Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 131
Sick days force Westmoreland Transit to cancel some Pittsburgh routes due to driver shortage
Driver shortages that caused Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus routes to be canceled this week are expected to continue for some time and could further disrupt daily schedules, officials said. One outgoing route from Pittsburgh was canceled Thursday, a day after the authority was forced to cut two bus runs...
Westmoreland water authority will seek repayment from gas driller for additional water tests
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday the agency will seek repayment for the cost of water quality tests conducted this week at the Beaver Run Reservoir in the aftermath of a pressure drop at a deep gas well on the property. “We increased our testing to every day,...
Westmoreland water authority will seek repayment from gas driller for additional water tests
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday the agency will seek repayment for the cost of water quality tests conducted this week at the Beaver Run Reservoir in the aftermath of a pressure drop at a deep gas well on the property. “We increased our testing to every day,...
Westmoreland water authority will test chlorine alternative in McKeesport
A small-scale treatment plant will be built at the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s McKeesport facility to test a new chemical additive that officials said could improve the taste and smell of the system’s drinking water. The authority will spend $170,000 to construct the mock treatment plant that will serve...
Westmoreland treasurer seeks third term
Westmoreland County incumbent Republican Treasurer Jared Squires announced Tuesday he will seek a third term. Squires, 41, of Mt. Pleasant Township, was first elected in 2011 and won re-election in 2015. “The Treasurer’s Office has continued to maintain a focus on customer service while keeping the costs of the office...
Westmoreland judge rejects request to overturn conviction in 2016 Latrobe murder case
Jurors had enough evidence to convict a Johnstown man for the 2016 murder of a friend in Latrobe, a judge ruled Tuesday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio, in a 32-page opinion, denied defense requests seeking to overturn the conviction and sentence for 20-year-old Austin Krinock, who following...
Westmoreland prison worker may be disciplined after inmate’s premature release
Westmoreland officials said Tuesday an investigation is ongoing to determine how to discipline a county prison worker responsible for the premature release last week of an inmate sentenced to serve up to 23 months behind bars. Sheriff Jonathan Held, who serves as chairman of the county’s prison board, said it...
Multiple rape cases against Mt. Pleasant cop to be tried together in Westmoreland County
Allegations that a suspended Mt. Pleasant Borough police officer raped and sexually assaulted six different woman in four counties can be tried together in Westmoreland County, a judge ruled on Monday. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, following a brief hearing, reaffirmed a ruling he issued in 2017 that consolidated...
Fairfield cruelty case involving 99 animals to head to trial
Hundreds of animal cruelty charges against a Fairfield woman and her parents will go to trial after a Westmoreland County judge Monday refused to dismiss the cases. “It’s clear to me there is enough evidence to make a … case,” Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said after hearing testimony from...
Judge finds suspended Westmoreland sheriff’s captain not guilty of trespassing charge
A suspended Westmoreland County sheriff’s captain was acquitted Monday of trespassing at the state police barracks in Greensburg. Senior Common Pleas Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr., following testimony from three witnesses during a summary appeal hearing, ruled there was not enough evidence to support the citation issued against Travis Day...
Lawyer: Head injury effects render Laurel Mountain man unfit for murder trial
The lawyer for a Laurel Mountain man jailed nearly five years on charges that he killed his live-in girlfriend wants a county judge to rule him incompetent to stand trial. Defense attorney Brian Aston, in court documents filed this week, argued Gregory Randall, 62, suffers memory and cognitive impairments as...
Westmoreland pension fund reported in good shape
Westmoreland County’s pension fund lost more than $45 million in 2018 and for the first time in five years has been designated at a minimum distressed level. The account, which provides benefits to about 1,300 government retirees, has more than $415 million in assets after its value dipped by nearly...
Westmoreland Manor administrator out, replacement named
The private company that manages Westmoreland Manor has hired a new administrator to oversee day-to-day operations at the county-owned nursing home. Premier Healthcare Resources, the Penn Township-based firm that was paid more than $586,000 last year to run the 408-bed facility in Hempfield, this week replaced John Austin, the nursing...
Hempfield Republican announces bid for commissioner
A program director for a local senior citizens home on Friday announced she will be a candidate for Westmoreland county commissioner. Heather Cordial, 39, a Republican from Hempfield, said she will campaign on a platform of improving education and job creation in the county. “We have a major challenge in...
Ted Kopas announces re-election campaign for county commissioner seat
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas said Thursday he will seek re-election for the seat he has held since 2010. Kopas, 45, a Hempfield Democrat, touted his role in enhancing economic development, upgrading county parks and reducing blight in communities throughout the county as well as his support of initiatives to...
County to borrow $44 million for new voting machines, other projects and to refinance debt
Westmoreland County commissioners said Thursday they won’t wait for more state funding — which could become available later this year — to buy a new voting system. “We have to move forward with this now so we have it in place before the presidential election. We want to make sure...
County to pay $25,000 to Hempfield man who claims guards beat him in Westmoreland jail
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $25,000 out-of-court settlement with a Hempfield man who claimed he was “savagely beaten” by guards while incarcerated at the county jail. Kevan Kolling, 68, was arrested in December 2014 and charged with burglary offenses. According a lawsuit filed last year, Kolling claimed he...
County honors Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies for arrest
Westmoreland deputy sheriffs were honored this week by county commissioners for their role in the arrest of a suspected drug dealer following a three-mile vehicle chase last month in North Huntingdon. Deputies John Dixon, Rob Orbin and Frank Neal; Sgt. Irvin Shipley and Lt. Jesse Salandro assisted police during a...
Greensburg man found guilty of sex assault
A Greensburg man was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and could face up to 23 years in prison when he is sentenced this year. Westmoreland County jurors convicted Daniel DeAugustine, 38, of five counts, including felony offenses of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault,...
Westmoreland president judge, husband sue Delmont storage company over damaged furniture
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway and her husband George Hathaway on Tuesday sued a Delmont self-storage facility for damage to furniture kept in a unit at the business. According to the three-count lawsuit, Hathaway said she leased a unit at the StoreExpress indoor facility on Route...
Westmoreland County could borrow $44M for voting machines, parks, Manor, other projects
Westmoreland commissioners this week are expected to finalize plans to borrow $43.9 million to buy new voting machines, refurbish the county-owned nursing home, improve local parks, upgrade emergency response communications and provide additional budget flexibility. The financial package, which could be approved Thursday, will provide about $26.9 million to pay...
St. Clair Township police officer’s widow to have husband’s belongings returned to her
St. Clair Township police Officer Lloyd Reed’s gun, eyeglasses and other personal belongings will be returned to his widow more than three years after he was gunned down while responding to a domestic violence call in New Florence. Ray Shetler Jr., the man accused of killing Reed, was acquitted of...
Jurors seated in second trial for Westmoreland man accused of sexual assault
The lawyer for a Greensburg man on trial for a second time for the alleged sexual assaults of a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury Monday his client was a victim of false allegations. “There will be discrepancies in her testimony. The evidence doesn’t make sense that things happened...
Public corruption retrial of Westmoreland sheriff Held likely off until after primary
An appeal filed by Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held seeking to reverse a judge’s refusal to dismiss public corruption charges is expected to delay his retrial until after the May primary election. Held, 44, of Hempfield is awaiting his second trial on charges he forced on-duty sheriff’s department staff to...
Hempfield consultant announces GOP bid for Westmoreland County commissioner
A microbiologist who left a university teaching job last summer to open his own consulting business announced Monday he will be a Republican candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner. Doug Chew, 48, of Hempfield said if elected he will donate a portion of his salary to help fund the county’s drug...
