Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 50
Westmoreland County struggles with public defender staffing shortage
Westmoreland County Chief Public Defender Wayne McGrew has served more as an administrator than a courtroom attorney in recent years, supervising a team of lawyers responsible for representing indigent clients in the criminal and juvenile court systems. But that is expected to change in the coming months as McGrew’s staff...
Greensburg woman gets jail sentence for sale of child’s medication
A Greensburg woman was ordered to serve jail time for selling a family member’s medication and paying a child for urine to help others pass drug tests. Christine M. Meadows, 48, pleaded guilty Monday to charges in four separate cases involving felony drug counts, child endangerment and other offenses as...
New Kensington man receives life prison sentence for Arnold fatal shooting
Shirley Clegg didn’t mince any words for the man who killed her brother. “I hope you never know peace because I will never know peace,” Clegg testified Friday during a sentencing hearing for Mario Gatti. Gatti, 33, of New Kensington was convicted of first-degree murder in October for the January...
Salem man sentenced to prison for sexual assault at Ligonier Township party
A Salem man was ordered Friday to serve up to 44 months in prison for the sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman at an outdoor birthday party more than two years ago in Ligonier Township. Zachary John Saflin, 24, was convicted in October of two counts of aggravated indecent assault,...
Repair costs undetermined for Westmoreland courthouse waterline break
Two weeks after a broken pipe caused water to cascade into four floors at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, officials still are assessing the cost of repairs. Crews worked for nearly 24 hours to fix water damage caused when sub-zero temperatures led to a waterline break the evening of Dec. 25,...
Land bank seeks buyer for blighted former restaurant site in Greensburg
The site of a former downtown Greensburg restaurant that fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2021 is on the market. The Westmoreland County Land Bank is seeking proposals from potential buyers to redevelop the now vacant 5,100 square foot site at 127 S. Pennsylvania Ave. “We try our best...
Judge rejects Mt. Pleasant man’s request to dismiss assault counts
A Westmoreland County judge ruled this week that charges against a Mt. Pleasant man accused of assaulting two police officers can proceed to trial. Evidence presented during a preliminary hearing supports allegations that Joe Paul Biller, 37, attacked and threatened officers as they came to his home to arrest him...
Westmoreland plastics firm to expand to build parts for Amtrak Airo trains
Amtrak’s upgraded passenger trains, expected to be put into service later this decade, will have a Westmoreland County connection. Roechling Industrial Mt. Pleasant, a machine plastics company that has operated in the county since 1981, has been tapped to produce interior ceilings, door motor cases and other projects for the...
New Alexandria man to serve probation for scuffle with Jeannette police
A New Alexandria man who claimed he was a victim of excessive force during an incident last year with Jeannette police was ordered Monday to serve one year on probation. David Vucish, 50, was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct and other offenses in connection with an...
Work day extended for Westmoreland’s Park Police leaders; department raises cash for 2nd dog
Top administrators with Westmoreland County’s Park Police will begin working longer days this year. The county’s salary board Monday approved extensions of the work day by an additional 30 minutes this year and another half-hour in 2024 for Park Police Chief Henry Fontana, the department’s two captains, one lieutenant and...
Local pundits call Washington dysfunction ‘a disaster’
The historic five-day effort to elect a new speaker of the House in Washington is likely to have a lasting impact on partisan politics and the ability of Republicans to govern, local pundits say. After five days of voting, including a session late Friday night that continued into early Saturday...
Death penalty sought against father of slain New Kensington child
Westmoreland County prosecutors have filed court documents that indicate they will seek the death penalty against the father of a young boy who was killed last spring in New Kensington. Jean J. Charles, 40, of Brackenridge was charged in September, about four months after the body of his 9-year-old son,...
Sutersville woman pleads guilty to sex offense
A Sutersville woman pleaded guilty to sexual assault and corruption offenses after she was charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy she was helping with schoolwork. Ashley Sherry, 23, was accused of sexually assaulting the teen and using marijuana with the juvenile while working with him on remote school assignments when...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to sexual assault of unconscious woman
A Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to eight years in prison for a sexual assault of an unconscious woman. Asa Duane Busato, 23, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of aggravated indecent assault in connection with an incident police said took place at the woman’s Hempfield home...
Westmoreland targets 2024 for shelter construction
Construction of a new shelter expected to increase the county’s ability to care for and assist the homeless could begin in 2024, Westmoreland County officials said Wednesday. Officials outlined the plan to seek proposals for private providers to acquire land and build what could be a 12-unit shelter that would...
Feliciani elected president judge in Westmoreland County
Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani on Wednesday was elected as Westmoreland County’s 30th president judge. The county’s 11 judges unanimously elected Feliciani to serve as the lead administrator in charge of the civil, criminal and family court divisions. “It’s humbling,” Feliciani said. “I am honored to have the support of...
Children’s Bureau audits identify state payments owed to Westmoreland County
A growing numbers of juveniles who received care from the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau led to bookkeeping errors that resulted in an influx of more than $650,000 in state reimbursements dating back to 2017, officials said. Rob Hamilton, the new director of the county’s human services division, said the audit...
Competency evaluation ordered for Penn Township man accused of killing father, aunt
A Penn Township man accused of stabbing his father and aunt to death will undergo another competency evaluation to determine if he is able to stand trial next month for their slayings. Neal Hubish, 42, is accused of killing his father, Arthur Hubish, 71, and aunt Maria Puskarich, 76, inside...
MAWC seeks grant for Yukon sewer construction
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is seeking nearly $5.8 million in federal grants to build a new sewer system to service a tiny community in South Huntingdon. Officials said the project to build a $9 million extension of sewer lines in Yukon is in the planning stages. Once completed,...
Westmoreland’s political focus shifts to county races in 2023
With the books closed on the 2022 election, Westmoreland County political leaders are ready to focus on local races heading into 2023 with control of most key courthouse offices at stake. Republicans will attempt to continue the party’s stranglehold on local politics as the calendar flips with races for county...
Westmoreland among counties with most drug delivery resulting in death prosecutions
More drug dealers implicated in fatal overdoses are being prosecuted in Westmoreland County than in any other county is Southwestern Pennsylvania. Statistics released in December by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts revealed that 6.2% of all drug delivery resulting in death cases brought by state prosecutors since 2017 were...
MAWC: No rate hike planned as inflation continues to impact authority spending
Rising energy costs and anticipated price increases for chemicals has left the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County with a $4.5 million budget gap seven months into the 2022-23 fiscal year. The increased expenses will require the water and sewer authority to dip into the agency’s financial reserves to balance its...
Hempfield man: Mental health issues prompted crime spree that ended with assault on police
A Hempfield man will serve up to 18 months in jail for assaulting two police officers in the culmination of a crime spree that included stealing a flag, disrupting a funeral and vandalizing a congressman’s legislative office. Roger C. Strautmann, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple offenses in four criminal...
Greensburg, police union spar in court over retirement savings plan switch
A Westmoreland County judge is deliberating whether to grant a preliminary injunction to delay Greensburg from implementing a new tax-deferred retirement savings plan for city workers. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 56 contends the city violated union’s existing five-year labor contract with the city when it unilaterally moved to...
Westmoreland retirees raises to cost $6.7 million in 2023
More than 1,400 retired Westmoreland County government employees are getting raises. Westmoreland’s retirement board on Tuesday approved an 8.1% cost-of-living increases for those who receive a county pension. “We try to be current with the cost of living, and that’s what it is,” said Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who...
