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BUCKS: What's Open in Your Neighborhood

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As the region works through the ice storm aftermath, and many residents are still dealing with power outages, it's helpful to know where you can get services for food, gas, medical and supplies. Here's a list of what's open in Bucks County.

Bucks County Hospitals & Medical Centers

• Medical Service/Hospitals
-Bucks County Emergency Health Services
911 Freedom Way
Ivyland, PA 18974
215-340-8735 (no answer)

• St. Mary Medical Center
1201 Langhorne-Newtown Rd.
Langhorne, PA 19047
215-710-2000 - Open with normal operating hours

• Penn Medicine Bucks County
777 Township Line Road
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 860-0775 – open with normal operating hours

• Upper Bucks Regional EMS
8716 Easton Road
PO Box 105
Revere, Pa 18953
Main: (610) 847-8801 –open and operating

• Grand View Hospital
700 Lawn Avenue
Sellersville, PA 18960
215-453-4000 – open with normal operating hours

• Lower Bucks Hospital
501 Bath Rd.
Bristol, PA
215-789-9200 – open with normal operating hours

• Doylestown Hospital
595 West State Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
(215) 345-2200 – open with normal operating hours

• Bucks County Transport, Inc.- medical transport
PO Box 510, Holicong, PA 18928
215-794-5554 (closed)

Bucks County Hardware Store

• Sears Hardware Store
70 North West End Boulevard
Quakertown, PA 18951
215.538.3590 – open and being restocked with supplies

Bucks County Grocery Stores

• Giant – Consumer Affairs - 1-888-814-4268 – All stores are open
-Quakertown, 901 S West End Blvd, 215-536-5065- open 24 hours
-Doylestown, 4357 West Swamp Rd, 267-885-0920- open 24 hours
-Levittown, 4001 New Falls Rd, 215-949-1408- open 24 hours
-Warminster, 720 West Street Rd, 215-674-4607- open 24 hours

• Acme
All stores open normal hours, providing power charging stations for customers to charge cell phones, working to deploy their extra generators to the community
Warminster, 808 E Street Rd, 215-396-1160
Bensalem, 1338 Bristol Pike Ste 100, 215-638-7135
Doylestown, 480 N Main St, 215-340-1341
Jenkintown, 323 Old York Rd Ste 1, 215-886-2911

• Wegmans Food Markets
1405 Main Street
Warrington PA, 18976
(215) 918-3900 – open and fully stocked

• Kimberton Whole Foods
239 Durham Road
Ottsville, PA 18942
610.847.2419 – open and fully stocked

 


Chris Creveling's Journey to Sochi

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As the Olympic Flame began traveling across Russia, it likely brought another torch to mind for first-time Olympian Chris Creveling.

"We went to Greensboro, North Carolina for an inline competition and my brother was there … Somehow both of us made it to the final," said the 27-year-old speed skater, who competed at the national level on inline skates for 12 years before switching to ice full-time.

Patrick, who is five years older than Chris, says he was about 20 meters ahead of his younger brother with the final two laps to go in the two-man relay.

"I went as fast as I could possibly go," Patrick said. "If the person doesn’t pass you by the last corner, you can scoot up to block him."

"I ended up chasing him down on the last lap," Chris said. “That was when we passed the torch."

"He played it so smart," said Patrick, who admits he made some mistakes in his panic to finish. "That was the first time he ever beat me…. That was the one time I was happy to lose."

For Chris that was the time he decided to take his speed skating to the next level.

The Palisades High School graduate left Kintnersville, Pa. in 2007 and drove his gray ’97 Saturn to Salt Lake City to enter the Wheels on Ice Program, a venture of US Speedskating and USA Roller Sport.

"I was more worried about his car breaking down than anything. It had 200,000 miles on it at that point," said Chris’ father, Ross Creveling.

As for the transition to ice and the cross-country move, Ross was unfazed for his then-teenage son.

"He never had any fear," said Ross, who added that Chris, "a big tree climber" as a child, broke the front forks on two bikes when he tested a homemade jumping course.

"And he was always so athletic, it usually worked," said Ross, who mentioned Chris qualified for state competitions for his high school cross country team multiple times.

Chris spent his first year in Utah dabbling in both long and short track before making the decision to focus exclusively on short track. He trained under the direction of Olympic Gold Medalist Derek Parra -- another inline skater who made the switch to ice.

But aside from talent and discipline, Chris still needed more to survive in Salt Lake – money.

He returned to the Lehigh Valley during summers to work construction and landscaping jobs. During the season he earned a paycheck working for a short time at a Target in Utah. He even sold old skating equipment on eBay to make ends meet.

He toughed out the combination of paid work and training until he received a scholarship allowing him to attend Northern Michigan University and train at the United States Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Mich., where Olympic teammate Kyle Carr lived. So in 2009 Chris loaded up the Saturn again for his latest cross country trek.

He spent the next three years training full-time while taking 14 credits per semester towards a degree in Business Finance.

Although it was difficult to juggle so much, his ability to multitask helped propel Chris to where he is today.

"He’s super good at seeing the big picture. Getting up everyday and doing what it takes," Patrick said. "It always amazed me that he was always willing to put in the hard work."

In the 2010 Olympic trials, he placed 13th – not high enough to make the team. He forged ahead, spending another two years at Northern Michigan before the program ended due to financial constraints.

Once again Chris had to uproot himself so he could continue to compete with other elite speed skaters. He put his education on hold and packed up his trusty Saturn for the third time and returned to Salt Lake City in May 2012.

Even though Chris was a solid competitor up to that point, he made adjustments to his diet to give himself even more of an edge as he recommitted to the sport with the move.

"I made the decision with my nutritionist to cut gluten out," he said. "It instantly made a huge difference in my performance."

At the same time, his skills on the ice caught the attention of Jae Su Chun, coach of the national team, who invited Chris to train with the team.

After dedicating years to speed skating, Chris says he finally had the right mix of training, coaching, funding and diet. “That’s when it all clicked for me,” he said.

In September 2012 he bested Olympic medalist J.R. Celski with a win in the 1,000 meter at World Team Trials and also took first in the 444 meter race.

He continued to have success as part of the World Cup Team with a win in the 1000 meters at the 2013 National Championships and a 16th place finish – the highest of any American - at the 2013 World Championships.

On Jan. 5 he qualified to represent the U.S. in three short track speed skating events. He’ll compete in the individual 1,000 meter and 1,500 meter races and the 5,000 meter relay.

"It has been so many years in the making," he said. "It is just the biggest experience of my life."

But for his older brother, it is no surprise that Chris made the Olympic team.

"He had the same smile he had when he beat me the first time, same arm gestures," said Patrick, recalling the 2014 Olympic Trials.

All of America is hoping to see that grin when Chris takes to the ice on Feb. 10 for his first event.

 


Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

What's Open in Your Neighborhood

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Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power a day after a major ice storm hit the Philadelphia region.

As the region works through the ice storm aftermath, 400,000 homes are still dealing with power outages. It's helpful to know where you can get services for food, gas, medical and supplies. Here's a list of what's open in the Philadelphia suburbs.

CHESTER COUNTY: WHAT'S OPEN

MONTGOMERY COUNTY: WHAT'S OPEN

BUCKS COUNTY: WHAT'S OPEN

"Based on the current conditions and the damage across the entire region, we believe service for the majority of customers will be restored by Friday night," said PECO spokesman Ben Armstrong. "However customers in more heavily-damaged areas will be without power through Sunday."

WHAT TO DO DURING A POWER OUTAGE

More than 700,000 customers lost power at some point over the course of the storm. By early Thursday afternoon, PECO still had more than 413,000 customers without service after working overnight in cut-and-run mode. Power outage totals by county can be seen here.

 

 

Olympian's Inside Look at Sochi

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First-time Olympian Chris Creveling is ready for Sochi. The Bucks County native has been speed skating since 2007. Before that, he was an inline skater. Creveling's passion for the sport was demonstrated in his cross-country trip to Utah to join the Wheels on Ice Program, which began his Olympic journey. Chris is blogging as he participates in the Sochi Olympics. Here's his first entry:

"The games are upon us. When I arrived in Sochi I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve seen everything, it is amazing and beyond what I thought was possible. Opening cerimonies are tomorrow and we are gearing up to walk as TEAM USA! Take a look at the Olympic village and keep in mind that I took these pictures a few days ago."

Check out more photos and Chris' Sochi blog here.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Pa. Counties Declared Disaster Area

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A disaster.

That’s how the President of the United States and the Governor of Pennsylvania described the scene in the Pennsylvania suburbs after this week’s ice storm.

President Barack Obama and Pa. Gov. Tom Corbett signed emergency declarations declaring Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Philadelphia counties disaster areas. Both moves opened up state and federal resources for aid in areas where hundreds of thousands of people remain in the dark more than a day after the storm moved out.

On Thursday, Corbett toured sections of Whitpain Township, Montgomery County – one of the areas hit hardest by downed trees and power lines that left residents and businesses in the dark. Crews from PECO Energy, the region’s largest power supplier, showed the governor how some of the more than 3,500 utility workers are attacking the downed lines. Some of those crews came from as far away as Arkansas, Illinois and Canada.

“I have activated the resources of twelve state agencies and this morning was notified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that my request for support services from the federal government has been approved,” Corbett said. “The effects of this storm are as significant as those experienced during Hurricane Sandy.”

With Obama’s disaster declaration comes the support of FEMA. Corbett said some of the first relief the agency will be providing will come in the form of generators that can be used at hospitals, nursing homes and other institutional facilities.

At the height of the storm, nearly 850,000 Pennsylvania power customers had their electricity service severed. Adding in outages in Delaware and New Jersey, the number climbed closer to 875,000 customers.

PECO set a record for the number of outages brought on by a winter storm. The energy company also said the storm was the second largest service disruption in its history.

With crews working quickly to reconnect people to the grid, the number of outages dropped to some 336,000 customers by late Thursday night. But there is still much work to accomplish, officials say.

"A lot of the wires are tangled up in the trees," said Bob Kagel, deputy director of emergency management for Chester County, which was ground zero for outages.

Officials warn that some of the damage was so severe that it could take crews until the weekend to get the power turned back on. That equates to more cold nights in homes that rely on electric heat.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Family Sickened By Charcoal Grill

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A charcoal grill, being used to heat a Montgomery County home left in the dark after this week's ice storm, has sent a family to the hospital.

Four people, including an elderly man and a child, fell ill around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday after using the grill inside their home along Loggers Mill Road near Sawyer's Way in Horsham, Pa., Montgomery County fire dispatchers tell NBC10.

Officials believe carbon monoxide poisoning is the cause of their sickness.

"I was kind of in a panic, " said Andrea Ho, whose family lives in the home.

Ho's 72-year-old grandfather had to be airlifted to Abington Memorial Hospital because of the fumes. She says the family has been using the grill inside the home for the past two days.

"Because there wasn't any electrical heat in the street here, they were using charcoal over there," said the woman, who lives next door.

Three other family members, including a child, were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Their ages and conditions have not been released.

Officials said the home was left without power and heat after Wednesday's major ice storm. The power came back on just before emergency crews arrived to the home, leading fire crews to initially think the family was using the grill to cook.

Horsham was one of the hardest hit towns by this week's major ice storm. More than 107,000 power customers in Montgomery County are still without power. The county, along with several others, was declared a disaster area on Thursday by President Barack Obama.

Temperatures hovered in the low 30s throughout the day on Thursday turning the interior of any home without heat frigid.

Concerned that other people may have turned to using grills to heat their homes, firefighters went door-to-door to check on residents.

Carbon monoxide poisoning has injured several people in the wake of the ice storm. About 25 people in Chester County were hospitalized after being sickened by fumes produced by grills and generators inside their homes, county officials said. Four of those people were critically hurt.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Amber Alert Issued After 2 Children Abducted

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Pennsylvania State Police issued an Amber Alert for two young children after they were allegedly abducted at gunpoint by two men.

Erielys Ahorrio, 3, and her 4-year-old brother Eddie Ahorrio, Jr., were taken from a home along Almanac Avenue in Lancaster, Pa. at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, state police said. Lancaster is about 70 miles west of Philadelphia.

State police identified the abductors as 23-year-old Eddie Ahorrio, Jr. and 47-year-old Eddie Ahorrio, Sr.

The men took the children at gunpoint and fled in a black Nissan Altima with PA registration JJG-8170, police said.

Authorities believe the men may be traveling across Pa. and up to Massachusetts.

Anyone with information or who may spot this car is asked to call 911.

Pictured: Alleged abductor Eddie Ahorrio, Jr.

Man’s Olympics Bombing Claims False: FBI

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A Montgomery County man has been arrested after federal agents say he fabricated a story that his wife's son was planning to bomb the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

H. Laurence Reinhard, of Huntington Valley, Pa., called an FBI tipline in mid-January and told authorities he overheard the son, a Russian national who was only named by officials as A.A., talking to others about bombing the games, a federal affidavit stated.

The 69-year-old allegedly told the FBI he heard his “crazy” son talk “about bombs,” “blowing up an American business or embassy” and “f—king up these Sochi Olympics,” according to an agent’s sworn statement.

“Reinhard claimed that ‘he’s going to kill somebody or a lot of people.’ Reinhard said he also ‘heard him talking to people on the phone about explosives,’” the agent wrote in the affidavit

The man, who also allegedly authorities that he worked in law enforcement for years and was at one time the deputy mayor of New York City, also believed A.A. broke into a safe inside his home and stole jewelry.

The FBI mobilized agents in Philadelphia, Newark, New York and Moscow, Russia to investigate the claim. However, the story began to unravel in later interviews with Reinhard.

The man swore by his statements, but denied mentioning terrorism or bombs during his tip call, the affidavit said.

Reinhard later admitted to agents he “exaggerated” his claims to more easily find his wife's son, who he believed was responsible for the theft inside his home, officials said.

After playing a recording of his tip call, Reinhard then contradicted the initial call saying the statements about blowing up embassies and the Olympic games were false, according to court papers.

Reinhard has been charged with two counts of making false statements. His first appearance before a federal judge was scheduled for Thursday.


Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.



Photo Credit: AP

Crusade for Peace After Deadly Purse Snatchings

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In the past three weeks, two young women have lost their lives in deadly purse snatchings. NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez talked with two friends who are banning together to educate women in the hopes of saving lives.

Power Slowly Restored

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Three days after a major ice storm knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands of people, the number of homes and businesses left in the dark finally dropped below 200,000.

As of late Friday night, just over 180,000 PECO Energy customers in five southeastern Pennsylvania counties remained in the dark. Power crews from across North America worked hard to re-string power lines and get the juice flowing again as scores of homes turned into freezers among sub-freezing February temperatures.

PECO, the largest power provider in the Philadelphia region with more than 1.6 million customers, had hoped to get the majority of its customers back online by Friday night, but despite their best efforts a high number of outages remained.

A spokesperson for the electricity company said damage in some areas was more severe than they anticipated and that it may not be until Sunday or as late as Tuesday until most people have their power turned back on.

"Based on the current conditions and the damage across the entire region, we believe service for the majority of customers will be restored by Friday night," said PECO spokesman Ben Armstrong. "However customers in more heavily-damaged areas will be without power through Sunday."

The storm, which coated the region in anywhere between a quarter-inch to a half-inch of ice, resulted in the second worst outage in PECO's history and their worst winter storm outage ever.

"This is the second-largest storm in terms of customer interruptions that we've had right behind Sandy," said PECO spokesman Greg Smore. "We had a total of 715,000 customers without power."

By Friday morning, power was back on for more than 400,000 homes and businesses leaving about 280,000 customers without service after many crews worked overnight for the second-straight day. For hours the total amount of outages appeared to plateau around that level as crews continued to work.

"We will be working on this for many days to come," said spokeswoman Cathy Engel Menendez.

PECO says snapped power lines, icy trees and cars crashing into utility poles were the main cause of outages for their customers.

The utility dispatched an army of 5,000 utility workers -- some crews from as far away as Arkansas, Illinois, and even Canada joined PECO's repair effort, according to Armstrong. 

Some people took getting power back into their own hands with nearly deadly results.

"We ended up sending about 25 people to the hospital overnight -- four of them fairly critical -- because they were using gas grills or generators inside producing carbon monoxide," said Bob Kagel, deputy director of emergency management for Chester County.

Pennsylvania counties have fared the worst in this storm. Here's the breakdown of outages from PECO and PPL Electric, which also services several Pa. counties:

Several universities, including Villanova University, Rosemont College and Arcadia University were closed due to a loss of power.

Over in New Jersey, PSE&G said 9,180 customers, nearly all of them in Burlington and Mercer Counties, were without power at one point. By Friday morning, the utility announced that all power was restored.

In Delaware, Delmarva Power reported scattered outages in New Castle County, Del. by early Friday.

Officials urge people without power to alert the utility and DO NOT call 911.

You can use the following numbers to report your loss of power or make a report through each company's website.

PECO 

  • Emergency: 1-800-841-4141 (24 hour service)
  • Customer Service: 1-800-494-4000 (Mon through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. 9 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

PPL 

  • Emergency: 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775 (24 hour service)
  • Customer Service: 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775) (Mon. through Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Atlantic City Electric

  • Emergency: 1-800-833-7476
  • Customer Service: 1-800-642-3780

PSE&G 

  • Emergency: 800-436-PSEG (7734) (24 hour service)

Delmarva 

  • Emergency: New Castle County (DE) and Cecil and Harford Counties (MD) 1-800-898-8042
  • Kent and Sussex Counties (DE) and the Eastern Shore of Maryland 1-800-898-8045

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Pelosi Comes to Philly

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U.S. Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi will speak about women in the workplace.

Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Fire Breaks Out in Church Sanctuary

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A fire broke out inside the sanctuary of a local church overnight.

The fire began around 3:45 a.m. Friday inside St. John’s United Methodist Church along Ganttown Road in Washington Township, N.J.

Firefighters were dispatched after an alarm went off.

“They noticed an active fire in the old main sanctuary of the church,” said Washington Township Fire Chief John Hoffman.

It took firefighters a short time to bring the blaze under control, said Hoffman.

No one was in the church at the time and no injuries were reported.

“The fire remained relatively small and the damage is not overly extensive,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman said the fire appeared to be accidental.

The exact cause of the fire is pending an investigation.

Click here for more news from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Power Out in Bucks County

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The lights are out on a large portion of Yardley, Pa.

Burying Power Lines the Solution?

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Drexel University professor Chika Nwankpa says the cost is too much.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Fire Breaks Out in Pizza Shop

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Smoke could be seen coming from a Domino's in West Chester, Pa. Friday morning

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

11-Year-Old Robbed

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New Castle County Police say they are looking for two suspects who allegedly robbed an 11-year-old boy last weekend in Wilmington, Del.

The 11-year-old victim reported the robbery to police last Saturday afternoon. According to police, the victim said he was approached by two black males and one was carrying a weapon.

One of the suspects allegedly demanded the victim's cellphone and then both fled the scene on foot.

The child was not injured during the robbery.

New Castle County Police are now looking for two African-American males that are roughly 13-14 years of age.

The suspects are described as having thin builds, between 100 and 110 pounds, and stand about five to five feet and five inches tall, with brown eyes.

Police are asking anyone who has information about the incident to contact the New Castle County Police Department at (302) 395-8110.

Anonymous crime tips can also be submitted online at www.NCCPD.com under the link for tips and alerts, via cell phone by texting the key word NCCPD to 847411, or by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.



Photo Credit: NBC Philadelphia

Storm-Related Claims on the Rise

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The recent onslaught of snow and ice storms have led to traffic snarls, power outages and lots of snow days. According to the Insurance Adjustment Bureau (IAB) -- a local firm of public adjusters -- the winter weather has also led to an unprecedented increase in property damage claims.

IAB assists property owners with understanding their rights under their insurance policies, and provides guidance to property owners filing claims for damages occurring at their home or business.

According to the IAB website, the freeze-thaw cycles of snow and ice can lead to damaged roofs, walls, gutters, ceilings, floors and furniture. We spoke to IAB President Ira Straff  to get insight into the property damage claim process, and how you can be prepared if you experience winter weather related damage in your home or business.

Why do you think you've seen such a high increase in property damage claims?

The first round of the storm claims that the region has been experiencing has been because of the freeze and the thawing of pipes. With the ice storm, we've seen power outages, so we have people whose houses have been sitting with no heat in them, we've seen trees falling on houses, and ice damming; all of these problems are happening all at once. So, there has been a tremendous influx of claims. For people who have insurance policies, whether it be on their home or business, we've seen almost a 100-percent increase in claims. It's all related to the sub-freezing weather.

Is there anything residents can do to prepare for, or prevent property damage?

People really can't prepare for this kind of situation. It's such a sudden event. People just didn't expect that we would have this extended time of freezing weather. But people can prevent some damages by making sure their drains are clear, making sure their trees are trimmed up, getting debris removed from their gutters, making sure that heating systems are operational, and that they have a back-up plan in the event of a loss of power.

What steps should a person take if they experience property damage?

Stop the damage

The first thing they should do is try to stop the water from coming in or try to stop the damage as soon as it's recognized; find someone to remove the tree if you have a fallen tree; get the object off of the roof; take pictures of the damage on the property; and try to move valuable items out of the way to limit further damage.

Hire an adjuster

You also want to hire an adjuster who would be able to examine your policy. All policies are not created equal, so it's very important that your claim is reported properly. For example, floods are often not covered by a policy. So, when a homeowner sees water coming in from melted snow they may say they have a flood, but the insurance company will say that is not covered. So, it's very important that the cause of the damages is properly reported to the agents. We investigate and represent policy holders to make sure that they receive all the benefits under the policy. There is a lot of fine print in an insurance policy and most people don't understand the policy and don't know what is covered.

Document the evidence

Another thing that the insured party should do is not throw away the evidence. People throw carpeting and objects that have been inundated with water in the trash; they're very quick to clean up and get rid of crucial evidence. Then, when the time comes that they have to demonstrate the evidence of the damages, there's nothing left. Don't discard it; put it to the side if you can. Usually, if you contact a public adjuster like ours, we have remediation firms that will help document the damages.

Make sure your claim is thorough

When you're dealing with water you have to worry about mold and mold develops very quickly. Make sure that you hire someone that will look at all of the damages, not just the visible ones. Many property owners don't realize how difficult and time consuming a property damage claim can be; you can't just wing it. Fast action, calm thinking, and proper guidance from an experienced professional is needed. You don't want to do anything to jeopardize your insurance claim.



Photo Credit: ann powers

Olympian Goes Gluten-Free

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Olympic speedskater Chris Creveling has at least one thing in common with pop star Miley Cyrus and it’s not an affinity for belly-baring outfits. Both the athlete and the Wrecking Ball singer went gluten-free in 2012.

"I’d go to races and eat very healthy and, most of the time, gluten-free without even knowing it," said 27-year-old Creveling, who grew up in Kintersville, Pa. and graduated from Palisades High School.

When the U.S. Olympic Education Center ended its program at Northern Michigan University in 2012, the Lehigh Valley native moved to Salt Lake City to continue working towards his goal of making the Olympic team.

As Creveling upped his dedication to speedskating with the relocation - his third move in five years for the sport, he also reevaluated his diet.

"I felt like there was a lot of inflammation in my body," said Creveling, who decided with his nutritionist to stop consuming food with gluten.

After making the switch, the Olympian says he noticed his performance improved.  “When I first started, it was three months before the World Team trials,” he said. “I won both time trials and shocked everyone with making the World Team.”

Usually there are two reasons someone would eat a gluten-free diet – celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, said Emily Rubin, a registered dietician with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Celiac Center.

She compares celiac disease to a severe food allergy. “Someone who ate a peanut and their throat could close, this is doing the same sort of thing, but you may not know it,” said Rubin, who added that aside from suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue, the small intestine is under attack in celiac sufferers.

Intolerances, on the other hand, are less severe. “It is not attacking your system like celiac would be,” she said. “It just makes you feel more sluggish."

Tests can be done to detect the disease, but an intolerance is determined based on evaluations of diet and symptoms, she said.

Creveling, who did not get tested for the disease, doesn’t suspect celiac, but says the habit works for him and his sport.

“I noticed a huge difference physically, energy-wise,” he said. “And my body seems to really take to it."

While it may not  be the right diet for everyone, let alone every Olympian, Rubin says Creveling is making smart choices with the self-imposed restriction.

“For athletes you need carbs that are going to extend you, stay with you longer,” she said. “And that’s where the fiber component comes in.”

Creveling incorporates quinoa, kale and spinach into his meals, which also feature steak, chicken or tuna.

Quinoa, rice, potatoes and risotto are naturally gluten-free carbs and good sources of fiber, Rubin said.

“They aren’t going to be as heavy,” she said. “And they are easier to digest.”

But Rubin suspects the lifestyle choice could be challenging for an elite athlete. “If you are on the road a lot,” she said, “It is harder to get the healthy options.”

When Creveling competed in the World Cup last November, he had trouble finding the right foods despite the competition’s location in Italy, a culinary destination.

“A bunch of the skaters would come back with pizza,” he said. “An easy decision for them.”
He says the next day he luckily found a place to accommodate his dietary restrictions.

He often looks for Asian stores and restaurants, where he can get rice, and names Pho as one of his favorite pre-race meals.

Monitoring and altering food consumption is one of many sacrifices high-caliber athletes make. But just like Miley splurges on burrito burgers, Creveling has his own temptations.

“Nothing really compares to the actual experience of a Philly cheesesteak,” Creveling said. “The Philly cheesesteak is just irresistible.”

 


Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

'Nuisance' Weekend Snow

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Some snow could fall this weekend, but a big storm isn’t expected as folks continue to deal without electricity.

Three separate systems -- little bits of moisture -- should hit from Saturday morning through late Sunday night, according to NBC10 First Alert Weather chief meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz.

“I would generally call it a nuisance at worst.”

Hurricane doesn’t think any of the systems will amount to much more than an inch or two of snow.

“There are no signs at all of a major storm.”

The National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook early Friday morning for the entire area that calls for “the possibility for some snowfall accumulations Saturday through Sunday.”

There are no snow total maps for any of these systems as they don’t look very well organized. The weather service said it doesn’t plan on dispatching spotters even.

Hurricane said the “pieces of moisture” should come from the south Saturday morning and then two separate areas on Sunday from the west.

“There is a chance of light snow in southern areas Saturday,” said Hurricane.

It's possible that very little or no snow falls Saturday morning or during the day Sunday.

The more likely snow could arrive late Sunday night.

“The snow (will be) most likely later Sunday and Sunday night -- especially north and west -- but I’m only expecting an inch or two.”

Even without much snow, any snow will come at the wrong time for those still without power.

Hurricane said those without power won’t get any relief even after the snow passes.

“There is going to be another arctic blast next week and that is going to be significant for anyone without power.”

A more organized winter storm is shaping up for next week.

“In the middle of next week a more significant, actual storm is likely to develop,” said Hurricane. “There’s still plenty of questions about it. But it looks to have a pretty good amount of moisture and right now it looks like it could be something to start as snow and end as rain.”

Hurricane said it’s too early to figure out exactly what will hit and exactly how much will fall.

Stay tuned.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Trenton Mayor Found Guilty of Extortion, Bribery

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Tony Mack, the mayor of Trenton, N.J., the state's capital city, has been found guilty of extortion, bribery and fraud after a month long federal corruption trial.

On Friday evening, jurors came back with guilty verdicts on all six counts levied against the 48-year-old. The trial started in January. Jurors only deliberated for one full day before delivering the verdict.

Mack didn't say a word as he walked from the federal courthouse in the capital city. His attorney, Mark Davis, said jurors made the wrong decision and that they're looking at an appeal.

"That was the wrong verdict that the jury reached," Davis said. "Clearly they believed testimony that they should have never believed."

Mack and his brother, Raphiel, were nabbed in a government sting where officials said the men conspired to accept $119,000 in cash and valuables in exchange for the development of an automated parking garage.

Prosecutors say the men were planning to direct $100,000 from the sale of a city-owned vacant lot on East State Street into their own cauffers.

Davis, the mayor's lawyer, had argued Mack was the victim of government investigators who used the fake land deal and a slick-talking middleman to ensnare him.

Raphiel Mack was also found guilty on three counts of extortion and accepting bribes.

Joseph Giorgianni, a sandwich shop owner who was also involved in the scheme, pled guilty to two counts of extortion in the months before the trial began. The 64-year-old told authorities he handled the bribes for Mack and gave him about $8,000 in cash.

Mack, a Democrat who was elected in 2010, has remained in office since his arrest more than two years ago.

With the conviction, Mack will be removed from office and Trenton City Council President George Muschal will replace him. He was sworn in on Friday night.

Muschal will remain as mayor for 30 days, but can stay on for the remainder of Mack's term if the city's council votes him into the post.

"This protracted case has resulted in an unfortunate and unfair distraction for the City of Trenton for far too long," Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said in a statement. "It has put a dark cloud over Trenton, and frankly, the entire region. Justice has been served and now it is time to move on, and to look forward to a brighter future."

Both Tony and Raphiel Mack are currently out on bail. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 14. He faces up to 40 years in a federal prison.

Since 2000, mayors of Newark, Camden, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Hoboken, Passaic, Asbury Park, Orange and Hamilton have been convicted or pleaded guilty in corruption cases.


Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.



Photo Credit: NBC10.com
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