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.
Pittsburg, PA
2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say
Two men were killed in a shooting along Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Thursday, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of Linnview Avenue, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found two men with multiple gunshot wounds on the sidewalk about 10 feet apart. Both men were taken to local hospitals in grave condition, but they were pronounced dead when they arrived, Pittsburgh Public Safety’s spokesperson said. The victims were 23 and 27 years old. However, the victims have not been identified as of Thursday night.
Officials said the suspect fled on foot down Nobles Lane. No other information was released about the suspect. No arrests have been made as of Thursday night.
Neighbors told KDKA they heard at least six gunshots. Investigators at the scene recovered two firearms, the spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Police are investigating.
“At one point, I heard what sounded like fireworks,” one neighbor said.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor move to Mt. Lebanon
Pittsburgh-area natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor are returning to their roots.
Manganiello, from Mt. Lebanon, and O’Connor, from Uniontown, have bought a home in the South Hills after getting engaged this summer.
On Pittsburgh Today Live on Thursday, O’Connor talked about the couple’s move from Hollywood to Mt. Lebanon.
“It’s so nice to be home,” she said.
While Manganiello and O’Connor are happy to be back in southwestern Pennsylvania, O’Connor said it’ll be a bigger adjustment for the beloved chihuahua Bubbles. From the Pittsburgh Steelers fashion show to the gala celebrating the new airport terminal, the tiny dog is seemingly always in Manganiello’s arms.
“Bubbles is a California girl. She really doesn’t like the cold. We wrap her in a blanket and she has many, many puffy coats. I bought her a Steelers puffy to put in her stocking, so we’re going to see how she does over the next few months. But it’s not that long. It’s not forever. Winter will come and go,” O’Connor said.
And they all got quite the Pittsburgh welcome. O’Connor said it snowed when they were moving in, and Manganiello was outside shoveling for over two hours. She said she’s getting him a snowblower for Christmas.
The couple won’t be braving the Pittsburgh winter for too long. O’Connor said they’ll soon be off to South Africa, where Manganiello will film “One Piece” for Netflix. He’ll star as the villain Crocodile in the popular Japanese manga series.
“Bubbles will be in a better state,” O’Connor joked, saying it’s currently summer in South Africa. “I just bring Bubbles to set and hang out. It’s really the best job.”
Pittsburg, PA
Police investigating late-night shooting at Irwin apartment complex
Police in Westmoreland County are investigating a late-night shooting that happened at an apartment complex in Irwin Borough.
Irwin Police Chief Daniel Wensel confirmed to KDKA-TV that the department, along with Westmoreland County detectives are investigating a shooting that happened at the Bevington Building along Sweetbriar Drive within the Villages of Easton Apartment Complex.
Dispatchers said the first call related to the incident came in around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Details are limited but Chief Wensel said there is no danger to the public.
It’s unclear if any injuries have been reported or if any arrests have been made.
Chief Wensel said that more information is expected to be released once detectives and the department get further along in the investigation.
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