Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 29
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track for March reopening
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is expected to reopen this month after being largely closed since June because of staffing shortages and operational problems, officials said Wednesday. The 16-bed facility that houses juvenile criminal offenders closed following a series of state inspections. Those findings prompted county leaders to shutter the...
Westmoreland looks to shed label of being a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants
Westmoreland officials say they are looking to shed a label that the county is a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. The Center for Immigration Studies declared Westmoreland a sanctuary county in 2014. The Washington, D.C., think tank promotes reduced immigration into the United States. Westmoreland was one of 14 Pennsylvania counties...
Election testing underway in Westmoreland County
More than 19,000 ballots are being cast and counted this week in Westmoreland County. The date of Pennsylvania’s primary election hasn’t been moved up. The unofficial test ballots are being cast and counted to ensure the accuracy of the county’s voting machines in advance of the April 23 primary. “At...
Date of Pa.’s presidential primary makes it too late to make a difference, politicos say
Because Pennsylvania’s presidential primary is more than a month away, the state’s influence in determining Republican and Democratic nominees for the White House will once again be muted this spring, according to political leaders. Voters in more than a dozen Super Tuesday states cast ballots this week in what were...
Westmoreland approves polling site changes for April primary
Westmoreland County’s election board announced a series of changes to polling locations for the April 23 primary. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said a growing reluctance among churches and school districts to serve as host sites for live voting on Election Day had led to a series of changes over...
Murrysville Golf Club likely to remain open under renewed lease
The Murrysville Golf Club is expected to remain open after an arbiter paved the way for current management to continue operating the course. A court-appointed arbiter ruled last month that a three-year lease renewal be awarded to J.K. Golf, the company that operates the public course. James Creenan, lawyer for...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared before county’s election board Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Former nursing home aide acquitted of attempted sex assault charge involving co-worker
A McKeesport man was found not guilty of an attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at a North Huntingdon nursing home. Daniel Odu, 36, a former nursing aide at the Grove at Irwin, was charged with having improper sexual contact with a 19-year-old fellow employee in a resident’s bathroom on...
GOP commissioners reject call for drop box use in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners said they will not consider installation of drop boxes for mail-in ballots at the courthouse or at remote locations around the county for this spring’s presidential primary or the fall general election. Nearly a dozen residents appeared county’s election board on Wednesday to lobby for drop...
Hunker man acquitted of animal cruelty in dog shooting, found guilty of other charges
A Hunker man told a Westmoreland County jury he had no alternative but to kill his neighbor’s dog as it lay wounded in his driveway after being shot by another neighbor. “The dog was growling, showing it’s teeth. I was intimidated. It stood up on its front legs but couldn’t...
Former WCCC student not guilty of screwdriver assault of instructor
It took a Westmoreland County jury just 20 minutes on Tuesday to find a former Westmoreland County Community College student not guilty of assaulting his instructor. Jurors acquitted David Ross, 26, of Unity, of a felony charge of aggravated assault and a simple assault offense. Prosecutors claimed Ross used a...
Jury conduct questioned in appeal of Apollo man’s conviction for wife’s murder
The lawyer for an Apollo man sentenced last month to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his estranged wife claims improper conduct by jurors should have warranted a mistrial. In court documents filed Monday, defense attorney Adam Gorzelsky claimed one juror improperly contacted an assistant district attorney during...
Trial begins for Hunker man accused of shooting neighbor’s dog
Two dogs who were shot to death were killed by neighbors in retaliation for a dead peacock, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said in court Monday. Jason Beal, 37, of Hunker is accused of shooting one dog and other crimes in an attempt to cover up the incident. He is facing...
Western Pa. elections officials say higher pay for poll workers helped to ease staffing crunch
It takes thousands of employees to run an election. Elections officials across Southwestern Pennsylvania said they continue to gear up and prepare staff needed for the April 23 presidential primary, including the hiring of judges of elections, inspectors and clerks needed to man voting precincts. Concerns about staffing levels have...
Westmoreland to consider services similar to Uber and Lyft as public transit options
A program modeled on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft could begin in Westmoreland County early next year as part of a recasting of the county transit system. The Westmoreland County Transit Authority plan includes changes to existing routes and an emphasis on local service. The ride-sharing program would...
Former public defender found not guilty in incident with Greensburg police
A former Westmoreland County assistant public defender was found not guilty of evading arrest by a Greensburg police officer last fall following a traffic stop. Following a lengthy hearing Tuesday, David Mulock, 38, of Murrysville was acquitted on one summary count in connection with an incident Oct. 4 on North...
Westmoreland broadband installations to begin this spring
Work to install new high-speed internet service to as many as 400 Westmoreland County residents unserved by broadband is set to begin this spring. County officials announced Wednesday that after months of delays, crews will soon be starting work on the $1.7 million project designed to connect homes in Derry,...
Pelesky named as new warden for Westmoreland County Prison
Westmoreland County has hired a new warden to run the prison. Steven Pelesky, 49, of Ligonier, was promoted Wednesday to serve as the full-time warden after having serving in the same role in an interim capacity since last September. “He has done a great job here at the prison for...
Family objects to plea deal for uncle’s role in overdose death
Roseanne DeBruyn’s call for a Westmoreland County judge to reject the terms in a proposed plea bargain for her former brother-in-law went unheeded on Tuesday. Jeffrey R. Carlson, 58, of Glassport, Allegheny County, was charged in connection with the death of DeBruyn’s son in 2022. Carlson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor...
Westmoreland DA convenes grand jury for unsolved homicides
Westmoreland County’s first investigating grand jury in more than three decades was seated Tuesday to hear evidence in unsolved homicides and major crimes. District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced last fall the creation of the grand jury. It is intended to be a tool to compel witnesses to produce evidence and...
Families, survivors mark 1991 missile attack that killed reservists based near Greensburg
For more than three decades, Norman Madison Sr. has made the trip on Feb. 25 from his Monessen home to the Hempfield community of Carbon to honor his son. A memorial there honors Anthony Madison along with 12 other members of the 14th Quartermaster unit based near Greensburg who were...
Game savers: Seton Hill trainers honored for reviving heart attack victim
John Palumbo is a regular at Seton Hill men’s basketball games, but he didn’t get to see the Griffins’ last home game two weeks ago. That’s when he was stretchered out of the gym after suffering what officials described as a “widow maker” heart attack but was revived by Seton...
1 dead, 3 wounded in Marshall-Shadeland shooting
Pittsburgh police said one person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting early Saturday morning in front of a bar in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Authorities said police received calls at 2:10 a.m. to respond to a dispute at 703 Social Club along Brighton Road. When they arrived,...
$1 million to be invested in lead water line replacement in Vandergrift, Leechburg areas
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will ramp up its efforts this year to replace thousands of lead waterlines throughout its five-county service area. Authority officials announced this week it will use a $1 million state grant to pay for the swapping out of as many as 200 waterlines in...
Victims sought for testimony at Westmoreland Register of Wills contempt hearing
People impacted by delays in filing adoption records could be called as witnesses at a hearing next month in Westmoreland County court to address the issue. Two county judges will review whether Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton violated court orders that required her courthouse office meet specific deadlines to...
