Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh woman says condemned house next to hers is causing rodent problems
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh woman says she’s dealing with raccoons, a mice infestation and countless holes chewed in the walls because of a neighboring house that’s condemned.
She called KDKA Investigates after she said her complaints to the City of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Health Department didn’t deliver a solution.
There are countless holes in Debbie Joyce’s drywall thanks to hungry mice looking to stay warm.
“Here’s my biggest problem is I found out if they start eating my wires it can cause a fire,” said Joyce.
That’s why Joyce hired a local exterminator and paid nearly a thousand dollars for bait traps. She said the cause of her recent rodent issues sits directly behind her Glasgow Street home.
“I’ve lived in this house for over 30-plus years and never had an issue till this house became dilapidated,” she said.
Blue condemned signs are posted on several other homes in her Sheraden neighborhood, but the vacant Sacramento Avenue home sits empty, with a big hole in the side of it. Joyce thinks the rapid deterioration of that home is attracting rodents to her backyard so she started complaining to the Allegheny County Health Department.
“I’m not getting anybody to respond other than this letter that I got from the health department, but when I tried to call them to tell them they’re deceased, they didn’t even respond back to me,” Joyce said.
The health department tells KDKA Investigates the inspector didn’t see any rodents near the vacant home but did issue a letter to the homeowner, asking them to cut the grass.
Joyce says that didn’t result in anything because the owners are deceased.
County spokesperson Abigail Gardner recommended Joyce tries engaging with city leadership or the URA to see if they’d consider adding the property to the blight removal list.
“I thought I would take priority since I’m now dealing with the rodents and I’m not going to be reimbursed all the money I’ve put out for this problem. I was shocked when you told me that they didn’t find anything wrong with that house. I’m like, seriously?” she said.
KDKA-TV also called City Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith and she said it’s “inhumane” to live next to these blighted properties and she’s sympathetic to Joyce’s issues.
Kail-Smith said she is going to get the property added to the land bank and treasury sale lists and hopes someone can buy it and demo it or renovate the property much quicker than the time it would take the city to do it.
Pittsburgh voted best Fourth of July celebration in America
In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Pittsburgh has long been known for its connections to horror films starting with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
Now, in honor of that designation and the legacy of Romero, who died in 2016, the Pittsburgh Film Festival has announced it is introducing a new award this year.
The inaugural Romero Awardfor Best Horror Feature will be presented at the 45th annual Three Rivers Film Festival, scheduled to run from Nov. 4-15, according to the group’s website. Presented with support from the George A. Romero Foundation, the award will be selected by a panel of industry judges.
Named in honor of Romero, the award celebrates bold, visionary work in the horror genre. As the birthplace of Night of the Living Dead, Pittsburgh remains a vital home for horror storytelling, making the Romero Award a natural addition to the festival’s juried honors, the group said.
“The GARF is devoted to preserving Romero’s legacy and continues to support creatives and independent filmmaking in genres and horror spaces,” Suzanne Romero, George’s widow and founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation, said recently. She died June 24 at her home in Toronto after a long illness.
Film Pittsburgh’s executive director, Shanna Carrick, added, “We are proud to partner with the GARF to introduce an international competition for best independent horror film. Pittsburgh has a deep love of horror films and we believe that our audiences will be thrilled to experience new voices in the genre.”
The festival is currently accepting submissions, with the full lineup to be announced in October.
The festival will also continue to celebrate its horror offerings with its beloved Chiller Theater, named in honor of the late Pittsburgh horror show host Chilly Billy Cardille. The spooky showcase features the best new independent horror shorts from around the globe and Allegheny County.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
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