Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 32
Frustration sets in as hiring struggles continue at juvenile detention center
Westmoreland commissioners said there is growing frustration over delays to fully reopen the county’s juvenile detention center program. The 16-bed detention center at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was closed in June following a series of state inspections that cited the facility for staffing and training issues. It...
Westmoreland tops 100 demolished properties as part of ongoing revitalization effort
Mayors in two Westmoreland County communities said demolition of dozens of dilapidated structures has improved the health and safety of local residents and set the stage for revitalization efforts in their cities. “It means we have reduced crime and reduced costs all around. It allows the concept of a reset...
Evidence linking Unity woman’s death to Thomas Stanko revealed in court filing
A Unity man prosecutors contend killed his girlfriend, although her body hasn’t been found, was suspected of prior abuse against her and former wives, according to court filings. Thomas G. Stanko, 53, was charged in late 2022 with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse in connection with...
Westmoreland County, union exchange proposals as strike deadline looms
Negotiators for Westmoreland County’s largest labor union and the commissioners have exchanged what was described as “final offers” in an effort to avoid the first strike against the county government in more than three decades. Al Smith, staff director and business agent for the Service Employees International Union Local 668...
Cost overruns, supply delays push back opening of Westmoreland Transit Authority garage
Cost overruns and construction delays are likely to push back the scheduled opening of Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s new storage complex in Hempfield for at least several months. Transit officials had planned for the $7.4 million, 16,000-square-foot garage and storage facility to open in February. It sits on a 10-acre...
Future brides search for options at Greensburg wedding show
It’s been a whirlwind since Christmas for Tatum Tocco and her fiance, Steven Whiteman. The Jeannette couple became engaged over the holidays and are planning an October wedding. They were among the hundreds of future brides and grooms who explored options for their impending nuptials at Cavanaugh’s Bride Show at...
2 dead in Indiana County house fire
State police said they are investigating the cause of a house fire early Saturday in Indiana County that killed two people. Authorities said the six departments were called out at 5:23 a.m. to respond to the fire at a residential structure on Fox Road in East Wheatfield. The bodies of...
Man slain in Coraopolis shootings identified, 3 others wounded
An Aliquippa man was killed and three others wounded during a shooting Saturday morning in Coraopolis. Allegheny County Police said the shooting was reported at about 1:45 a.m. along the 800 block of Fourth Avenue. First responders to the scene found a man dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The Allegheny...
Westmoreland County looks to data to improve human service efforts
The concept behind the movie “Moneyball” is coming to Westmoreland County government. Data and analytics will become a central component of how and where the county Human Services Department spends its money and crafts future programs. Human Services Director Rob Hamilton said officials will spend the next year integrating data...
Ligonier Township man sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography
A Ligonier Township man was sentenced Thursday to serve at least two years in prison for possession of child pornography. Mathew Louis Hoffer, 57, pleaded guilty in September to 31 felony counts in connection with more than two dozen photos and videos police said were found on a computer in...
Greensburg law firm gets $72K raise for Westmoreland water, sewer advice
A Greensburg law firm will be getting a 42% raise this year for the work it provides to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Avolio Law, led by Scott Avolio, has been the authority’s attorney since 2013, and, for the past decade, was paid a flat fee of $170,000 annually...
More than 122,000 water customers in region will see rates increase by 9%
Water and sewer rates will increase in April for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers. Authority board members Wednesday unanimously approved 9% increases as part of a $117 million budget officials said was impacted by rising costs associated with the water and sewer service. “The board directed management to keep...
Water conservation to continue as Beaver Run Reservoir level rebounds
Despite recent rains and snowfall that helped boost water levels at Beaver Run Reservoir, mandatory conservation remains in place for about 56,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers. Authority officials said water levels have rebounded at the reservoir that straddles Bell and Washington townships. The reservoir serves the northern half...
Former Westmoreland jail guard pleads guilty to conspiring in assault of inmate
A former jail guard pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in the assault of an inmate at Westmoreland County Prison. Prosecutors said Brian J. Prinkey, 26, of Connellsville, was working as a corrections officer on Aug. 20, 2022, when he conspired with two inmates who were accused of beating a...
Court-appointed defense lawyers costs nearly doubled in 2023
A change implemented last year in how Westmoreland County pays defense lawyers appointed by judges to represent indigent criminal defendants nearly doubled costs for the program in 2023. Faced with opposition from the pool of lawyers who sought higher pay, the county in June shifted back to a system where...
Housing authority sets construction goals for 2024
Tenants could begin moving into the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s newest facility as early as May, officials said Friday. Construction of the 50-unit Grand View Senior Residences development in North Huntingdon started last year and is expected to be completed this spring, according to housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich....
Greensburg woman’s sentence in 2010 torture killing upheld
The 60 years-to-life prison sentence being served by a Greensburg woman for her role in the 2010 torture killing of Jennifer Daugherty has been upheld by a state appeals court. In an opinion released Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected a defense request to invalidate the...
Jury acquits New Stanton man of rape, but finds him guilty of lesser offenses
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday found a New Stanton man not guilty of raping a woman at a Hempfield Halloween party in 2020 but they convicted him of a sexual assault charge. Anthony Lucas, 28, was accused of barging into a bathroom during the party in 2020 and forcing...
Man found in North Huntingdon motel with teen runaway convicted of drug, gun counts
A man was convicted Wednesday of charges that he illegally possessed a gun and drugs when he was found in a North Huntingdon motel with a runaway teenager from Beaver County. Robert Easley, 42, formerly of Ohio, claimed during a three-day trial in Westmoreland County that police planted a handgun...
Trial begins for New Stanton man charged with bathroom rape at 2020 Halloween party
A Mt. Pleasant woman testified Monday that she intentionally kept quiet during an alleged rape in a bathroom because her daughter was sleeping in the next room. “I just left the bathroom and didn’t call out for help because my daughter was in the next room sleeping,” she said in...
DA drops alleged rape case after accuser declines to testify
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Monday dismissed rape and related charges against a Blairsville man who police claimed was linked to alleged sexual assaults through DNA evidence. Felony counts of rape, sexual assault, possession of child pornography and other offenses were dropped as jury selection in the case against Lawrence Paul...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to Hempfield bank robbery
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty Monday to the robbery of a Hempfield bank two years ago. Jonathan Smith Jr., 31, will remain free on $50,000 unsecured bond until he is sentenced in about three months. He pleaded guilty to charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and making a terroristic...
What’s that? Robot stands guard at Hempfield concrete business
Editor’s note: “What’s That?” is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@tribweb.com. A 10-foot statue may surprise some motorists as they pass by the front entrance to a Hempfield concrete company. The steel creation...
Judge rules former Derry man charged with sexual assaults of multiple teens competent to stand trial
A former Derry man will stand trial in five cases in which he is charged with sexual assaults and other crimes against multiple teenage girls over the last year. Christopher Fraser, 20, was charged last year in connection with allegations he had improper sexual contact with children ranging from 12...
‘I will never be who I was before the shooting,’ woman shot on Pa. Turnpike tells gunman
As Morgan King drove to her Eastern Pennsylvania home after a weekend in Pittsburgh, the last thing she expected was to be shot in a fit of road rage. King, 40, was hospitalized for five days for injuries suffered from the shot fired by Andrew Skinner, 33, of Monroeville moments...
