Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 64
Jury seated in retrial of Allegheny Township man accused of multiple rapes
A Westmoreland County jury was seated Monday to hear evidence in the retrial of an Allegheny Township man accused of the rape and sexual assault of six women. Prosecutors claim Eric Wright, 50, was a serial rapist who committed crimes for nearly two decades. Originally charged with more than 50...
Grow Westmoreland, nonprofit started by Commissioner Kertes, seeks scholarship applications
A North Huntingdon-based nonprofit announced it will award $16,000 in scholarships to students seeking nursing degrees and skilled labor jobs. Grow Westmoreland, an organization created last year by Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, said it raised private donations that will be used to award scholarships to local students between the...
High-tech manufacturer expands presence at Westmoreland County industrial park
Fossil Industries, a high-tech manufacturing company, plans to more than double its footprint in Westmoreland County. The company — which builds barbecue grills, fireplace components, aftermarket automotive parts and supplies the military — said it plans to build a new 52,000-square-foot facility at the Westmoreland Technology Park II, which is...
Westmoreland commissioner defends rehiring of juvenile detention center director
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew this week defended the decision to rehire the county’s former juvenile detention center director. Commissioners announced Wednesday the county rehired Rich Gordon, who ran the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield between 2013 and 2015 before leaving for a job in Allegheny County and eventually serving...
Westmoreland commissioners settle federal lawsuit filed by jail nurse
Westmoreland County commissioners have agreed to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former nurse at the county jail. Commissioners unanimously approved a $8,500 payout to Sophie Puskar, who sued the county and Wexford Health Sources, the private medical provider at Westmoreland County Prison. Puskar contended she was sexually...
Westmoreland County hires back former Shuman Juvenile Detention Center director
Westmoreland commissioners rehired the man who ran the county’s juvenile detention center nearly a decade ago before he took the helm of the of the now-shuttered Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Pittsburgh. His new salary will pay him 64% more than the woman he is replacing. Rich Gordon served as...
Jeannette Manor residents demand county commissioners help correct bug, mold issues
More than a half-dozen Jeannette Manor residents appeared at the Westmoreland County commissioners’ public meeting Wednesday to ask for help with what they claim is an ongoing insect and mold infestation in their building. Residents claim they have yet to receive any acknowledgement from the Westmoreland County Housing Authority —...
Probation ordered for Norwin Middle School musical volunteer
A Greensburg man convicted earlier this year of failing to disclose a prior conviction before volunteering at a middle school musical production was ordered Tuesday to serve one year on probation. After a trial in January, Brad Geyer, 40, was convicted of one misdemeanor count of not complying with the...
Westmoreland’s plan for $105 million in covid relief funds remains elusive
Nearly a year after Westmoreland County received the first half of its $105 million coronavirus relief fund allocation, there is still no consensus on how that money should be spent. Commissioners said Monday that internal discussions are continuing in an effort to craft a comprehensive blueprint to use the funds. And,...
Westmoreland museum’s ‘Windframe’ one of a kind
Editor’s note ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com The 14-foot-high art piece affixed to the west wing of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg always is changing. “Windframe,”...
4th lawsuit filed against Westmoreland County over Giant Slide
A New York woman claims she was injured on the Giant Slide at Westmoreland County’s Mammoth Park when she stopped by for a ride in July 2020. Nicole Freiburger of Lockport, N.Y., near Buffalo, suffered substantial foot and leg injuries as a result of riding the 100-foot steel racing slide...
Who pays? Experts discuss what comes next after $19 million swimming pool verdict
A month after a jury awarded the largest judgment ever assessed in a Westmoreland County civil trial, questions remain about just who will pay the $19 million verdict rendered last month against Washington Township homeowners over life-changing injuries sustained when a family friend dove onto a raft in their swimming...
Scottdale man’s appeal of child rape conviction rejected
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Monday upheld the 20- to 40-year prison sentence imposed last year for a Scottdale man who was convicted of the repeated rapes of a 4-year-old girl. A three-judge panel of the state’s Superior Court rejected claims made by Dylan Chiaramonte, 29, who said jurors were...
Tired of tires, scout troop cleans up woods in North Huntingdon
Ryan Zaya has seen too many tires and too much trash strewn on the side of local roads. So, he and his fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 284 in Irwin took action Sunday afternoon. Zaya, 16, an 11th grader at Hempfield Area High School, along with five fellow scouts...
Body found near Ohio River in Pittsburgh
A body was discovered late Saturday afternoon near the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, police said. River Rescue, Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services and police responded to Doerr Street in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood around 5:30 p.m. and were directed by a kayaker to an area near the river where the body...
Greensburg Easter Egg hunt signals return to normal
For 2-year-old Lilly Hiester, the brightly colored eggs and chocolate treats inside were just an appetizer. Dressed in a yellow rain slicker with blue rubber boots, Lilly bounded from puddle to puddle as her parents followed behind just out of range of the water their young daughter playfully kicked up....
Westmoreland courthouse garage project underway, demo to begin in May
Jackhammers are pounding away this week, grinding out planters that line the wall outside county commissioners’ offices along the front edge of the Westmoreland courthouse annex on Main Street in Greensburg. Upstairs, court proceedings continue amid the noise. “It’s really hard to hear,” Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said as...
Arnold burglary nets at least 2 years in prison for West Leechburg man
A West Leechburg man was ordered to serve at least two years in prison for stealing nearly $44,000 of equipment from an Arnold landscaping business site last year. Randy D. McGuire Jr., 32, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to burglary and other offenses in connection with thefts of tools and other...
Fairfield man to serve at least 7 years in prison for Christmas assault
A Fairfield man was sentenced to serve at least seven years in prison for a Christmas 2020 assault on his wife and another incident four months later in which police he held her captive at knifepoint. Zachery Allen Collier, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault...
Trial for New Florence man accused of assault of deputy sheriff delayed
The trial of a former New Florence man previously acquitted of killing a police officer and now accused of assaulting a Westmoreland County deputy sheriff has been delayed until at least June. Ray Shetler Jr., 37, appeared in court this week for a procedural hearing to determine if his trial...
Jeannette man sent to jail for Excela break-in
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail for the burglary of three medical offices at Excela Health in Greensburg. Travis Michael Gibson, 37, pleaded guilty this week to charges to felony burglary and trespassing offenses, as well as misdemeanor theft, criminal mischief and receiving...
Hempfield man convicted in teen’s 2002 murder seeks early end to probation
A Hempfield man who as a teenager pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in the 2002 murder of a classmate’s older brother wants the 10-year probation term portion of his sentence, scheduled to begin this month, terminated to allow him to move to another state. Robert Laskowski, now 35,...
2nd mask requirement lawsuit filed against Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild
Parents of three children filed a lawsuit Friday in Westmoreland County against Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone, claiming they were improperly excluded from the amusement parks in 2020 for not wearing masks. The claims follow nearly identical allegations raised in a still-pending federal lawsuit filed by the same...
Lawyer: No plea deal offered before trial of Greensburg man convicted in Vandergrift woman’s murder
The lawyer for an Export man awaiting trial for his role in the 2017 murder of a Vandergrift woman whose remains were burned beyond recognition in a wooded area near Keystone State Park claims his client did not have a plea deal in place when he testified last summer in...
$12,720 tax lien filed against Westmoreland Coroner Tim Carson
Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson owes more than $11,000 in unpaid state income taxes, according to court documents. Carson, a Republican from Scottdale, won the November election and took office in January. For more than two decades, he has owned and operated Carson’s Tavern and Catering, a restaurant and events...
