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Police Bust Teen in BB Vandalism Spree in Del.

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A teenage boy was released to his parents custody after police caught him with evidence of a BB gun vandalism spree in his car.

New Castle County Police caught up to the 17-year-old in the parking lot of a business near Route 202 after witnesses thumbed the car in a series of BB gun shootings in the Dartmouth Woods and Chalfonte sections of Wilmington. The damage was done to cars, cars window, home windows and siding Monday night, said investigators.

An initial investigation led police to believe the driver -- along with a second shooting suspect -- drove around the neighborhoods firing. Damage was reported along Ramblewood Drive, Brandywood Drive, Sturbridge Drive, Berwyn Road, Raven Road, Landon Drive, Breeze Point Drive and other streets, said police.

Later that night, police closed in on the Brandywine Hundred teen's vehicle and found evidence linking him to the vandalism in his car, said investigators.

Police took the teen -- who wasn't identified since he is charged as a minor -- into custody without incident and charged him with 24 counts of criminal mischief, said police. A judge released the boy to his parents.

The search continued for a second suspect in the vandalism. Police asked to contact NCCPD Det. N. Sexton at 302-395-8100 or 302-573-2800 or by email.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Philadelphia Receives National Preparedness Award

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Philadelphia's emergency management program will be receiving recognition for its handling of big events like the AMTRAK train derailment and Pope Francis visit.

Photo Credit: NBC10

Great White Shark Mary Lee's Back at Jersey Shore

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She's Baaaack!

Mary Lee, the svelte 16-foot-long Great White shark, has returned to the Jersey Shore. She was pinged Wednesday afternoon Southeast of Atlantic City and again around 5:20 Thursday morning just South of the Route 72 Bridge between Stafford Township and Ship Bottom.

Mid-morning -- at 10:19 -- Mary Lee was pinged again in Barnegat Bay near Barnegat Lighhouse State Park and Sedge Island.

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Mary Lee's movements are tracked by the nonprofit group OCEARCH and she 'tweets' her travels to more followers than most of us have on Twitter.

The 3,450 pound shark was last spotted along the Jersey Shore in mid-October.

Mary Lee has traveled more than 24,000 miles since OCEARCH – a shark research group -- tagged her in Sept. 2012 with their electronic tracker. She's traveled almost as far North as Nova Scotia and been South of Bermuda but seems to prefer hanging out along the Eastern Seaboard from Jacksonville, Florida up to the Jersey Shore.

Jersey Shore fans were having fun talking bait and bars with Mary Lee.

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You can keep track of Mary Lee at ocearch.org or follow her on Twitter @MaryLeeShark.

NBC10's Ted Greenberg is following the Mary Lee story today. You can also track his findings on Twitter @TedGreenbergNBC.
 



Photo Credit: OCEARCH
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Jersey Shore Police Hold Seminar on Fair Policing

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The Atlantic City Police department held a conference Wednesday in an effort to eliminate bias and improve police sensitivity.

Wrong Arrest Raises Race Concerns on Main Line

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The Lower Merion Police Department is being questioned about possible racial profiling after an African-American man was mistakenly arrested following a heist.

What 2015 HUD Data Says About Homelessness in U.S.

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The results of a 2015 count of homeless people across the United States revealed major strides in decreasing homelessness in America -- but also some persistent challenges facing certain vulnerable populations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday released and discussed the new data on homelessness in America based on January 2015 point-in-time counts of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people.

Between January 2010 and January 2015, the data revealed, overall homelessness across the U.S. decreased by 11 percent, according to HUD Secretary Julián Castro. During the same time period, Castro said, the U.S. saw a 22 percent decrease in chronic homelessness and a 19 percent reduction in homelessness among families. For veterans -- the first population targeted in President Obama's "Opening Doors" initiative to end homelessness -- homelessness fell 36 percent between 2010 and 2015, Castro said.

In Philadelphia, the number of people found in the nationwide point-in-time count decreased slightly from 2010, when there were 6,084 total homeless people reported, to this year, when there were 5,998. From last year to this year, however, the number of homeless people found in Philadelphia's point-in-time count increased from 5,738 to 5,998 -- about 5 percent.

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A deeper dive into the national data reveals a number of challenges the nation is still facing, particularly when it comes to certain vulnerable populations of homeless people.

Youth homelessness in particular emerged as an issue that has dogged government and social-service agencies trying to count and connect kids and young adults with housing and services. NBC10's digital team recently explored the issue of youth homelessness locally in a special report, the Faces of Homeless Youth, and found that at least several hundred -- and most likely more -- kids and young adults are homeless on Philadelphia's streets at any given time.

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HUD officials said they are working to improve strategies for counting homeless youth, who are a notoriously invisible population. They cautioned against drawing any conclusions from comparing year-to-year data on youth homelessness at this point, saying they're still working to find the best way to accurately count homeless kids and young adults in America. Some strategies they're exploring, officials said, include better using social media, as well as partners and stakeholders who have direct relationships with homeless youth, to count them.

One of the goals of "Opening Doors" is ending youth homelessness in America by 2020. The HUD report on homelessness released Thursday said that January 2015 point-in-time counts located 180,760 homeless youth under age 25, including 127,787 homeless youth under 18 and 52,973. Among homeless youth, according to HUD data, 78 percent were part of a homeless family with children, and most unaccompanied homeless youth -- 87 percent -- were between the ages of 18 and 24.

There were 9,901 parenting youth found homeless on a single night in January 2015, 99 percent of whom were between the ages of 18 and 24, according to HUD.

Although the HUD point-in-time counts for homeless youth and young adults were lower in 2015 than 2014, HUD officials cautioned against comparing year-to-year data. One national youth-advocacy organization echoed HUD's recognition that the current counting methods for homeless youth are unreliable.

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According to the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth and the First Focus Campaign for Children, HUD's count "measures capacity, not need."

"Shelters are often full, and many communities do not have shelters, or have shelters that are inappropriate for the needs of families or youth. Unaccompanied youth may avoid shelters because of safety concerns."

The organizations, in a statement on Thursday, said that a U.S. Department of Education survey revealed that more than 1.3 million children and youth had been homeless at some point in the 2013-2014 school year, marking an increase of 3.4 percent from the prior academic year.

Where HUD showed the biggest gains have been made are the push to end homelessness among veterans. Castro said that some cities and towns in the U.S., including Houston, have completely eradicated veterans' homelessness.

In Philadelphia, HUD 2015 statistics show there are 10 unsheltered homeless veterans remaining, per the January count. That number is half of the 20 veterans who were homeless and unsheltered last year and a fraction of the 71 who were unsheltered in 2013.

Officials said they're "confident" that veterans' homelessness in the U.S. will be eliminated not long after the the end of this year -- the goal set in Opening Doors for ending veterans' homelessness.

Chronically homeless people and homeless youth and families, though -- Opening Doors' other targeted populations -- are further from having their homelessness eliminated.

Matthew Doherty, the executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, said despite the progress made in reducing chronic homelessness between 2010 and 2015, there was only a 1 percent drop from 2014 to 2015 in chronic homelessness.

That very small gain "needs to be seen as a call to action," Doherty said Thursday during a national media conference call organized by HUD. He said in increase in funding to connect the most vulnerable homeless populations with permanent supportive housing -- a model that officials say has proven to be most successful at combating homelessness -- is paramount.

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The HUD data release comes on the same day that Covenant House, an international organization serving homeless youth ages 18 to 21, is holding its annual Executive Sleep Out to end youth homelessness. Read more about Covenant House Pennsylvania's Sleep Out here.



Photo Credit: NBC10 / Vince Lattanzio
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Technology is Changing the Millennial Brain

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Sunyoung Cho looks out the ceiling-to-floor window of the packed coffee shop in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. She sips from a paper cup while busyness brews around her.

Then Cho, a 30-year-old postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, picks up her iPhone and swipes at the screen.

Patrons at the counter are looking at their smartphones, too, waiting in line for their caffeine fixes. Students are staked out at tables, earbuds in and laptops on.

The U.S. Census Bureau says there are 83.1 million people between the ages of 18 to 34 in the nation. Studies show the average Millennial spends 18 hours per day using any type of digital media. And, 90 percent of young adults use social media, which is up from 12 percent in 2005, the Pew Research Center reports.

The Millennials, in general, are more educated and connected. But, many of the generation’s young minds are still developing. Scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health say the human brain continues to mature until age 25.

And if their brains are constantly assaulted by backlit screens, they might not develop in the same way as their parents’.

Although research in brain development among Millennials is fairly new, some medical experts say the brains of people in this generation are physically developing differently because of their almost constant interaction with technology. These changes in the organ could affect Millennials’ communication skills.

Technology use can affect the parts of the brain that control the core of a person’s personality, from how they work in a team down to hand gestures and expressions.

“I think it’s very possible” that technology alters the brain, said Kirk Erickson, principal investigator of the Brain Aging & Cognition Health Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. “But we haven’t yet directly linked these things.”

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Science Behind It

The brain develops based on how it’s used. Texting and web surfing use different parts of the brain than reading or speaking.

Some neuroscientists have targeted which parts of the developing brain are affected by technology use. According to researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, there are changes in the ways the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum and parietal lobe mature.

Erickson, also a psychology professor at Pitt, said these sections work in tandem to affect communication skills.

“There’s so many different forms and types of technology,” he said. “There’s many different brain areas that get engaged.”

The prefrontal cortex, which resides in the frontal lobe, controls personality, cognition and social behavior. The cerebellum coordinates and regulates muscular activity, including those linked to language. The parietal lobe deals with interpreting language and words.

Excessive tech usage, according to leading scientific publications, atrophies the frontal lobe, breaking down ties between different parts of the brain. Too much technology use also shrinks the outermost part of the brain, making it more difficult to process information. Erickson said this can affect the way people interact.

“You might see changes in your ability to regulate emotions, your ability to remember certain events, your ability to pay attention to different things,” he said. “These things all together will certainly affect how you communicate with people.”

In some cases, people have become clinically addicted to technology.

Kimberly Young, a licensed psychologist and professor at St. Bonaventure University in New York, has studied Internet addiction disorder, or IAD, for the past 20 years.

“We’re all a bit too connected,” Young said. “We socially accept it.”

She’s found that IAD is just as dangerous as other drug addictions. Patients have the same poor social skills, grades and health because they can’t control the urge to be online. She’s treated people who have developed blood clots from sitting in front of their computers for hours on end.

Many of Young’s patients have chronic problems, like attention deficit disorder and obesity. They’re distressed, disinterested and disengaged. Some have trouble reading traditional, paper books because they’ve only read off tablet screens.

It’s difficult to pin down exactly which environmental or hereditary factors change brain composition, so research on brain development and technology use is ongoing.

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A Different Wavelength

Many Millennials may not need to pick up on traditional communication norms. Through their phones, they don’t have to filter social cues or subject matter.

Even Millennials have mixed opinions about this.

Grace Muller, 26, has deactivated her Facebook account. She tries to limit her daily time online to eight hours during her job at the community resource center Casa San Jose, and one hour at home.

“There’s not a lot of reason for us to be alone with our thoughts when you can have your phone with you 24 hours a day,” she said.

But some Millennials don’t think their generation is suffering in the communication department.

Kirby Shramuk, a Pitt student studying business and Asian studies, said Millennials don’t have bad communication skills. It’s just comforting for them to look at their phones when they’re surrounded by strangers.

Shramuk admits that sometimes, she keeps her earbuds in when she’s not listening to music. Like many other Millennials, whether they admit it or not, she brings her phone into the bathroom with her.

“I think technology is becoming a necessity in most everyday lives,” Shramuk said.

Millennials are bringing their phones into the classroom, too.

Deborah Good, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, has been teaching college courses for more than 30 years. She’s concerned about Millennials.

“[Their] attention is being paid to the info coming off smartphones,” Good said. “They interact in 140 characters or less.”

Millennials aren’t on the “same wavelength” as people from older generations, she added.

Erickson, who has been teaching for seven years, said he’s seeing a change in young people as well.

“Students are not coming to office hours very much and meeting with me one-on-one,” he said. “I think that students are much more comfortable sending email.”

In class, his students take to their phones. Instead of copying handwritten notes, they’re typing on laptops or snapping pictures of his presentation slides.

“I have mixed feelings about it, really,” Erickson said. “It’s hard to judge what’s good and what’s bad.”

Technology-attached Millennials are also on a collision course with other generations who might perceive their use in a negative way because they work differently.

Irene Prendergast, owner and president of the human resources consulting firm Advanced Workforce Solutions in Moon Township north of Pittsburgh, works closely with many Millennials.

“They pull out these cellphones in the middle of meetings … [and] cause a lot of angst in a corporation,” she said. “They’re great kids and they have a lot to offer. What they bring just needs to be focused in the right area.”

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Constant, Rich Communication?

Heavy technology use might actually help with communication, said S. Shyam Sundar, a professor in the Penn State College of Communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory.

Sundar said the idea that Millennials are bad at picking up emotional cues and can’t talk face-to-face is dated.

“I think we’ve come a long way from that,” he said. “In [a] sense, we are actually able to communicate more richly.”

Technology lets people constantly keep in touch, he said, regardless of age or geography.

A child can easily call his grandparents or send them a message. People across the world can challenge each other in the same video games. Texting is almost as instantaneous as speaking.

“They feel like they’re in the same frequency because of constant communication,” Sundar said.

Communication norms may even change with this new generation. Although face-to-face interaction seems to be the “gold standard” among older generations, he said it might not be viable in the future.

“Millennials might not even think about face-to-face as the ideal,” Sundar said. “Face-to-face might almost be an inconvenience and somewhat pointless.”

Amy Jordan, president of the International Communication Association, has conducted research on media effects in relation to health, primarily focusing on children school age to age 25.

Jordan said young people use technology to separate them from adult culture. They want to relate to each other rather than to their parents.

“I think it’s also normal that they would want to do that,” said Jordan, also director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

But to keep that connection across generations, people may need to adapt to Millennial trends.

“I think it’s going to be important for the older generations right now to kind of keep in touch with younger generations through some of these technologies,” Erickson said.

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Reach PublicSource intern Elaina Zachos at ezachos@publicsource.org. See our previous stories about Millennials here.


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Philly Jesus: God's Number for Me is Seven -- $70M

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Philly Jesus' attempt to raise $70 million so he can take his message of Christ worldwide got off to an anemic start but that isn't keeping him from keeping the faith.

More than a week into his GoFundMe campaign, Philly Jesus had raised $67.

"I do believe with all my heart that God is going to make this prosper because he knows my heart, he knows the sincerity of my heart," Michael Grant, aka Philly Jesus, told NBC10.

So what would Grant do with the money if he miraculously brings in $70 million?

He lists "tour buses," "helicopter/jet," business cards, computer equipment, cameras, "working capital" and "Building/stadium" in a breakdown of some items the money would help pay for.

"I'm just trying to further what I do and take it across the globe... bringing the story of Christ to life on the streets and preaching the word of God to all creation."

Grant has spent about two years preaching to whoever is willing to listen while taking plenty of selfies in the area around Love Park in Center City and even performing his fair share of park fountain baptisms.

Originally his goal for global reach started with raising $70,000 for a Philly Jesus mobile -- like the popemobile. That fundraising effort stalled at $1,600 before he launched his loftier multimillion dollar campaign last week.

"I'm just putting my faith in God and God is going to provide... I believe that God will send the right people into my life to further this," said Grant.

So why $70 million?

"It's the breakdown and expenses of what the Philly Jesus Ministry is gonna be," said Grant. "It's gonna need that to go global."

He also said he has a special place for the number seven since it is greater than the devil's number of 666.

"God's number for me is seven."

If Grant reaches his goal, he would go to "all countries that will let me step foot on their land," but promises not to forget his roots.

"I'll definitely be at LOVE Park even when this goes globally and I'm traveling all over the world and doing what I do at LOVE Park around the world, I will be making visits back to LOVE Park on a regular basis because that's where it all started."

For now, Grant continues to share the message of Christ with anyone willing to listen. And naturally, he has plans for the holiday season.

"Christmas is coming up and I'm going to be out on the streets of Philadelphia putting the 'Christ' in Christmas."



Photo Credit: Instagram - Philly Jesus
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NJ Ring Thief Strikes Twice in an Hour

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Police say the thief stole two diamond rings in two states in nearly an hour. NBC10’s Cydney Long has the details.

Budget Stalemate Affects Philly Classrooms

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NBC10’s George Spencer is live at the Philadelphia School District Headquarters with the latest on how the PA budget has impacted local schools and teacher absences.

Were Philly Passengers Profiled on Flight Home?

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A Philadelphia pizza shop owner and his friend had to call 911 in Chicago's Midway airport Wednesday night in order to get on their flight home.

Maher Khalil and Anas Ayyad said they were profiled — asked to step aside during the boarding process because a fellow passenger said he was afraid to fly with them.

"If that person doesn't feel safe, let them take the bus," Khalil said to a Southwest Airlines gate agent. "We're American citizens just like everybody else."

Khalil, 29 and Ayyad, 28, moved to Philadelphia from Palestine 15 years ago. Khalil now owns the Feltonville pizza shop — Pizza Point — that gave him his first job. The friends were in Chicago visiting each other's families and met back at the airport Wednesday night to take the same flight home. The gate agent told them apologetically they wouldn't be allowed to board because a passenger was afraid to fly with them after overhearing the men speaking Arabic.

"I didn't know what to do, so I called the cops," Khalil said.

The flight was delayed and the two men were ultimately allowed to board after being questioned again by airport security and police. The airline issued a statement acknowledging a brief disagreement with two customers.

A second Southwest flight from Chicago to Houston was also delayed Wednesday night when passengers refused to allow six Muslims on the flight. The Muslim passengers had to be rebooked on another flight.

"Safety is our primary focus, and our Employees are trained to make decisions to ensure that safety, and to safeguard the security of our Crews and Customers on every flight," the airline's statement read.

Some passengers were very supportive, Khalil said, but others made the flight home outright uncomfortable.

"We're walking down the aisle and I'd already told him [Ayyad] to smile and act like nothing was wrong. But then people kept asking me, 'What's in that box?!' I was carrying a small white box. And the passengers made me open the box!"

"So I shared my baklava with them."



Photo Credit: Karen Araiza

Is Your Identity At Risk?

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NBC10 Investigator Mitch Blacher found PA handing out information that may lead to identity theft.

Buxco Officials Threaten To Hold Funds

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NBC10’s Deanna Durante has the latest details on the Pennsylvania budget stalemate and how it is affecting the area.

Impact of House Vote on Syrian Refugees

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The vote comes 6 days after the attacks in Paris. President Obama says he will veto the bill if it gets to his desk. Legal Expert Jim Shultz spoke to NBC10 to discuss the impact this vote may have on states.

Refugee Debate Continues

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NBC10's Lauren Mayk has the latest on the status of Syrian Refugees seeking asylum.

Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich?

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Philadelphia Eagles players weigh in on the latest "Ask an Eagle" question. Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Worker Struck, Killed in Manhole on Philly Street

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A man who was working in a manhole near 63rd and Arch streets in Philadelphia was killed Thursday evening when a minivan entered the construction zone and struck him. The woman driver was cooperating with police. NBC10's Randy Gyllenhaal reports.

Sleepout for Homeless Youth

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Local executives took part in the annual sleep out to benefit Covenant House and homeless youth.

Parents Protest Philly SRC

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Parents and students protested at the Philadelphia SRC Thursday over its plans to change three struggling public schools to privately owned charter school. NBC10's Drew Smith was there.

Philly Trib Celebrates

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The Philadelphia Tribune celebrated its 130th anniversary Thursday evening. It is the oldest newspaper in the country serving the African American community.
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