Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 9
Westmoreland County launches grant program to increase access to online services
The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local...
Victim’s father offers no forgiveness for brother charged in nephew’s fatal overdose
Daniel Rebosky told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he will not forgive his brother for the role he played in his son’s 2021 overdose death. “God teaches us to forgive, but I cannot forgive Michael Rebosky because he let this happen,” Daniel Rebosky said during a sentencing hearing for his...
Torture claim allowed against Delmont parents charged in adopted son’s murder
Testimony that a 5-year-old Delmont boy was tortured by his adoptive parents will be admissible at an upcoming trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled on Monday. Following a daylong hearing, Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said he will allow prosecutors to present the evidence of torture against parents Lauren and...
Pa. AG Sunday to defer to state’s Democratic governor in Trump legal fights
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday says he’s not looking for a fight with the Trump administration. The attorney general, during a wide-ranging interview with TribLive on Friday afternoon during a stop at the White Rabbit Cafe in Greensburg, said dealing with the political tension that has ripped through the nation...
Yough River crossing included in MAWC system upgrades
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County intends to cross the Youghiogheny River. The agency’s board on Wednesday signed off on $12.7 million upgrades to its system that provides water to more than 123,000 customers in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties. Among the upgrades is installation of a 48-inch...
New Alexandria man sentenced for 2023 confrontation with police
A New Alexandria man convicted of resisting arrest during a 2023 confrontation with state police in Unity was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation but will serve no additional jail time. Denton G. Krapf, 49, was found guilty in February of one misdemeanor count by a Westmoreland County jury....
Observation of federal Juneteenth holiday varies throughout region
Many areas of Western Pennsylvania are inconsistent in their approach to observing Juneteenth. Federal and state offices are closed and employees will have a paid day off Thursday for the official holiday that was designated in 2021. Meanwhile, workers at courthouses in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be on the...
Housing authority director says federal budget cuts to have drastic impact on residents
Two key programs that assist low-income Westmoreland County Housing Authority residents are on the chopping block as part of the Trump administration’s federal budget proposal awaiting congressional approval. Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said the bill passed last month by the U.S. House, and awaiting a Senate vote, slashes...
Hunker man pleads guilty in forged check theft scheme, ordered to repay victims
A three-year theft ring operated by a Hunker man swindled dozens of businesses and led to the prosecution of two innocent people whose stolen checks were used in the scheme. Police said William D. Barnhart used forged stolen checks to purchase high-priced merchandise throughout the region. Barnhart, 56, pleaded guilty...
Bubble bursts for Greensburg record attempt
Greensburg blew it. The city’s attempt to set a new world record for group bubble-gum blowing fell short Saturday. But organizers pledged to try again. “We did get a Westmoreland County record but did not make the world record,” said Amy Beeghly, president of the Greensburg Business & Professional Association,...
Father’s Day fishing derby brings out dads and kids
The lure of the lake made Father’s Day special for Sean Joyce and his two boys. Joyce, along with 14-year-old Declan and Finn, celebrating his 12th birthday, were among the hundreds at Twin Lakes Park, straddling the border between Unity and Latrobe for Westmoreland County’s annual Father’s Day Fishing Derby....
Man killed in Safari Club shooting in Duquesne
One man was killed following a shooting late Friday night inside a Duquesne bar. The shooting was reported just before midnight at the Safari Club on the 700 block of Grant Avenue, Allegheny County police said. Witnesses told investigators there was a physical altercation inside the bar that led to...
New York men plead guilty in sweepstakes scam that prompted sting in Unity
Two men from New York soon will be paroled after serving two months in jail for swindling an elderly Unity woman while posing as delivery men who offered a $5 million lottery award. Floyd B. Forrest, 26, and Reheem J. Anderson, 22, each pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony theft...
McKeesport man pleads guilty to gun theft from North Huntingdon home
An Allegheny County man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the theft of guns from a North Huntingdon home in 2021. John Steven Hudak, 49, of McKeesport was charged nearly three years ago with the theft and illegal possession and sales of 13 guns from a home safe while its owner...
Palace Theatre moves to cashless payments
The Palace Theatre in Greensburg has gone cashless. Audience members looking to purchase snacks and drinks while attending shows will be required to use plastic and digital payment options, according to Daniel Stainer, spokesman for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust. The trust, which owns and operates the Palace Theatre, instituted the...
‘Snowbirds’ jet team highlights 100th anniversary of Westmoreland air show
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials expect as many as 50,000 spectators will gather at the runway next weekend to gaze into the sky as nine acts perform air stunts and flyovers. It will be the 100th anniversary of the first air show held at what is now called Arnold Palmer...
Ex-wife pleads guilty to lesser charge following testimony in child porn trial
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Monday dismissed four felony and one misdemeanor counts related to allegations of child pornography against a Mt. Pleasant woman. Jennie Lynn Dulaney, 23, pleaded guilty to an amended summary count of disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $25 fine. Her testimony last month led...
Democratic turnout surpasses Republicans in Westmoreland primary election
Westmoreland County’s primary election results are in the books. The county elections board gave final certification to the hundreds of races on the Republican and Democrat ballots last month, setting the stage for November’s general election. Election Bureau Director Scott Ross said nearly 54,000 ballots were cast for the May...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to torture of girlfriend’s dog
A Mt. Pleasant Township man is facing a 4-year prison sentence for the torture of a dog owned by his now former girlfriend. Zachary Robert Hixson, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts including aggravated cruelty to animals, neglect of an animal and animal cruelty in connection with allegations...
Westmoreland write-in votes push Republican row office candidates to victory on Democratic ticket
Democratic and Republican voters in Westmoreland County nominated the same row office candidates to represent their parties in the fall general election. Republican challengers Katie Pecarchik and John Ackerman, as they did in the GOP primary, defeated current officeholders in the Democratic primaries for register of wills and coroner with...
Case against Unity man charged with murder of missing girlfriend on hold for 2 months
Kathe Gross has waited more than seven years to see justice for her daughter. Following a court hearing Tuesday, Gross learned she will have to continue to wait as a trial for the Unity man charged with her daughter’s murder was delayed yet again. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael...
Westmoreland GOP concedes endorsements had little impact on county primary
Days after two Republican row officers were ousted by former longtime Democrats who only recently switched to the GOP, party officials in Westmoreland County are looking for reasons why. The apparent primary victory of Katie Pecarchik over Register of Wills Jon Wian and John Ackerman’s defeat of incumbent Coroner Tim...
Judge to decide future of Ligonier pavilion
Ligonier Borough neighbors are asking a Westmoreland County judge to enforce a zoning board ruling and rescind permits that allowed owners of a boutique hotel to build and host events in an adjoining designer pavilion. A land use appeal filed this week challenged a legal claim made by owners of...
Mentally ill Greensburg mother to serve prison sentence for daughter’s attempted murder
A Greensburg woman told a Westmoreland County judge she believed her best option to protect herself and her then-6-year-old daughter from an imagined serial killer with whom she believed she had been romantically involved was to end their lives in her own way. Skye C. Naggy, 32, on Friday insisted...
Judge rejects defense call to dismiss death penalty case in New Kensington son’s slaying
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected claims from a Brackenridge father facing a potential death penalty that prosecutors are biased and have insufficient evidence to prove he killed his 9-year-old son three years ago in New Kensington. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio in a 19-page ruling found there was...
