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On the Mile: Mile 10

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The last mile is one big adrenalin wave!

Phila. Council Joins Fight Against Youth Homelessness

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On any given night, hundreds of teenagers and young adults are homeless on the streets of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia City Council on Thursday will hold a hearing specially on youth homelessness. The hearing is the first of its kind focusing on the issue after the Joint Committees on Children and Youth and Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless passed a resolution earlier this year to hold hearings on the matter.

Councilwoman Helen Gym and Councilman Allan Domb head up the committees, respectively, and joined forces in the fight against youth homelessness in January when both participated in the annual homeless count.

NBC10 explored the problem of youth homelessness in Philadelphia in depth late last year in Faces of Homeless Youth, an extensive television and web-based report that follows the stories of several teens and young adults who have experienced homelessness. NBC10 reporters Vince Lattanzio and Morgan Zalot spent time on the streets with kids who are homeless and in Covenant House Pennsylvania, the only crisis shelter in Philadelphia that serves homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 21 exclusively.

As a result of NBC10's reporting, tens of thousands of dollars in donations and volunteer hours poured into Covenant House, the organization's executive director, John Ducoff, said after the story aired. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., also called on Congress to approve $42 million in new funding for youth homelessness on the heels of Faces of Homeless Youth. Congress eventually approved that amount.

You can watch the livestream of the City Council hearing on youth homelessness right here on NBC10.com or on the NBC10 app at 1 p.m.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Inmates Get 2nd Chance with Help From Philabundance

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NBC10's Katy Zachary highlights Philabundance's Community Kitchen and its work with local inmates.

Worshipper Faces Charges in Deadly Montco Church Shooting

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A Montgomery County man who opened fire on another worshipper in a packed church during Sunday service has been charged with manslaughter.

Mark T. Storms, 46, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, was charged Thursday with voluntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in the death of 27-year-old Robert E. Braxton III.

Storms shot Braxton inside Keystone Fellowship Church, a non-denominational church on Stump Road in North Wales, on Sunday morning, prosecutors said. The shooting happened in the church's sanctuary, which was filled with hundreds of worshippers for an 11 a.m. service. Witnesses told NBC10 churchgoers hid under pews as the altercation played out.

Witnesses remember Braxton arriving at church irritated and cursing at an usher in the back of the church, court documents show. Church staff members tried to quiet Braxton, but he refused before heading to a pew that was reserved for two other church members, according to prosecutors.

A church member sitting behind Braxton tapped him on the shoulder to let him know the seats were reserved. Another couple put down two Bibles to save their spots before walking away. Braxton retorted the tap and starting yelling "Don't f------ touch me!" an affidavit reads.

An assistant pastor and ushers came over to try and calm Braxton, but he continued to yell, records show.

In interviews with police, witnesses watched Storms walk over to Braxton, show him a badge and motion to a handgun under his shirt. The badge, police said, was for his concealed carry permit. Braxton exchanged words with Storms before punching him in the jaw. Storms then pulled out his gun and fired two shots, according to witnesses.

What church members remember between Storms showing the badge and the shooting varied.

A female witness told police Braxton said "F--- you and your fake badge, get the f--- out of here" to Storms when he showed off the gold marker.

Another church member, a man, told investigators Storms brandished his gun, to which, Braxton replied, "That's not a real gun."

One person said Braxton lunged at Storms before the shooting. Another recalled hearing Braxton ask Storms "What are you going to do, shoot me?" before punching him, court documents show.

Storms, in an interview with police, said he opened fire on Braxton because he felt his "person was in great danger" and that he was worried other people in the church, including the elderly and children, were going to be hurt.

Storms told police he showed off the concealed carry badge with hopes of defusing the situation. He said, according to court documents, he had done that in the past and that man "walked away."

Following the shooting, Braxton was taken to Abington-Lansdale Hospital where he died. An autopsy showed a bullet hit him in the right side of his chest and right arm.

Kevin Steele, Montgomery County district attorney, said his office decided to file charges after an intensive investigation and interviews with 50 witnesses.

Storms will be arraigned Thursday afternoon. It's not clear if he has retained an attorney.



Photo Credit: NBC10/Montogmery County District Attorney's Office

SEPTA's Detours for the Blue Cross Broad Street Run

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The Blue Cross Broad Street Run is only a few days away! With over 30,000 participants crowding to the city and blocking roadways, SEPTA is alerting residents and visitors of the detours happening around the race.

HIGH SPEED LINES

SEPTA is running extra service on the Broad Street Line subway.

Special northbound trips will run every 10 minutes from AT&T Station from 4:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  These trains will stop only at Walnut-Locust and City Hall stations en route to Olney Transportation Center.

SEPTA is offering this trip FREE to registered runners until 9 a.m.  Participants must show their official race bib with competitor number to ride free.

BUS ROUTES

Bus Routes on, across, and around Broad Street in North Philadelphia, Center City, and South Philadelphia will be detoured due to road closures.

Detours begin at 7:30 a.m. and will resume regular service as soon as the race is finished. The following bus routes are scheduled for detour:

Route 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 53, 54, 56, 60, 61, 64, 68, 75, 79, 124, 125, G, J, H, XH, and R.

SEPTA is urging customers using buses that operate near the race course to plan ahead for these adjustments and should allow for extra time to complete trips. 

Trump Disses Downingtown, Mayor Fires Back

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After appearing at West Chester University on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump managed to stir up controversy on his way out of town with a tweet describing nearby Downingtown as "so sad!"[[377412251,C]]

Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell took offense and responded with a string of tweets condemning Trump and his negative portrayal of the town.

The candidate's tweet featured a photo of an abandoned Downingtown paper mill, with Trump lamenting about Downingtown's once "vibrant" industrial past.[[377480241,C]]

Maxwell, a Democrat, rebuked Trump's assertions with a tweet of his own.  He accused the Republican front-runner of being uninformed, and explained that discussions had already begun about revitalizing that area prior to Trump's visit.[[377480811, C]][[218989091,C]]

Amidst recieving "hundreds" of angry messages from Trump supporters, Maxwell fired back by drawing a comparison between the abandoned mill and one of Trump's own ventures:[[377481921,C]]

Later, Maxwell summed up the situation with one last statement.[[377482661,C]][[377405761,C]]

After posting the Downingtown tweet, Trump's twitter stream went back to focusing on primary elections and ultimately thanking Pennsylvania for his win in the state. 


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It's Official: Eagles Take Carson Wentz in NFL Draft

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After weeks of speculation, North Dakota State University quarterback Carson Wentz is officially an Eagle.

That doesn’t exactly answer any questions about the team’s quarterback situation for the upcoming season.

Wentz joins a QB corps already jammed with expected starter (and former No. 1 overall pick) Sam Bradford and top backup Chase Daniel, signed this offseason to be the No. 2 QB on the roster.

Immediately after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wentz as the Eagles' pick, Wentz told the NFL Network's Deion Sanders that he's just as passionate as Philadelphia's diehard football fans.

"It’s exciting times, happy to be an Eagle. I’m bringing it," Wentz said. "They're getting a passionate player. It’s gonna be fun."

In an interview with NBC 10 Tuesday, Wentz said his confidence is what will help take him from small town hero to big city star.

“I think I’ve shown that I’m a winner,” Wentz said. “I think I (have) a lot of intangibles that people might not see. I think my physical abilities speak for [themselves]."



Photo Credit: AP
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Philly Cop Charged in Alleged Break-In

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A Philadelphia police officer has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a girlfriend's apartment and taking an item from the home, the police department said in a statement Thursday.

Alex McAdams, 28, has been suspended from duty for 30 days with intent to dismiss, police said.

The four-year veteran of the department allegedly broke into a girlfriend's home while off-duty in the early morning of March 5, police said. He allegedly removed a screen from a window, broke the window, entered the apartment, and then took a personal item, police said.

He then allegedly chased the woman from the apartment.

McAdams turned himself in to police Thursday to face charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft, and criminal mischief.

He had been assigned to the 15th District.


Running in the Rain?

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CLOUDY, COOL, DAMP WEEKEND

It won’t be raining the whole time, but there WILL be some rain this weekend, and it will NOT be warm-or even mild. Overall, it looks like Saturday will have better weather than Sunday, but even Saturday is no picnic. It is likely to be raining during the Blue Cross Broad Street Run Sunday morning. 

WHY ARE CLOUDS & RAIN SO PERSISTENT?

It’s largely about the wind-specifically the wind direction. The first step in making my weather forecast is always the wind, since it’s so important in forecasting in this area. A wind from the ocean (East or Northeast) will be a major factor, especially if it lasts for days. Eventually, clouds will be moving in, and once they’re here, it’s hard to get rid of them until the wind direction changes. That is the current issue. 

Here’s a map of where our air is coming from. New Jersey and Long Island stick out pretty clearly, so you can tell where we are on the map. You can find an animation of this map here:

[[377498811, C]]

Computer models show that this basic pattern will last for several more days. This means cooler than normal weather, lots of clouds, and some periods of rain. These persistent East winds are common this time of year, and can keep temperatures in the 50s for days. And if the ocean is cold enough, it can stay in the 40s! 

That’s the current picture. Let’s see how it changes over the next few days… 

MORE EAST WIND=MORE CHILLY, WET WEATHER

Here’s a forecast wind map for Friday afternoon. The east wind is coming from hundreds of miles out in the ocean. There’s no way we can warm up with a wind like that.

[[377498891, C]]

There’s no sense showing what this map will look like over the weekend, since it will barely change. 

Here is the result of those persistent east winds:

[[377498951, C]] 

That’s the forecast from the NAM model for the same time as the earlier wind map. The green is the rain. That area of rain moves out, so Saturday is merely cloudy and chilly:

[[377499161, C]]

But the rain-even heavier rain-is approaching from the west by late Saturday. That means rain for Sunday, and it could be briefly heavy:

[[377499441, C]]

It doesn’t improve for Monday. But that should be the last day of the east wind-aided chill and rain. We’ll get back to normal-eventually.

Here is the forecast for the next 4 days:

Friday: Cloudy and chilly. High only 55. Periods of rain, mainly in afternoon

Saturday: Cloudy and chilly. High 61. Chance of rain at night

Sunday: Rain, heavy at times. Still chilly, with high only 58.

Monday: Periods of rain. Still chilly, with high 61.



Photo Credit: Kait Privitera
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Formerly Homeless Youth Testify at City Council

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There was a time when Joseph Hill-Coles saw only a cell or a cemetery in his future.

Born addicted to crack cocaine to a mother who battled drug addiction, Hill-Coles entered foster care when he was 3. For eight years, he bounced among what he described as more foster homes than he could count, before finally being adopted at age 10. Eventually, though, Hill-Coles fell prey to the streets, selling drugs and getting kicked out of schools until his adoptive mom finally had enough and kicked him out. As a teen, he wound up homeless.

"At age 17, I was arrested and locked up as an adult for a year and a half," Hill-Coles said in City Council chambers Thursday, where he was one of more than a dozen speakers at a joint committee hearing on youth homelessness. "Once released, it became all about survival. I house hopped until I wore out my welcome and then spent a couple months living on the streets. Selling drugs just to be able to have money to eat, I slept in LOVE Park, in abandoned buildings, and eventually found myself in and out of adult shelters."

Hill-Coles, 22, is one among what is estimated to be hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of teens and young adults who experience homelessness on the streets of Philadelphia.

The staggering numbers caught the eyes of freshmen council members Helen Gym, who heads the Committee on Children and Youth, and Allan Domb, who heads the Committee on Housing Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, and the pair earlier this year decided to join forces and form a joint committee to solve the problem.

"Since 2009, we have seen an alarming increase of over 70 percent in the number of youth experiencing homelessness in our city," Gym said. "These young people face enormous challenges and for too long they have been overlooked by policymakers. It's time for us to bring them to the table to seek solutions."

The hearing, attended by about 120 people, was the first public platform centered on combating youth homelessness. Advocates called for the formation of an inter-agency council to address the problem and more funding for emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing specifically for youth. In addition to Gym and Domb, council members Jannie Blackwell, Derek Green, Al Taubenberger and Cindy Bass were in attendance.

The issue is one that crosses party lines in the city. Taubenberger, the only Republican in attendance at the hearing, said afterward that youth homelessness is a major problem requiring urgent action. "You can't have a generation of young people sleeping on the subway and trains. It's something we can't ignore," he said.

The three-hour hearing opened with a three-minute clip from Faces of Homeless Youth, an in-depth report by NBC10 published and aired late last year that explored youth homelessness through the eyes of young people who are currently or who have been homeless. Hill-Coles, along with more than a dozen other young people, were profiled in the report.

City Office of Supportive Housing Director Liz Hersh told council members that a cost-analysis by her office showed that $3.5 million in additional funding could help establish 300 to 400 additional emergency beds for youth. She said the office had not investigated, however, how much it would cost annually to maintain those beds if they were added.

Hersh said that in one of the most recent homeless youth counts, only 11 percent of homeless young people located in Philadelphia were staying in shelters.

"I don't think shelters are the right place for young people," Hersh said during the hearing. "They need to be in permanent supportive or transitional housing."

Currently in the city, Hersh said, there are 109 emergency beds altogether for kids and young adults ages 3 through 24, 223 transitional housing beds for youth, and 56 permanent supportive beds.

Of the emergency beds, only 76 are designated specially for teens and adolescents, according to John Ducoff, executive director of Covenant House Pennsylvania. Of those, 51 are located at Covenant House's crisis shelter in Germantown and receive no city funding, Ducoff testified.

Domb called the number of beds dedicated to teens and adolescents "unacceptable" in a city of 1.5 million that is considered to be the most impoverished large city in the United States. In Philadelphia, the poverty rate was about 26 percent in 2013, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts report.

Ducoff went on to say that Covenant House, the only shelter in the city that specially serves 18- to 21-year-olds, turned away 546 kids in need of shelter last year alone due to a lack of space. He said that his organization determined that 75 more beds would help to close the gap in the number of youth they can serve at a cost of $2.4 million, adding that the estimated cost included wrap-around services, supervision and other help necessary for each additional young adult.

"If you don't step up now, they'll be the next generation of chronically homeless adults, in jail, or dead," Ducoff said.

The age range that Covenant House serves is one of the most vulnerable, advocates said, because it covers the gap when kids age out of the child welfare and foster care systems and are most likely to become homeless if they haven't formed networks and developed the skills needed to support themselves.

Gary Williams, the deputy commissioner for children and youth at the city Department of Human Services, said that in fiscal year 2015, 235 youth between 18 and 21 aged out of foster care without having "reached permanency," or found a stable place to live. This year through March 31 alone, another 176 young people aged out, Williams testified.

He said that a recent study showed that foster-care youth are more likely than their counterparts who have not been in the child welfare system to become homeless, and that more than half of homeless youth surveyed had been involved in the foster-care system. Foster-care children are also apt to spend more time homeless, he said, with the average stint of homelessness for a former foster child being two years and three months, while the average for non-foster-care children sitting at one year and seven months.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, Nellie Fitzpatrick, who heads the city's Office of LGBT Affairs, said.

Fitzpatrick said that while young people who identify as LGBT make up about 5 percent to 7 percent of the youth population overall, they make up between 32 percent and 40 percent of the homeless youth population.

Kemar Jewel was in that group.

Now 24, Jewel testified about being kicked out of his home when he was 16 and having to "couch surf" and live on the streets. He described experiencing repeated instances of physical and sexual abuse while he was homeless, and being forced to sell his body to eat.

"All that happened because I had nowhere safe to go," Jewel, who is now a college graduate and a professional dancer, said.

Against what seemed like all odds, Hill-Coles and Jewel both made it out of homelessness. Hill-Coles, who was profiled in NBC10's Faces of Homeless Youth, an in-depth report on the issue published and aired late last year, has his own apartment now, a job with an organization that greens vacant lots, and a clear path to a bright future. He told the committee that he shared his story because he wants to ensure that other homeless young people enjoy the same opportunities to get back on track and success that he has.

"I was many things before Covenant House, but I have chosen not to let those things in my past define me," Hill-Coles said. "The staff helped to shape me into the man before you today. My commitment back is to help shape the lives of youth so they don't end up on the streets like I did. I am a success. I am a leader. I am wanted. I am supported and cared for. I am loved."

 


Watch Joseph share his story here, and learn more about youth homelessness in Faces of Homeless Youth here.



Photo Credit: NBC10 - Morgan Zalot
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Rainy and Cool

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NBC10’s chief meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz tells us that we still have some rainy weather to come and a chilly end to April.

Plymouth Whitemarsh Class of 2016 Put School Up For Sale on Craigslist

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The class of 2016 at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School pulled a pretty clever senior prank on Wednesday.

Seniors placed their high school for sale on a Craigslist for $2,016. The Ad, titled "Beautiful Property Currently Under Going Renovations" showed pictures of the school located on East Germantown Pike.

The advertisement went on to highlight some "primary features", including "dozens of rooms, newly renovated kitchen, large backyard, pool currently under renovation" and "pre-installed security system".

Since Wednesday, the advertisement has been updated saying, "Thank you to everyone who made a bid, the property has been sold!!!"



Photo Credit: Google Maps

Mission to Make Cape May Beaches Safer

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There is a new mission underway to keep swimmers and surfers safer on the beach this summer. NBC10’s Ted Greenberg explains the problem and what is being done to fix it.

What's Marijuana 'Wax'?

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There’s a new drug that teens in our area are using called “wax.” NBC10’s Cydney Long reports on the threat and what parents should be looking out for.

Northeast Philly Pol Won and Lost Races Tuesday

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State Rep. Kevin Boyle appears to have lost his bid to become a state senator when he challenged a Northeast Philadelphia rival for Lt. Gov. Mike Stack's old seat.

Boyle trails by 620 votes to John Sabatina in the 5th Senate District race, with 99.22 percent of precincts reporting. Only about 400 absentee ballots remain uncounted, in addition to provisional ballots, according to the City Commissioner's Office.

But don't feel too bad for Boyle. He also won on Election Night.

The 36-year-old ran unopposed for his state House seat: the 172nd District, which represents parts of Northeast Philadelphia including Rhawnhurst, Fox Chase, and Bustleton, and a small portion of Montgomery County. He is in his third term.

"I asked constituents of mine if they thought I should not run for re-election and no one told me not to," Boyle said in an interview Thursday. "If I do gain the senate Democratic nomination [against Sabatina], then I would resign the House seat so there could be an election in November."

His attempt to win two offices was unique to this election, but not to Northeast Philadelphia politics -- or the Boyle family, even.

Kevin Boyle's older brother, Brendan, won two races in the same election. In the 2014 general election, Brendan Boyle, a Democrat, won re-election unopposed to his state House seat in 170th District and crushed a Republican opponent in the 13th congressional district, succeeding longtime U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

In the same election, Mike Stack won the race for lieutenant governor, and considered briefly whether he needed to give up his seat in the state senate. He eventually did, and Sabatina won a special election last year to fill out Stack's term.

Boyle said he always expected a tough race against Sabatina, who also was a state representative representing part of the Northeast.

"It involved two well known elected officials and was an extremely tight race," Boyle said. "Whatever the outcome, regardless, I’m going to remain committed to what I've fought for in Harrisburg during my tenure: economic equality, worker rights, and women’s rights."

He will face Republican Jim Pio in the general election in November.


Love Affair Begins: Wentz Gets His Own Park

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That didn't take long: Suburban towns are already naming places after Carson Wentz, the quarterback drafted Thursday night by the Philadelphia Eagles.

[[377517611, C]]

Ok, so maybe whoever runs Whitpain's twitter account is joking. Or are they?

[[377518681, C]]


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Memorial Set For Student Killed on Pa. Turnpike

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A memorial for Arcadia University student Kelly O'Brien, killed in a Pennsylvania Turnpike crash Monday, will be held May 3, according to her former employer.

The ceremony will be at the Community House, Main Street, in Moorestown, Michael Babcock wrote in an email Thursday. Babcock said O'Brien had spent last summer working at Wing King on West Camden Avenue, Moorestown.

He also said The Kelly O'Brien Memorial Trust Fund has been set up to help the family.

O'Brien, 18, of Moorestown, died when a tractor-trailer fell onto her vehicle in the eastbound lanes of the Turnpike near Trevose Road around 2:50 p.m. Monday. She was driving in the left lane near mile-marker 350 when her 2006 Toyota and a big rig traveling in the center lane "made contact in a side swipe fashion," said Pennsylvania State Police.

The entangled vehicles went off-road, partially up an embankment, where the trailer tipped onto the smaller vehicle, trapping O'Brien in her car, said police. Crews used a crane to lift the big rig off her car. [[377042751, C]]

The big rig driver -- identified by state police as Matthew Bradley of Benton Harbor, Michigan -- was also injured in the crash and taken to Frankford Torresdale Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Officials also say the 2016 Peterbilt truck, which had markings for Baltimore, Maryland-based Cowan Systems on the trailer, was carrying 20,000 pounds of either liquid detergent or soap. [[377062361, C]]

Police closed all eastbound lanes of the Turnpike for hours as crews investigated. One lane reopened around 2 a.m. and all lanes reopened by 4 a.m., said Pennsylvania State Police.

O'Brien was a freshman at Arcadia and majored in Communications.

"Our condolences as well as our thoughts and prayers are with Kelly’s family, friends, and loved ones," wrote Arcadia University president Nicolette DeVille Christensen in a released statement. "We encourage any Arcadia community member who may want assistance or need to talk during this difficult time to visit Counseling Services on the ground floor of Heinz Hall or call the office at 215-572-2967. Walk-ins are available from 1 pm to 3 pm daily."


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Teens Sought in Assault on Temple Campus

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Philadelphia police are looking for four teenagers they say attacked a man near the intersection of 13th and Norris Streets on Temple's campus Sunday night.

Photo Credit: NBC10

Hang on to the Umbrella

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Hang on to the umbrella for the next few days. It will be in the 50's and rainy through Friday and most of the weekend. NBC10 First Alert Meteorologist Sheena Parveen has the latest.

Photo Credit: NBC10

Pain & Frustration: Heroin's Effect on Neighborhoods

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Dawn Hanratty warned the group she was going to have a tough time as she slipped the microphone from a chrome stand in a Port Richmond high school cafeteria Thursday night.

The mother wailed as she talked about the death of her 24-year-old daughter, Amber, from a heroin overdose. Police discovered her body in an overgrown abandoned lot in Kensington. She was hidden from view by tall grass.

"My heart is so broke," the short blonde with a long braid said between sobs. "I can’t move forward. I’m so stuck in the moment of her dying."

Hanratty was one of nearly two dozen people who attended a community meeting at Maritime Academy Charter High School organized by David Oh, an at-large city councilman. The fifth in a series of seven across Philadelphia, the forums are designed to let residents share the pains they confront from the expanding heroin and opioid crisis in the city.

Oh, a former prosecutor and Cobbs Creek resident, is preparing for a May 20th hearing at City Hall on the epidemic. His goal is to come up with a citywide coordinated plan to fight back against the deadly issue and he wants a real picture of how neighborhoods are affected by the problem.

"What I think often times has been missing is that we haven't purposefully and methodically gone out and talked to our communities," Oh said from the cafeteria's worn wooden stage. "If we don’t bring everyone to the table, we will struggle."

The meeting opened with a clip from NBC10’s Generation Addicted project. The in-depth investigation explored the tragic world of heroin and opioid addiction in the Philadelphia area and highlighted new efforts aimed at helping stem the epidemic and help those suffering.

The room was a microcosm of struggles endured daily by residents of the River Wards, the neighborhoods of Fishtown, Port Richmond, Bridesburg and parts of Kensington -- the East Coast’s heroin capital. Homeowners looking to prevent drug dealing on their corners; Business owners frustrated how the drug market hurts their wallet; Mothers mourning their children’s suffering or death.

Tears flowed out from behind Mary Quigley’s black rimmed glasses as she talked about her 30-year-old daughter’s struggle with heroin addiction. Quigley feels helpless to get her daughter quality treatment.

"I’m trying to put her in the best place I could, but I don’t have the money to do that and I just think she’s so broken because she’s just embarrassed," she said.

Hanratty’s been searching for a support group of parents who’ve lost their children to drug overdose. She knows more than 600 people died in Philadelphia last year, but she says no one’s talking.

"Where are all these people who lost their babies, because I’m not the only one. Where are they?" she asked.

The epidemic’s effects manifest in different ways for other community members.

After raising their kids in the suburbs, Jerry Tannenbaum and his wife moved back into the city two years ago. Since then, they’ve confronted drug dealers outside their Fishtown home. They used to be dealing from the couple’s stoop, he said, but he’s since got them to move across the street.

The squat man said he’s reached out to the city and police about the issues via an email address advertised in the newspaper, but has never heard back from anyone.

"As a citizen, we’re not un-compassionate, we’re willing to do something, but we don’t know what to do," he said.

A sharps container sits in the trunk of Kae Anderson’s car. She’s filled it with more than 200 needles picked up off the street in Kensington where she works as the commercial corridor coordinator at the New Kensington Community Development Corporation.

She also bears personal scars from heroin’s scourge. "This year along I’ve already lost two of my friends from heroin addiction," the young woman shared.

Anderson asked Oh to tour the area with her and shared how community groups are working to form a coalition that could apply for grants to better the community.

Don Gould, a lifelong resident of the area, lamented over slowly being forced to relocate his business east to get away from the crime brought on by the drug problem.

"Councilman, we need more police. I don’t know how you sweeten the pot. We need more police. Plain and simple," he concluded.

Oh, while saying he’s been looking at ways to bolster police across the city, differed with Gould’s view saying arrests won’t solve the problem.

George Kappe, captain of Philadelphia Police’s 26th District, and SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel listened to the community’s pain from the audience. Addressing the group later, Kappe asked people to take advantage of a new prescription pill drop-off box at the district headquarters.

Nestel shared stories of his interactions with those suffering from the disease of addiction including a 15-year-old boy who described a heroin high like being "wrapped in a warm blanket."

"What do I do with that?" Nestel asked. "I don’t think the answer is with the police. I think we provide help and I think we save some lives, but we’re not the answer on this one."

"I can tell you that we try...but it’s tough when we’re dealing with 'it’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket,'" he said.

The emotional two hour meeting ended with Oh inviting the attendees to next month’s hearing reminding them that more community support can serve as a catalyst for change.

As others walked out into the cold rain, Dawn Hanratty lingered in the school. She talked with Oh's staff about being connected with groups to help her cope with Amber's death.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out four worn photos of Amber, a petite girl with a big smile. One is of Amber squeezing her children -- a 6-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl. Two new casualties scarred by the crisis.



Photo Credit: NBC10 - Vince Lattanzio
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