Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 41
Chinese national pledges to continue appeal of human trafficking conviction and deportation order
A former Mt. Pleasant woman awaiting deportation to China told a Westmoreland County judge she will continue to appeal her conviction for human trafficking without the help of a lawyer. Hui Xu, 48, appeared for court Monday and, with the help of a Mandarin translator, asked to fire the Philadelphia-based...
Former Westmoreland Commissioner Kopas tapped to fill Cerilli Thrasher’s seat
Former Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas will return to the job he held for more than a decade. The county’s 11 Common Pleas Court judges on Monday appointed Kopas to complete the remaining five months of the unexpired term of Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who will resign July 31 to...
History takes center stage at West Overton DIY Weekend festival
History is often about living and breathing things. For curators at a two-day DIY History Weekend festival at West Overton Village and adjoining Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment Association grounds near Scottdale, it was just that as they showcased how life was experienced more than a century ago both at...
Hempfield alums recall high school memories as renovation looms
Hempfield Area High School holds a special place in the life of Mick and Sue Condi. The New Stanton couple, both 75, were homeroom classmates for three years before they graduated in 1965. After a life together that started in a small second-floor classroom, they returned to school Saturday morning...
Stahlstown man dies in Ligonier Township crash
A Stahlstown man was killed in a head-on crash Saturday morning in Ligonier Township. The crash occurred about 6 a.m. at the intersection of Route 711 and Freeman Road, according to Westmoreland County 911. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson identified the crash victim as Thomas Nusser, 86, of Stahlstown. Nusser...
Westmoreland County to spend $10 million for broadband expansion
Westmoreland County leaders are expected to allocate more than $10 million in covid relief funds this year to expand broadband to residents currently unable to receive reliable high-speed internet service. Commissioners on Thursday are expected to approve a $1.7 million contract with Verizon Pennsylvania LLC to install about 30 miles...
Settlement reached to end federal lawsuit against Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County will pay a former county employee $130,000 to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit in which she claimed she was inappropriately fired in 2019. Tiffany Schomer, a former deputy recorder of deeds and assistant office manager in the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, contended the county commissioners fired her four...
Bolivar man convicted in attempted murder, kidnapping of Ligonier joggerVideo
A Bolivar man was convicted Wednesday of the attempted murder and kidnapping of a college student who was out for a winter run through Ligonier. After hearing three days of testimony and deliberating more than four hours, a Westmoreland County jury said Frank Springer, 56, is guilty of all eight...
Former Derry man convicted of illegal recording at courthouse
A former Derry man was convicted Wednesday of three felony charges for violations of the state’s wiretapping laws. Justin Juan De La Martinez, 43, now of Illinois, was found guilty of illegally recording and distributing video of a employee in the Westmoreland County Court Administration Office. Prosecutors contended Martinez did...
Teen jogger details her struggle to avoid abduction in Ligonier Township
Madeline Smith knew she had little choice but to fight her attacker as he attempted to force her at gunpoint into his car on a cold Sunday morning in January. “I figured I might as well fight. I was terrified. I knew he was going to get me into his...
Trial begins for Bolivar man accused of trying to kidnap, kill jogger
Surveillance video and tire tracks helped investigators find the man accused of attempting to kidnap and kill an 18-year college student who was out for her morning run, a Westmoreland County detective testified Monday. Detective John Swartz told jurors that evidence led police to the Bolivar home of Frank Springer,...
Westmoreland County to hold job fair to fill up to 250 vacancies
Westmoreland County has put out the help wanted sign. The county will conduct a job fair Wednesday, Aug. 16 at Twin Lakes Park designed to help fill as many as 250 vacant government jobs. “We desperately want to fill these vacancies,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. “When you don’t have proper...
Thrasher to begin new job in August, endorses chief of staff as replacement
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher will leave office July 31. Thrasher, 37, of Latrobe tendered her resignation Thursday, two days after her appointment to serve as a commissioner on the Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board was confirmed by the state Senate. “I will begin my quasi-judicial position … in...
Thrasher to resign as Westmoreland commissioner
Gina Cerilli Thrasher will resign from her elected position as the lone Democrat on Westmoreland County’s board of commissioners, her chief of staff Don O’Brien said Wednesday. Thrasher, 37, was confirmed Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Senate to fill a vacancy on the state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. She will serve...
Westmoreland Commissioner Thrasher appointed to state appeals board
Westmoreland Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher was confirmed on Tuesday to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Thrasher, 37, a Democrat from Hempfield is serving out her second four-year term and announced in February she would not seek reelection, instead focusing on a career as a lawyer....
Westmoreland officials pledge to reopen juvenile detention center
Westmoreland officials on Monday pledged to reopen the county’s juvenile detention center upon the conclusion of state investigations launched this month when two youths were injured at the Hempfield facility. “As soon as the investigations are done, we hope to be up and running. As soon as we can get...
Westmoreland closes juvenile detention center amid state investigation, staffing shortages
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is temporarily closed amid ongoing state child welfare investigations and staffing issues that resulted in an inability to properly staff and secure the 16-bed facility in Hempfield. Director Rich Gordon confirmed that state investigators are conducting a review of operations in the wake of two...
Suspect identified with help of DNA pleads guilty in Lower Burrell robbery
An Allegheny County man was ordered to serve up to five years in prison for the armed robbery of a beer distributor in Lower Burrell. Blair Adam Payne, 29, of Mt. Oliver pleaded guilty to robbery, theft and receiving stolen property in connection with a heist police said was solved...
$8.8M in covid funds earmarked for water, sewer projects in Westmoreland
As many as 50 farms and other properties in East Huntingdon could have municipal water service this fall when water lines are extended to tap into the municipal system. It’s a project that might never have happened without funding from Westmoreland County, according to East Huntingdon Supervisor Joel Suter. “It’s...
Judge sets bond for Seward man charged with sex offenses
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday set bond for a Seward man charged with attempting to pay a juvenile for sex. Anthony Ronald Laughard, 41, was arrested and charged June 2 with the attempted rape of a child, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and other related offenses in connection with...
MAWC officials say local water supply in good shape despite dry conditions
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday that, based on local conditions, there is no reason to implement a mandatory water conservation order. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week issued a drought watch and suggested residents enact voluntary efforts to reduce water usage by 5% to 10%....
Ligonier Township man’s lawsuit claims injuries caused by public works employee
A Ligonier Township resident is suing the township and a public works employee, claiming he was attacked in front of his home last year. Mark Leonard claims that at 11:20 a.m. on April 20, 2022, he heard rocks and debris strike the outside of his Kissell Springs Road home and...
‘You are destroying your life,’ judge tells Jeannette man at sentencing hearing
The lawyer for Jeannette man convicted for his part in what prosecutors described as a major drug distribution ring told a Westmoreland County judge his client’s turbulent upbringing and future potential warranted a mitigated prison sentence. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger disagreed when he sentenced Damone A. Morton to five...
$13M housing project aimed at addressing jump in retiree population in Westmoreland
A $13 million, 50-unit senior housing complex is planned in Rostraver. It will be the fourth project by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority in the past decade and is part of an effort to provide more senior housing for low-income residents. The authority on Tuesday approved the purchase of a...
Public safety officials warn of dangers at Creek Falls
Greensburg Dive Team Capt. George McFarland knows the dangers that loom at Creek Falls. “When there’s a call that comes over the radio about Creek Falls, a chill goes up my spine because of where it is,” McFarland said of the secluded spot along Jacobs Creek in South Huntingdon, a...
