Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 43
Controller questions Westmoreland County Prison medical costs
Westmoreland Controller Jeffrey Balzer on Monday criticized an additional $175,000 expense that must be paid for medical services at the county prison. The extra fee is required under a contract county commissioners approved with a new medical provider last summer. The agreement nearly doubles the costs to care for inmates,...
North Huntingdon man ordered to prison for assault against disabled victim
A North Huntingdon man was ordered to serve up to two years in prison for an assault he claimed he didn’t commit. Tracy Steele Painter, 60, was sentenced Monday to state prison after he was convicted in absentia following a nonjury trial last month in connection with what police said...
Transit authority eyes Go Westmoreland fare hikes
Fares for travel on Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s shared-ride program are expected to increase this year to make up for potential revenue shortfalls. Authority board members last week approved a $16.3 million budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that is balanced through use of more than $3.9 million in federal...
Free pet health clinic fills community need in Jeannette
Dogs and cats, with their owners in tow, lined up outside the City of Jeannette Fire Department more than 30 minutes before the doors opened Sunday morning to receive free medical care. “I think this is a blessing for the community. We really need this, especially since our family can’t...
Day care center building collapses in Pitcairn
A child day care center building collapsed Sunday morning in Pitcairn. Pitcairn fire chief Thomas Dick said calls of an explosion came in shortly after 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Center Avenue and Second Street. “We didn’t detect any gas, and we’re trying to figure out what happened,” Dick...
Arrests made for alleged violent home invasion in Latrobe
Three men were in Westmoreland County Prison on Saturday after they were charged with a violent home invasion in Latrobe. According to city police, Edwardo Romero-Gross, Paul Kline and Christian Long work black face masks as they forced entry into an apartment on Lincoln Avenue early Friday morning. They allegedly...
Local whiskey, honey among treats at West Overton Village Makers Market
Heavy rains can’t dampen the desire for local spirits. Dozens of thirsty visitors jammed into the small tasting room in the brick barn at West Overton Village on Saturday afternoon to sample rye whiskey and take a short indoor break during the annual Makers Market. Weather made for some muddy...
Mail-in ballots drive Westmoreland primary voter turnout
Nearly 29% of all votes cast in Tuesday’s primary election in Westmoreland County were submitted through the mail, according to election officials. Just shy of 18,000 ballots were cast by mail in addition to the more than 44,700 Democrats and Republicans who cast votes in person at the county’s 307...
Democrats set sights on Westmoreland commissioner race
As votes were tabulated Tuesday to determine the two Republican candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner in November, Democrats sat quietly on the sidelines, setting their sights on trying to regain majority control of county government this year. The Democrats, Ted Kopas, who served more than a decade as a commissioner...
Norwin: School board race to continue with 10 candidates in fall
All 10 candidates seeking five open seats on the Norwin School Board won party nominations Tuesday and will continue their campaigns in the fall. With all 32 precincts reporting, Lynda Funk, 60, of North Huntingdon; Tammy Moreno, 46 of Irwin; Thomas Ryan 47, of North Huntingdon; Robert Weisensee, 59, of...
Kertes, Chew top GOP ballot for Westmoreland commissioner
Incumbent Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew finished in the top two spots on the Republican ballot Tuesday to secure nominations to seek second terms in office this fall. With all 307 precincts reporting, Kertes and Chew defeated three challengers seeking to end their tenures as the Republican...
Madison tax collector fined for late payments says life events got in the way
Madison Borough’s tax collector is accused of ignoring requests from county auditors to access his records and as a result owes more than $2,800 for making late tax payments. Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer said an audit released Monday of collections made by Madison tax collector John Fassett last year...
Inmate pleads guilty to assault of prosecution witness in New Kensington murder trial
A Wilkinsburg man was ordered to serve up to a year in prison for assaulting a jail inmate who testified last year in the trial of New Kensington man convicted of first-degree murder. Shawnti Eugene Shifflett, 27, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault after Westmoreland County...
Sewickley Township man testifies wife’s death at hands of a drunk driver is his nightmare
James Wardezek had little sympathy for the man police said was responsible for his wife’s death and the injuries he suffered that were caused by a drunk driver two years ago in Hempfield. “I hope this day finds you unwell. The problem is the decision you made for yourself,” Wardezek...
School board races serve as culture war battlegrounds
Darlene Ciocca had served nearly a dozen years as a member of the Norwin School Board and, in February, faced a decision that on the surface seemed completely out of place — one that involved a political calculation to determine whether to seek another term in office. The divisive political...
Doctor testifies New Kensington child was physically, sexually abused
A pediatrician who examined Mikel Fetterman just days after he was hospitalized with serious head injuries in March 2020 testified Friday the child was the victim of physical abuse and potentially a sexual assault. Dr. Jennifer Clarke works at a hospital in New York, but three years ago, she was...
Westmoreland human service department expansion to focus on public health, welfare
Westmoreland County’s new human services department will be expanded to advocate for health and welfare concerns, including homelessness prevention, and programs to deal with food insecurity. Commissioners this week approved creation of four new positions and revised job descriptions for two others as part of an overall increase in the...
Westmoreland approves $12 million finance package for New Kensington-Arnold development
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $12 million financial package to support construction of a manufacturing development that straddles New Kensington and Arnold. The commissioners will allocate $1 million from the county’s covid-relief funds and another $3 million from the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. The money will...
Township lawsuit alleges zoning violation over revised use of golf clubhouse
Penn Township is accusing the owners of an event center and banquet hall of violating local zoning requirements by refusing to allow golfers access to a clubhouse, pro shop and social gathering space built for the links on the same property. The township, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, contends The...
Judge calls out Westmoreland DA office over speedy trial rights violation
A Westmoreland judge has ruled that the county’s District Attorney’s Office failed to properly manage its caseload and violated the speedy trial rights of a Ligonier man charged in 2021 with drunken driving. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger dismissed the case against 38-year-old Jesse Springer. In a 12-page ruling, Krieger...
New Kensington man claims jury erred in Arnold slaying case
The lawyer for a New Kensington man serving a life sentence for a 2020 murder argued his client’s claims of self defense were not properly considered by a Westmoreland County jury. Assistant Public Defender John Sweeney said evidence presented last year during a weeklong trial did not support the jury...
Kiski Township man sentenced for scuffle with police atop tractor-trailer in New Stanton
A Kiski Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to 23 months in jail in connection with an incident in New Stanton where he jumped atop a tractor-trailer and scuffled with police as they attempted to take him into custody. Blair Jones Czitterberg, 40, pleaded guilty in September to...
McKeesport woman pleads guilty to escape from police custody
A McKeesport woman was ordered on Monday to serve at least six months in jail for escaping from police custody following an arrest last year on charges of robbery and theft from a Hempfield business. Kristy Richele Zalac, 33, slipped out of handcuffs as she was waiting to be processed...
Sequel set for GOP Westmoreland Commissioner primary
Westmoreland County’s Republican primary for commissioner is a sequel. Five of the same seven candidates who sought GOP nominations four years ago are again on the ballot this spring, with incumbents Doug Chew and Sean Kertes facing challenges from Patricia Fritz, Paul Kosko and John Ventre. The Republicans are vying...
Kertes top fundraiser among Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidates
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes has amassed more than $181,000 in his bid for a second term, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday. Kertes was the top fundraiser among the five Republican candidates seeking two nominations in the May 16 primary and, in the six-week period between mid-March and...
