Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 10
New Florence voters to decide if post-Prohibition alcohol ban is lifted
When Becky Richey and her husband opened C&T’s Pizza in New Florence a quarter-century ago, it never occurred to them that their customers couldn’t enjoy a cold brew with their meal. A referendum on Tuesday’s primary election ballot pitched by Richey could give her thirsty patrons another drink option by...
Disabled caseworker, Westmoreland County settle wrongful termination lawsuit
Westmoreland commissioners voted Thursday to pay $7,500 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former children’s bureau caseworker who claimed he was improperly fired after one month on the job. Former Fayette County Controller Sean Lally contended he was discriminated against by supervisors in the county’s child welfare office...
Lyft driver on the lam, no shows for sentencing in North Huntingdon crash
An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for a Lyft driver who pleaded guilty last year for her role in a drunken multi-vehicle crash in North Huntingdon left six people injured. The lawyer for Slobodanka Bulatovic, 49, of North Versailles, told a Westmoreland County judge he learned about a half-hour before...
Westmoreland Democrats to hold town hall to address proposed Trump budget
Westmoreland County Democrats will convene a town hall meeting next week in Greensburg to address potential cuts in federal social service programs. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m. May 19 at Greensburg Hose Co. No. 1, will feature former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and Martin O’Malley, who served as commissioner...
Construction delays cause turbulence for Palmer airport expansion project
Delays have left construction of a $22 million new terminal building at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport at least three months behind schedule, officials confirmed Tuesday. Delivery of the domestic steel needed to erect the 32,000-square-foot expansion of the main terminal building was slated to arrive earlier this spring but now...
Eberly family disheartened over PSU Fayette campus potential closing
Robert Eberly Jr. is keenly aware that part of his family’s legacy hangs in the balance as a decision looms about the future of the Penn State campus named for his father. Renamed Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in 2004, the site in the largely rural county is among...
Daughter’s threat against mother allowed as evidence in upcoming murder trial
Evidence that a New Florence woman threatened to kill her mother years before she and two teen-aged boys, according to Westmoreland prosecutors, conspired to commit murder is admissible at trial, a judge ruled Monday. Prosecutors contend that investigators overheard Melissa Sue Fox-Beacom say to her mother, “I am going to...
Incumbent, former deputy seek Republican nomination for Westmoreland coroner
Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson and his Republican challenger worked together in the office for about two months in early 2022. Now, three years later, former Deputy Coroner John Ackerman wants Carson’s job. Carson said the changes and upgrades he instituted during his first term in office warrant his reelection...
Irwin man pleads guilty to sexual assault of teen
An Irwin man was ordered to serve up to nine years in prison for the the sexual assault of a teenage girl during a July 4 party in 2020. Chad S. Flow, 51, formerly of Hempfield, pleaded guilty Friday to felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault...
Past, present leaders vie for Westmoreland Register of Wills post
In an unprecedented move last summer, a Westmoreland County judge ordered Westmoreland County’s three-term Register of Wills to resign. In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Senate chose a new temporary administrator for the courthouse office where wills, estates, adoptions, guardianships and marriage licenses are filed and processed. Now,...
Now boarding: Flights to Myrtle Beach, Fort Lauderdale resume at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Shawn and Mary McMullen didn’t expect hoopla Wednesday morning when they arrived at the ticket counter of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to purchase airfare for an upcoming trip to Disney World. “It is so convenient. This is the easiest place for use to fly out of,” Shawn McMullen said. The...
Jury convicts Connellsville man for video recording of topless teen
A Connellsville man was convicted Wednesday in Westmoreland County court of recording and possessing a sexually explicit video of a teenage girl. After nearly three hours of deliberations, a jury found Jonathan Dulaney, 30, guilty of three felony offenses, including two counts of sexual abuse of children. Prosecutors said he...
Appeals court reinstates Republican mayoral candidate to primary ballot
A state appeals court just two weeks before the May 20 primary has reinstated a Jeannette mayoral candidate to the Republican ballot. The ruling has left Westmoreland County election officials scrambling to reprogram voting machines and send more than 100 new mail-in ballots to Jeannette’s Republican voters. In a ruling...
Ballot drop-off parking OK’d at Westmoreland courthouse
Westmoreland County officials approved final preparations for the May 20 primary election. County commissioners, acting as the elections board, on Monday earmarked two short-term parking spaces along Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg for voters who wish to drop off mail-in ballots at the elections bureau. The parking spots are near the...
Trial begins for Connellsville man charged with child porn
Testimony in the trial of a Connellsville man accused of soliciting and distributing images of child pornography will begin Tuesday. Westmoreland County prosecutors charged Jonathan A. Dulaney, 30, with five counts, alleging that in December 2021 and January 2022 he and his then-wife surreptitiously recorded images of a teenage girl...
Twin Lakes pavilion destroyed in March windstorm will be rebuilt
Westmoreland commissioners approved an emergency contract Monday to rebuild a picnic pavilion that was destroyed by a windstorm at Twin Lakes Park. Wind gusts in March uprooted a large tree, causing it to crash into the large wooden structure, according to Public Works Director Dante DeCario. Pavilion No. 3 is...
Greensburg teen pleads guilty to armed robbery
A Greensburg teen pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a man last year in Hempfield. Cayden Essway, 17, has been in jail since his arrest after being charged as an adult with counts related to what police said was a violent armed robbery on Mt. Pleasant Road on April...
Study highlights economic impact of Westmoreland Cultural Trust
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, through its operation of the Palace Theatre in Greensburg and other real estate holdings and sponsored activities, had an economic impact to the county of nearly $13 million last year, according to a study released by the nonprofit agency. Executive Director Benjamin Luczak said the trust...
Future of Ligonier boutique hotel pavilion in limbo after zoning board rescinds permit
Ligonier Borough’s zoning hearing board has rescinded an occupancy permit for a unique outdoor pavilion built last fall to host events near the historic Diamond. But in a legal notice published in the Tribune-Review this week, owners of Thistledown at Seger House, a nine-room boutique hotel on West Main Street,...
Key witness in police shooting to testify on tape amid concerns of potential flight, overdose
Prosecutors have valid concerns that a key witness against a Clairton man accused in the 2023 shooting of a Monroeville police officer could flee or die before next month’s trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. The witness, according to prosecutors, was a passenger with Bruce Alvarado as he fled in...
Greensburg man sentenced to prison for girlfriend’s beatings
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for two brutal attacks that injured an East Huntingdon woman in 2023. James Dennis Lehneke Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in two separate cases to multiple felony charges, including strangulation, aggravated assault and related offenses that police said occurred several...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to lesser charges in fatal overdose
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed a charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection with the fatal overdose of a Greensburg man who died in 2023. Hugh Hawkey, 49, of Greensburg, pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser drug-related counts after a Westmoreland County judge ruled in favor of the defense’s challenge...
Derry Township couple plead guilty to child’s beating
A Derry Township couple pleaded guilty Tuesday to repeatedly assaulting a teenage boy so severely he is permanently disfigured. Charles E. Harr, 54, and his wife, Jamie Denise Harr, 53, were charged with multiple felony offenses in connection with allegations they beat and strangled the child for more than four...
Westmoreland jail population nears limit; juvenile detention center expansion plan progresses
The inmate population at Westmoreland County Prison has swelled to its highest numbers this decade, prompting officials to watch for signs of overcrowding. Meanwhile, local leaders said they want to increase the number of teens housed next door at the county’s juvenile detention center in Hempfield. The jail on Monday...
Ligoner Township man pleads guilty in father’s stabbing
A Ligonier Township man pleaded guilty to lesser charges for stabbing his father last year. Michael Glenn Glass, 27, has been in jail since his arrest in March 2024 after he was charged with felony attempted homicide, aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and possession of instruments of...
