8-year-old on life support after alleged assault during trip into PA; woman charged

We are now on day 4 of the parkway closure and we have seen some surprises, not just from the traffic perspective and the detour routes, but how it’s affecting the people and businesses in these areas. I’ll show you what we mean ahead. Pennsylvania State Police tonight still investigating that wrong way fatal crash that happened in Washington County, but we do now know the name of the man that was killed. Several Pittsburgh public school students claim that the plan to close schools discriminates against black students. Hear from parents and organizations involved in that complaint tonight. Pittsburgh’s action news 4 at 7 starts now. So *** lot to get to tonight. We begin this impact day with Pittsburgh’s action weather as we take *** live look over downtown Pittsburgh from our action cam. Obviously very hot, humid conditions across our region. We are even seeing some locations feeling close to 100 degrees, and these extreme temperatures, they will stick around for *** couple more days. Thank you for being with us here on Cozy TV. I’m Ryan Recker, Chief Meteorologist Mike Harvey gets us started tonight. With what’s ahead over another tough stretch for us, yeah, tomorrow is going to be the worst of the days. We’ll have the highest temperature, the highest humidity that we’ll have to contend with, uh, more than we saw out there today. Right now, 86 degrees. Our current temperature, we hit *** high today of 88 degrees. Now tomorrow we’re looking at high temperatures that are going to be reaching likely the mid 90s and we’ll have sunshine through the day, *** light breeze, but the humidity is going to be up as well. That means it’ll feel like 100 degrees. Or more in some places as we go through the day because that heat advisory in effect from 20 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday and your high temperatures containing at 96, 95 for Greensburg. Tomorrow we’re looking at *** high of 93 in Washington, 94 in Waynesburg, and 95 in Newcastle as we go through the next couple of days. Two impact days on the way. The hottest day of the most humidity is going to be Wednesday and then on Thursday 93 degrees. We’ll see that humidity begin to ease up as we go into Friday. *** high of 91 degrees. Still very warm, but not as warm as it has been, and those humidity levels will drop down. Rain showers come in on Saturday, and that can come in as early as early on Saturday morning. We’ll have more on your weekend forecast coming up in just *** few minutes. And amid the heat, the city of Pittsburgh has opened 6 cooling centers. They will remain open through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. And with the return of the heat, Duquesne Light is increasing staffing. They say this is to ensure any outages are restored as quickly as possible, and officials we spoke with today offered advice on what to do if your power goes out. If your power does go out, if you keep your fridge and freezer doors closed, you can sit food for, for *** few hours in your fridge and up to *** day, 1 day and *** half in *** freezer. Uh, if you need to light your home, we suggest you use battery operated flashlights or lanterns. Candles can present an open flame risk, and we don’t want anybody to get hurt. Uh, check on your friends and family, neighbors, particularly elderly neighbors. And *** reminder you can stay up to date on the weather and current conditions on WTAE.com and also on the WTAE app. Some breaking news that came through *** few hours ago regarding the Commercial Street bridge project. Pendant says the implosion of the bridge will take place tomorrow at some point between 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. So currently there’s an 8 hour window for this to take place. We will. No more exact time tomorrow morning. It will be *** controlled blast with explosives, so obviously this will create significant noise, but residents in the area are being told that they can proceed as normal around their homes. The public. can also view the demolition from *** safe distance. In the meantime, traffic picked up today along the detour routes for the 2nd weekday since the partial closure of the Parkway East. Reporter Ed Diorio spent the day speaking with some businesses about how they are handling this closure. Depending on what time of day you’re traveling the detour route for the parkway closure, specifically here through Homewood and into Squirrel Hill, you could see *** pretty consistent flow of traffic, but despite that, local business in this area, they’re holding steady, even though it’s in some unorthodox ways. I haven’t seen as much traffic on the street, but the, um, I would say the third party orders have definitely picked up through this way, this way. Because of the detour, the detour, the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Whether it’s through third party apps like DoorDash or Grubhub or just rolling down your window for *** $1 water, business isn’t suffering so far on the local westbound detour. While that route has seen some consistent flow of cars through Homestead and Swissville, it opens up in other spots. Those working along and near the detour said they haven’t seen as much traffic as they thought. Ordering. In general is picked up as far as from the outside, as far as in the store goes, probably *** little bit slower than I would have expected. So we did see like *** little decline in the busyness for sure, but I think that’s just people being like scared of like the closure and the traffic. Now as for those water boys I showed you there along Braddock Avenue, they told me that they make at least $500 if not more *** day, and they plan on being out here for the entirety of the closure. Covering Allegheny County here inside Live Drive 4 Ed Diorio, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. Elsewhere last night *** man was killed in *** motorcycle crash in Beaver County. First responders were called to Fazell Road in New Sewickley around 7:30. The coroner has identified the victim as 65-year-old John Patus. His manner of death has been ruled accidental. The Washington County coroner says *** man was struck and killed this morning while trying to get his mail. Officials say 8 six-year-old Robert Cohen was hit by *** vehicle while crossing the street on Cecil Henderson Road in Cecil Township around 9:30. This crash remains under investigation. *** 24 year old man died following *** wrong way crash also in Washington County, and that crash shut down part of the Montfayette Expressway for several hours this morning. Reporter Yasmin Rodriguez has the latest from police. The Washington County coroner identified that victim as 24-year-old Jacob Matthew Huber from Roughsdale. Police say Huber was hit head-on by *** wrong way driver. That accident happened here along the Montfayette Expressway around 4:30 this morning. The road was closed from exit. 51 in Jefferson Hills to exit 36 to the I-70 exit interchange in Fallowfield Township until about 8:45 this morning. Police say *** vehicle left I-70, then began traveling north into those southbound lanes of PA 43 for *** reason that is yet to be determined. *** vehicle crashed head on with the car driven by Huber. The driver and *** passenger of that other vehicle were flown to *** hospital for injuries, but the extent of those injuries is unknown at this time. Now we have reached out to state police for more information to gather why that wrong way. Vehicle exit the roadway and got back on at the wrong direction. We have yet to hear back. We’ll be sure to update you with all of the latest information right here and online at WTAE.com covering Washington County in Jefferson Hills. Yasmin Rodriguez, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. Also tonight, new details on *** deadly crash over the weekend in West Mifflin. The police chief says that the suspect in this case stole *** construction vehicle from Oakland. That person has not yet been charged. Investigators say the suspect was also involved in *** hit and run. On the Birmingham Bridge, as well as an incident at the FBI building on the south side where the chief says it began when the suspect gave security his ID. Then later on he was in *** head-on crash on Mifflin Road and Buttermilk Hollow Road in West Mifflin, and 60-year-old Shelly Hunter died. That road was closed for around 6 hours. Tonight our area’s largest school district is being sued over its closure plan that was approved back in May. The parents of five students claim that the plan discriminates against black students, and reporter Kayleigh Gunderson has that story. *** group of parents and educational advocacy groups have filed *** complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to express their concerns for how the district’s plan to close schools will negatively impact black students and to ask that they issue *** cease and desist on the plan. At the annual Education Rights Network cookout tonight, we will hear from the parents directly about their concerns listed in this complaint. For example, two students say their school, Miller Elementary, which is slated to close, is the only school. An African centered curriculum which allows them to learn in the context of African American culture and history. Three other students’ concerns are mentioned in the complaint as well. Tonight, executive director of 412 Justice Angel Gobert talked to us as prep for the big event was still underway. Historically we’ve seen what has happened with school closures in the past, specifically black schools and black communities, and there still hasn’t been any equity for those students. So we need *** little bit more information and we’re hoping that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Investigates and actually issues *** cease and desist on the plan. And tonight at 11 o’clock you can hear directly from the parents and organizations involved in this complaint covering Allegheny County tonight in Shadyside. Kayleigh Gunderson, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.