Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 2
Historic Westmoreland County Courthouse closure: First full snow day since 1999
As snow continued to pummel the region Sunday, Westmoreland County commissioners agreed to do something that had not been done in more than three decades: They shut down the courthouse. Citing public safety concerns, commissioners ordered a one-day closure of the courthouse, postponing scheduled court hearings and canceling two public...
Judge rules theft case against former Westmoreland purchasing head can proceed
The theft case against Westmoreland County’s former purchasing director will proceed to trial, a judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II, in a one-paragraph order, rejected a defense attorney who sought dismissal of the case against Kristopher Cardiff, who prosecutors contend was behind a yearlong payroll scheme to...
Woman sentenced for shooting Penn Township roommate with century-old shotgun
More than three years after Erik Allison was shot in the throat by a woman prosecutors claimed was a jealous roommate, he still carries approximately 100 shotgun pellets in his body. “It is still very painful,” Allison said Friday during a sentencing hearing for Leah H. Gillis, who fired a...
Former Jeannette woman pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A woman who was charged after an infant ingested cocaine in Jeannette in 2022 has pleaded guilty to an unrelated animal cruelty charge. Shelly Kemerer, 55, of Washington County, was ordered to serve two years on probation in connection with allegations she neglected to properly care for a cat at...
Greensburg man pleads guilty in hit-and-run crash
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a two-vehicle crash last summer that left another man injured. Collin Hays, 35, pleaded guilty this week to drunken driving, reckless endangerment, hit-and-run driving and the illegal possession of...
Westmoreland County kicks off America’s 250th with courthouse light-up ceremony
Westmoreland County will launch its celebration of America’s 250th birthday this weekend with a symbolic light-up ceremony at the heart of the county seat. On Saturday afternoon, officials will illuminate the “Westmoreland” sign in front of the courthouse in Greensburg. The event serves as the official kickoff for a yearlong...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County approves new budget that keeps water, sewer rates level
Water and sewer rates for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will remain unchanged for at least the next year. Authority board members this week approved a $129.7 million budget for the multi-county agency that keeps its current rate structure in place after two straight years of increases. “We always...
Judge tosses criminal case against man accused of causing trooper overdose in Delmont drug sting
A Westmoreland County judge has dismissed the criminal case against a Pittsburgh man accused of causing an undercover state trooper to overdose during a drug sting in Salem. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ruled prosecutors were unable to support criminal charges filed against Robert M. Whitley Jr., 27, following a...
Pa. Game Commission considers Saturday start before Thanksgiving for deer seasonVideo
For Mike Shipley, the Monday after Thanksgiving was a holiday tradition that died in 2019. That was the year the Pennsylvania Game Commission shifted its hunting schedule to start two days earlier, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, ending a decadeslong ritual of hunters heading into the woods the first Monday after...
Westmoreland sheriff: Rescinding 2006 court order could save at least $250K in overtime
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert has asked a county judge to rescind a two-decade-old court order that requires his deputies to transport jailed inmates to district judge offices for preliminary hearings. Albert said the move could save taxpayers at least $250,000 in annual overtime costs and refocus his deputies’ job...
Lawsuit alleges teen injured in crash was illegally served alcohol in Westmoreland Co. bar
A lawsuit filed last week in Westmoreland County alleges a Cook bar illegally served alcohol to a teenager before he crashed his vehicle and suffered severe injuries. Jacob M. Roadman of Latrobe claims he was just 17 when he and another teen were served alcoholic beverages including a six-pack of...
2 injured in North Huntingdon crash
Two people were injured in a vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on Route 30 in North Huntingdon. According to Westmoreland County 911, the crash occurred just after 1 p.m. in the eastbound lanes near the Wendy’s fast food restaurant. The crash closed a portion of Route 30 for about 30 minutes....
Fugitive nabbed inside Pittsburgh home
A Pittsburgh fugitive convicted a decade ago of attempted homicide was taken into custody Friday by the Allegheny County sheriff’s department. Officials said Tyrus Campbell, 35, was located at a Reed Street home in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. After surveillance of the residence, detectives gained entrance, found him at the top...
‘His stories live on through us now’ as Battle of the Bulge soldier dies
Joseph Folino was the last of a generation. Folino of Jeannette died Thursday at 103. He is believed to be among the last surviving veterans who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the last German offensive during World War II. “He came from our greatest generation, and we should...
Officials worry for future as passenger levels at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport hit new lows
Air traffic through Arnold Palmer Regional Airport last year fell to its lowest level since 2011 even as local leaders brace for more decline while questions linger about the future of the facility’s lone commercial carrier. According to figures released this week, just 119,379 passengers went through the gates in...
Derry woman pleads guilty to forged death certificate scam
A Derry Township woman’s widowhood was only to last just long enough for her refund check to be cashed. Lori Shawley, 54, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two felony counts of forgery in connection to allegations she faked her husband’s death. Prosecutors said it was part of a scam designed to...
Probation imposed on massage parlor worker charged in prostitution ring raids
A New York woman was ordered to serve two years on probation for offering to perform illegal sex acts last year at a Hempfield massage parlor. Zhang Peiyun, 61, following a brief court hearing Wednesday was admitted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time nonviolent offenders. Peiyun was arrested...
Attorney: New Florence murder suspect expected to testify for prosecution
One of three people accused in the murder of a New Florence grandmother will be tried separately from his two co-defendants, signaling a potential agreement to cooperate with prosecutors, an attorney said Tuesday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio pushed back the first-degree murder case against Robert Patrick Jack,...
Judge considers release for Murrysville man accused in neighbor’s assault
A Westmoreland County judge will decide by Friday whether to grant bail to a Murrysville man accused of breaking into a neighbor’s home to make sexual overtures. During a court hearing Monday, defense attorney Pat Noonan said Gregory P. Schneider, 47, was experiencing the effects of a medication change at...
Defense demands dismissal of murder, arson charges in 1993 Jeannette fire case
Lawyers for a former Jeannette man awaiting retrial for the 1993 death of his wife and two young children claim Westmoreland County prosecutors cannot prove the fire that killed them was intentionally set. In pretrial motions submitted Monday, defense attorneys for James Young, 58, argued that homicide and arson charges...
Judge sentences Latrobe man for rape, tells teen victim ‘this was not your fault’
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday sentenced a former Latrobe man to up to 20 years in prison for the 2024 rape of a child. Randy B. Shipley Jr., 40, appeared via video from a state prison in Forest County, where he is awaiting a hearing for an alleged parole...
Trial set for Delmont mother accused in torture death of adopted son
The trial for the Delmont mother accused of torturing and killing her adopted son has been scheduled to begin in early May. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears issued a court order setting jury selection to begin May 4 for Lauren Maloberti, 36. She faces charges that include...
Jury finds Monessen parents not guilty of child endangerment
Felicia Dugan embraced a friend and sobbed Thursday afternoon outside a Westmoreland County courtroom after a jury found her and her former boyfriend not guilty of endangering their 2-year-old twins in their Monessen home in 2024. “I am so happy. I’m getting my kids back, and that’s all that matters,”...
Hotel tax revenues doled out to help promote Westmoreland tourism
Dwight Brown knows that word of mouth isn’t enough to sustain business growth. Brown opened Great Scott Escape in November 2020, a Scottdale business that has grown over the last several years to include three separate rooms for gaming enthusiasts. He wants to see it continue to grow, and said...
Westmoreland jury convicts defendant of drug offenses who refused to attend his trial
A Westmoreland County jury took just nine minutes to convict a Philadelphia man of three drug offenses after he refused to appear in court for his trial. Rysheid Malik Baldwin, 44, was to serve as his own lawyer in what was expected to be a three-day trial on charges that...
