westmoreland commissionerVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson on Thursday called it quits, again. Anderson, 77, is retiring for the second time. He finished out his 11 years on the county’s board of commissioners after a three-decade career as a pilot and officer in the U.S. Marines. Anderson’s last public meeting was Thursday...
Westmoreland County’s 2020 budget brings 1st tax increase in 15 yearsVideo
Westmoreland County officials said a 2.4% property tax increase approved Thursday is needed to balance the 2020 budget, a spending plan that will nearly drain a surplus fund and relies on a $10 million loan to pay the bills at the start of next year. Commissioners Gina Cerilli and Charles...
Westmoreland municipal authority expects $3 million price tag for Youngwood project
The $3 million cost to relocate and replace aging water and sewer lines in Youngwood is a bargain, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday. The project is part of a PennDOT plan to reconstruct a three-mile section of Route 119 in the borough and will allow the authority...
Proposed budget keeps water, sewer rates unchanged for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland customers
Water and sewer rates for customers of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will remain the same for a second consecutive year. The authority’s preliminary 2020-21 budget, unveiled Wednesday, includes no rate changes and carries a $5 million cut in projected revenues, officials said. Board members are expected to approve...
Youngwood woman pleads guilty to assaulting her grandmother over volume of Steelers game
Michael Amorino told a Westmoreland County judge that his niece lived a troubled, isolated life with her mother that was marked by mental illness and abuse, all factors that led to the August 2017 beating inflicted on his elderly mother during a dispute over the volume of a Pittsburgh Steelers...
3rd sentencing hearing postponed for woman convicted in Greensburg torture-murder
A third sentencing hearing for the youngest member of group of former Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture killing of a mental disabled woman has been delayed as state appeal courts continue to weigh the legality of life prison terms for juvenile offenders. Angela Marinucci, now 27, has been...
Westmoreland County tax hike, first in 15 years, on the table
Westmoreland County commissioners could vote Thursday to hike property taxes for the first time in 15 years. Commissioners Gina Cerilli and Charles Anderson said Tuesday they have yet to commit to the proposed 2.4% tax hike as part of a finance package that includes adoption of a 2020 budget and...
Youngwood woman who assaulted her mother to be released from jail
A Youngwood woman charged two years ago with a assault of her elderly mother during a dispute over the volume of a Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game broadcast was expected to be released from jail late Monday. Dolores Amorino, 42, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, simple assault...
Westmoreland County Prison to review visitation logs in wake of smuggling bust at Allegheny County Jail
Westmoreland County Prison officials said Monday they will review facility entrance logs to determine if a local attorney charged last week with smuggling drugs to inmates at the Allegheny County jail had similarly visited the lockup in Hempfield. Following the release last week of a grand jury presentment, lawyer Paul...
Judge rules evidence from 2015 Jeannette arrest can’t be used in court
The raid of a Jeannette bar more than four years ago resulted in the illegal search of a customer, a judge ruled Friday. William Lamont Lewis, 42, of Pittsburgh, was charged with drug and weapons offenses following a state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement raid of Punch and Juniors Bar...
Washington County man wants conviction overturned for 2013 Donegal murder
A Washington County man said in court on Thursday he was coerced by his former defense attorney to not testify in his 2015 murder trial and now wants his conviction of first-degree murder overturned. Michael Martin, 46, contends he was the victim of a poorly conceived defense by a lawyer...
Unity man facing at least 16 years in prison for child rape, pornography
A Unity man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 10 years in prison for the rape of a child. Timothy D. Piper, 24, pleaded guilty in September to three charges, including counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Prosecutors said Piper had repeated sexual contact with a young...
