Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 53
5th lawsuit claims Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide is unsafe
A fifth lawsuit claims the rebuilt Giant Slide in Mt. Pleasant Township’s Mammoth Park is unsafe. The attraction at the 408-acre park owned by Westmoreland County includes two 100-foot steel racing slides along with a smaller 50-foot slide for children. The current $1.1 million configuration, which opened in July 2020...
Westmoreland County begins provisional ballot count
Nine bipartisan two-person teams spent Monday sifting through more than 600 provisional ballots cast last week at Westmoreland County’s 307 voting precincts. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the counting of provisional ballots is expected to be completed Tuesday, leaving just a small number of overseas and military votes to...
Westmoreland County court program helps struggling veterans turn their lives around
Gary Manges knew he was in trouble after he returned home from serving oversees as a Marine. “I knew I needed help, but I didn’t realize how bad I really was. Drugs and alcohol wasn’t my thing. It was rage and depression. Looking back, I didn’t realize I had all...
Jury finds Youngwood man not guilty of rape, sex assault
A Westmoreland County jury found a Youngwood man not guilty of rape and other crimes in connection with allegations made by an 18-year-old woman who claimed he held her captive and sexually assaulted her January. After three hours of deliberations Thursday, Brandon Giron, 23, was convicted of one misdemeanor charge...
Man charged in 2019 Greensburg hit-and-run crash sentenced to prison
A former Jeannette man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to seven years in prison for a hit-and-run crash nearly three years ago in Southwest Greensburg that left a pedestrian severely injured. Justin L. Hudspath, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault by a vehicle, driving with a suspended...
Westmoreland’s support of GOP candidates not enough for Pa. victories
Although many agree Westmoreland County is a key to victory for state Republican candidates, the margins of victory here this week weren’t enough to translate into statewide wins for GOP gubernatorial and senate hopefuls. “It’s our job to run up the score, and it didn’t happen enough last night,” said...
Judge rules suspected Rialto shooters to be tried together
A Westmoreland County judge ruled this week that the two men charged following a shootout earlier this year in downtown Greensburg will appear together as defendants in the same trial. One of the men, Evan Curley, 24, of Greensburg, petitioned the court for separate trials, claiming the defenses of both...
Fewer than 1% of mail-in, absentee ballots rejected in Westmoreland County
There were 318 mail-in and absentee ballots rejected in Westmoreland County because of deficiencies that rendered them invalid, election officials said. Another 95 ballots that included incorrect dates or were undated were subjected to a state court order that required them to be segregated and not initially counted, said Greg...
Republican Cooper wins 55th House seat
Murrysville political organizer Jill Cooper will keep the redrawn 55th state House District in red. Republican Cooper, 60, a former chairwoman of the Westmoreland County GOP Committee, and Democrat Scott Gauss, a 69-year-old retired human resources director for the Boeing Corp., were vying to represent the district that includes Murrysville,...
Republican Davanzo retains 58th District seat
State Rep. Eric Davanzo has won reelection to represent the 58th District of the state House. Davanzo, 47, a Republican from Smithton, defeated Democrat Ken Bach for the seat that includes Monessen, East Huntingdon, Sewickley, South Huntingdon, North Belle Vernon, Rostraver, Scottdale, Smithton, Sutersville, West Newton and parts of Mt....
Voters in Norwin, South Greensburg support library funding
Voters in the Norwin School District and Southwest Greensburg on Tuesday rejected efforts slash funding for their local libraries. Norwin voters from North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin overwhelmingly voted down a proposal to reduce the 1.2 mill tax rate by about 85%. With all 32 precincts reporting, 64% of...
Trial begins for Youngwood man accused of rape, kidnapping
An 18-year-old woman told a Westmoreland County jury that she was raped and sexually assaulted for hours earlier this year at a Youngwood home. “It seemed like it lasted forever,” she testified Tuesday during the first day in the rape trial of Brandon Giron. Giron, 23, is charged with rape,...
Westmoreland parents sentenced for locking child in closet
Shawn and Tammy Jo Waulk told a Westmoreland County judge Monday they were embarrassed and regretted their actions two years ago when they locked their 9-year-old son in a closet and left him alone as they attended a relative’s birthday party. “I made a horrible mistake, and there is no...
Western Pa. election officials prepare for heavy voter turnout
Expect heavy turnout on Election Day, as this year’s midterm races are likely to draw voters in numbers rivaling that of presidential contests, officials said. Election bureau workers will continue to count and tally votes until the task is completed, according to counties throughout Southwest Pennsylvania. That includes opening and...
Financing wrapped up for new Irwin senior apartments
Construction for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s proposed 50-unit senior living community in Irwin is expected to begin Dec. 10. Housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said financing for the $14 million project will be complete next month, setting the stage for a 16-month construction period that is slated to...
Judge denies bias, upholds sentence in 2010 Greensburg torture killing
The 60-years-to-life prison sentence imposed on one of six Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture and slaying of a mentally disabled woman will stand, a judge ruled Friday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway said the lengthy prison term imposed against 29-year-old Angela Marinucci was not a result...
Drug charges related to North Huntingdon woman’s death dismissed
Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed drug delivery resulting in death charges against two men accused of providing a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin to a North Huntingdon woman nearly three years ago. Police said Iona J. Runkle, 46, was found dead Jan. 12, 2020, in her mobile home at the Dusty...
Westmoreland voters not allowed to fix undated mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County election officials said voters who submit undated mail-in ballots will not be permitted to correct that error or other deficiencies before Election Day. That could result in their votes not being counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday barred county election offices from counting undated mail-in ballots and...
Salem restaurant, government spar over jury verdict
The lawyer for the owner of a Salem restaurant found liable for labor law violations challenged the government’s effort to collect $429,000 in back pay and other damages Tuesday. After a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, jurors found that from April 2014 to July 2017, owners of...
Plea talks end for Export man charged in Vandergrift woman’s killing
An Export man will stand trial next year in connection with the murder of a Vandergrift woman whose charred remains were found in a wooded area near Keystone State Park in 2017. Defense attorney Brian Aston said during a court hearing Tuesday that efforts over the last year to resolve...
WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA
WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...
Westmoreland judge: Shetler must remain in jail pending trial
A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...
Arnold woman charged in fatal overdose to await trial on house arrest after new drug arrest
An Arnold woman awaiting trial for allegedly providing drugs to a Lower Burrell woman who died of an overdose two years ago will remain free on bond after her recent arrest on unrelated drug offenses, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. Sentrillia A. McDonald, 42, was ordered to serve house...
Davanzo, Bach square off for state House seat in 58th District
The candidates running to represent voters in the state House 58th District offer clear differences that fall in line with the partisan divide in Harrisburg. Incumbent Republican Eric Davanzo, an anti-abortion candidate who favors elimination of mail-in voting and opposes strict gun control, is seeking his second full two-year term...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to incident with teen babysitters
A Hempfield man was ordered Friday to serve two years on probation in connection with an incident in 2018 that prompted two teenage babysitters to flee his home. Gregory Bittner, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of corruption of a minor and simple assault after two 15-year-old girls claimed he...
