Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 5
Blairsville woman sentenced to jail term for 2024 fatal Derry Twp. crash
John Higgins said he and his 10-year-old daughter continue to struggle with the death of his fiance, who was killed in a head-on crash last year in Derry Township. Ashley Kelley, 33, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve nearly one year in jail for her role...
Judge withdraws from Westmoreland County prison board
Westmoreland County’s jail oversight board for now will operate without representation from the court. Prison Board Chairman Doug Chew said Monday during the board’s monthly meeting that Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. has withdrawn from the body that includes the three county commissioners, Sheriff James Albert, District Attorney Nicole...
Westmoreland commissioners cancel public meetings amid state budget crisis
Because there’s no money to spend, Westmoreland County commissioners say, there is no need to conduct this week’s regularly scheduled public meetings at the courthouse. Commissioners canceled their agenda meeting set for Tuesday morning and Thursday’s public voting session in response to the ongoing state budget impasse that has halted...
Mt. Pleasant Twp. man pleads guilty in December shooting incident
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to five years in prison in connection with a shooting incident in December 2024. Police claimed he and his father chased a motorist and fired multiple rounds during the incident. Paul Anthony Caletri III, 31, pleaded guilty to one...
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette celebrates 135th birthday
Karen and Bill Davis of Penn Township grew up at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette, where they met and later married before moving away to Maryland in the late 1980s. After the birth of their first child in 1994, they returned home and to the church where they spent...
2 dead in Aliquippa shooting
Two people were shot and killed Saturday night in Aliquippa in an incident state police said involved no other people. Cynthia Zipfel, 43, of Aliquippa was discovered by police inside of her parked vehicle in a lot behind a building on Franklin Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. Police said Jalen...
Woman stabbed, another detained in Glen Hazel
Pittsburgh police said Sunday that a woman was taken into custody following a stabbing in the city’s Glen Hazel neighborhood. Investigators said they responded to a residence on the 620 block of Johnstown Avenue at about 8:20 a.m. and found an adult female with one stab wound to the stomach....
Nothing to see: Westmoreland commissioners debate streaming of public meetings
Despite public pleas, Westmoreland commissioners have yet to reach consensus on a plan to make video viewing an option for those who want to watch how county business is conducted. Commissioner Ted Kopas this month endorsed a plan to livestream public meetings that are conducted once or twice monthly at...
Hempfield unveils 1st phase of new $15 million park
A 43-acre plot adjacent to Route 30 in Hempfield that a decade ago was to be home to a medical complex was opened Saturday for what township leaders anticipate will be the centerpiece of a rejuvenated recreational system servicing central Westmoreland County. Hempfield officials unveiled the nearly completed first-phase of...
‘A lot of anxiety’: Westmoreland furlough plan could impact more than 100 staffers
As many as 100 Westmoreland County employees are expected to be furloughed as commissioners finalize plans to reduce spending amid the ongoing state budget impasse. Commissioner Ted Kopas said Wednesday administrators and human resource officials are expected to begin notifying nonunion staffers this week who will be temporarily removed from...
Ohio man pleads guilty in fatal Route 22 crash
An Ohio man pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge for causing a fatal 2023 crash on Route 22 in Salem that killed his 16-year-old passenger. Ricardo Pierre Hardy Jr., 24, was ordered to serve five years of probation, including 18 months of house arrest, after Westmoreland County prosecutors agreed...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County sets fee for lead line replacements
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will charge property owners in eight northern communities $3,200 to voluntarily replace lead water lines in their homes and businesses. Authority board members approved a plan last week they said caps charges and subsidizes water line replacements as part of what is expected to...
Westmoreland looks to finalize job cut plan as state budget talks lag
Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires will repay his October salary to the county so furloughs in his office can be prevented, he said Friday. “They (commissioners) wanted me to furlough at least one person, so I thought the sacrifice needs to come from leadership first,” Squires said. Commissioners this week...
Irwin man pleads guilty to possession of child porn, sentenced to at least 4 years in prison
An Irwin man was ordered to serve at least 4 years in prison for possession of child pornography. Joshua David Ward, 34, pleaded guilty this week to three felony counts in connection with allegations he distributed and possessed more than 100 images that depicted child sexual assaults, police said. According...
Westmoreland County to furlough staff, partially close parks as Pa. budget impasse continues
Westmoreland commissioners said employees will be furloughed in two weeks and the county parks will partially close in early October as a result of the ongoing state budget impasse. Commissioners on Thursday instructed department heads to make recommendations for a temporary job reduction plan as part of continued cost-savings efforts....
E-bike rider gets probation after police say he ignored order to avoid crash scene
A Greensburg e-bike rider pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of disorderly conduct after police said he stumbled into and refused to leave the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hempfield this summer. Jonathan V. Mezeivtch, 35, was sentenced to one year of probation. He was charged after police...
Former Jeannette man awaiting retrial for 1993 fatal fire seeks release from jail
A former Jeannette man jailed for more than three decades in connection with the deaths of his wife and two young children wants to be released from custody as his case moves through the court system. Lawyers for James Young, 58, contend his speedy trial rights have been violated. They...
Southmoreland district, teachers in legal fight over weight-loss drugs
Southmoreland School District is in a legal battle with its teachers union over insurance coverage for prescription weight-loss drugs. The district has filed a lawsuit in Westmoreland County, asking a judge to overturn an arbiter’s decision that sided with the union. According to court filings, the district’s decision to stop...
Westmoreland Housing Authority OKs $17.1 million budget
Westmoreland County Housing Authority board members on Tuesday approved the agency’s annual operating budget that officials hope will be an accurate spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Rachel Fritz, the authority’s chief financial officer, told board members the budgets for administrative costs and public housing programs total $17.1 million...
Rape charge dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s plea deal
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to reduced charges following allegations of a violent sexual assault last year in Arnold. As part of a negotiated plea deal, prosecutors dismissed felony charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, aggravated assault and sexual assault against Marque Angelo Sanders in return for guilty...
Longtime chief of staff to Senate leader Kim Ward resigns
A shakeup is coming to the legislative staff of Pennsylvania Senate President Tempore Kim Ward. Ward, R-Hempfield, announced Friday her longtime chief of staff Rob Ritson has resigned to take at job at UPMC. Ritson has served as Ward’s top aide for 23 years. “Rob’s professionalism and demeanor set an...
Westmoreland commissioners decline to consider ballot curing for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners Thursday again rejected calls to allow mail-in voters an opportunity to fix errors that could lead to the disqualification of their ballots in November. During the public comment period of the commissioners’ meeting at the courthouse, a handful of voters — most of them registered Democrats...
Jury convicts East Huntingdon man wounded in shootout with state police
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday rejected defense claims that an East Huntingdon man’s shootout with state police last year was covered up by investigators to shield authorities from allegations of improper use of force. Jurors deliberated nearly five hours before returning 18 guilty verdicts against James R. Miller Jr.,...
Westmoreland halts spending; threatens service cuts, layoffs amid state budget impasse
Westmoreland County leaders said a looming financial crisis could result in layoffs, service cuts and facility closures without a quick resolution to the ongoing state budget impasse in Harrisburg. The county commissioners this week instructed department heads to limit spending as part of an initial phase of mandatory cost-containment measures....
Troopers testify they feared for their lives during 2024 East Huntingdon shootoutVideo
Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers testified Tuesday they feared for their life when they opened fire last year on an East Huntingdon man during what they called a routine neighborhood canvass after responding to a shots fired report earlier that night. “He refused to drop his weapon,” testified Tpr. Brandon...
