Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 27
Westmoreland politicos put primary in the past, look ahead to November
A day after only 30% of Westmoreland County’s voters cast ballots in a sleepy primary with few contested races, local political leaders said Wednesday they are setting their sights on what they expect to be a rugged general election campaign. Even with just a handful of down-ballot races on the...
Dziados leads in Democratic primary for chance to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress
Retired U.S. Army veteran Chris Dziados, with overwhelming support from his home county, appeared ahead in the race to secure the Democratic nomination in the 14th Congressional District. According to the unofficial results, Dziados will face incumbent Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in November. Dziados, 43, of South Strabane, Washington County, had...
Texas trucker returns home after hit-and-run guilty plea
A Texas truck driver was scheduled to jet home Monday night to Dallas after serving nearly 16 months in the Westmoreland County Prison for a hit-and-run crash in the parking lot of a Hempfield auto parts store. Quantae M. Beavers, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault,...
Westmoreland transit launches real time bus tracking
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority this month launched a mobile phone application that provides riders with real-time tracking of local buses. The MyStop app allows passengers to receive updates on bus locations and estimated arrival times along the agency’s route system that includes commuter service to Pittsburgh and local service...
Voting precincts remain inaccessible to some disabled voters in Westmoreland County
Adam Halfill’s job description doesn’t include heavy lifting. But when Halfill reports to work Tuesday as the judge of elections at Greensburg Hose Company No. 3, he understands the job could involve the use of a little muscle. “Voters have to come down four or five steps to get into...
GOP reverses course, says mail-in ballots key to 2024 success
Local Republican leaders are pushing voters to get in the game when it comes to mail-in ballots, even if the most prominent voice in the party still is resistant. “It is important because we’re already starting each election with a deficit,” said Westmoreland GOP Committee Chairman Bill Bretz. “Many Democratic...
Latrobe man will serve at least 15 years in prison for Derry Township dagger, bat attack
A Latrobe man was ordered to serve 15 to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a brutal assault in Derry Township that left three people severely injured. Westmoreland County prosecutors say Nicholas McIntyre broke into the Fourth Street apartment where his former girlfriend and...
Scottdale contractor ordered to serve extra prison term for home improvement thefts
Scottdale contractor Jason Pirl said life just got away from him after he suffered two heart attacks in October 2020. His health crisis in the midst of the raging coronavirus pandemic left his home repair business in tatters. Then ongoing alcohol and gambling addictions made his problems worse, Pirl said....
MAWC OKs Hempfield sewer project after 4-year delay
Sewer lines will be extended near Baltzer Meyer Road and Fort Allen Elementary School in Hempfield in a nearly $500,000 project that’s been stalled for four years. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members awarded a contract with W.A. Petrakis Inc. of Penn Township to install more than 7,000 feet...
Sex assault counts dropped against former North Huntingdon nursing aide
Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said it will no longer pursue sexual assault charges against a former aide at a North Huntingdon nursing home. A jury in March found Daniel Odu, 36, of McKeesport not guilty of the attempted rape of a 19-year-old co-worker at the Grove at Irwin in...
Greensburg man to serve 10-year prison term for rape of child
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison for the rape of a child in 2007. Jared Christopher Painter, 35, pleaded guilty in January to two felony counts of rape and charges of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and sexual assault. According to court records,...
Monessen teen pleads guilty in friend’s killing
A Monessen teenager pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of his 16-year-old classmate in 2022. Terry Newton, 17, had been scheduled to go to trial May 6 on criminal homicide charges related to his role in the Nov. 29, 2022...
Steel City Con crowds bolster call to retain Monroeville Convention Center
The Monroeville Convention Center was home to about 18,000 cosplayers, celebrity seekers, hobbyists and the plain curious this weekend, just more than a month after the center’s future was very much in doubt. In February, owners of the three-day Steel City Con, one of the largest events conducted each year...
1 dead, another wounded in West Elizabeth bar shooting
Police recovered a firearm and have charged a Donora man in connection with a West Elizabeth shooting on Saturday night that left one person dead and another wounded. Allegheny County police responded to a 911 call of a shooting shortly after 10:30 p.m. at Beer Belly’s Bar on 5th Street...
Democrats Bach, Dziados seek opportunity for fall race to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress
Democrats in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District know there is a steep hill to climb. Businessman Ken Bach of Smithton or retired U.S. Navy veteran Christopher Dziados of South Strabane will attempt in November to oust three-term Republican incumbent Guy Reschenthaler, who has represented the six-county district since 2019. Both Bach...
High heels in Greensburg help mark continued struggle against gender violence
Krystle Karas isn’t a fan of high heels. “We are fans of comfort,” said Karas, 41, of Delmont, who along with more than 1,000 other men and women walked one mile Saturday morning in downtown Greensburg to send a message of support of victims of gender-based violence. There was both...
Commissioner says reassessment a nonissue in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said Tuesday there are no plans for a reassessment in his county. “The court will have to mandate it for us. I am against reassessment,” said Kertes, who chairs the three-person board of commissioners. Lawyers for Pittsburgh Public Schools filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to...
Bolivar man subdued after courtroom suicide threat following sexual assault conviction
Just moments after a jury convicted a Bolivar man of sexual assault on Wednesday he threatened to kill himself and lunged toward the windows of a second-floor courtroom in the Westmoreland County Courthouse. He was quickly tackled by two deputy sheriffs. Deputies spent more than a minute attempting to subdue...
Defense lawyer says Jeannette man is a scapegoat for key witness in fatal overdose
The lawyer for a Jeannette man told a jury that prosecutors are seeking to convict the wrong man for the sale of a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a Unity man who died in 2021 of an overdose. Defense attorney Tim Dawson said the case against Andrey Young is...
Commissioner says reassessment a nonissue in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said Tuesday there are no plans for a reassessment. “The court will have to mandate it for us. I am against reassessment,” said Kertes, who chairs the three-person board of commissioners. Lawyers for the Pittsburgh Public Schools filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to trigger a...
Bolivar man denies sexual assault allegations in court
A Bolivar man denied allegations he repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl. Jerry Boring, 60, testified in his own defense on Tuesday and claimed allegations raised by a now 16-year-old accuser were fabricated and a confession police say he made the day before his arrest in 2022 was concocted by...
Judge rejects Youngwood man’s appeal of murder conviction
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday rejected the appeal of a Youngwood man who sought to withdraw his guilty plea last year to third-degree murder. Michael James Covington Jr., 26, claimed he was coerced into accepting a deal that resulted in a 60-year prison sentence. He also argued that the...
Case involving Westmoreland register of wills raises unusual legal issues, expert says
Westmoreland County’s register of wills could face a potential jail sentence if found in contempt of court for violating two judicial orders that mandate improvements in the operations of her office. It’s a finding rarely made in Pennsylvania, especially against elected officials, according to legal expert Bruce Antkowiak. “This is...
Jefferson County man to serve up to 20 years for sexual assault of Vandergrift boy
A Jefferson County man was sentenced Friday to serve up to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 6-year-old boy. Joshua Michael Irvine, 26, pleaded guilty to felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault for the molestation of a child in Vandergrift over...
Judge: New Florence woman competent to stand trial in mother’s killing
A New Florence woman charged along with two men in connection with her mother’s homicide last year is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled. Police say Melissa Fox-Beacom, 50, enlisted two 18-year-old men, including her daughter’s boyfriend, to kill her mother on Dec. 11. According to police, 71-year-old Alice...
