Rich Cholodofsky

2 weeks ago | triblive.com | Rich Cholodofsky

Westmoreland County Republicans Tuesday nominated former acting Register of Wills Katie Pecarchik to serve an abbreviated two-year term to head the office, apparently ending the short tenure of her replacement. Pecarchik, 57, of Hempfield defeated incumbent Jon Wian, who was endorsed by the GOP committee, and Kimberly Horrell, a former office co-worker. With 295 of 306 precincts reporting, Pecarchik held a substantial lead with 45% of the vote; Wian 33%; and Horrell 21%.

2 weeks ago | triblive.com | Rich Cholodofsky

Former Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner John Ackerman was poised to upset first-term incumbent Coroner Tim Carson in Tuesday’s Republican primary. With 294 of 306 precincts reporting, Ackerman had 53% and a nearly 1,700 vote edge over Carson, who received more than 46%. All results are unofficial until certified by the county’s election board. Ackerman, 68, of Hempfield served about 20 years as a deputy coroner until he retired in 2022.

2 weeks ago | triblive.com | Rich Cholodofsky

Westmoreland County Prison inmates have a new way to get home when their incarceration ends. An expanded program operated by Sage’s Army, a private nonprofit focused on drug addiction and recovery, is offering free rides for inmates. Janie Olson, the agency’s director of operations, told members of Westmoreland County’s Prison Board on Monday that Sage’s Army is expanding its program to assist former inmates. The move comes in response to concerns raised by residents around the Hempfield lockup.

2 weeks ago | triblive.com | Rich Cholodofsky

Ten minutes after Kelly Poholsky took a call from her husband as she drove home from work in October 2023 she came upon by what appeared to the scene of a bad accident. Only later that night did she learn the covered body that lay on the ground as she passed was her long-time spouse. “I can never get that out of my head,” Poholsky told a Westmoreland County judge during a guilty plea hearing Monday for the man police said caused the crash that resulted in the death of 65-year-old Michael Poholsky.

2 weeks ago | monvalleyindependent.com | Rich Cholodofsky

By RICH CHOLODOFSKYTribLiveLong planned revisions of Westmoreland County’s public transportation service are on hold as officials await clarity on funding. Substantial alterations in the county transit authority’s fixed-route bus system were expected to be launched this year, including the start of a pilot project to convert a small portion of the service to a ride-sharing model. “We haven’t done that that yet and we’re waiting until the funding situation plays out. ‘Micro transit’ h...