Philadelphia’s district attorney joined city officials and non-partisan vote checkers to remind voters of what to do if they experience any trouble voting on Election Day.
District Attorney Seth Williams hosted Wednesday morning’s news conference announcing the District Attorney's Election Day Task Force.
City commissioners and David Thornburgh, president and CEO of non-partisan government watchdog group Committee of Seventy, joined Williams to "remind voters about what to do if they experience any difficulty voting," said the DA’s office.
"Voters should have confidence that our offices are working, and will continue to work, together to ensure a fair election," said City Commissioner Al Schmidt.
Williams tweeted that anyone who faces voter intimidation should call 215-686-9641/9643/9644. [[399642941, C]]
"The coverage of this upcoming election is unlike anything we have seen before, not to mention the fact that one of the nominees for president has been making false allegations about the integrity of Philadelphia’s elections for weeks now, but we are ready," said Williams. "The Election Fraud Task Force is ready to respond to whatever happens on Nov. 8 and I want to make sure each and every Philadelphian who has a concern or is experiencing difficulty casting their ballot calls us."
Part of the plan to combat voter intimidation includes deploying up to 300 assistant district attorneys throughout the city to respond to any concerns, said Williams.
The event comes ahead of an election where Pennsylvania voting officials have pushed back against voter fraud fears. [[338107532, C]]
The task force has made arrests in the past -- eight to date -- including four election officials charged for voting times after the polls closed and for falsely verifying residencies, said Williams.
Anyone looking for their polling place can go to philadelphiavotes.com.
A pair of adorable twin sisters from New Jersey delighted in learning that being identical meant they get to look alike — but their reactions quickly diverged when they learned one inevitably had to be the older twin.
The parents of 3-year-old Ava and Alexis, from West Orange, posted video on YouTube last week showing the conversation the girls' mother had with them about what it meant to be a twin.
"Lexi, what do you think being identical twins means?" the girls' mother Ami is heard asking.
"Adordable!" Alexis replies.
The girls hug each other as Ava explains that it means they have the same birthday.
"It also means you look alike," their mother tells them, and the sisters look closely at each other and grin as they confirm that they indeed resemble each other.
But when their mother tells them that Ava is one minute older, Alexis promptly starts crying.
"But I want to be older!" Alexis says.
"I'm just one minute older," Ava tells her mournful sister, grabbing her chin as she tries to comfort her. "I'm just one minute older, that's it."
But the tables quickly turn when the girls realize that Alexis is actually the taller twin, by about a half-inch.
"I'm bigger than Ava!" Alexis announced proudly as Ava begins to cry.
Then it's Alexis' turn to hug her sister.
Ava and Alexis' mother Ami told NBC 4 New York the girls have always been very competitive but that they're also "naturally very affectionate with each other."
Their dad Justin said he began posting videos of the girls months ago to document their lives to capture their moments of realization and growth, "and to let the girls intellectually figure out what life means, by explaining, 'Hey, you look like your sister, what do you think that means?'"
The twins were born six weeks early, weighing 3 pounds, 9 ounces and 3 pounds, 6 ounces, according to their parents. Since they came home at around four pounds, life for dad Justin and mom Ami has been "chaotic but wonderful."
The family loves going to the park and the playgrounds, and they especially enjoy the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
Philadelphia’s Streets Department will begin collecting and recycling fall leaves from the city’s curbs Monday but most of you will need to take your leaves to the city to get them composted. The annual collection service will last six weeks.
Anyone in the city can carefully put leaves in biodegradable bags and drop off those leaves at nearly two dozen sanitation centers around the city. (Click here for a full list.)
But for those in neighborhoods where the leaves really pile up, the city will use machines to clear the decaying leaves. There are regulations, however, to ensure the leaves are picked up on the designated days for each neighborhood.
The streets department will only collect leaves that are neatly raked to the curb or in biodegradable paper bags. This reduces contamination so the leaves can be recycled. Additionally, residents are urged to avoid mixing trash into the bagged leaves since they won’t be usable.
People who wish to recycle or remove their leaves, but are not in an area selected for the collection program, can drop off their bagged leaves at one of 23 locations spread out throughout the city on Saturdays (excluding the Saturday following Thanksgiving) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Nov. 19 to Dec. 17. You can also drop your bagged leaves at any of the city's five Sanitation Convenience Centers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
The city will use compactors to crush the leaves. The leaves will then be composted in Fairmount Park, said the streets department.
Leaves can be also reused for personal composting at your own home.
If you’re in the mood for a free taco this afternoon, you’re in luck. And you have the Cleveland Indians to thank for it.
As part of their “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” campaign during the World Series, Taco Bell is offering customers a free Doritos Locos Taco from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, while supplies last.
The fast food giant said they would offer the free treat if someone stole a base during the first two games of this year’s Fall Classic between the Indians and the Chicago Cubs. When Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor came up with a stolen base in Game One, everyone became a winner.
It’s the sixth time the company has done this promotion in conjunction with Major League Baseball. Taco Bell has also given away free tacos during the NBA Finals when the visiting team won a game.
No purchase is required, but Taco Bell says it will deny service to anyone they believe is double dipping for the snack.
An NJ Transit bus struck a 48-year-old man crossing the street near the train station in Summit, New Jersey, Wednesday, police say.
The man, a Springfield resident, was taken to a hospital in critical condition after he was hit by the No. 70 bus, which runs from Livingston to Newark Penn Station, as he crossed Summit Avenue at Union Place around 7 a.m.
NJ Transit said three customers were on the bus at the time of the accident; they were not hurt.
Roads were closed in the area as authorities investigated. Witnesses are asked to call Summit Police at (908) 273-0051. NJ Transit says it is also investigating.
So, What's a Supermoon?
All moons are not created equal. Well, actually they are-they just don’t look equal. Since the moon does not orbit the earth in a circle, there are times when it’s actually closer to us than others. It’s called an “elliptical orbit”, and at its closest path (“perigee”), is about 30,000 miles closer than at the farthest point (“apogee”). Since the moon will obviously look bigger when it’s closer to us, it is known as a “Supermoon”. The moon will appear to be about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when it is at the farthest point.
Exactly When is This Happening?
Actually, we already had a “Supermoon” last month. In case you missed it, there are two more: November 14 and December 13. Those are the next two full moons, and if there are no clouds, it should be quite noticeable. Of course, the moon on the 13th and 15th won’t look that much different-it’s a gradual thing. The moon rises at 5:20pm on November 14th, so the appearance should be amazing. It already appears to be bigger when it’s near the horizon, so it will look gigantic while low in the sky right during the PM rush! It should look just about as spectacular on December 13th.
How Rare is This?
In case it’s cloudy (or you miss them somehow), the “Supermoon” of this size will happen again. But you’ll have to wait awhile. It comes in 2034!
For a more detailed explanation and animations, click here.
Following the lead of Philadelphia election officials, city District Attorney Seth Williams declared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s questioning of local election oversight as “false allegations.”
Williams and the City Commissioners who oversee elections in Philadelphia said Wednesday that the much-anticipated presidential election will be closely watched -- as usual -- by a 70-member-strong task force from the District Attorney’s office on Election Day next week.
Not that they expect any of the “rigging” that Trump has prophesied about the past couple months.
“The coverage of this upcoming election is unlike anything we have seen before, not to mention the fact that one of the nominees for president has been making false allegations about the integrity of Philadelphia’s elections for weeks now, but we are ready,” Williams said. “The Election Fraud Task Force is ready to respond to whatever happens on Nov. 8 and I want to make sure each and every Philadelphian who has a concern or is experiencing difficulty casting their ballot calls us.”
The task force operates every election, and often investigates complaints by voters, poll workers, and poll watchers in the many hundreds of divisions that are the ground-floor units of the city’s political apparatus.
It is made up of 70 assistant district attorneys and several dozen county detectives. Williams said any of his office’s 300 assistant DAs are available to respond to court complaints filed. Typical Election Day allegations include illegal voting, candidate write-in issues, refusal of election boards to recognize poll watcher certificates, intimidation and illegal electioneering.
Here are some pertinent contact numbers and websites for Philadelphia voters on Election Day:
Once the polls open, Philadelphians can call the Election Fraud Task Force at (215)686-9641, -9643 or -9644 if they are experiencing difficulty casting their ballot.
To find a polling place, go to philadelphiavotes.com or call (215)686-1590 to find out their polling location.
Camden County police officers and sheriff’s officers jumped into the Delaware River Monday and rescued a suicidal man from drowning.
Sergeant Bob Plews and Investigator Jake Sidwa of the Camden County Sheriff’s Department arrived near the Delaware River at Pearl Street in North Camden, New Jersey around 4 p.m. Monday where they found a man wearing only his underwear standing on the bulkhead. After seeing the officers, the man jumped into the river and began swimming toward deeper water, police said.
Plews and Sidwa removed their gear and entered the water. When they were about 50 yards out into the water they managed to reach the man and prevent him from swimming any further. Camden County Metro police officers Joseph Olivo, Daniel Fiori and Alex Rodriguez went into the water as well to help with the rescue. The group surrounded the man and brought him back to shore.
“They continued to talk with the man and relay to him that they were there to help and get him the assistance he needed, but he continued to resist the officers,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “The man yelled and flailed his body, but the officers were able to maintain control of the situation due to their professionalism.”
The man was taken to Cooper University Hospital and is expected to fully recover. Cappelli praised the officers for their efforts during the incident.
“These officers used their training and experience to prevent a real tragedy from taking place on Monday,” said Cappelli. “These officers all put service before self by jumping into [the] river. Their quick action is the reason this man is still alive today.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255.
The commute in Center City, Philadelphia, is downright ghoulish thanks to the SEPTA strike.
But there is a friendly "ghost bus" making the rounds to whisk commuters to and from downtown locations and stops in the city's outer-neighborhoods.
Normally commissioned by Eastern State Penitentiary, the bus is now part of a shuttle service for a group of businesses, hotels and Temple University to transport employees during the strike of the transit authority's 4,700 bus, trolley and subway drivers inside city boundaries.
"It is one of ours. We have joined a local consortium of organizations and businesses to provide transportation to our staff, faculty and students, as long as they have proper identification," Temple spokesman Brandon Lausch said Wednesday.
Temple's shuttle service (here's a link to their routes) joins a robust service that the City of Philadelphia is also providing its employees through the city Office of Emergency Management.
More than 1,400 city workers and jurors were transported by the city's shuttle service Tuesday, day one of the strike, according to OEM spokeswoman Noelle Foizen.
On the morning of day two, Foizen said 909 employees and jurors were transported.
"We expect increased ridership this evening," she said.
The city service includes four free shuttle loops along the Broad Street and Market-Frankford transit lines, with 12 buses and six vans continuously running during the morning and evening commute.
The same goes for the Temple/local business service: buses run from 6-11 a.m. and 3-10 p.m.
Foizen did not say how much the bus service was costing the city.
"We will have better numbers for the total operation post-strike based on length of activation," she said.
A person was struck and killed by a vehicle in Franklin Township, New Jersey Wednesday night.
The victim was on Main Road and Route 40 around 8:45 p.m. when he or she was struck by a vehicle. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The striking vehicle stayed at the scene.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
A person was struck and killed by a train in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred at SEPTA's Angora Station on the 1000 block of S. 58th Street.
Regional rail service was suspended on the Media/Elwyn line but later restored.
