Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 29
CNX Resources to pay nearly $13K for each 1.5 million gallons drawn from Beaver Run for fracking
A week after water use restrictions were lifted for customers served by Beaver Run Reservoir, a Canonsburg company was given a contract that allows it to buy 51 million gallons of water to use in fracking at nearby gas wells, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday. The authority...
Westmoreland housing authority plots path to solar power
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority wants more power. Officials on Tuesday said a proposed solar farm built on property behind the authority-owned Hempfield Towers could benefit the low-income senior high-rise apartment building and nearby county facilities such as the jail, juvenile detention center and nursing home. “We’re looking for funding...
Appeals court allows whistleblower lawsuit against Pa. GOP caucus
A whistleblower lawsuit filed by the former chief of staff for state Rep. Eric Davanzo can proceed, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has ruled. A three-judge panel this month rejected an effort from the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus to dismiss the lawsuit filed in 2022 by Marcel Nicole Ingram, who claimed she...
Bail is excessive for man accused of tussling with New Kensington police, his attorney says
A Homewood man who was temporarily using a wheelchair following a confrontation with police in January can be released from jail if he posts a $100,000 bond, a judge ruled Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said Anthony Swann, 47, can pay 10% of the bond, $10,000, and...
Mt. Pleasant Township man allowed to embrace his mother before being returned to jail on charges he tried to stab her to death
The criminal case against a Mt. Pleasant Township man charged with the attempted homicide of his mother will continue even though she no longer wants to see her son jailed for the alleged attack, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said. Judge Scott Mears allowed Kort Noel Eckman, 46, and his mother,...
Westmoreland tourism plan will pay for park upgrades
With Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday in the rearview mirror, local leaders are eyeing the United States’ semiquincentennial in 2026. Commissioners last week approved a plan to divert more than $1.3 million in local hotel revenue to fund tourism programs this year. But they also are looking ahead to celebrations planned...
Westmoreland prison warden gets $11,000 raise as county boosts salaries of some employees
Westmoreland County’s new warden, on the job for less than a month, has been given an $11,000 raise. Commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, acting as the county’s salary board this week, approved raises for a series of department heads and supervisors in what they said was an effort to retain...
7th man pleads guilty for role in New Kensington man’s shooting death
A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Thursday for his role in the events that led to the July 2022 shooting death of a man outside a New Kensington apartment building. Raquan Carpenter, 20, was among the seven men and teens charged with criminal homicide in connection with...
Westmoreland County register of wills, judges clash over filing delays during contempt of court hearing
Parents of adopted children told two Westmoreland County judges that months-long delays in the processing of paperwork filed with the Register of Wills Office led to major life interruptions. “It’s been a disaster,” one parent said. Another testified, “Due to the negligence of the office, we had to self-pay for...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track for March reopening
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is expected to reopen this month after being largely closed since June because of staffing shortages and operational problems, officials said Wednesday. The 16-bed facility that houses juvenile criminal offenders closed following a series of state inspections. Those findings prompted county leaders to shutter the...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track for March reopening
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is expected to reopen this month after being largely closed since June because of staffing shortages and operational problems, officials said Wednesday. The 16-bed facility that houses juvenile criminal offenders closed following a series of state inspections. Those findings prompted county leaders to shutter the...
Westmoreland looks to shed label of being a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants
Westmoreland officials say they are looking to shed a label that the county is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. The Center for Immigration Studies declared Westmoreland a sanctuary county in 2014. The Washington, D.C., think tank promotes reduced immigration into the United States. Westmoreland was one of 14 Pennsylvania counties...
Election testing underway in Westmoreland County
More than 19,000 ballots are being cast and counted this week in Westmoreland County. The date of Pennsylvania’s primary election hasn’t been moved up. The unofficial test ballots are being cast and counted to ensure the accuracy of the county’s voting machines in advance of the April 23 primary. “At...
Date of Pa.’s presidential primary makes it too late to make a difference, politicos say
Because Pennsylvania’s presidential primary is more than a month away, the state’s influence in determining Republican and Democratic nominees for the White House will once again be muted this spring, according to political leaders. Voters in more than a dozen Super Tuesday states cast ballots this week in what were...
Westmoreland approves polling site changes for April primary
Westmoreland County’s election board announced a series of changes to polling locations for the April 23 primary. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said a growing reluctance among churches and school districts to serve as host sites for live voting on Election Day had led to a series of changes over...
Murrysville Golf Club likely to remain open under renewed lease
The Murrysville Golf Club is expected to remain open after an arbiter paved the way for current management to continue operating the course. A court-appointed arbiter ruled last month that a three-year lease renewal be awarded to J.K. Golf, the company that operates the public course. James Creenan, lawyer for...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared before county’s election board Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Former nursing home aide acquitted of attempted sex assault charge involving co-worker
A McKeesport man was found not guilty of an attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing home. Daniel Odu, 36, a former nursing aide at the Grove at Irwin, was charged with having improper sexual contact with a 19-year-old fellow employee in a resident’s bathroom on...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared county’s election board on Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Hunker man acquitted of animal cruelty in dog shooting, found guilty of other charges
A Hunker man told a Westmoreland County jury he had no alternative but to kill his neighbor’s dog as it lay wounded in his driveway after being shot by another neighbor. “The dog was growling, showing it’s teeth. I was intimidated. It stood up on its front legs but couldn’t...
Former WCCC student not guilty of screwdriver assault of instructor
It took a Westmoreland County jury just 20 minutes on Tuesday to find a former Westmoreland County Community College student not guilty of assaulting his instructor. Jurors acquitted David Ross, 26, of Unity, of a felony charge of aggravated assault and a simple assault offense. Prosecutors claimed Ross used a...
Jury conduct questioned in appeal of Apollo man’s conviction for wife’s murder
The lawyer for an Apollo man sentenced last month to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife claims improper conduct by jurors should have warranted a mistrial. In court documents filed Monday, defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky claimed one juror improperly contacted an assistant district attorney during...
Trial begins for Hunker man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog
Two dogs who were shot to death were killed by neighbors in retaliation for a dead peacock, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said in court Monday. Jason Beal, 37, of Hunker is accused of shooting one dog and other crimes in an attempt to cover up the incident. He is facing...
Western Pa. elections officials say higher pay for poll workers helped to ease staffing crunch
It takes thousands of employees to run an election. Elections officials across Southwestern Pennsylvania said they continue to gear up and prepare staff needed for the April 23 presidential primary, including the hiring of judges of elections, inspectors and clerks needed to man voting precincts. Concerns about staffing levels have...
Westmoreland to consider services similar to Uber and Lyft as public transit options
A program modeled on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft could begin in Westmoreland County early next year as part of a recasting of the county transit system. The Westmoreland County Transit Authority plan includes changes to existing routes and an emphasis on local service. The ride-sharing program would...
