Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 124
Elderly Greensburg woman sues grocery store over buggy-related broken bones, other injuries
A Greensburg woman has sued a local grocery store, claiming she was injured by a malfunctioning shopping cart. Johnetta Battistoni, in a five-count lawsuit, contends that while shopping at the Pittsburgh Street Shop ‘n Save market in Greensburg in early October 2017 the wheels of her small push cart stopped...
Westmoreland approves storm water management plan
A new stormwater management plan could soon be in place to hopefully help alleviate flooding in Westmoreland County. The Integrated Water Resources Plan, a 217-page document, identifies areas that are at risk for floods and outlines potential efforts to keep water from overflowing waterways and encroaching on roads and homes....
Westmoreland commissioners award $1 million paving contract over objection
Westmoreland County commissioners awarded a $1 million contract to pave nearly 5 miles of roads amid a potential legal challenge of a policy that critics say freezes out non-union companies from seeking government work. The contract awarded Thursday to Derry Construction Inc. was approved by all three commissioners, including Republican...
Westmoreland County takes over $91K salary, benefits for drug task force head
Westmoreland County will begin paying the salary for the executive director of a nonprofit group aiming to reduce the number of local overdose deaths. Commissioners on Thursday approved an agreement with Westmoreland Community Action to pay the salary and other associated costs of the Drug Overdose Task Force, which operates...
Mt. Pleasant Glass Centre at full capacity
Westmoreland County has filled its eighth industrial park. Officials this week leased the last available lot in the Mt. Pleasant Glass Centre, which houses seven tenants and 116 employees. “We are thrilled to see Mt. Pleasant Glass Centre at full occupancy. It has proven to be a great area to...
Judge denies Hempfield man’s claim of ineffective counsel
A Westmoreland County judge has denied the appeal of a Hempfield man who claimed he received an inadequate defense during his 2012 trial in which he was accused of the attempted murder of his girlfriend. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani issued a 10-page opinion in which said there was no...
Man gets prison term for assault in Penn Township
An Allegheny County man was sentenced to serve up to two years in prison for the assault of his girlfriend earlier this year in Penn Township. Eric Damien Thomas, 41, formerly of North Versailles and Aspinwall, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary harassment. As part...
Westmoreland bar association executive director plans to retire
The longtime executive director of the Westmoreland County Bar Association has announced plans to retire. Diane Krivoniak, 62, of Latrobe, has since 1989 served as head of the Greensburg-based organization that serves as the professional association for 500 county lawyers. “For an unprecedented stretch of 30 years, Diane’s enthusiasm and...
Early parole rescinded for New Alexandria man who killed elderly driver in 2016 speeding crash
A New Alexandria man convicted of causing a fatal crash that killed an elderly woman three years ago will not receive an early parole. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani reversed his ruling issued last month that would have allowed Samuel R. Grace III to leave jail before...
Westmoreland County to award $1M paving contract despite appeal over union requirement
Westmoreland County’s Democratic commissioners said Tuesday they intend to award a $1 million contract to pave local roads as a potential legal challenge looms against a policy that critics contend prohibits non-union companies from securing government work. A lawyer for Tresco Paving Corp. of Plum, in a letter to commissioners...
Jeannette man’s appeal of third-degree murder conviction rejected
A Westmoreland County judge Monday rejected the appeal of a Jeannette man serving up to 18 years in prison for the 2016 third-degree murder of an armed man. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled there were no grounds to support the appeal filed by Jamere Ramone Glanton, who prosecutors...
Judge lets Hempfield woman out of jail to deliver baby before drug trial
A Hempfield woman awaiting trial on charges she bought drugs used in the fatal overdose of a Greensburg man in January will be allowed to go home and avoid giving birth while in jail. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday agreed to reduce the $75,000 bond...
New flood plan close to passing in Westmoreland County
Alfred Crimboli of Arona said he knows what caused the flooding that closed at portion of Route 136 several weeks ago. “Sewickley Creek is plugged up with trees. We get three floods a year there,” Crimboli said Monday during a public hearing for a proposed plan Westmoreland County officials said,...
Outfit that runs Westmoreland County buses says it’s on the road to better service, fewer fines
As fines continue to mount, the company that operates buses for the Westmoreland County Transit Authority said progress has been made to ensure there are enough drivers to properly operate the commuter bus and paratransit systems. Bill Steinmetz, general manager for National Express Transit, the Ohio-based company hired last year...
White Oak wants sewage backup problems addressed
White Oak officials said Friday the borough’s residents have had enough with the torrential rains that has repeatedly resulted in basements flooded with sewage. “What’s happening is pitiful,” Councilman Steven Pholar told members of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County at the start of the agency’s July meeting of its...
Emergency repairs planned to protect drinking water for Monroeville, Plum residents
Emergency repairs are expected to begin Monday to anchor a major transmission line that supplies drinking water to Monroeville and Plum. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said last week’s heavy rains caused a landslide in an area on a hillside near the county line in Murrysville that exposed a...
Westmoreland commissioners set 2nd public hearing on plan to reduce flooding
Westmoreland County Commissioners will hold a second public hearing Monday ahead of an expected vote on an updated plan designed to reduce flooding. Officials are seeking comments about the new Integrated Water Resources Plan compiled by the Westmoreland County Conservation District and county planners. The public hearing will begin at...
Westmoreland Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline reappointed to state association board
Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts Bryan Kline has been reappointed to serve as an executive board member for the Pennsylvania State Association of Prothonotaries and Clerk of Courts Association. The association, formed in 1928, serves as a coalition of state-elected officials who oversee court-related filing offices. “I am honored that...
Scottdale man found guilty in Youngwood Mother’s Day crash that injured family
Victoria Schuler and her husband, William, were finally able to smile on Thursday, more than three years after they and their two young children were severely injured in a vehicle crash in Youngwood. “We’re glad for it,” Victoria Schuler said minutes after Matthew Murphy, 27, was found guilty of all...
Trafford man pleads guilty to assaulting pregnant girlfriend
A Trafford man was released from prison late Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in connection with a physical confrontation earlier this year with his pregnant girlfriend. Nigel Christopher Hogan, 29, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of simple assault and in a related case one charge...
Jury: Ligonier psychologist Monsour not guilty of molestation claims
A Ligonier psychologist was found not guilty Wednesday of charges that he molested a young girl. Dr. Roy C. Monsour, 65, declined to comment as he left the courtroom after his acquittal. A jury of six men and six women deliberated just more than an hour before finding Monsour not...
Trooper: No attempt to brake before violent Youngwood crash
A state police investigator testified Wednesday that a pickup truck slammed into the back of a small car carrying a Scottdale family and shot their car into a concrete barrier at speeds over 66 mph. Trooper Bradley Poole told jurors there was no evidence that Matthew Murphy used the brakes...
Yough School District wants more property taxes from Tenaska Westmoreland power plant
The Yough School District wants more tax revenue from the newly built Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station in South Huntingdon. Yough officials have filed an appeal in Common Pleas Court challenging the $1.9 million assessment used by county officials to determine the property taxes paid to the school, Westmoreland County and...
Parents detail family injuries during trial of Mother’s Day 2016 wreck in Youngwood
William Schuler remembers the sounds of a helicopter as it flew him to a Pittsburgh hospital three years ago following a Mother’s Day crash on Route 119 in Youngwood in which he, his wife and two young children were seriously injured. He told jurors Tuesday — the first day of...
Lawyer for Ligonier psychologist denies he molested girl
The lawyer for a Ligonier psychologist told Westmoreland County jurors on Tuesday that the prevalence of sexual assault allegations around the country has become too much and in some cases cannot be properly defended. “In today’s world, if they say it happened, it happened. It could happen to any of...
