🌱 Local Homicides Increase + 17-Year-Old Girl Found + Steelers Truck

Hello, friends! Happy Monday! I'm back to kick off the week ahead with your newest edition of the Pittsburgh Daily, filled with everything you need to know about what's happening in town, including updates on...

• The number of Allegheny County homicides increasing in 2022
• A 17-year-old girl found shot in Pittsburgh's Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood
• The Pennsylvania Women Work RISE program's expansion to South Hills

Let's get into it.

Times of clouds and sun. High: 40 Low: 28.

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Here are the top stories in Pittsburgh today:

1) According to recent data, the number of homicides that occurred in Allegheny Country throughout 2022 is higher than the previous year. There were 129 tallied in 2022—and nearly a quarter of the victims were under the age of 20. According to the county medical examiner's office, 32 total cases involved victims 19 years old and younger. It's the most in the last 15 years, per county statistics, with 105 of the victims listed as being black, and 24 listed as being white. The numbers also show that the winter months had the fewest homicides, while the two months with the most deaths were June and October. "Well, I know one thing with guns. We've got to do something better, the lawmakers, with gun control," Pittsburgh community member Greg Nevels said. "Some of these kids are out here selling drugs. They're selling drugs because they help pay bills."

(WXPI Pittsburgh)

2) A 17-year-old girl was found injured in Pittsburgh's Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood after being shot on Saturday evening. According to Pittsburgh police, officers were called to the 6500 block of Deary Street due to a single round ShotSpotter notification and 911 calls just before 10 p.m. They found a 17-year-old girl on the scene at a nearby house, in the 1100 block of Paulson Avenue, with a gunshot wound to her arm. Officers applied a tourniquet until medics arrived. The victim was taken to an area hospital in serious but stable condition. The Mobile Crime Unit processed evidence at the scene, and Violent Crime Unit detectives are investigating.

(WPXI Pittsburgh)

3) South Hills residents who were born outside of the United States are benefitting professionally from the recent expansion of Pennsylvania Women Work's RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Services for Employment) program. Many immigrants reside in the South Hills, creating the desire to expand to that area. With the help of a grant from the Jefferson Regional Foundation and partnerships with organizations such as South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM), Literacy Pittsburgh and the Jefferson Collaborative, the expansion was made possible. From September on, the program has offered free career development services, one-on-one support, group discussions and classes. Pennsylvania Women Work (PWW) is a nonprofit workforce development organization dedicated to helping individuals find meaningful employment—and this specific program aids refugees and immigrants in finding family-sustaining employment opportunities. "Our mission is to help job seekers who are either re-entering the workforce or those who are employed but are looking for a better job," said PWW executive director Kristin Ioannou.

(The Almanac)

4) A New Castle man is now the proud owner of an official 'Pittsburgh Steelers' truck—also known as a black-and-gold Ford F-150. Travis McConnell was announced as the winner of the "Toughest Truck, Toughest Team Sweepstakes" at halftime of yesterday's game. He said his winning entry was the first time he had participated in the contest, via the online form. "We decided to first choose 10 finalists from among the thousands of eligible entries entered both in-person and online, invite these folks to Ford's private hospitality center at Stage AE, give them tickets to the Thank-You Fans game against the Cleveland Browns, and then bring them on the field right under the goal post in the end zone of Acrisure Stadium to reveal the winner of the official truck," Joseph Thurby, chairman of the Neighborhood Ford Store said. The 10 finalists in this year's competition each selected a numbered gift box. One of the gift boxes contained the keys to the truck, and 40-year-old McConnell's happened to be the lucky box. Other finalists were awarded gift cards.

(WXPI Pittsburgh)

5) Turnpike toll costs have been on the rise—and will only continue to get more costly. Back in August, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced the initial 5% increased rate for all E-Z paid and toll-by-plate customers, which went into effect yesterday. Turnpike officials say the most common toll for E-Z pass customers is going to go up 10 cents to $1.80. The most common toll for "toll-by-plate" customers is up 30 cents to $4.40 cents. The PTC says that based on current traffic and revenue projections, there are going to continue to be toll increases. The next hike could be by 5% through 2025. Looking toward the future, the Turnpike Commission plans to raise rates by at least 3% until the year 2050.

(WXPI Pittsburgh)

Today in Pittsburgh:

• North Hills Coin Club - Northland Public Library (6:00 PM)
• Sahaja Meditation - Mount Lebanon Public Library (6:30 PM)
• A Novel Book Club - Brentwood Library (6:30 PM)
• Buildings & Grounds Committee Meeting (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh: "Did you know that your Allegheny County library card could get you free admission (up to 4) to the Children's Museum? It's part of the new RAD Pass program that offers library card holders ages 18+ free or discounted access to the region!" (Children's Museum of Pittsburgh via Facebook)
• Carnegie Science Center: "Visit us next Sat., Jan. 14 and Sun., Jan. 15 for Locomotion Weekend! See a rail yard full of guest train displays and jump aboard for a cinematic ride on The Empress during a showing of Rocky Mountain Express." (Carnegie Science Center via Facebook)
• Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures: "In May 2022, we welcomed a panel of writers and artists to the #MadeLocal stage to discuss why the arts are essential. Here's part of what Dr. Cristal Chanelle Truscott had to share. " (Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures via Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all tomorrow morning for your next update.

— Rachel Tasker

About me: Rachel is a native Pennsylvanian with stops in Erie and State College before making Pittsburgh her home in 2020. She's got a background in a little bit of everything... from working in media newsrooms and public health to the 2016 Presidential election in Washington, D.C. and the 2019 Super Bowl where (surprise!) Tom Brady won... AGAIN. She loves good coffee, bad reality T.V., attending local events and trying new food in the 412. She resides in the South Hills.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Pittsburgh Daily? Contact me at pittsburgh@patch.com