Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 18
Murrysville man pleads guilty in mother’s stabbing
A Murrysville man pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the stabbing of his mother, months after a judge rejected a proposed deal with prosecutors that would have seen him serve four years on probation. Andrew J. Farbarik, 32, was allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced...
Son of former Steelers star to serve up to 16 years for drug offenses
The son of a former Pittsburgh Steelers star was ordered to serve up to 16 years in prison for the attempted sale of raw fentanyl to undercover officers in the Ligonier area. Cortez Marcell Haselrig, 27, of Johnstown pleaded guilty to four felony drug counts in connection with what authorities...
‘Maybe we were living in a silo’: Westmoreland Democratic leader reflects on failed election
Democratic Party leaders in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks as they assessed what comes next in the wake of defeat and the threat of a red wave sweeping through the state. Anger, sadness and confusion marked the reactions to this month’s...
Mt. Pleasant woman charged as part of lawyer’s alleged theft scheme
A Mt. Pleasant woman was arrested Friday for her alleged role as an accomplice to a Latrobe attorney charged last week with swindling funds from a jailed client. Tina Curry, 50, was charged with six felony offenses including theft counts and conspiracy in connection with allegations she and lawyer J....
Defense demands dismissal of charges in Jehovah Witnesses sex abuse case
The lawyer for a Lower Burrell man charged as part of a grand jury probe into allegations of widespread child sex abuse claims within the Jehovah Witnesses community on Thursday argued the case should be dismissed for lack of evidence. Defense attorney Dan Joseph said the alleged victim’s testimony during...
Penn Township nurse practitioner to serve jail sentence for fake prescriptions
A Penn Township nurse practitioner who pleaded guilty last summer to forging prescriptions for thousands of pain pills said two decades of drug addiction led to professional and personal ruin. He asked for leniency from a Westmoreland County judge at his sentencing Thursday. “I am very remorseful for my actions...
Westmoreland County reopens rental assistance program
Westmoreland County will reopen its program to assist low-income renters with monthly bills and housing costs. Finance director Meghan McCandless said the county has allocated the final $80,000 left over from the program along with another $727,000 earned through bank interest over the last three years again offer rental assistance...
Judge exits Latrobe lawyer’s theft case
Westmoreland County President Judge Christopher Feliciani recused himself Wednesday from presiding over a bail hearing for a Latrobe lawyer jailed on charges that he stole money from a client. The judge cited a conflict of interest related to pending legal matters that involved an alleged personal relationship between attorney J....
Authority calls for voluntary conservation in response to state drought conditions
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water customers are being asked to conserve water as drought conditions take hold throughout Pennsylvania. Conservation efforts are voluntary, and municipal authority officials said there is no immediate expectation mandatory cutbacks of water use will be required. “It’s not panic time. It’s nothing like that,”...
Judge rejects former Ligonier Valley police chief’s bid to dismiss sexual assault charges
A former police chief accused of sexually assaulting a patient at an addiction treatment facility will be tried on the charges, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Tuesday. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio rejected a defense claim that the case against former Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger was defective. The...
Provisional ballot challenges heard in Westmoreland County
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg students Sadiki Raessa and Brionna Woodson were anxious to cast their first votes in a presidential election. Raessa, 22, of Lancaster and Woodson, 21, of Philadelphia learned Tuesday their votes will not count. Both were among the 39 voters whose provisional ballots were rejected by...
Westmoreland County doubles scope of 2024 demolition program
Westmoreland County is doubling down on knocking down blighted properties this year. Commissioners this month approved demolition of an additional 13 dilapidated properties and, in doing so, signaled an expansion of a wide-ranging effort to reduce what is estimated to be as many as 1,500 blighted buildings throughout the county....
Man accused of shooting Mogie’s Lower Burrell pub owner remains hospitalized, criminal case on hold
The prosecution of a man accused in the fatal shooting last year of the owner of Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell has again been delayed. Nathan Salem, 45, has been in custody without bond since Dec. 21 after he was charged with criminal homicide and first-degree murder in the...
Jury finds Belle Vernon man guilty in Rostraver road rage killing
A Westmoreland County jury after more than two hours of deliberations Thursday night convicted a Belle Vernon man of third-degree murder for a road rage killing nearly three years ago in Rostraver. Prosecutors contended Anthony Hairston, 29, was guilty of the first-degree murder and the intentional killing of 59-year-old Holly...
Westmoreland County set to review, count provisional ballots
Westmoreland County on Friday will begin counting an estimated 1,200 provisional ballots cast at the polls on Election Day. County officials said it appears nearly 83% of Westmoreland’s more than 255,000 register voters cast ballots during the November presidential election. According to unofficial totals, more than 211,000 ballots were cast....
Trump’s victory fueled by growth in rural counties as he cuts into Democrats’ urban bases
Three factors emerged within the numbers behind Donald Trump’s victory Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Muted turnout in Philadelphia, the state’s largest city, and growing support for the former president in rural and urban centers combined to help pave the way to Trump’s victory. Also contributing was diminished backing for Vice President...
Reschenthaler heads to landslide win to retain U.S. House seat
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler is expected to win a fourth term in Congress as vote totals continued to be tallied Tuesday night. According to unofficial results from the district’s five counties, as of 10 p.m., Reschenthaler had received 64% of the vote with Democratic challenger Chris Dziados receiving...
Democrats once dominated Westmoreland County. Here’s how Republicans won over the region
Bill Bretz had few options to further his political interests while a senior majoring in political science at Saint Vincent College. It was 1993. He was a Republican. “My professor told me that if I wanted to do anything in politics, I would have to change my party registration,” said...
‘Patience is the watch word’ on Election Day as votes are counted, expert says
Voters throughout the nation may have to wait days to learn whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes, election officials say. But Pennsylvania is literally the keystone state to decide who wins the White House once Tuesday’s votes are counted. “Please be...
Westmoreland GOP leaders skip unity rally days after parade float depicted political violence
There was a unity rally planned for political party leaders in Westmoreland County Friday, but only one side came to the event. The noon observance was planned late Thursday after an entry in Mt. Pleasant’s Halloween parade this week depicted political violence. Organized by Westmoreland County Democrats and Mt. Pleasant...
Long delayed North Irwin bridge project slated for 2025
Reconstruction of a now demolished bridge in North Irwin could begin next year after Westmoreland commissionerssigned off on a financing deal that will allocate more than $5.8 million in state funds to complete the project, which has seen little movement over the last decade. County and local officials have sought...
Conflicts in Israel, Ukraine dominate foreign policy issues in presidential race
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series examining where presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on the biggest issues. Today’s segment focuses on foreign policy. ——— Foreign policy is one of the key issues for voters in the presidential election, as the conflicts in the Middle...
Probation sentence ordered for Monessen woman charged with assault on unborn child
A Monessen woman was ordered on Wednesday to serve two years on probation for what police said was assault against an unborn child. Brooke Linn, 18, was charged last month with one felony count of aggravated assault of an unborn child, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection to an...
Indiana County man sentenced to prison for 2020 fatal crash in Derry Township
A Saltsburg man will serve up to five years in prison for causing a fatal crash four years ago in Derry Township Martin J. McKnight, 47, pleaded guilty this week to a felony charge of vehicular homicide for his role in a two-vehicle crash on Sept. 15, 2020. Police said...
Clinton backs Harris, defends Middle East policy during Pitt-Greensburg campaign stopVideo
Former President Bill Clinton gave an impassioned plea in support of Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign stop Tuesday afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Clinton spoke before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 who jammed into the Campana Chapel and Lecture Center in Hempfield. His...
