Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 126
Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidate apologizes for late-night robocalls
A Republican candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner apologized Monday for automated campaign telephone calls sent out after midnight. About 33,000 calls on behalf of John Ventre were expected to be made Sunday afternoon, but some were not received until well after bed-time and into early Monday. “It obviously didn’t go...
Westmoreland voters might be using current voting machines for the last time
Tuesday’s primary election might be the last that use the touch-screen voting system that has been in place in Westmoreland County since 2005. The county last week received proposals from four companies to sell new computerized machines that will allow for the generation of a verifiable paper trail to meet...
Westmoreland bus service keeps fares the same despite ridership, revenue drop
Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus fares will remain unchanged as the agency continues to deal with revenue declines related to state funding cuts and the ongoing loss of riders. Authority officials have approved a new $12.4 million operating budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, balanced by the transfer of about...
Q&A with judicial candidates for Westmoreland Common Pleas Court
Six lawyers are seeking two vacancies this year on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Democrats Michael Stewart, Jessica Rafferty and Matt Schimizzi, along with Republicans Wayne McGrew, Kyle Baxter and Justin Walsh are each running in both party primaries on May 21. The top two vote-getters in each...
Six lawyers vying to fill two Westmoreland County judicial seats
Westmoreland County’s Common Pleas Court hasn’t seen a full roster of judges in more than a year. That is expected to change starting in January 2020, after two judges are elected this fall to replace Richard E. McCormick Jr. and Anthony Marsili, who retired. Six lawyers — three Democrats and...
Hunker woman’s attacker found guilty of assault
A Donora man was convicted of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend last year. Following a three-day trial that ended Wednesday, a Westmoreland County jury found Travis Magash, 33, guilty of aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault for his role in a violent attack against his girlfriend. Danielle Rose Thompson, 25, told...
Appeals court upholds decision to let Belle Vernon students attend prom
Eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking can attend the prom Friday night, a state appeals court ruled. The state’s Commonwealth Court issued that order late Thursday afternoon as school district lawyers challenged a county judge’s ruling from earlier this week that halted the...
County municipal authority hires architect for new sewer headquarters in New Stanton
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Wednesday hired an architect to design a new administrative and storage facility for the utility’s sewer operation, a move criticized by a former county controller for not seeking alternate proposals. The $225,000 contract was awarded to DLA+ Architecture to design and develop...
Greensburg man sent to prison for Jeannette armed robbery
A Greensburg man will serve up to 10 years in prison for the armed robbery of a Jeannette convenience store. Clinton Young III, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of robbery and other related offenses in connection with the June 30 heist at a CoGo’s store on Harrison Avenue....
Westmoreland commissioner candidate pushes hard-right platform
Republican John Ventre, during an election forum Tuesday night in Greensburg, said “liberals who kill unborn babies” are not welcome in Westmoreland County. Ventre was one of six Republicans and one Democrat running for Westmoreland County commissioner who participated Tuesday night in the forum at the Greensburg Garden & Civic...
Law firm to investigate Westmoreland warden’s complaint against Commissioner Gina Cerilli
Westmoreland County will use a Harrisburg law firm to investigate a harassment complaint against county Commissioner Gina Cerilli. Jail warden John Walton last month accused Cerilli of misrepresenting facts associated with a state grand jury investigation into human trafficking that involved a jail guard. Walton said Cerilli used the false...
Judge rules Belle Vernon students eligible for prom, graduation after underage drinking citation
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday halted the expulsion of eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking at a charity event. The preliminary injunction granted by Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. means the students will be allowed to return to school next week...
Westmoreland County Democratic judicial candidates outspend Republican opponents
The six candidates seeking two judicial vacancies on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas combined to spend more than a half-million dollars during this spring’s campaign season, most of which came from their own family accounts. According to campaign finance reports filed in Harrisburg, three Democratic candidates, attorneys Michael...
Plea deals get Hempfield man time served in assault, DUI cases
A Hempfield man charged in two separate cases alleging rape and strangulation of a woman on Monday pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge. Harold Franks, 36, was sentenced to serve the 251 days he has spent in jail. He was immediately paroled after pleading guilty to one count of...
Monessen men get probation for shooting after evidence problems thwart retrial
Two men implicated in a nonfatal shooting nearly two years ago in Monessen were sentenced to probation. Joseph “Jo Jo” Heath III, 29, of Monessen, pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats in connection with the June 25, 2017, shooting of Timothy...
Ventre, Kertes lead campaign spending in GOP race for Westmoreland commissioner
When it comes to spending, Republican candidates John Ventre and Sean Kertes topped the crowded field of GOP hopefuls in the Westmoreland County Commissioner primary race. Ventre listed nearly $47,000 in expenses while Kertes reported spending more than $30,000 from Jan. 1 through May 6, according to campaign finance records...
Q&A: Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidates address issues
Seven Republicans are seeking two nominations this month to run this fall for Westmoreland County commissioner. Democratic incumbents Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas are unopposed this spring. Incumbent Republican Charles Anderson announced earlier this year he is not running for a third-full term in office and will retire a year’s...
Crowded GOP field looking to survive primary, reclaim majority on Westmoreland commissioner board
When Republicans in 2011 won the party’s first majority on Westmoreland County’s Board of Commissioners in more than 60 years, it appeared the GOP was finally ready to take over the political landscape at the top of county leadership. But Democrats took back control of the board four years later....
Delmont man gets prison time for molesting girl
A Delmont man will serve up to 10 years in prison for sex crimes against a girl. Alberto Marton, 46, pleaded guilty Friday to 10 charges related to the sexual assaults of a now 13-year-old girl who claimed she was repeatedly molested for nearly two years. Police said Marton repeatedly...
Greensburg man sentenced to up to 8 years in prison for sexual assault
A Greensburg man was sentenced to serve up to eight years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a teen girl in 2015. Daniel DeAugustine, 38, declined to make any statements but, through his defense lawyer, told Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani he would appeal the convictions handed down earlier this...
Scottdale woman given probation after spitting on police officer
A Scottdale woman, who prosecutors said told a police officer that she “prayed you get shot tonight” during her arrest, was sentenced Tuesday to serve six months on probation. Elizabeth Cramer, 33, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count related to the Oct. 16 incident at Greensburg City Hall. Prosecutors agreed...
New Kensington man gets up to 20 years in prison for raping child
A New Kensington man will serve up to 20 years in prison for raping a child. Edward McNeal, 63, pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he had sex with a 9-year-old girl and continued the sexual assaults for another seven years. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway ordered McNeal...
Westmoreland Bar Association survey ranks Michael Stewart II top judicial candidate
A Westmoreland County Bar Association survey of lawyers ranked Greensburg attorney Michael Stewart II at the top of the group of six candidates seeking two judicial openings on the Common Pleas Court. Stewart was “highly recommended” by 50% of the 180 county lawyers who participated in the survey circulated over...
Judge says Jeannette man not competent to stand trial in fatal fire case
A man charged with murder in connection with a deadly fire last year that killed an 87-year-old Jeannette woman is not competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said a psychological evaluation conducted last month determined Brian Eric Rendon did not...
Longtime McKeesport Daily News sports editor covered kids, pros
For more than three decades, Norman Vargo wrote about everything from high school volleyball to Super Bowls. He was there to chronicle the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty in the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ World Series title in 1979 and the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup runs in the early 1990s. As the...
