September 19, 2022 4:18 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The number of homeless people in the city of Pittsburgh continues to grow, and some of the most visible areas are in the most crowded parts of the city, especially this time of year. One man, who frequently bikes along the North Shore trails, told Channel 11 he’s noticed a “dramatic uptick this year.” Pittsburgh Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak says it’s hard to pin down the exact number of people without housing in the city because the population is “fluid,” but he says help is on the way. “We do think there are credible paths for providing everyone in that community options in the very near future,” Pawlak said. The challenge facing the city is housing. There just isn’t enough of it. “Most of the folks who are unhoused in Pittsburgh today are already on a waiting list for housing,” he said. A new, low-barrier shelter that’s been in the works for years is slated to open in the near future downtown, but it won’t be a total solution. “More is needed beyond that, and that’s a continuing conversation we’re having with the Allegheny Department of Human Services and others,” Pawlak said. It also means no immediate solution to encampments in high-traffic areas in the city. You may have seen tents along the North Shore or gatherings along Fort Duquesne Boulevard downtown. Pawlak called those settlements a concern and says they are taking it seriously.
September 19, 2022 4:14 am
SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A South Hills man is facing charges after police said he lured children into his house and locked them there. Police said this happened in broad daylight on Friday, and 11 News was told that people are concerned that the suspect is out on bail as he waits for his next day in court. According to the criminal complaint, two boys under the age of 8 were playing outside on Elmbrook Lane in Scott Township on Friday. Police say Sean Conboy invited them into his house to watch YouTube videos. Once they were inside, police said Conboy gave the kids tea, then at one point, Conboy picked up one of the kids and took him to the bedroom. He also picked up the other boy and put him outside. The complaint goes on to say that the child outside started yelling and the one inside said he was locked in. Police say after 10 to 15 minutes, the two kids were able to escape to safety. According to police, the parents only knew Conboy by his first name and mentioned he had moved into the neighborhood recently. Police arrested Conboy on Saturday, but he’s since been released. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
September 19, 2022 2:55 am
Nearly 60 United States military veterans from across the Commonwealth are calling out Doug Mastriano for his decision to wear a Confederate uniform (far left), calling it “an insult to those of us who serve.” Just a few weeks ago, in a breaking news story, Reuters reported on a newly uncovered photo that shows Doug Mastriano wearing a Confederate military uniform on the grounds of the U.S. Army War College. In response to Reuters’ reporting, the Army War College took the photo down, saying it “does not meet Army War College values.” Now, Pennsylvania veterans are saying Mastriano is too dangerous to be Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The veterans signing the letter include U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb, State Rep. Jared Solomon, and former Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy, who all said Mastriano’s decision to wear the uniform of traitors who fought to defend slavery makes it clear he does not embody the values of the United States Armed Services. The letter said he did not wear the uniform for a reenactment. He wore it for a photograph when his fellow faculty were wearing their duty uniforms. His decision to wear that uniform is an insult to those of us who served and those who continue to serve on behalf of the United States of America. He wore the uniform of traitors who fought to defend slavery on official grounds of the Army War College. (Photo: ABC News)
September 19, 2022 1:11 am
EAST FINLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Multiple fire crews were called to the scene of a house fire in East Finley Township on Sunday morning. The call for the fire came in just after 9:00 a.m. on the 100 block of Walnut Road. Morris Township crews were joined by Claysville, West Finley, Taylorstown, South Franklin and Canton Township Fire Departments on the scene. There was no word on any injuries or the cause of the fire at this time.
September 18, 2022 8:16 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has rewritten Virginia’s model policies for the treatment of transgender students in public schools. A document released Friday contains guidance for school districts that would roll back some accommodations and tighten parental notification requirements. The new policies will be subject to a public comment period. The Department of Education says local school divisions then must adopt policies consistent with the new guidance. Conservatives welcomed the changes, saying they would preserve parental rights. Democrats criticized them, saying they would harm vulnerable children. The revisions mark a sharp departure to guidance that was first issued during Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration.
September 18, 2022 8:13 am
HAVANA (AP) — Puerto Ricans are bracing for severe wind and extreme rain as Tropical Storm Fiona bears down amid expectations it will grow into a hurricane before striking the U.S. territory’s southern coast Sunday afternoon. Forecasters say “historic” levels of rain are expected to produce landslides and heavy flooding, with up to 20 inches forecast in isolated areas. Fiona will be lashing cities and towns in a part of Puerto Rico that is still recovering from a string of strong earthquakes that hit starting in late 2019, with several schools still shuttered and debris to be removed. Fiona is also coming just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that caused deaths and destruction across the island in 2017.
September 18, 2022 8:12 am
TOKYO (AP) — A powerful typhoon has slammed ashore in southern Japan and is pounding the region with strong winds and heavy rain, causing blackouts, paralyzing ground and air transportation and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people. The Japan Meteorological Agency says Typhoon Nanmadol is heading north after making landfall in Kagoshima city on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. It’s packing maximum winds of 101 miles per hour and is forecast to reach Tokyo on Tuesday. The weather agency predicted as much as 20 inches of rainfall by Monday evening and warned of flooding and landslides. It also warned of “unprecedented” levels of powerful winds and waves. Residents in hard-hit Kagoshima are told to stay inside stable buildings on second floor or higher.
September 18, 2022 8:11 am
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of police, hundreds of troops and an army of officials are making final preparations for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The funeral Monday will be a spectacular display of national mourning, and the biggest gathering of world leaders for years. U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders are arriving in London for the funeral. Thousands of people continued to line up Sunday to file past the queen’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament’s Westminster Hall. The queen’s eight grandchildren led by Prince William circled the coffin in a silent vigil on Saturday evening.
September 18, 2022 8:09 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Investigators say much of the sex crimes Eric Jefferson is accused of happened in his Polish Hill home. He’s now facing federal sex trafficking charges and sex crimes against minors charges. He’s accused of forcing several women into sex acts, plus accused of producing child porn. According to the federal indictment, investigators say Jefferson admitted to detectives that he “pays women with drugs for sex, if he goes without sex, something bad could happen, like a mass shooting. Plus, if he goes to jail and loses everything, he would come out of jail ‘a savage’.” A lot of that has to do with the fears survivors face.
September 18, 2022 8:04 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The parents of a 1-year-old western Pennsylvania boy who authorities said died after he was intentionally “dosed with methadone” have pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. The Tribune-Review reports that Tracy Humphreys and Thomas Snelsire, both 47-year-old Baldwin residents, face prison terms of 16 to 20 years when they are sentenced in Allegheny County court on Jan. 11. Assistant District Attorney Lisa Carey told a judge last week that Tommy Snelsire’s death wasn’t caused by accidental contact with the methadone, fentanyl and cocaine found in his system. Carey said investigators found a syringe and a pill bottle used to mix liquid Tylenol and methadone together. Both defendants wept as they apologized in court.
