State lawmakers will hold a hearing in Bensalem Wednesday on legislation that would give suburban municipalities a cut of city wage tax collected from their residents who work in Philadelphia.

Non-residents of Philadelphia who work in the city currently pay 3.5 percent in city wage tax. Under the current law, none of that wage tax goes back to the person's home municipality or school district.

The state's House Finance Committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Bernie O'Neill of Bucks County called the hearing. They plan to discuss three bills that would change current laws governing Philadelphia's wage tax, one of which would require the city to reimburse non-residents' home municipalities for wage taxes.

State Reps. Scott Petri (R-Bucks) and Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) are sponsoring the bills. The hearing is slated to begin at 10 a.m. at the Bensalem Township Building on Byberry Road.

Drivers were urged to avoid the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for hours Wednesday due to an overturned tractor-trailer.

The flatbed big rig flipped in the southbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near milepost 35, after the Quakertown Interchange (A44), around 7:50 a.m.

The wreck left roofing materials all over the roadway and caused a massive backup as drivers were told to get off at the Quakertown Interchange and take Route 663 to Route 309 south. The Turnpike commission urged drivers to bail out at the Lehigh Valley Interchange (A56) to avoid the traffic in the Quakertown area.

The roadway remained clear south of the Lansdale Interchange (A31).

No life-threatening injuries were reported.

Crews finally cleaned up the mess and got the roadway reopened around 1:45 p.m.

About 2.8 million units of craft paints have been recalled due to risk of exposure to harmful bacteria.

Sargent Art recalled 13 types of arts and crafts tempera and finger paints sold nationwide at Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and their website, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The affected bottles were produced between May of 2015 and June of 2016. Click here for a full list of colors and sizes of paints included in the recall.

Exposure to certain bacteria can have adverse health effects on those with compromised immune systems. Those with healthy immune systems are typically not affected by the bacteria.

Anyone with the recalled supplies should contact Sargent Art for a full refund.

For more information, visit www.recallrtr.com/pidilite or call Sargent Art at 800-827-8081 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Police swarmed a section of Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood to assist an officer in distress Wednesday morning.

It was unclear exactly what sparked the incident, but initial reports indicated that an officer may have been struck by a vehicle. NBC10 is working to obtain more information and confirm reports.

Police said the incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on Cambria Street near B. Officers arrested a person in connection about a block away, and said all police were OK.

Fire broke out Wednesday morning at a Montgomery County building holding Philadelphia Inquirer offices.

No word yet on the extent of damage caused by the blaze at the building along River Road, on the banks of the Schuylkill River, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania that broke out around 9:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported, said dispatchers.

As SkyForce10 hovered overhead, you could see firefighters guiding a hose into one of the loading docks of the building.

A 12-year-old student from a suburban Philadelphia town became the latest in a series of kids to be arrested for posting threats involving clown attacks at schools on social media, authorities said Wednesday.

Police in Bensalem said an Instagram post threatening violent attacks by clowns at Shafer and Snyder middle schools in the township led them to the student. Police arrested the student, who faces charges of terroristic threats and harassment for posting the threats.

"This post caused alarm for many students and parents in the community and led to increased police activity around the schools," police said.

Bensalem Police said they determined the threat was "not a viable threat" and that no students or staff from either school mentioned were ever in danger.

Investigators asked that anyone with information related to the investigation contact them at 215-633-3719.

The arrest in Bensalem comes days after two teenagers in South Jersey were arrested for posting similar threats against schools in Washington Township. Police said those teens, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, attend a middle school and high school in the township.

Police in Philadelphia also contended with viral social media posts threatening violence by clowns at city schools over the weekend. They said they identified a 13-year-old student who said she was behind some of the posts, and that they forwarded the case information to the District Attorney's Office. It's unclear whether any charges will be filed.

The posts are all among a number of reported clown sightings and similar threats happening across the country and region in recent weeks.

Dozens of drivers found their cars vandalized -- some with windows shattered -- in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood Wednesday morning.

"It's not fun, especially in the morning," said Tom Sulimay, who spent his morning cleaning glass out of his SUV.

Police learned of the vandalism along Poplar Street near Ridge Avenue, N 25th Street near Girard College and Parrish Street from 22nd to 25th streets shortly before 5 a.m.

The car window-breaking, denting vandal or vandals struck at least 26 cars, said Philadelphia Police.

"They didn't take anything out of the cars," said Sulimay.

No word yet on exactly when the vandalism occurred.

If it feels like fees are climbing every time you stop at an ATM, you may be on to something.

ATM fees have reached a record high for the 10th year in a row, according to Bankrate.com's 19th annual checking survey. The average cost for using an out-of-network ATM has increased to $4.57.

The fees are made up of a surcharge fee from the ATM owner on a non-customer and a fee from the account holder's bank for using another bank's ATM. The ATM surcharge rose 2 cents this year, from $2.88 to $2.90. Fees charged by a customer's own bank rose 1.8 percent to $1.67.

“With ATM fees now at an average of $4.57, an unplanned stop at the ATM for $20 will cost nearly 23 percent in fees. A little advanced planning when making withdrawals can add up to big savings for consumers in the long run,” said Bankrate.com’s chief financial analyst, Greg McBride, in a statement.

Bankrate found the highest average ATM fee in Phoenix, at $5.07. The lowest was in San Francisco, at $3.90.

On the other hand, overdraft fees have fallen, breaking a 17-year streak of highs. The average overdraft fee fell from $33.07 to $33.04. Bankrate found that the most common overdraft fee is $35.

The highest average overdraft fees found by Bankrate are in Philadelphia, where they're $35.20. Just as it boasts the lowest ATM fee, San Francisco has the lowest average overdraft fee, $30.25.

The survey also found that the number of free, non-interest checking accounts increased this year, for the first time since 2009. Interest checking accounts also increased.

Nearly 300 calls for domestic violence flood Philadelphia Police each day, and now, the city adding a new line of defense to fight the epidemic.

Mayor Jim Kenney announced this week that his administration created a new position to help coordinate the city's efforts to fight domestic violence. Azucena Ugarte, who works for Women Against Abuse, will take the reigns as Philadelphia's director of Domestic Violence Strategies beginning Oct. 17.

Philadelphia officials said city police respond to more than 100,000 calls for domestic violence per year -- nearly 300 calls per day, on average.

More staggering than the numbers, the city's domestic violence hotline was forced to turn away more than 14,000 requests for safe shelter in the city due to lack of space in Philadelphia's two safe havens for domestic-violence victims.

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"I want Philadelphia to become a national model in responding to domestic violence," Kenney said. "Too many victims suffer in silence because they are embarrassed for fear of even greater mistreatment. Domestic violence is at the core of many of the health and social issues our city struggles with, including homelessness, addiction and educational barriers."

Ugarte will work under the city's Department of Human Services. The new position coincides with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

"Today’s groundbreaking announcement dramatically changes the landscape, and will position Philadelphia to successfully intervene into an issue that threatens families across our community," Women Against Abuse President Jeannine L. Lisitski said. "We are honored that the city has chosen a longtime member of the Women Against Abuse team for this new role, and look forward to continuing to work together to enhance the safety of Philadelphians like never before."

In the United States, a woman faces an assault or beating at the hands of a domestic partner every 9 seconds, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. An average of 20 people are physically abused by their partners every minute, equating to more than 10 million domestic abuse victims annually. One in three women and one in four men have experienced domestic violence, according to the coalition, and it accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime nationally.

Crews spent hours Wednesday rescuing a horse named Cyrus stuck in the mud at a Chester County farm. Eventually a large crane was used to lift the horse to freedom.

A large presence of animal rescuers could be seen trying to free Cyrus, a 1,700-pound Clydesdale, from a mud pit at Thornbury Farms, near Thornbury Road, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The horse got stuck around 10:30 a.m. and remained stuck for nearly four hours.

The West Chester Fire Department led the rescue effort that resulted in Cyrus being hoisted from the hole around 2:30 p.m. The horse was heavily sedated as a large crane lifted it from the mud.

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Later Wednesday, posts to social media by an account linked to Heartland Farm Stables showed Cyrus up and eating. 

The posts said the horse would be observed overnight.

No word yet on how 18-year-old hCyrus, which is boarded at the farm, got trapped. [[377809171, C]]

Philadelphia has added a cool destination to cities served by Philadelphia International Airport.

Mayor Jim Kenney joined airport leaders and Icelandair officials to announce nonstop service between the city of Brotherly Love and Reykjavik.

The seasonal international service begins May 30, 2017.

"We are very pleased to welcome Icelandair to PHL and look forward to offering nonstop service to Reykjavik," said Airport CEO Chellie Cameron. "This capital city is a gateway to a beautiful country and to its Scandinavian neighbors. We are proud to increase our non-stop international destinations and open a new market to our travelers."

Kenney noted the economic impact of the international flight, which should take less than 6 hours.

"The Airport is a potent economic engine to our city and the region, and convenient air service, particularly to international destinations, is essential in a global marketplace," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "We are very excited about Icelandair’s arrival in Philadelphia, and we are eager to build and strengthen a partnership between our city and the amazing city of Reykjavik."

The addition of Icelandair marks the first time in two years that PHL added a service from a foreign airline.

And for anyone looking to hop to mainland Europe, you can utilize Icelandair’s "Stopover" program that allows travelers to spend up to a week in Iceland without paying additional airfare. [[238427591, C]]

Philly is Icelandair’s 18th U.S. destination. Iceland features 24 hours of daylight in the summer and the Northern Lights for more than half the year.

"Philadelphia will further strengthen Icelandair’s presence in the Mid-Atlantic and better serve our passengers with faster travel times to Europe and easy connections through the City of Brotherly Love," said Iceland air CEO Birkir Holm Gudnason. "Philadelphians will now have a refreshing alternative when traveling to Iceland and beyond, and Icelanders and Europeans will have direct access to the historic city of Philadelphia boasting the fifth largest population in the United States. This is an exciting and significant moment for Icelandair and we look forward to welcoming Philadelphia aboard."

What's the latest on Hurricane Matthew, the storm's track and the damage left behind? The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team keeps you updated.

MAJOR HURRICANE TO HIT FLORIDA

Here’s the latest on Hurricane Matthew from the National Hurricane Center:

A hurricane with max winds of 120 is still a Category 3-still a MAJOR hurricane. Matthew may strengthen as it crosses the Bahamas on a track toward the Florida East Coast. If it does become a Category 4 again (>130 mph) and tracks as predicted, it will be the FIRST hurricane that strong to hit within 100 miles of Cape Canaveral in recorded history! This is an area that rarely gets a direct hit of any hurricane, let alone a major one. 

THIS TRACK MEANS EVEN MORE TROUBLE

A hurricane that hits straight on will cause a lot of damage over a relatively small area, compared to what Matthew will do. Tracking right along the coast will mean that more than 200 miles of coastline could get 50+ mph winds, torrential rain, and storm surge. It means a lot more people will need to be evacuated than in a straight-on hit. Since at least part of the circulation of Matthew will remain over the warm ocean, it won’t weaken nearly as much as a normal landfalling storm would. It could stay a hurricane all the way up the Florida coast and even into Georgia and/or South Carolina.

THE TURN-AND EVEN POSSIBLY A LOOP BACK TO FLORIDA?

The chance of Matthew tracking all the way up the coast toward us is close to zero. The cold front that will pass through Saturday (bringing showers to our area) will cause Matthew to turn to the right. Then, the HIGH pressure that builds over our area behind the front will help force Matthew more to the south. The latest “Spaghetti Models” show many solutions that have Matthew continuing to turn right until it makes almost a full circle-perhaps hitting the Florida East Coast AGAIN! That’s a very unusual track, but such “loops” have happened before. But even if that does happen, Matthew is not likely to be a major hurricane. Still, getting hit twice by the same storm would be a bit too much….

Stay tuned for more updates

Montgomery County’s manager of voter services resigned Monday because, she said, she “was being treated as an outcast” ever since her boss, the county’s chief elections official, abruptly resigned last month.

Andee Knopf, a longtime civil litigation paralegal, joined the county Voter Services Department shortly after former director Kelly L. Green was hired in February 2014. She said senior county staff kept her out of the loop on preparation for the upcoming November presidential election when Green left on Sept. 12.

“I’m not sure what’s going on in the office,” Knopf said in an interview Wednesday of her decision to resign. “There has been a change. I felt I was not being utilized properly, especially with the director gone, because I was her second in command.”

The loss of two key elections officials comes just weeks before what Knopf said will likely be a high-turnout election, as is usual in presidential years. She said that with roughly five weeks to go before Election Day on Nov. 8, the department is "extremely hectic at this point."

The department is charged with getting ballots certified for use in elections, overseeing voter registration, preventing problems at polling places, and making sure the 1,000 voting machines used throughout the county work.

Despite their tall task, Knopf expressed confidence in the 13 full-time employees and numerous part-time employees that remain.

“It is going to be a struggle, but I know my former staff and I know they are going to pull it off,” Knopf said. “They’ve been through worse.”

Green’s two and a half year tenure as director marked a relatively stable time for the department, which prior to her hiring had gone through four directors in four years. The turnover began after longtime former director Joseph Passarella was ousted in 2013. His departure coincided with Democrats taking over the majority on the county Board of Commissioners for the first time in 150 years.

County clerk and chief operating officer, Lauren Lambrugo, took over as interim voter services director following Green’s resignation. Knopf, who would not comment on Lambrugo or her temporary role, said the department had also recently hired a new voter services administrator and shifted a longtime county official from her position in Information Technology to Voter Services to help run the department.

The Voter Services Department is governed by the county Board of Elections, which is usually made up of the three county commissioners. But with Commissioners’ Chairman Josh Shapiro running in the general election for Pennsylvania Attorney General, Common Pleas Judge Cheryl Austin is serving on the board with Commissioners Val Arkoosh and Joe Gale.

Arkoosh said in an interview that she had full confidence in the Voter Services Department despite the losses of Green and Knopf.

“I’m 100 percent confident in our people in Voter Services and what we have in place to ensure a fair, secure election process,” said Arkoosh, who is part of the two-Democrat majority with Shapiro on the Board of Commissioners.

She cited the staff’s experience, with many workers having been a part of numerous elections.

Gale, on the other hand, said the two resignations so close to a presidential election worry him. 

"Pennsylvania is a swing-state and there are more than 500,000 voters in this county," said Gale, the Republican minority commissioner.

He also objected to Lambrugo’s interim appointment and Macekura’s hire, noting that both have previously worked on campaigns for Shapiro and former Commissioner Leslie Richards, who is currently serving as Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary.

“This is the kind of politically-driven behavior that weakens the voter’s confidence in our electoral process. With Commissioner Shapiro on the ballot for Attorney General, he should not have his former Democratic campaign team overseeing voter services.”

In response, Arkoosh said, “Commissioner Gale’s accusations are baseless. Lauren, in particular, has been Chief Clerk of the Election Board for 10 elections, including the one in which Commissioner Gale was elected. In this position, Lauren has earned the respect of Republicans and Democrats across the County.”

Knopf said she has no idea what happened that led Green to depart so suddenly, but she as well as the rest of the department were “shell shocked” when they learned of the director’s resignation.

“She was amazing to work for,” Knopf said. “She changed the entire culture of that department.”

Green could not be reached for comment. She previously served as president of the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia from 2006 to 2011 and was deputy director of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values in Philadelphia for 13 years.

At her hiring in 2014, former Commissioner Leslie Richards called Green’s hiring “a major step forward in the county’s plans to streamline and modernize the operations of the voter services department.”

Knopf said the pressure is on for Montgomery County to run a smooth election next month.

“This county is going to be watched very closely. Donald Trump has pointed out that if he loses, he’ll say it’s rigged. And you have a commissioner, Josh Shapiro, who is running for the AG on the statewide level,” she said. “Montgomery County is going to be under a magnifying glass, so it probably wasn’t great timing.”

Two New Jersey girls have been arrested in separate alleged clown threat hoaxes, and another New Jersey teenager was arrested in an alleged clown-mask drive that scared motorists on the road, police say. 

In the driving incident, police say some teens wearing clown masks hung out the windows of a black Toyota Tundra while on Route 23 at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, yelling at another driver on the road. 

The Toyota followed the victim onto Route 287, then Route 208, accoridng to police. Fair Lawn police finally spotted the vehicle on Route 3 in Paramus, and pulled it over. 

Officers found two clown masks inside, as well as marijuana and a knife on one passenger, 18-year-old Conner Moreno of Lodi, who was arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, police say. He has been released.

The 19-year-old driver, a Fair Lawn woman, received a traffic summons for reckless driving. The other three passengers, all 18 and 19, were released at the scene. 

The two passengers who wore the clown masks told police they were only waving their hands as they hung out of the vehicle, and not pointing anything. 

Later Wednesday, a 14-year-old girl in South Toms River was charged with creating false public alarm after allegedly lying to her mother about being chased by a person armed with a knife and dressed as a clown while walking to school in the morning, police said. 

Police investigated the allegations, which alarmed the community on Facebook, and determined it was a hoax. The girl recanted and was arrested, and she's expected to appear in juvenile court at a future date.

Under state law, her parents will be required to make restitution for expending police resources in the matter, Toms River police said. 

Meanwhile, another 12-year-old girl allegedly posted a threat against Toms River Intermediate East Middle School on Instagram Tuesday evening using the handle "killerclownfromnj," police said.

She allegedly wrote: "I will be there at 8:36 sharp on Thursday, October 6th," then added a series of emojis implying violence, according to Toms River police. 

Toms River police and officers from the high-tech crime unit in the Ocean County prosecutor's office deemed there was no credible threat to the school, but the schools superintendent worked with police to provide extra security measures, officials said.

The girl was arrested on a charged of third-degree criminal causing false public alarm. She's also facing disciplinary action at school. 

There have been similar arrests in recent days of New Jersey teens allegedly making creepy clown threats. Schools on Long Island and in New Jersey have also upped security in response to the increase in sightings and threats. 

"We understand this may be a social media prank throughout the country, but we take quite seriously all calls that involve intentional harassment, trespassing, disturbing of the peace, and reported activity that results in the citizens of our county feeling threatened," the Suffolk Police Department said.

The NYPD, meanwhile, have dismissed similar clown hoaxes as harmless. 

"We're tracking it but we don't see any real threat here," Deputy Commissioner John Miller said Monday. "We have tried to avoid falling into the trap of putting extra police protection or presence in places where we've had these."

He added: "Our main message is don't believe the hype and don't be afraid of the clowns."

A gas leak lead to an explosion that caused two homes in Trenton to partially collapse, officials said.

Emergency officials called in search dogs to clear two homes after that explosion and partial collapse Wednesday afternoon.

Fire officials said a preliminary report pointed to a gas explosion right around 3 p.m. as the cause of the collapse along the unit block of Wayne Avenue.

All residents of the one home were accounted for, but officials said the second home was vacant and dogs were called in to check for anyone who may have been inside.

One of the homes suffered more severe damage, as could be seen from SkyForce10 as it hovered over the block.

As a precaution, the immediate area of Wayne Avenue was evacuated.

Two people were taken taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The investigation continued.