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End to Philly DA, Cops Using Seized Assets Proposed

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A controversial tactic involving the seizure of personal property in Philadelphia that has long driven a wedge between some in the community and those in law enforcement could soon come to an end.

The city District Attorney's office confirmed Saturday that the practice of civil forfeiture will no longer operate in a way that allows the DA's office and city police department to use seized property for their "law enforcement needs" if a federal judge approves of a proposed change. 

The change comes as part of a proposed settlement to a class-action lawsuit dating to 2014. It was first reported by Philly.com.

"By agreeing to discontinue the expenditure of forfeiture proceeds on law enforcement needs in the District Attorney's Office and Police Department — even though that is permitted by statute — we eliminate, once and for all, any concern of improper motives for forfeiture," DA spokesman Cameron Kline said in a statement Saturday.

The proceeds from drug busts will now be directed to programs in support of ending the out-of-control opioid epidemic, "such as by providing drug treatment, drug prevention programs, and to alleviate blight associated with the drug trade," Cameron said.

Ongoing litigation has already changed the way city agencies seize assets, Cameron said. The city and its law enforcement arms have adapted in essence to "eliminate, once and for all, any concern improper motives for forfeiture," he said.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Dangerous Heat, Severe Storms

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The NBC10 Weather Team called a First Alert for the combination of dangerous heat and strong to severe storms forecast to pass the area Saturday night.

Supporting Our Schools: Teachers Request, Donors Select

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Teachers in the Philadelphia public schools occasionally have to put learning on pause because the schools lack necessary tools. 

NBC10 is teaming up with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Communities in Schools to create the "Supporting Our Schools" initiative, a campaign helping raise awareness to those classroom needs.

Donors Choose is one way "Supporting Our Schools" helps makes an impact. On the website, teachers can post their requests and then people choose where to donate to.

Donors Choose has been a help to many teachers, some of whom have, and still do, use their own money to help their kids.

“Knowing that there are budget deficits and things that are needed for the next school year, a bunch of us decided to go on and ask for some of those basic needs,” said Sara Lehman, a teacher at Antonia Pantoja Charter School.

In the past, Lehman has spent about $700 of her own money to provide for her classroom. Through “Supporting Our Schools” her simple request — copy paper — has been funded.

Eliza B. Kirkbride Elementary School teacher Thinh Thach laughed saying, “When I go to different workshops… they give out free pens. I would just tell them, ‘I’m a teacher,’ and, you know, ‘Can I have some more?’”

Thach, who usually spends around $500 per school year on her classroom, explained a very real dilemma: “Sometimes when we say we need things it doesn’t get to us, or it doesn’t get ordered in time or we don’t get it until like January.”

Reaching into their own pockets seems to be a common trend. Ashley Arhontoulis, who currently has a request on the Donors Choose page, says “If that (needs) has to come out of pocket, for me, it’s absolutely a no brainer. It’s the first place my money goes because I care about this community very much.”

Through Supporting Our Schools, people have been able to make a real difference for students.

In Michelle Shaw’s classroom, donors recently were able to help South Philly students get a Biddy Farm with Fertile Chicken Eggs and a Chick Life Cycle Exploration Set. Shaw is a teacher at Francis Scott Key Elementary, a school who’s population, according to Shaw, is 100 percent economically disadvantaged and 40 percent English language learners.

NBC10 Philadelphia Supporting Our Schools has donated $1,210 and reached 116 students so far.

There are, as of now, 939 projects waiting to be funded.

Other teacher requests include a classroom library, iPads, a sensory room, sight words, Chromebooks and new basketball sneakers.

Up until July 29, people donating through Supporting Our Schools get to choose themselves where to put their money, whether they choose by community, topic, teacher or school.

There are other ways to support our schools as well. Text the word “BACKPACK” to 40403 to raise money for the United Way’s Backpack-a-Thon or donate to the school supplies drive on July 29 at Kennedy Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ. The drive lasts from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. All supplies will be donated to the Atlantic City School District.

Hundreds Remember Jim Vance, Patriarch of DC News

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D.C. has lost a legendary journalist. But most of all, a friend.

As word of Jim Vance's death spread Saturday, so did an outpouring of support, memories and condolences.

Vance probably wouldn't have liked to admit it, but he was big-time. And D.C. loved him.

"I saw people fall in love with him, the viewers fall in love with him and I also saw Washington embracing him during the time when he was challenged with some personal issues. He was very open about them and he won the hearts of a lot of people who could see themselves in his issues," said former WJLA anchor Maureen Bunyan.

"He loved this city and we loved him back," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. "I know I speak for all 681,000 of us in sharing my condolences with his family, with his work family, with all of his viewers and just thanking him for a job well done."

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"Washington loved Jim Vance. He was loved not because he was a TV anchorman, a celebrity or a 'personality.' He was loved because of his life, his continuity in our lives and the trust we had in him," said Bob Ryan, who worked at NBC4 alongside Vance for decades. "Every day for 30 years I would watch him edit bad grammar or a poorly written news story on the fly, as he read it. No one I ever worked with could do that. There is and was only one Vance. What a life. What a journalist. What a friend. Knowing and working with him enriched my life and also I 'had a ball,' as Vance would say. He'll always be with everyone who loves him."

Washington Post columnist Colby King wrote Saturday, "He and I spoke of things not easy to talk about: what it’s really like on the job — it ain’t all sunshine and roses. And what it means to be clinically depressed, a condition that we shared."

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“I was saddened to learn of the untimely death of my friend and Washington, D.C. icon, Jim Vance. Jim has been a role model for me and countless others from the first time we saw him anchoring the news in the late 1970s," Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker said in a statement. "He inspired us all because we could see ourselves in him. Jim was someone we could count on to tell us the truth and he delivered the news in a way that drew us in. He was thoughtful, compassionate, extremely smart and genuine."

Vance's passing has been felt not just throughout the D.C. area, but throughout the country.

“When I hear the name Jim Vance I think of a king, man. ... He was the king of news; he was the king of anchors, you know, and people. Think that only applies to D.C.? No. I mean a king around this entire country,” said Donnie Simpson, a longtime DJ and one of Vance's friends.

"He was just a person who never forgot where he came from. Always understood that people looked up to him, respected him and he gave that respect back. And I think that came through in real life and on the screen as well," said former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The National Association of Black Journalists remembered him as a pioneer for African-American journalists.

"As one of the first African-American primetime anchors in a major television market, Vance was an impeccable deliverer of news, keeping the citizens of Washington informed for 45 years. He inspired multiple generations of African-Americans to pursue journalism as their craft. His beautiful spirit touched everyone he met and lives on in the scores of working journalists he mentored," NABJ President Sarah Glover said in a statement.

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His calming delivery, quick wit and sharp style -- and, of course,  that unforgettable moment when he could not stop laughing on air -- Vance was a true legend.

“It was all about the information he was giving to the audience; it wasn’t about him. He did it with grace and humor, he had a terrific personality. And all of it were the ingredients of making a good news broadcaster,” D.C. broadcaster Gordon Peterson said.

"Jim Vance was one of our important local figures of the past half century. In some ways he was a more important figure, leader, then all of our politicians. Because he would tell it like it is. He didn't just report the news but conveyed a sense of what's right and wrong, or forgivable in recognition of human frailty," D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.

"I knew him, in the same way everyone else did, as a TV newscaster," Mendelson said. "But I also knew Jim as an adoptive parent, and as a citizen of D.C., and as someone who cared deeply about our community. Jim will be missed. And that's an understatement."

“Jim was always Jim," Simpson said. "24/7 -- I don’t care who he was talking to, he’d be in the presence of the president or the janitor. It was always the same. He knew who he was, he knew who you were, he respected you, he had time for you."



Photo Credit: NBC Washington
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Soccer Event Honors Girl Who Died of Cancer

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More than 200 teens participated in a Bucks County soccer event to celebrate the life and memory of Sarah Parvin, a girl who died of cancer at the age of 12. It marked the 10th year of the charity fundraiser. NBC10's Pamela Osborne has the story.

In Memory of Our Friend, Jim Vance

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For 48 years at NBC4, Jim Vance’s smooth voice and calm presence made viewers feel that, no matter how bad the news was, it would be OK.

Vance died July 22 at age 75 after a brief battle with cancer.

Before becoming a journalist, Vance was a teacher in his hometown of Philadelphia. He started reporting at WRC-TV in Washington in 1969. He was an only child, but Vance always contended he never knew that. His grandparents had 16 kids, so there were always young people around Vance’s early life.

Vance made a name for himself covering stories all over the world, including Vietnam, El Salvador and South Africa. But he didn’t have to go far for some of his best work: reporting on the people in his beloved adopted hometown of Washington.

For almost 50 years, Vance told viewers about every big story that occurred in D.C. From the race riots on U Street and in Columbia Heights to the 14th Street Bridge plane crash to Watergate to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan and 9/11, Jim Vance kept the people of the Washington area informed and comforted.

He covered the inaugurations of 12 presidents and all seven of D.C.’s mayors. In 1977, Vance was the person the Hanfi Muslims asked to speak to the night they seized three buildings, and he was the first journalist Marion Barry called after he got arrested.

His “Vance’s View” provided a dose of reality that could be refreshing, even for those who disagreed with him.


Vance has some dark times as well, struggling with drugs and depression. But his openness about those struggles further endeared him to the people of Washington and provided him with the opportunity to teach young people that there was a better way.

"When cocaine almost killed me, and I left here in 1984 to go to the Betty Ford Center,” he told Washingtonian magazine in 2011, “I got boxes and boxes of letters from people saying little more than 'I’m praying for you.'"

His banter with his fellow anchors earned his recognition from the Foo Fighters as he and former sports anchor George Michael couldn’t stop laughing at a runway model’s misfortune. His love of area sports teams was on full display.

Vance's 11 p.m. shows with longtime broadcast partner Doreen Gentzler were sometimes the highest-rated shows of the entire day. Together for almost 30 years, "Jim and Doreen" -- as they were known -- were one of the longest-running anchor teams in the country.

Vance announced his diagnosis with cancer earlier this year and took that opportunity to reflect on the wonderful life he lived.

Over the years, Vance received many honors and awards, but his final one was perhaps the most meaningful to him as his face was added to the mural aside Ben’s Chili Bowl, a favorite spot of his through his entire life in Washington.

Jackie Bradford, president and general manager of NBC4, spoke from the heart when she announced his passing.

"We are heartbroken to announce that Jim Vance died this morning.

"For more than 45 years, Jim Vance was not only the soul of NBC4 but of the entire Washington area. His smooth voice, brilliant mind and unforgettable laugh leaves each of us with a tremendous void.

"Vance always celebrated the good and acknowledged the parts of life that didn’t go so well. That made him a great man.

"To everyone in the Washington area who is heartbroken today, please know we grieve right along with you. Jim loved his job, his family and Washington with all his heart, and we will all cherish the legacy he has left us forever."

Jim Vance never grew tired of reminding himself where he came from and how lucky he was to be invited into area homes for so many decades.

Among the many legacies Vance leaves behind are those of his children and grandchildren, and everyone at NBC4 grieves right along with them.

Man Accused of Murdering Girlfriend Inside OC Apartment

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Police arrested a man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Ocean City, New Jersey.

On Saturday around 8:40 a.m., police responded to an apartment on the 900 block of Wesley Avenue in Ocean City for a report of a dead woman. When they arrived they found the body of Denise Webber, 54, inside her apartment.

The investigation led to the arrest of Paul Kline, 49. Investigators say Kline and Webber were in a relationship and also lived together. Kline is charged with first degree murder, second degree aggravated assault and third degree endangering an injured victim.

While Kline has been arrested and charged, police continue to investigate Webber's murder. An autopsy will be performed Sunday to determine the cause and manner of death.



Photo Credit: Google Maps

Funeral Held for Victim of Bucks County Murders

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The final funeral for the four young men killed in the Bucks County murders was held Saturday afternoon.

Loved ones gathered at the James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, Inc. on 2200 Trenton Road in Levittown, Pennsylvania for the funeral service of Dean Finocchiaro, 19.

Cosmo DiNardo and his cousin, 20-year-old Sean Kratz, were charged last week in the murders of Finocchiaro along with Jimi Taro Patrick, 19, Thomas Meo, 21, and Mark Sturgis, 22.

DiNardo confessed to all four killings in exchange for being spared the death penalty. The remains of the young men were found on a farm owned by DiNardo's parents in Solebury, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

Finocchiaro was born in Bristol Township and was a lifetime resident of Middletown Township. He graduated from Neshaminy High School in 2016 where he played for the school's ice hockey team. He worked at Richman's Ice Cream Company in Levittown where he was a cook since it opened in March of this year.

Earlier this month, Finocchiaro's co-worker Bill Tosti tearfully recounted the 19-year-old's sense of humor.

"He had a smile that would just hug you," Tosti said. "He was real warm, very friendly, would do anything for anybody, a great teammate to work with."

A funeral was held for Patrick on Friday in Newtown while services were held Thursday for Meo and Sturgis.



Photo Credit: James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, INC, NBC10

Severe Storms Move Through Region

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Severe storms moved through our region Saturday bringing heavy rain, lightning, downed trees and strong winds. Check out photos of the storm from our viewers.

Photo Credit: Ray Leichner‏

Police Search for Missing Philadelphia Man

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Philadelphia Police continue to search for a man who has been missing for several days.

Zariff Thomas, 25, was last seen on the 5800 block of Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia on July 12.

Thomas is described as a black male standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 135 pounds with brown eyes, medium complexion, wavy, black hair, a beard and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Police say Thomas suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

If you have any information on Thomas’ whereabouts, please call the Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184 or call 911. 



Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police

National Group Raises Awareness About Gun Violence

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The murders of several women and the shooting of others over the past month is drawing attention. On Saturday, a national group tried to raise awareness about the violence. NBC10's Aundrea Cline- Thomas reports about awareness.

Temple Grad Wins $8 Million at World Series of Poker

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A recent Temple University graduate took his place atop the poker world early Sunday by winning the world's biggest poker tournament — and hauling in $8 million.

Scott Blumstein, a native of northern New Jersey who lives outside Atlantic City, took down the last two competitors at the final table of the 2017 World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas. He held a commanding lead going into the final night of play that started Saturday evening, and was one of more than 7,000 that started the tournament.

The 25-year-old, who was described by Poker News as "an East Coast tournament grinder," entered the night with a commanding lead. A grinder is a player who spends a lot of time at the poker table and who considers poker a career.

The win "changes my life," he told ESPN, which broadcast the event.

"I'm really happy with how I played tonight," Blumstein said. "Really happy with the result, really happy with the deuce, because I was playing good, but I'm pretty tired of poker at this point, honestly. To have to go back and battle pretty deep-[stacked] again, I wasn't looking forward to it."

Entering Saturday, Blumstein had 226 million chips, compared to the second-place chip-holder Dan Ott's 88 million and Benjamin Pollack's 45 million.

Ott is also a Pennsylvanian who hails from Altoona. Pollack is a French poker professional.

Despite the win, Blumstein isn't getting overly confident just yet.

"If you had to ask me, probably the two guys I would least want to get three-handed with," Blumstein told ESPN. "But with that being said, I have a lot of chips and I'm confident we're going to go home, work on some three-handed poker, and come back ready to play tomorrow."

Blumstein graduated from Temple three years ago with a degree in accounting. According to his Twitter account, he's a "professional liver."

He'll likely be a professional poker player for the considerable future. 

The $8.15 million isn't be his first big score in a poker tournament. He won nearly $200,000 in a tournament at the Borgata in Atlantic City last year.



Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Locher
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Two Dead in Elkins Park House Fire

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A man and a woman died in a house fire early Saturday in the Elkins Park section of Cheltenham Township.

The two victims, reportedly an older couple, were found inside a house in the 600 block of Spring Avenue. Firefighters fought the blaze that erupted about 5 a.m. The two were not immediately identified.

When they arrived, flames were coming from a second-floor bedroom, but it quickly spread to much of the house, according to officials at the scene.

Check back for more details as they become known.



Photo Credit: Matt Schaffer/NBC10

No Sweat: Break in the Heat Wave Coming

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It will be less muggy and humid on Sunday. There is a chance of some isolated showers. Temperatures will be in the mid 80's for the upcoming week. NBC10's First Alert meteorologist Erika Martin has your accurate forecast.

Family of Shooting Victim Calls for Action

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The Dempsey Family held a vigil for August Dempsey and her boyfriend, Bobby Depaul Saturday. Both were shot and killed by their neighbor. The family is calling for the interim DA to press charges.


Man Shot to Death in Montco Town

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A man was shot to death inside a house in Hatfield Township late Saturday night, officials in Montgomery County said.

The 31-year-old was killed inside 2415 East Orvilla Road by a person who then called 9-1-1, according to the District Attorney's office Sunday. Neither the dead man nor the shooter were initially identified.

The shooter did remain on scene until police involved. Authorities said the homicide occurred "following a disturbance" about 11:45 p.m.

Township and county detectives are investigating the shooting.

Check back for more details as they become known.



Photo Credit: NBC10

Man Killed in Chester Is City's 20th Murder Victim of 2017

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The shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Chester Saturday afternoon marked a grim tally: There have already been 20 homicides in the city of less than 40,000, far outpacing the recent years.

Teshon Malloy was found shortly before 5 p.m. in the street at Thomas and Terrill streets suffering from multiple bullet wounds. He died at a nearby hospital. On Sunday, Chester police arrested Miguel Moreno with Malloy's slaying. No motive was given for the shooting.

Later on Saturday, an 11-year-old boy was struck inside his house by an apparently stray bullet, police said. The child suffered a wound to his upper chest, and remained in stable condition at a Chester Crozer Medical Center on Sunday afternoon.

The violence is part of a downturn for a city already besieged in recent years. Homicides in Chester are well ahead of the last two years' paces, when there were 12 murders through the first six months of both those years.

The year-end totals were 24 in 2015 and 26 in 2016, according to Chester police.

The city has had eight murders since June 2, when a 16-year-old was gunned down amid the overgrown grass of an elementary school as the teen walked to his Chester High School. There were several shootings within hours of each other that day.




Photo Credit: Brian X. McCrone
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PECO Worker Gives Shoes to Homeless Man

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A PECO worker who spotted a barefoot homeless man picking up trash in Center City gave his own shoes to the man. The act of kidness was captured on camera.

Storms Strike Region With Flooding, Possible Watersprout

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Another round of storms hit the area Sunday bringing heavy rain, flooding, wind and a possible watersprout to parts of the area. Check out our viewer photos.

10 at 7: What You Need to Know Today

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


TODAY'S TOP STORY 

Man Goes Missing After Being Taken To Hospital: Philadelphia Police continue to search for a man who has been missing for several days. Zariff Thomas, 25, who suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was last seen at Roxborough Memorial Hospital on the 5800 block of Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia back on July 12. Thomas' sister told NBC10 he was behaving erratically that day and they took him to the hospital for an evaluation. He left before he could receive treatment however and has not been seen since then. His sister told NBC10 her brother has never gone missing before. Thomas is described as a black male standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 135 pounds with brown eyes, medium complexion, wavy, black hair, a beard and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

    YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

    More storms are possible for Monday morning but the sun could return Monday afternoon. By Tuesday the nice weather with less humidity is expected to return. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

    WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

    Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend Inside OC Apartment: Police arrested a man accused of killing his girlfriend in Ocean City, New Jersey. On Saturday around 8:40 a.m., police responded to an apartment on the 900 block of Wesley Avenue in Ocean City for a report of a dead woman. When they arrived they found the body of Denise Webber, 54, inside her apartment. The investigation led to the arrest of Paul Kline, 49. Investigators say Kline and Webber were in a relationship and also lived together. Kline is charged with first degree murder, second degree aggravated assault and third degree endangering an injured victim. While Kline has been arrested and charged, police continue to investigate Webber's murder. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death.

    AROUND THE WORLD

    Kushner Faces Questions on Russia Ties: When Jared Kushner sits down on Monday with staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he is expected to be questioned about his relationships with Russian officials, including his participation in a meeting last year with a Kremlin-linked lawyer. Kushner's attorney has said his client will fully cooperate. "As Mr. Kushner has been saying since March, he has been and is prepared to voluntarily cooperate and provide whatever information he has on the investigations to Congress," the lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. Kushner will not be under oath during his appearance Monday, and the session will not be in public. Democrats have pointed out that those circumstances could easily allow the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser to avoid directly answering questions about his alleged links to Russia. Others have said the closed setting might allow Kushner the opportunity to discuss sensitive information. Either way, the questions he likely faces will be serious ones.

      TODAY'S TALKER                

      Man Killed in Chester is City's 20th Murder Victim: The shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Chester Saturday afternoon marked a grim tally: There have already been 20 homicides in the city of less than 40,000, far outpacing the recent years. Teshon Malloy was found shortly before 5 p.m. in the street at Thomas and Terrill streets suffering from multiple bullet wounds. He died at a nearby hospital. On Sunday, Chester police arrested Miguel Moreno with Malloy's slaying. No motive was given for the shooting. Later on Saturday, an 11-year-old boy was struck inside his house by an apparently stray bullet, police said. The child suffered a wound to his upper chest, and remained in stable condition at a Chester Crozer Medical Center on Sunday afternoon. The violence is part of a downturn for a city already besieged in recent years. Homicides in Chester are well ahead of the last two years' paces, when there were 12 murders through the first six months of both those years. The year-end totals were 24 in 2015 and 26 in 2016, according to Chester police.

      SPORTS SPOT

      Training Camp: Eagles Training Camp kicks off. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.

      PHOTO OF THE DAY

      See more Top News Photos here.

      THROUGH IGER'S EYES

      @pixbykrys captured this cool image of a colorful sign.

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

      TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO

      Check out these famous dogs: Click here to watch.

      A LITTLE SWEETENER 

      PECO Worker Gives Shoes to Homeless Man: A PECO worker who spotted a barefoot homeless man picking up trash in Center City gave his own shoes to the man. The act of kidness was captured on camera.  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


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