On today’s episode of The Confluence:
A party thrown at a North Side Airbnb turned deadly
(0:00 - 7:40)
Two 17-year-old boys are dead and several other people injured following a shooting at a house party on the North Side early Sunday. As of last night, no arrests had been made.
“Eight others were injured in this shooting and five others on top of that were injured, just trying to escape the chaos when the shooting started,” says Megan Guza, a reporter covering public safety for the Tribune Review.
Pittsburgh Public Schools are on a modified lockdown, and a statement from the district said four of those injured are PPS students.
A public safety spokesperson told Guza at least 50 shots were fired in the house, and just as many were fired outside the house.
“Police believe there were multiple shooters, whether that's two, more than two, not sure. They said ballistic evidence, shell casings, would indicate that there were multiple types of guns being fired, handguns, and I believe they said at least one long gun.”
In a statement, Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey said: “At least 10 gunshot victims, two lives lost, and hundreds of lives forever changed, because we have yet to pass meaningful legislation to lessen the amount of guns in our streets or provide the much-needed resources to communities desperately need. The time is now for us to move with a sense of urgency to bring justice to the victims and peace to our city.”
Legislation passes state Senate to increase access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
(7:45 - 17:39)
Legislation that would expand access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) passed in the Senate, and is now in the Pennsylvania House.
The bill, proposed by Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr., would require hospitals to tell the state health department if they have SANEs on staff, and the health department would be required to maintain a public list of those hospitals so survivors know where to find specialized care.
“There's been a lot of change and turnover within emergency departments because of COVID, and this will really help us learn where forensic nurses or sexual assault nurse examiners are,” says Barbara Shaeffer, the medical advocacy coordinator with Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR). “It may allow for some funding to increase SANE programs and the number of SANEs across Pennsylvania, so that will be really essential to improving the kind of care that survivors receive when they go to the hospital.”
Karin Wickwire is a nurse practitioner who has also been trained as a sexual assault nurse examiner.
“We have seen the importance of networking between nurses, between health care facilities throughout the pandemic and having this list that is being kept updated of where there are, you know, good SANE services in place may allow for a smaller facility or a facility with with newer staff to reach out and kind of have a friend to help them help them through the process,” says Wickwire.
A new Downtown exhibit celebrates the life and works of August Wilson
(17:45 - 22:30)
Playwright August Wilson is among the most important artists ever born in Pittsburgh. The giant of 20th-century American theater won two Pulitzer Prizes for drama, and was a key chronicler of the pain, resilience, and triumph of Black life.
Last week, an expansive new exhibit celebrating his career opened at the Downtown arts center bearing his name. 90.5 WESA’s Bill O’Driscoll reports.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
