And now, Preston and Steve's news updates with Kathy Romano.

Today is Thursday, January 2nd. Good morning, Kathy.

Good morning in the news this morning. The city of Philadelphia ended 2019 with 356 homicides the most in the city in more than a decade.

In all, three people were killed in separate shootings on New Year's Eve.

The number of homicides in 2019

surpassed the 353 homicides in 2018 and is the highest number of homicides in the city since 2007

when 391 people were killed. A total number of homicides in Philadelphia for 2019 is more than New York

City and a significant jump from the decades low of 245 notched five years ago.

More recently, Philadelphia police records show that there were 313 homicides in 2017 and 277 in 2016.

City Council President Darrell Clark said that they are prepared to pump more money into the police department as a new commissioner gets ready to step in and lead the 6,500 member police force.

Mayor Jim Kenney named Portland, Oregon, Chief Danielle Outlaw to the job of police commissioner on Monday,

four months after the last commissioner resigned abruptly in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Outlaw addressed a number of topics during a press conference on Monday, including gun violence. She is expected to start in mid-February. Police are looking for the armed robbers who

assaulted a family at a business in Haverford Township, Delaware County. It happened at the Fiji Nail

Salon in the 100 block of West Eagle Road in Havertown at about 1030 on New Year's Eve. Investigator said

the three mass robbers attacked the business owner as he was entering

the salon.

That's where I get my nails done. Oh, seriously? That's your nail salon? That's my nail salon. Who's your girl's, what's your name? Well, I don't want to give her name. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you don't want people to use it. But so, yeah, you always talk about this place. Yeah, and, you know, so the last time I got my nails done was right before Christmas and I was there at night, which, you know, it's sort of a ghost town at that point. But I know. This is pretty late. It was 1030 in the evening on New Year's Eve. They were still opened? Yeah. Well, because people are going out, they figured they can grab up the people who are still going out. We're still getting ready to go. I mean, they're probably closed.

I mean, there's probably nobody there at 1030, but, you know, they're just sort of closing the business down at that point. And it's just the owners. But I know them. You know what I mean? Like, they're really. And she just had a baby. Like, you know what I mean? The owner told police that all three men were holding guns.

They then tied up the victims and his family and proceeded to ransack the business getting away. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. The owner told police that all three men were holding guns.

They then tied up the victims and his family and proceeded to ransack the business, getting away with cash and jewelry. The victim and family members were able to free themselves and call 911. The business owner suffered injuries to his head and face. He was taken to a local hospital where he was later released. So you know him as well? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I go there all the time. And, you know, so when they see family members, I wonder if the kids were there. Like, I don't know any of the details. They just had heard about this. Oh, that sucks. Oh, that's terrible. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Haverford Township Police Department. A mummer's group was thrown out of Philadelphia's annual New Year's Day parade because of

at least one member marched down South Broad Street in black face.

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