NBC10's Matt DeLucia speaks to the youngest registered runner in this year's Blue Cross Broad Street Run, 8-year-old Matt Hoppe.

Teachers and community activists are holding a rally in West Philadelphia Monday afternoon to shed light on the number of educators who are leaving the city.

The “Educator Exit” rally will take place in the schoolyard of the Lea Elementary School on 47th and Spruce streets at 4 p.m. The group will then march to Clark Park on the 4300 block of Baltimore Avenue.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan will be joined by teachers and community allies during the rally to “focus attention on educators who are leaving the District due to the four years PFT members have gone without a new contract," according to organizers.

“Over 1300 days without a new contract is creating turnover and instability in our schools,” Jordan said. “This can’t be allowed to continue.”

Speakers at the rally will include eight-year teacher Meghan Donnelly.

"I love my school and community in the Philadelphia School District, but I feel like I'm frozen and unable to make any plans for the future," Donnelly said.

The rally comes a few days after a banner which read, "City Hall loves sports but hates our teachers," was flown over the NFL Draft on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Crews responded to a chemical leak at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

Officials say a "dangerous inhalant" leaked in the basement of the building, which is located on 3900 Woodland Avenue, around 5 p.m. Sunday. Around 100 people were evacuated from the building.

The leak was contained to the basement and the situation was placed under control at 5:58 p.m., officials said. No injuries have been reported.

Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY 

Crews Respond to Chemical Leak at Philadelphia VA Medical Center: Crews responded to a chemical leak at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Officials say a "dangerous inhalant" leaked in the basement of the building, which is located on 3900 Woodland Avenue, around 5 p.m. Sunday. Around 100 people were evacuated from the building. The leak was contained to the basement and the situation was placed under control at 5:58 p.m., officials said. No injuries have been reported.

• MORE ON THE LEAK
  

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

Fog is kicking off the start of the work week but is expected to clear out by Monday afternoon when the sun returns. Late Monday night thunderstorms are possible into Tuesday morning. But most of Tuesday is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the 70s and Wednesday should be similar. Clouds and possible rain are expected for Thursday. High Temp: 82 degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY 

Girl, 10, Dies After Tree Falls Across Campers: Authorities say a tree fell across two campers in a Pennsylvania campground, killing a 10-year-old girl in one of the vehicles. LNP newspapers reports that emergency crews in Lancaster County were called to Oma's Family Campground in Colerain Township at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Quarryville fire chief Joel Neff said emergency personnel had to cut the tree and the camper to reach the trapped girl, but found her unconscious and not breathing. Neff called it "a freak accident.” Dr. Steven Diamantoni, the Lancaster County coroner, said he believed the girl was from Perry County and she was the only one inside the camper. He said he believed her mother was sitting outside when the tree came down.

• MORE ON THE INCIDENT

AROUND THE WORLD

1 Dead, 7 Injured After San Diego Pool Shooting: One woman was killed and seven other people were injured Sunday in a shooting at the pool area of a San Diego apartment complex where people were attending a birthday party, the San Diego Police Department confirmed. San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said the shooting took place shortly after 6 p.m. at the La Jolla Crossroads apartment complex. Three officers shot and killed the suspect after he pointed a gun at them, Zimmerman said. Zimmerman identified the suspect as 49-year-old Peter Selis, who police believe lived at the complex located on Judicial Drive west of Interstate 805. The police chief said eight adults were taken to area hospitals with gunshot wounds. One woman died of her injuries and several others remain in critical condition, according to Zimmerman, who did not identify the victims. A motive for the shooting has not been established, the police chief said.

• MORE ON THE SHOOTING
  

When Will Philly Streets Reopen After NFL Draft?: The NFL Draft might have come and gone, but significant road closures are here to stay for a little while longer. On Monday, the following streets will reopen at 5 a.m.: Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 20th Street to the Art Museum, Martin Luther King Drive near 24th Street, Eastbound Spring Garden Street and Kelly Drive at Fairmount Avenue. Inner lanes (inbound and outbound) of Benjamin Franklin Parkway from Eakins Oval to 20th Street will reopen on Wednesday.

• MORE ON THE ROAD CLOSURES
  

SPORTS SPOT

Phillies Lose to Dodgers: The Phillies lost 3 to 5 against the LA Dodgers. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

See more Top News Photos here.

THROUGH IGER'S EYES

@ray.dng captured this cool shot in front of City Hall.

Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.

TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

Off to the vet. Watch more here. 

Meet the Youngest Runner of the Blue Cross Broad Street Run: Matt Hoppe, 8, is the youngest registered runner in this year's Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Read more.

That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out. 

A 59-year-old flower shop owner has been arrested for allegedly stealing plants and other items from graves at a New Jersey cemetery, possibly for months.

Police say they'd been getting reports for some time of thefts at First Reformed Church Cemetery in Pompton Plains. Authorities replaced two of the missing plants in front of a mausoleum and installed surveillance cameras in the area last week. Two days later, police got a call that the plants were missing again. 

Detectives checked out the surveillance footage and saw a woman approach the mausoleum in a silver minivan, get out of the vehicle and take the plants. Authorities were able to identify the suspect as Lynda Wingate, a former police dispatcher and flower shop owner in nearby Riverdale. 

She was arrested on a charge of theft of moveable property and released pending an appearance in municipal court. Attorney information wasn't known, and someone at her listed address turned away a reporter.

Capt. Christopher DePuyt says Wingate claimed she was cleaning up old flowers from graves of people she knew, but he says that isn't the case, according to The Associated Press.

Police didn't say if they believed Wingate had resold the other flowers or if any of the previously stolen ones had been recovered.

"It's not the crime of the century. It's a minor crime, but one that shocks the conscience, and it won't be tolerated," DePuyt told News 4. 

As if the last few weeks of commuting haven't been harrowing enough, New Jersey Transit is warning riders of expected delays this week. 

Travelers going to and from Penn Station should expect 15-minute delays on weekdays and 30-minute delays on weekends, New Jersey Transit said Sunday. 

The delays are blamed on track maintenance work and inspections and "are effective immediately and continuing until further notice," the train service announced Sunday. 

Some commuters have threatened to refuse to pay for rides in May in protest of the poor service. A #NoPayinMay campaign has been circulating on social media. 

A spokesman for New Jersey Transit said it was a "very complicated request."

"In our history, decisions to waive fares and refund consideration go through a very thoughtful, deliberate and careful review," spokesman Jim Smith said. 

New Jersey Transit will even offer you a note if you're late to work. 

"If you have experienced delays that have compromised your work situation, please stop by one of our Customer Service offices and pick up a delay letter for your employer," NJT Executive Director Steve Santoro said in an open letter posted on the railroad's website. (Customers can also use the "Contact Us" form on the NJT website to ask for a tardy note.)

The letter follows a laundry list of problems in recent weeks, including derailments in late March and early April and multiple instances of trains getting stuck in tunnels for prolonged periods. 

Amtrak, which controls New York Penn Station, said Thursday it would launch a much-needed makeover to its tracks and other infrastructure beginning in May, resulting in summer-long disruptions for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who travel through the transit hub.

Former Philadelphia Mayor and Gov. Ed Rendell is talking about Philadelphia hosting major events around the country's 250th birthday including bidding for all-star games and even the Super Bowl.

An off-duty Jersey City police officer shot a man on Saturday afternoon, killing him, prosecutors said. 

The officer shot a man in East Orange on South Clinton Street, according to the Essex County prosecutor's officer. 

Neither the officer nor the man who died was identified. The officer wasn't hurt.

No one is in custody, prosecutors said. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Bureau at 862-520-3700.

A car crashed into a house in Linden on Sunday and three people were rescued from the building when it was deemed unsafe, police said. 

The driver was going north on Woodlawn Avenue, failed to make a left turn and drove straight into a driveway on the dead-end street, Linden police said. 

It crashed into a parked car and then the house, police said. 

The house was deemed unsafe and three people inside were rescued, police said. They weren't injured. 

The driver and a passenger were treated for minor injuries, police said. 

No charges are expected. 

Celebrity dog trainer and "Lucky Dog" host Brandon McMillan visited the Pennsylvania SPCA in an attempt to find dogs loving homes.

The #NBC10Mornings Team is taking viewers behind the scenes all this week for a look at services that impact you. The first stop was at the Camden County 911 Center followed by Philadelphia International Airport.

There are countless people awake at night when it feels like our corner of the world has gone to bed. What happens while you sleep?

The different jobs that require overnight workers range from nurses to TastyKake employees. NBC10 spoke with two individuals who deal with crises overnight.

Martin is a Red Cross Emergency Communications Coordinator. One of the first things that came up was that Martin was on duty during the Amtrak derailment. He was the one who first notified and was responsible to notify management and public relations. [[420951843, C]]

He spoke positively of working overnight saying it was more peaceful and easier to focus: “I’m just a night person… I don’t go to sleep at night anyway."

Martin said that the colder the season, the busier it gets, often because of house fires. The warmer seasons have their challenges as well, such as hurricanes down south. Not only does Martin get calls from the Philadelphia area, but from all over the nation. [[420885913, C]]

“We support the entire nation,” Martin said with pride.

However, there are challenges to working overnight. Martin has a 2-year-old. He’ll come back home in the morning from his 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift, and he says he’ll “crash.” When he wakes up and is ready to go, everyone else is tired from their day. He said it’s a trade-off trying to catch up with everyone else. [[420985683, C]]

Martin has been working for the Red Cross for four years and, “I don’t have a usual day. I never know what is going to happen.” Calls can come from anywhere in the country, for any reason, and either from the person in need specifically or from the fire departments.

Martin spoke specifically to people feeling alone in their emergencies: “Most of my calls are people just needing day-to-day help. They’re caught off guard, like, ‘someone else is awake?’”

He went on, “You get a better connection with people. Someone can sympathize… relate with them as a human being.”

Nick Espinosa, a 21-year-old 911 dispatcher for the Milltown Borough of Police Department, then spoke with NBC10. He often works the overnight shift.

Nick talked a bit about his job. He described that throughout each night it could either be completely quiet or everything could be happening all at once. 

He was proud to emphasize the importance of what dispatchers across the country do. “We’re the actual first line of contact with the emergency… a lot of people like to say we are ‘the voice always heard but the face never seen.’”

Both Nick and Martin talked about how they enjoy the quietness of working overnight, saying that there is more time and ability to really focus or “be in the zone.”

“We’re always on top of our game, but some of the worst calls come in at night and we’re ready.”

Nick elaborated on what he meant by "worst calls": “People go out drinking, and people make the mistake of driving.” He went onto say that medical calls are also a big contributor to the call count. “People go to sleep thinking their pain will go away, but their pain wakes them up; some people don’t realize something is wrong health wise until the middle of the night.”

Nick is the only dispatcher in the room. He says that he chooses, during these times, to really get in the zone and be ready for anything. Being alone also has its benefits for Nick. He gets homework done. He explained that dispatching is a great job that allows students to take day classes or even allows for another job. 

Martin and Nick both agreed on one very important thing for overnight workers: company. Martin said "working overnight here, you find who else is up also” Nick also explained, “we have a hotline radio. You can communicate from department to department... you know, really work together. You may be alone but there’s dozens of other dispatchers working as well.”

On Tuesday, NBC10 Today will take you behind the scenes at Philadelphia International Airport.

The Chester County teenager who filmed a Downingtown STEM Academy administrator losing his cool during an anti-abortion protest never meant for the man to be fired, he said.

Conner Haines, 16, didn’t initially intend to protest outside STEM either, he told NBC10 over email. He and his sister originally timed their demonstration to coincide with a Holocaust symposium being held at neighboring Downingtown West High School.

The Haines refocused their efforts from Downingtown to STEM after seeing students leaving for the day. That’s when the events depicted in the video took place. Dr. Zach Ruff, Dean of Academics and Student Life, screamed at Haines to leave the sidewalk and go home. Haines remained defiant. The ordeal went on for about 20 minutes.

“Sir, these are image bearers of God,” Haines said, pointing to a depiction of an aborted fetus.

“You can go to hell, where they are, too,” Ruff said.

The video has since drawn local and national attention from people on both sides of the abortion debate.

Some students and parents who witnessed the incident said Haines wreaked havoc as drivers filed out into a busy intersection that can sometimes back-up several blocks. But Haines denied harassing passersby.

“We never even got close to any vehicles and definitely not tapping on car windows,” he said. “We did have images of the victims of abortion. It's important to expose the injustice that's happening to over 3,000 image bearers of God every single day.”

Haines, who is home-schooled, considers himself an “abolitionist of abortion” and has been politically active for two years, he said.

Ruff, an educator for more than 10 years in the Downingtown Area School District, was put on administrative leave pending a formal investigation.

Thousands of community members have since come out in support of Ruff, who they said was merely attempting to shield students from disturbing images and language. An online petition was created last week asking the school district to not fire Ruff. It already garnered more than 22,000 signatures Monday afternoon.

“Discourse is good. Harassment is not. Especially of school students. If they were our children as students, we would hope and expect the staff and administrators to shield them,” commented one person who signed the petition.

The school district has not said when it will make a decision regarding Ruffs’ position.

A lot of people vow to quit sugar as the weather warms up, but as NBC News' Better team discovered, it's easier said than done to make it 10 days without the sweet stuff.

People hold some several misconceptions about sugar, from denying they have a problem to knowing where sugar lurks.

For example, most Americans consume nearly twice the amount of recommended sugar — 50 grams, or 12 teaspoons — every day, Dish on Fish blogger Rima Kleiner said.

If you're embarking on your own no-sugar challenge this spring, NBC News gathered five myths about quitting sugar to school yourself.

A national group has awarded the NBC10 Investigators' work exposing failing grades for fire drills at Philadelphia schools.

The Society for Professional Journalists named Mitch Blacher’s "Failing at Fire Drills" series as the 2016 Sigma Delta Chi Awards winner for investigative reporting at a large-market station.

"Teamwork, perseverance and demanding accountability were paramount in doing this kind of reporting," Mitch said while calling the recognition "an extreme honor."

Producer Jim O’Donnell and photojournalists Dan Lee and Charlie Wellock joined Mitch in the acknowledgment but the report also received support from more members of the investigative team.

"While this is a team win, the bulk of the work was done by Mitch Blacher, Charlie Wellock, Dan Lee, Katie Suiters, Zinnia Maldonado and the leader of the team Jim O’Donnell," said NBC10 vice president of news Anzio Williams.

The series searched for answers from school leaders about why some schools in Philadelphia weren’t following the fire code and holding potentially life-saving drills.

"You may recall Mitch Blacher asking tough questions of Philly School Superintendent William Hite that led to the school system changes," Williams said. 

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania police officer filed by a man who was cleared of charges that he tried to lure a teen girl into his car.

The court ruled in April that Stowe Township Officer Robert Sciulli tailored the initial description given by the girl to match the man she later identified as the perpetrator, David Andrews.

The court said Sciulli, in his affidavit, added a description of Andrews' hair after seeing a photo of him. The judges said he also failed to note discrepancies between Andrews' car and the car described by the girl.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the court overturned an earlier decision dismissing the case. That judge ruled the girl's identification of Andrews was sufficient to arrest him regardless of the misrepresentations. 

Sciulli could not be reached for comment.

A SEPTA regional rail train struck and killed a person in Montgomery County Monday afternoon.

The death on the tracks near the Rydal Station in Jenkintown around 1:30 p.m. caused SEPTA to stop all trains along the West Trenton Line, SEPTA said.

As SkyForce10 hovered overhead a short time later you could see investigators on the tracks with the train stopped nearby.

No word yet on what the person was doing on the tracks.

A Bucks County custodian was honored Monday after winning the nationwide “Janitor of the Year” contest.

Ted Qualli Jr., a janitor at Newtown Elementary School, won the competition after receiving more than 379,300 (42.2 percent) of the total 898,200 votes.

“As a veteran, he can be seen showing his old uniform to students on Veteran’s Day and teaching them about his service to our country,” contest organizers wrote. “He is also an avid gardener and each year brings in plants lovingly grown in his home garden for every student and teaches them how to care for them. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Ted? He calls every one of Newtown’s 850 students by name.”

Qualli received a $5,000 cash prize during an assembly at Newtown Elementary School Monday afternoon. Newtown Elementary will also receive $5,000 in products and services from Cintas Corporation and Rubbermaid Commercial Products.

Children and parents first nominated Qualli for the nationwide competition earlier this year.

“He’s the most generous and kind human being,” one woman said during Monday’s ceremony. “They don’t make them like him anymore.”

Qualli is a popular figure at the school and students regularly chant his last name whenever they see him in the building. That chant was heard loud and clear as Qualli received his award.

“I’m so overwhelmed and so appreciative,” Qualli said while fighting back tears. “And I just want to say thank you.”