Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 13
Municipalities ask courts to dissolve dormant Crabtree sewer authority
More than a decade after three municipalities created the Crabtree Municipal Authority, they’ve asked a Westmoreland County judge to formally dissolve the agency. In a court filing last week, lawyers for Hempfield, Salem and Unity townships called for the authority, which has been dormant for several years, to be disbanded....
GOP endorses incumbents for Westmoreland row officer seats
Westmoreland Republicans this weekend endorsed five incumbent row officers and a newly appointed judge in advance of the May 20 primary election. Two of those incumbents, Register of Wills Jon Wian and Coroner Tim Carson, face nomination challengers this spring. Wian was appointed in February serve in the role until...
2 plead guilty to Arnold drive-by shooting, high-speed police chase through several A-K Valley towns
Two Pittsburgh residents pleaded guilty Friday to their role in a drive-by shooting more than two years ago in Arnold. The incident ended with a high-speed chase through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley and a collision with a police vehicle. Tishan Lowe Jr., 33 and Imani Patterson, 27, were charged...
Democrats sit out primary for Westmoreland County row offices
No Democratic candidates have filed to run for Westmoreland County row offices this year, further weakening a political brand that dominated the area just two decades ago. Two Republican incumbents — newly appointed Register of Wills Jon Wian and first-term Coroner Tim Carson — face opposition in this spring’s Republican...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A Greensburg man in jail since January was paroled Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges. Bryan J. Thompson, 56, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts in connection with allegations he failed to get medical attention for his 3-year-old dog, a rottweiler named Leo. One felony count of aggravated...
California woman sentenced to jail for local cryptocurrency scam
A California woman was ordered Wednesday to serve at least five months in jail for her role for an attempted scam involving cryptocurrency investments. Yamei Shi, 35, pleaded guilty in Westmoreland County to felony counts of deceptive business practices and the criminal use of a communication device as part of...
Palmer airport terminal expansion project impacted by winter weather
Construction of a new, larger terminal at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity is about two months behind schedule, officials said Tuesday. This winter’s cold and snow delayed ongoing work to build the foundation for the $22 million, 32,000-square-foot terminal that will double the size of the flight waiting areas,...
Jeannette man receives prison sentence for child porn possession
A Jeannette man was ordered Tuesday to serve up to up to 52 months in prison for the possession and dissemination of child pornography. Anthony J. Cortazzo IV, 38, pleaded guilty in December to 11 felony counts in connection with an investigation launched last year after a former girlfriend reported...
Appeal in Loyalhanna triple murder case identifies potential new suspects
New attorneys for a former Loyalhanna business owner on death row for the murder of his sister, mother and elderly aunt in 2009 claim they have identified two other men as the potential killers. The evidence, they say, bolsters arguments that a new trial is warranted. Kevin Murphy, 64, of...
Theft case against Latrobe attorney is postponed
A Westmoreland County judge Monday delayed a trial for a Latrobe attorney accused of bilking a jailed client. Acting on a defense request, Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio approved the two-month postponement of the theft case filed against attorney John Allen Roth. The defense said the delay was to await a prosecution...
Westmoreland commissioners approve new labor deal, suspend work rules for nonunion staff
Westmoreland commissioners last week ratified a new labor deal for the county’s largest municipal police force and issued the temporary halt of a hiring policy that officials claim has skewed hiring and pay scales throughout the government. The commissioners approved a five-year contract with the Park Police Association of Westmoreland...
Jeannette man’s murder convictions, life sentences vacated over debunked fire science
A former Jeannette man serving three life prison sentences for the first-degree murders of his wife and two young children in 1993 is entitled to a new trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani vacated the convictions and sentences of James Young, 57, who...
Officials say flights to Fort Lauderdale to resume from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Direct flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will resume in May, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority announced Friday. Spirit Airlines will initially operate two weekly flights to the south Florida city, a move officials said will return profitability and jobs to Westmoreland County’s lone commuter airport....
Jury finds Greensburg man guilty of child rape
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday convicted a Greensburg man of the sexual assault of a young child. James A. Swanson, 48, was found guilty of two felony offenses, rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, in connection with allegations of improper conduct with a 3-year-old boy in 2019 and 2020....
Longtime Westmoreland transit board chairman Frank Tosto Jr. passed over for reappointment
Republican Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday replaced longtime Westmoreland County Transit Authority board member Frank Tosto Jr., saying it was time for change on the board that oversees public transportation. “Nobody is to be on a board forever. Yes, he has knowledge and experience, but the board, as a recommendation,...
Ross tabbed as new Westmoreland County Election Bureau director
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday tabbed the county’s head of information technology to serve as the new election bureau director. Scott Ross of Youngwood was formally appointed to run the courthouse office that oversees elections as part of a newly created position that combines election functions with the job...
Prosecutors refute defense claims, say there’s no doubt Unity woman was murdered
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Wednesday issued a stern rebuke of claims made by the lawyer of a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend. Prosecutors said the lawyer for Thomas Stanko in court documents filed last month falsely claimed it was accepted as fact that no evidence supports claims...
Greensburg man on trial for rape of young child
Testimony began Tuesday in the trial of a Greensburg man accused of raping a 3-year-old child in 2019. James Swanson, 48, is charged with three felony counts of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in connection with allegations that he had repeated sexual contact...
Westmoreland libraries rebrand, announce name change
Westmoreland County’s library system is freshening up its vibe. The network of 26 locations and branches has rebranded as Westmoreland County Libraries and has started to distribute new cards to its nearly 60,000 users to reflect the name change. “We did an entire rebranding and polled the community to design...
New Kensington man’s past crimes cited for lengthy prison sentence
A New Kensington man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 14 years in prison for the illegal possession of a firearm, a continuation of what Westmoreland County prosecutors said has been a lifetime of crime. Alejandro David D’Argan, 28, was convicted last December of two charges — a weapons...
Westmoreland County suspends new purchasing director
Westmoreland officials for the second time in less than a year suspended the director of the county’s purchasing department. Daniel Ellingsen, who has been on the job since mid-November, was placed on paid leave early last week for undisclosed reasons. His suspension was changed to unpaid starting Wednesday, Commissioner Ted...
Scottdale man ruled sexual predator after serving prison term for rape
A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday declared a Scottdale man, who completed a six-year prison sentence in 2023 for assaulting a teenage boy, to be a sexually violent predator. Anthony Kiliany, 59, pleaded guilty in 2017 to 14 charges including multiple felony counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault...
Judge says sex assault victim’s emotional outburst no grounds to overturn conviction
A teenage girl’s behavior while testifying before a jury did not prejudice their decision to convict a man accused of sexually assaulting the girl, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Tuesday. In a 19-page opinion, Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio ruled convictions of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center could double its capacity
Plans remain on course for the potential doubling of the number of teens confined at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield, Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention board members said Monday. The facility closed in June 2023 following a series of state inspections that were critical of its operation. It reopened...
On release from Westmoreland jail, ex-inmates often have to hoof it
John Boettger says his automobile shop in South Greensburg has seen a number of unwanted visitors over the past year. Boettger on Monday told members of Westmoreland County’s prison board that released inmates have become a common sight walking along the roadways near his store. He asked officials to find...
