Three South Jersey teens were honored for their honesty after they found thousands of dollars on the ground and returned the money to the school it belonged to.

Fabian Villanueva, 14, was walking in Vineland, New Jersey last December when he found a clear envelope holding more than $17,000 in cash and checks behind a fence and covered with leaves outside of a home.

“I just panicked,” Fabian said. “I couldn’t believe what I saw.”

Fabian, a freshman at Cumberland County Technical Education Center, showed the money to his older brother Nichael Villanueva and his friend Christopher Diaz.

“My mom and my dad always taught me, what’s not yours you’ve got to hand it back,” Fabian said.

And that’s exactly what the three teens did. Diaz’s father called police who took the money and gave it to the school it belonged to, the Vineland Campus of the Spanish Eastern School of Theology (SEST).

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“It wasn’t hard because it wasn’t ours to keep,” Nichael said. “And that’s a lot of money so that could’ve been important.”

The school’s financial secretary Noreen Bermudez lives across the street from where Fabian found the money. She was distraught when she realized the money was missing from her car before she could deposit it. She told NBC10 she was moved to tears when she found out the teens returned it to the school.

“There really aren’t any words to express how grateful I am for what they did,” she said. “It was so honorable.”

The three teens were commended for their actions during Vineland’s city council meeting Tuesday night.

An overhaul of charter school laws in Pennsylvania passed narrowly Tuesday in the state House of Representatives, sending the newest attempt in a series to update a two-decade old code to the state Senate.

Adding members to the state's charter oversight board, capping a surplus that charters could hold in reserve and changing the funding formula for cyber charters highlighted the legislation introduced by Republican Rep. Mike Reese.

The bill passed 108-84 despite staunch opposition from traditional education advocacy groups and some Democrats, who didn't think the reform package went far enough in certain aspects like the surplus cap. Democrat Rep. James Roebuck of Philadelphia had amendments rejected before the vote took place.

Roebuck hoped the reforms would include stronger regulations governing charter school building leases and borrowing.

"My bill seeks to generate financial savings for school districts and local taxpayers by making sensible changes to the formula for funding cyber charter schools," Reese wrote earlier this month in announcing the legislation. "Second, my legislation will improve school choice by strengthening the law under which charter, regional charter and cyber charter schools."

Debate prior to the vote also showed what remains deep divisions within the Philadelphia delegation, which represents a city that is home to 83 of Pennsylvania's 164 charter schools. Another 14 cyber schools operate in the state, including three based in Philadelphia.

State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas of Philadelphia spoke against the legislation, saying it won't solve any of the inequities that have arisen between charter schools and public schools.

"These charter schools have become separate and unequal," Thomas said. "You can find situations today where charter schools have books that public schools don’t. You will find a charter school where students eat caviar for lunch while some students in public schools have no lunch." 

Another Philadelphia legislator, Rep. Jordan Harris, said he was inclined to vote for the bill.

"The law is 20 years old," Harris said. "It needs a redo it needs a refresh."

He added, "It is a little offensive to continue to hear about how charter schools cost districts, as if the money is going to something other than educating our students."

The changes to the cyber charter funding are estimated to save local school districts roughly $27 million, according to an analysis of the bill.

In addition to adding three board members to the current seven-person Charter School Appeal Board, the bill also would create a Charter School Funding Advisory Commission. The 14-member commission would "explore funding issues related to charter school entities, and making recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor."

Roebuck's amendment would have been the first significant restraint placed on charter school expenditures for new facilities. Charter operators, particularly in Philadelphia, have embarked on a massive building boom the last few years, resulting in millions of taxpayer dollars going to pay for debt payments related to construction and rent. At the same time, the Philadelphia school district continues to pay for building and maintenance costs that doesn't mirror a student population in decline because of increasing charter enrollment.

Roebuck said the charter school borrowing and building leases need improved oversight.

"To ensure financial accountability for all public schools and protect Pennsylvania taxpayers, I will introduce legislation that would ban anyone who serves as a school director, founder, member of a board of trustees or administrator of any public school entity -- including a school district, charter school or cyber charter school -- from receiving reimbursements on lease payments for buildings or facilities used for charter school. The ban would also include executives or employees of charter school management companies," Roebuck said earlier this month.

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A Philadelphia Police officer has been charged with possession of child porn and sexual abuse of children.

Officer Emmanuel Folly, 25, surrendered to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit Tuesday.

In March of 2016, members of the Special Victims Unit used a program to search for people viewing, downloading and sharing child pornography. They discovered an IP address that downloaded child porn that was registered to a home on the 3300 block of North 15th Street in Philadelphia, officials said.

On November 17, 2016 members of the Special Victims Unit executed a search and seizure warrant at the home and seized a laptop computer, desktop computer and computer tablet. Investigators also determined Officer Folly lived at the home with his parents, officials said.

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After further investigation, police determined Officer Folly owned the laptop computer that contained child pornography.

Officer Folly, who is a three-year veteran of the Department assigned to the 18th District, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography, and dissemination of child pornography.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross suspended Officer Folly for 30 days with the intent to dismiss. Police continue to investigate.

Mexican fast food chain Chipotle announced Tuesday that its customer payment system had been breached, CNBC reported.

In a statement on the company's website, Chipotle said it detected "unauthorized activity" on the system. Officials are focusing on credit card transactions that occurred from March 24, 2017, to April 18, 2017.

The restaurant added that the breach has been stopped and additional security measures have been added, though the investigation is ongoing. Chipotle encouraged customers to monitor their card activity.

The announcement came as Chipotle reported better-than-expected sales in the first quarter on Monday.

April 26 marks "Denim Day," a worldwide annual rape-prevention campaign that encourages anyone who stands in solidarity with sexual assault victims to put on jeans for the day, NBC News reported.

Although the strategy may seem like an odd way of protesting, the movement began as a response to a 1999 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the teenage victim wore "very, very tight jeans."

In that case, a driving instructor had raped an 18-year-old girl before her first lesson, but the Italian court said the encounter must have been consensual because the girl's jeans were too tight to have been taken off by the attacker alone.

NJ Transit says commuters should expect for more delays for the Wednesday morning rush at Penn Station, issues that could continue for days if not weeks to come. 

Amtrak said Tuesday an overhead electrical system issue in one of the four East River tunnels at Penn Station affected the commuter rails that travel there, which brought hours of delays and cancellations on the Tuesday evening commute. 

Now, that problem was fixed by workers, but Amtrak is currently performing track maintenance, inspections and delays — and those delays are expected in the days and possibly even weeks to come. 

Some tracks may also be taken out of service from time to time, which will cause for even more disruptions. 

LIRR on Tuesday was initially forced to suspend westbound service to Penn Station and cancel multiple eastbound trains as a result of the ongoing issues, but the railroad is expected to resume a regular schedule Wednesday morning. 

The message for commuters is to give yourself at least 15 to 30 minutes extra time for travel. 

NJ Transit is issuing "delay letters" for customers to give to employers if they have experienced delays getting to work. 

You can get the letter online or you can also stop by one of the customer service offices and pick a copy up. 

"I do worry everyday and I'm thinking about telecommuting," Betty Kornbluth said. "I'm thinking about working from home and I'm thinking about coming in one day a week. It's very difficult to deal with." 

Penn Station was getting so crowded at one point Tuesday that police had to temporarily restrict access to the station at the 34th Street-7th Avenue entrance.

"It's not really an option for me to drive, so as these situations pop up, I have no choice but to roll with the punches and deal with it and be frustrated," said Randi Pivnick of Oceanside. "It's awful."

Kenneth Decota of Westbury said the issues have been recurring "pretty much all the time." 

"You just start feeling better and then the next problem comes up," he said. 

The nightmare rush hour came as Amtrak said it is putting together plans to renew infrastructure at Penn Station. Spokeswoman Christina Leeds said in a statement to News 4 Tuesday that "this renewal effort will replace and rejuvenate the selected infrastructure providing needed updates, and is different than the ongoing repair work in New York Penn."

The work, however, will result in delays and cancellations for the already beleaguered rail customers who travel in and out of the congested hub. Leeds said Amtrak will announce more about its plans in the coming days, and will be working with Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit to schedule the work and minimize service impacts. 

Amtrak leases tracks and equipment at Penn Station to the commuter rails. Both the MTA and NJ Transit have blamed Amtrak for poor upkeep on those tracks, and both New Jersey and New York officials have threatened the possibility of lawsuits against Amtrak over the condition of the rails in the region. 

The rush-hour problems Tuesday were just the latest in what has seemed to commuters like an incessant string of rail problems:

• On March 24 an Amtrak train derailed and bumped into an NJ Transit train.
• On April 3 a second derailment closed more than a third of New York Penn Station's tracks for four days. 
• On April 14 a train got stuck in a tunnel for nearly three hours, leading to systemwide delays for travelers.
• On April 21 an Amtrak switch problem near Newark caused widespread delays.

As the NBC10 Morning Team visits a nearby Wawa, NBC10’s Pamela Osborne evaluates what Brandywine has to offer including their battlefield and a museum in that expands its preservation beyond art.

The 8-year-old daughter of a New Jersey police officer killed in the line of duty seven months before she was born stunned a random cop in a local pizza and pasta shop by anonymously buying him dinner last week. 

Mikayla Raji was eating at Villa Borghese II in Helmetta, one of several of the chain's locations in the Garden State, with her mother Friday night when Jamesburg police officer Joseph Quinn stopped by to pick up some food.

When Quinn went to pay, he was told his food had already been purchased. It took some diligent police work, the department said on its Facebook page, but detectives were able to hunt down the person who treated him: Mikayla Raji.

"I asked my mom if we could pay for his dinner, but keep it a secret. I wanted to do it because he works hard and he keeps us all safe," Mikayla told News 4 Tuesday. 

As it turns out, Mikayla had seen Quinn walk into the restaurant and greeted him with a hello and a smile, authorities learned. They say she leaned over and whispered to her mother that she insisted on buying Quinn's food. 

Mikayla's mom, Mimi Raji, gladly picked up the patrolman's $15 tab.

"I smiled, it warmed my heart," said Mimi. "She has a big heart and she's always thinking about other people, and I thought that was so nice.' 

Mikayla had a quick conversation with Quinn before he left -- and it wasn't until later that Quinn knew she was responsible for his delicious free eats. 

Mikayla has a special place in her heart for other officers. Her father, Thomas Raji, was a Perth Amboy police officer killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver on Aug. 22, 2008. Mikayla was born seven months after he died.

"It's not easy but you know what, he left me the best part of him, and for that, I'm grateful," said Mimi, who was also a Perth Amboy cop at the time of Thomas Raji's death. She has since retired.  

Mimi said her daughter's gesture reminds her of her husband's kindness. 

"It says a lot about who she is and it warms my heart because I know I'm doing something right," she said. 

Villa Borghese owner Joe Russo says people occasionally pay for police officers' dinners there, but this was the first time a kid gave the recommendation.

"The fact that she knew to do that was pretty impressive," he said. 

Jamesburg Police Chief James Craparotta said, "Everyone should learn to be so generous and so giving. The world would be a better place if everyone was like Mikayla."

On its Facebook page, the Jamesburg police department thanked Mikayla's mother for her service as a cop, and for that of her late husband. The cops also extended an open invitation to Mikayla Raji to stop by headquarters whenever she wants. 

"This time dinner is on us!" the department wrote on Facebook. "Your dad would be so proud of the person you are. If you ever need us for anything, you can guarantee we will be there for you."

And to thank Mikayla for her generosity, the department says she will lead their town Memorial Day parade, riding in a police car.

Tracy Davidson, Vai Sikahema and Jessica Boyington took the #NBC10Mornings show on the road for the first Wawa Wednesday.

The first stop on the months-long tour was the convenience store on Naamans Creek Road in Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Vai and Tracy handed out free cups of coffee while traffic reporter Jessica Boyington offered to was windshields and even pump gas (a strange act for a Jersey Girl). There was a DJ and Wawa mascot Wally Goose even made an appearance.

More stops on the tour (next week the team will be in South Jersey at the Wawa along White Horse Pike in Barrington, Camden County) are coming so stay tuned.

Wawa and Chadds Ford nonprofit Operation Warm have been dedicated to keeping children warm, NBC10’s Erin Coleman has more.

Comedian Bill Cosby is blind, he confirmed in a rare interview released Wednesday, in the run-up to his sexual assault trial in suburban Philadelphia.

The interview, published by the National Newspaper Publishers Association Newswire, only features a few quotes from Cosby. He and a public relations expert decided to give the interview to the agency, which focuses on the black community, because they felt the outlet would be more interested in "facts over sensationalism," according to the interview.

It's his first time speaking at length to the press since charges were filed against him for allegedly sexually assaulting a Temple University employee at his home in 2004. Cosby has pleaded not guilty and is free on $1 million bail. He calls the encounter consensual.

His attorneys said in court in November that Cosby is too blind to identify his accusers in photographs. He has been guided into the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, courtroom for pre-trial appearances.

In the interview, Cosby said he called out to his wife when he woke up one morning without sight, and he also referred to "the true histories" of the United States being different from what is in textbooks.

Cosby also said in the interview that he misses performing: "I think about walking out on stage somewhere in the United States of America and sitting down in a chair and giving the performance that will be the beginning of the next chapter of my career."

His youngest daughter, Evin Cosby, released a statement defending her father as loving and the victim of unproven allegations that were played up because of their salaciousness. Dozens of women have come forward in recent years to allege they were the victims of Cosby's sexual misconduct, which Cosby has denied. He's also argued he can't defend himself against vague accusations stretching back decades.

"The harsh and hurtful accusations of things that supposedly happened 40 or 50 years ago, before I was born, in another lifetime, and that have been carelessly repeated as truth without allowing my dad to defend himself and without requiring proof, has punished not just my dad but every one of us," Evin Cosby wrote.

The trial beings June 5, and the judge expects it to last about two weeks.

A special Yom HaShoah service was held in Margate, New Jersey on Tuesday to honor victims of the Holocaust.

NBC10’s Pamela Osborne gives an overview of the kickoff events for the NFL Draft on the Ben Franklin Parkway and how the event is impacting drivers and commuters.

Jonathan Demme, the eclectic, ever-enthusiastic filmmaker behind the Oscar winners "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia," and the director of one of the most seminal concert films ever made, the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense," has died. He was 73.

Demme's publicist, Annalee Paulo, said Demme died Wednesday morning in his New York apartment, surrounded by his wife, Joanna, and three children. Demme died from complications from esophageal cancer, she said.

Demme broke into moviemaking under the B-movie master Roger Corman in the early 1970s, and his prodigious, wide-ranging body of work always kept the spirited, agile curiosity of a low-budget independent filmmaker. His hopscotching career spanned documentaries, screwball comedies and tales of social justice.

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Yet his most famous films were a pair of Oscar-winners "The Silence of the Lambs," the 1991 thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as an FBI analyst, earned him a directing Oscar, as well as best picture. He followed that up with "Philadelphia" (1993), with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, the first major Hollywood film to confront the AIDS crisis. It remains a landmark film in the portrayal of gay life and injustice, subjects Hollywood has previously largely turned a blind eye toward.

Hopkins, Foster and Hanks all earned Academy Awards for their performances from those films. Demme's sensitive, alert eye help produce countless other acclaimed performance, too, from Melanie Griffith ("Something Wild") to Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married").

"I am heart-broken to lose a friend, a mentor, a guy so singular and dynamic you'd have to design a hurricane to contain him," Foster said in a statement. "Jonathan was as quirky as his comedies and as deep as his dramas. He was pure energy, the unstoppable cheerleader for anyone creative. Just as passionate about music as he was about art, he was and will always be a champion of the soul."

If there was one commonality in Demme's varied filmography, it was music. Demme acknowledged that while he was talentless when it came to playing an instrument, he found he could join the acts he documented with his camera. His deftly observed 1984 film "Stop Making Sense" began with David Byrne with a guitar and a boom box on a bare stage and swelled into an art-funk spectacular.

"I've come to believe, and I kind of felt this when we did 'Stop Making Sense,' that shooting live music is kind of like the purest form of filmmaking," Demme told The Associated Press last year. "There's no script to worry about. It's not a documentary, so you don't have to wonder where this story is going and what we can use. It's just: Here come the musicians. Here come the dancers. The curtain goes up. They have at it and we get to respond in the best way possible to what they're doing up there."

Demme also made films with Neil Young ("Heart of Gold," ''Neil Young Trunk Show," ''Neil Young Journeys"), Bruce Springsteen, the Pretenders, and documented Spalding Grey performing a monologue ("Swimming to Cambodia"). In "Storefront Hitchcock," the British singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock performed in a storefront window.

"Jonathan was a born movie-maker: He loved people and he loved filming them. Fictional or actual, he caught so many lives and glimpses of lives and framed them for others to enjoy," Hitchcock said Thursday. "Jonathan was a true keeper of souls, and now we must celebrate his."

Demme last year released his latest concert film, "Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids," on Netflix. Timberlake, a passionate fan of "Stop Making Sense," sought out Demme to direct it. Demme's last fiction film, "Ricki and the Flash," was perhaps his ultimate fusion of music in a fiction film. It starred Meryl Streep as an aging bar-band rocker.

Robert Jonathan Demme was born on Long Island on Feb. 22, 1944. His father, Robert, was a press representative in the travel industry. After his family moved to Miami, he attended the University of Florida where he wrote movie reviews for the school paper. In 1971, he went to work for Corman, first as a unit publicist on "Von Richthofen and Brown" and later directing his own films: the women's prison movie "Caged Heart"; "Crazy Mama" with Cloris Leachman; and "Fighting Mad," with Peter Fonda as a farmer.

Demme's breakthrough came with the Oscar-nominated "Melvin and Howard" (1980), starring Jason Robards as Howard Hughes. The film is centered on a Nevada service station owner who claims to be the beneficiary of the billionaire.

From early on, music played a central role in his films. In 1986's rollicking road-trip comedy "Something Wild," Jeff Daniels starred a tax consultant drawn into the wilder orbit of Melanie Griffith. The music-stuffed movie included 49 songs.

Some films were misfires. Demme's 1988 adaptation of Toni Morrison's "Beloved," didn't click with critics, nor did his 2004 big-budget remake of "The Manchurian Candidate."

But 2008's "Rachel Getting Married" was a return to form for Demme that seemed to combine many of his talents — for a buoyant humanism, for the joy of music performance, for troubled outsiders, for a natural, documentary-like realism. Hathaway played a young woman released from rehab to go home for her sister's wedding.

Demme most recently directed an episode of the Fox police drama "Shots Fired," scheduled to air Wednesday. He also completed a film for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to debut July 1.

Demme was initially married to Evelyn Purcell, before divorcing. His second marriage was to artist Joanne Howard, which whom he had three children who survive him: Brooklyn, Romana and Jos. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Americans for Immigrant Justice.

As news of Demme's death spread, stars took to social media to send their condolences.

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UPDATE: The standoff with the suspect in Cpl. Stephen Ballard's shooting death continued into Thursday morning.

As friends and family mourned a Delaware State Trooper shot and killed in a Wawa parking lot, a suspect in the case opened fire overnight on police trying to end the standoff.

Officials identified the trooper as Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard, 32. Ballard was an 8-plus year veteran of the Delaware State Police assigned to Troop 2, Glasgow. He lived in Milford, Delaware but was originally from Bowie, Maryland, according to his Facebook page. He also got married earlier this year.

A police procession was held early Wednesday evening as Ballard's body was taken from Christiana Hospital to the Medical Examiner's Office in Wilmington, Delaware. Troopers carried a flag-draped coffin into the building.

Investigators said the ordeal began shortly after noon Wednesday when Ballard observed two people inside a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Wawa store at 1605 Pulaski Highway (US Route 40) in Bear, Delaware.

After Ballard approached the two men, a struggle ensued, according to officials. One of the two suspects then exited the vehicle and fired several shots, striking Ballard.

"I thought it was two kids struggling at first," Faith Allen, a witness, told NBC10. "And I heard, 'pop, pop, pop.' And I noticed it was a cop. And the guy just took two steps forward and, 'pop, pop.' Two more times."

Allen and three other witnesses ran to Ballard and tried to perform CPR on him. Allen said the trooper's gun was still in his holster as he was on the ground.

Ballard was taken to Christiana Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

"He shot him right in the head," Allen said. "I mean, it's sad. When you try to save somebody it's even worse when you find out they didn't make it."

Responding police officers arrived at the scene and took one of the suspects into custody. Another suspect ran away on foot. Police say the fleeing suspect eventually arrived at a home on the 500 block of St. Michaels Drive in the Brick Mill Farm Development in Middletown, Delaware, about 15 miles away from the Wawa. A SWAT team and officers surrounded the home and a barricade situation was declared. The suspect refused to come out and even fired shots at police, investigators said.

"The suspect has been firing shots at the police officers from the residence that he lives in and is currently held up in the house," Delaware State Police Master Corporal Gary Fournier said. "Now we have members from allied agencies throughout the state of Delaware that are on scene. We've established a perimeter on the house. He is contained to the one house but continues not to surrender as we wish. We will be on scene until we get a peaceful resolution."

The Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) used an explosive at the front door of the home at 8:22 p.m. but officers did not enter the house.

The suspect remained barricaded inside as police continue to try and persuade him to surrender. He opened fire on officers, again, around 4 a.m. Thursday, police said.

Some residents in the Brick Mill Farm community were evacuated while others weren't allowed to leave their homes. Brick Mill Elementary on Brick Mill Road was put on lockdown during the standoff. The lockdown for the school was later lifted but the lockdown for the homes is still in effect.

The Odessa Fire Company at 304 Main Street in Odessa, Delaware opened its facility to temporarily house any evacuated residents.

Two of the evacuated residents, Lori and Todd Capriotti, told NBC10 they live three houses down from the barricaded suspect. Lori Capriotti said she rarely saw her neighbors who live in the home and never noticed anything suspicious. 

"Maybe I've seen them twice," she said. "They're quiet. You don't see anybody leave the house, come in the house, nothing."

Delaware police warned for people to avoid the investigation areas and expect possible traffic impacts. Brick Mill Road is currently closed between Marl Pit Road and Middletown Odessa Road (SR2999). Motorists traveling on I-95 southbound approaching Exit 1A in New Castle County, Delaware can expect delays as well.

Throughout the night, residents in the area dropped off candles and flowers at the Wawa in Bear, Delaware to pay tribute to Cpl. Ballard. Delaware Governor John Carney ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of the fallen trooper.

Delaware Senator Tom Carper also released a statement on Cpl. Ballard's death.

“My heart is in Delaware, and it breaks for the loved ones of the Delaware State Police trooper who will not return home this evening," Carper wrote. "Martha and I consider Delaware State troopers to be an extension of our family. We are sending our love and prayers to his friends, family and the Delaware State Police family. This unthinkable tragedy reminds us of the extraordinary courage and service of our men and women in law enforcement protecting our communities."
 
“My staff and I are closely monitoring this situation as it unfolds. I pray for the safety of our police officers and first responders on the scene.”

A spokesperson for the Wawa store also released a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic situation that occurred in the parking lot of our Bear, Delaware store today," the spokesperson wrote. "Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with the officer's family and the entire Delaware State Police community during this difficult time."
 
"Out of respect to the officer, our associates and all those affected, the store will remain closed until Saturday. We will continue to do everything we can to help."

Editor's note: NBC10 initially erroneously reported the Wawa was in Newark rather than Bear, Delaware.

Wednesday Child features six siblings looking to stick together while finding a forever home.

As the battle over immigration rages, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appeared to back down from a challenge to President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban.

He was not among 16 Democratic attorneys general to file an amicus brief supporting Hawaii’s efforts to block the travel ban, which impacted passengers from majority-Muslim countries.

Shapiro said he was “proud to be a leader … in the first legal battle” over the president’s executive order. His decision not to join the brief was “guided by the law,” he added in a written statement provided to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I wish the president would withdraw this second travel ban just as he did the first one,” he said. “I’ve never been afraid of standing up to the president when we disagree. This ban does not make us more safe, and is not in the best interests of our country.”

Attorneys general from California, Maryland, Virginia, Oregon, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, Vermont, Iowa and Maine all signed the brief.

“Letting the travel ban take effect would irreparably harm the Amici States,” the brief read.

“It would block entry by students, teachers, workers, and tourists from the six majority-Muslim countries. It would harm our citizens, lawful permanent residents, and resident visa holders, many of whom have family members and loved ones who would be presumptively denied entry.”

Read the document here.

The father of a Muslim-American soldier who died in combat in Iraq filed a separate amicus brief on Wednesday supporting a federal judge's decision to block President Donald Trump's revised travel ban.

Attorneys for Gold Star father Khizr Khan filed his brief in San Francisco where the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering an appeal to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson.

Khan's son, Humayun Khan, was a Muslim U.S. Army captain who was killed in 2004 by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Humayun was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

During last year's Democratic National Convention, Khan drew national attention when he criticized the anti-Muslim rhetoric of then-Republican nominee Trump.

Trump took to Twitter to criticize Khan, saying the fallen soldier's father had "viciously attacked" him.

Days after his inauguration, Trump issued an executive order restricting travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. A federal judge blocked the order in February.

Fans of M. Night Shyamalan's 2000 hit "Unbreakable" who've been clamoring for a sequel won't have to wait much longer. The director took to social media Wednesday and revealed the long-awaited production has been greenlit.

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As Shyamalan noted the film will join casts of both "Unbreakable" and the director's 2016 hit "Split," which starred James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy.