Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 113
Westmoreland election results show GOP strength, impact of straight party voting
Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew cruised to victory last week to secure a new GOP majority on the Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners and, in doing so, finished more than 5,000 votes ahead of two better-financed Democratic incumbents. Political observers said the Republican wins for commissioner and four other...
Greensburg woman convicted in torture death to get another psych evaluation
Nearly a decade after Angela Marinucci and five other Greensburg roommates were arrested and charged with the torture slaying of a mentally challenged woman, Westmoreland County taxpayers continue to pay their legal bills. Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway this week approved the payment of another $1,150 to a private...
Paper ballot count doesn’t change Westmoreland commissioner election results
A count of the handful of paper ballots cast in Tuesday’s election saw Democratic Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli slightly extend her lead over colleague Ted Kopas for the third and final seat on the three-member board of commissioners. Elections bureau officials on Friday recanvassed all absentee ballots cast and...
Review coming for close Westmoreland commissioner race; recount not automatic
Results of Tuesday’s Westmoreland County Commissioners election are expected to be officially certified by Nov. 27. Three-term Democratic incumbent Ted Kopas lost his seat by just 234 votes to fellow incumbent Democrat Gina Cerilli, who came in third in Tuesday’s four-candidate race. Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew secured to...
County finances top priority list for new Westmoreland commissioners
The first order of business for Westmoreland County’s new board of commissioners will be to look at the county’s balance sheet, but what they will find remains an open question. Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, along with holdover Democrat Gina Cerilli, will take office in January after winning in...
Westmoreland sheriff-elect promises changes when he takes officeVideo
A shake-up is coming to the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, but no one will lose their job in the process, the new sheriff-elect said a day after defeating the two-term Republican incumbent. Voters selected James Albert, 69, a Democrat from New Alexandria, over Jonathan Held to take over the office...
GOP seizes back control of Westmoreland commissioner board; Cerilli ekes out final seat
Republicans reclaimed a majority on the Westmoreland County board of commissioners. Voters elected GOP political newcomers Sean Kertes and Doug Chew to the three-member board. Democrat Gina Cerilli finished third for an apparent second term in office. In doing so, county voters on Tuesday turned out incumbent Ted Kopas in...
James Albert defeats Jonathan Held in Westmoreland sheriff raceVideo
Jonathan Held, Westmoreland County’s long-embattled sheriff, lost his bid for a third term in office Tuesday. Democrat James Albert, a retired Greensburg district judge, defeated the Republican incumbent to bring an end to a tenure marred by a dozen discrimination lawsuits and pending criminal public corruption charges. With all 305...
Appeal denied for Youngwood man convicted of sexually assaulting 2 teen girls
A Westmoreland County judge denied the appeal of a Youngwood man who is serving up to 17 years in prison for the sexual assaults of two teenage girls in 2016. Darell Deisean Walker, 23, was convicted of multiple counts of sexual assault and related offenses following a three-day trial in...
Weather expected to impact Westmoreland voter turnout on Tuesday
Beth Lechman, Westmoreland County elections director, predicted a turnout of 25% to 27% for the county, expecting voters to be deterred by the weather forecast of high winds and rain. The county has two Common Pleas judge positions up for election in addition to elections for county commissioner, sheriff and...
Republicans, Democrats run separate races for county commissioner, but both parties want to win controlVideo
Westmoreland County’s next board of commissioners will have a similar look, as three of the four candidates running want as little change as possible. Tuesday’s election features two incumbents and the chief of staff of retiring Commissioner Charles Anderson along with a challenger who is vying for his first elected...
2 Westmoreland County judges up for retention on Tuesday
Westmoreland County voters on Tuesday will decided whether two Common Pleas Court judges get new, 10-year terms. Judges Michele Bononi and Chris Scherer are up for retention through a simple “yes” or “no” vote. Both were elected to the bench in 2009. Bononi, 59, of Unity, has spent her entire...
Westmoreland County judge candidates tout experience to court voters
The three candidates for two spots on the Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court bench combined to spend more than $800,000 this year as their campaigns approach next week’s finish line. Voters on Tuesday will choose among Hempfield lawyer Michael Stewart II, Unity attorney Jessica Rafferty and Justin Walsh, a two-term...
State grant expected to bolster Westmoreland County’s drug court program
A state grant approved Thursday is expected to help expand Westmoreland County’s drug court program. Officials said the two-year $50,712 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will pay for enhanced drug testing of participants that will improve supervision and monitoring efforts of the four-year-old program. “This will...
Westmoreland County Transit will bring bus and paratransit services in-house next yearVideo
Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members on Wednesday approved the takeover of all agency operations in a move that officials said will improve bus and paratransit services at a reduced cost. Board members during a specially scheduled meeting unanimously voted to operate the authority’s fixed-route bus service and operation of...
Former Hempfield student sues teacher over battery, emotional distress
Parents of a former Hempfield Area High School student filed a lawsuit this week, claiming their son was assaulted, intimidated and harassed by a teacher and, ultimately, forced to move to another school. According to the Westmoreland County court filing, the family contends John Testa Jr., a technology education teacher,...
Westmoreland commissioner hopefuls tout their goals but offer few specifics at forum
The four candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner looked to the future Tuesday night during one of the last campaign events leading up to next week’s general election. Each candidate said the county needs to attract new residents and to promote jobs and tourism but offered few specific programs or policy...
Judge allows defense to get expert for appeal in Loyalhanna murder case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday authorized defense attorneys for an Indiana man on death row for the shooting deaths of his mother, sister and aunt to use up to $2,500 of taxpayer money to help formulate another appeal of his murder convictions. Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio approved...
Westmoreland among 8 counties in $100K study of broadband internet service
Westmoreland County will participate in a study expected to clarify the status of local broadband internet service and what might be needed to improve coverage in the region. The Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission was awarded a $50,000 grant to map out broadband needs in Westmoreland along with Bedford,...
Jail sentence of Lower Burrell judge’s son to be delayed by a month
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday deferred the start of a jail sentence to be served by the son of a local district judge. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger ruled that Stephen Yakopec III, 29, of Lower Burrell will have an additional month before he is required to report to...
Westmoreland prison population surge expected to be temporary
Warden John Walton said the inmate population at the county prison spiked during the last month, but the numbers of those incarcerated are expected to dip before year’s end. Walton told members of the prison board the Hempfield facility housed 677 inmates on Monday, bringing its population closer to capacity...
Westmoreland commissioner hopefuls spent more than $600K on campaigns this year
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli is the top spender so far among four candidates seeking election next week. Cerilli listed more than $126,000 in new expenses, bringing the total cash she’s used for her reelection since the start of this year to more than $275,000, according to finance reports that...
Election forum planned for Westmoreland commissioner candidates
Four candidates running for Westmoreland County commissioner will have their first, and most likely last, chance this week to appear together publicly to discuss campaign issues leading into the Nov. 5 general election. Democratic incumbents Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas are seeking new four-year terms on the three member board....
Westmoreland sheriff candidates view the office very differentlyVideo
Candidates for Westmoreland County sheriff have clearly different views of the office. Two-term Republican incumbent Jonathan Held says his seven-year stewardship of the office has resulted in professionalism and cost savings. The more than a dozen lawsuits filed against him and his administrative team by current and former staffers and...
Murder, arson trial for Jeannette man delayed until January
The trial of a Jeannette man accused of setting a blaze that killed an elderly woman last year was pushed back to January. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday agreed to delay the trial for Brian Eric Rendon after defense attorneys said they needed more time...
