Runners and cyclists, prepare to have your day made.

The Schuylkill River Trail is getting longer thanks to a 1902 railroad swing bridge that is going to be transformed into a new bike and pedestrian crossing.

The swing bridge over the Schuylkill River will be called Conrail Crossing and will extend over the Schuylkill, connecting the two sides. The pedestrian crossing will connect the Grays Ferry Crescent Trail and Bartram’s Mile of the Schuylkill River Trial System. 

Bartram's Mile is a recent addition to the Schuylkill for bikers and pedestrians as well, opening this past April.

The bridge, once owned by Conrail, was donated to the City of Philadelphia for the trail extension project.

"It’s great to celebrate another major improvement to our already amazing Schuylkill River Trail system," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "This addition will increase access among communities and help all residents of Philadelphia remain, healthy and active."

The project, scheduled to begin in 2018, is estimated to cost about $12 million. The millions will come from a federal grant and funding secured by Pennsylvania State Representative Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia.

The City of Philadelphia is hoping to create better transportation and recreational options. 

"The project will connect diverse communities and provide them with an amazing opportunity to live, work, and play together," Harris said.

Eight people from the Holcombe family died during the Texas church shooting. The youngest being 18 months old. NBC10's Katy Zachry has more details about the victims who died and who survived.

Six people escaped from a duplex on Manheim Street in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia after a fire broke out early Tuesday. A man ran out of his house in his underwear and Philadelphia Police Officer Leslie White jumped into action to save the residents. NBC10's Pamela Osborne is on scene with details.

In light of recent crashes and emergencies on board trains, crews are prepared for the worst. NBC10's Matt DeLucia takes a look at how SEPTA workers are hoping to train themselves and the public to keep passengers safe.

A 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate student was severely beaten during a robbery Friday night in West Philadelphia.

The victim’s skull was fractured in the attack, which occurred while he was walking along the 400 block of South 43rd Street around 10:45 p.m.

Surveillance video captured images of the suspects later that night inside a convenience store.

One suspect is described as a young black male - either in his teens or early 20s - approximately 6 feet tall with chin-length braided hair, slim build and wearing a black Michael Kors jacket, red T-shirt, ripped blue jeans, white sneakers and a Ferragamo belt.

The second suspect is also a young black male in his teens or late 20s and 5-foot-6 feet tall with short hair, slim build and wearing all black clothing with a hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.

A Pennsylvania state police officer has been shot in Northampton County, state police said.

The shooting happened at around 10:45 a.m. during a traffic stop in Plainfield Township, on PA State Route 33. 

The gunman fled the scene, but then drove himself to a local hospital, where he was taken into custody, a law enforcement source said.

The officer's condition was not immediately available.

No other information about the event was immediately available. Stay with NBC10 for the latest on this breaking story.

"Wonder" tells the story of a 10-year-old boy with facial differences who attends a mainstream elementary school for the first time. NBC10's Erin Coleman sits down with author RJ Palacio, and director Stephen Chbosky, to talk about the inspiring and heartwarming story and film.

To this day, Rosie the Riveter represents feminism and women's economic power. Thursday, there will be a special luncheon in our area to honor all the Rosie the Riveters from the Greater Delaware Valley. NBC10's Erin Coleman sits down with June Robbins and Lisa Haino to talk about the event.

The "Phantom of the Opera" is back in Philadelphia. Jordan Craig, who stars as Raoul, sits down with NBC10's Erin Coleman to talk about this new take that critics are calling "bigger and better than ever before."

Voters are heading to the polls in Pennsylvania and New Jersey Tuesday. NBC10's Pamela Osborne is in Mayfair, where voters say they found issues this morning.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote on Election Day, outgoing Gov. Chris Christie goes off on a frustrated woman demanding why the Mendham township and Mendham boroughs weren't merged as he supposedly promised. He tells her sarcastically, "It's serving folks like you that really is such a unique joy."

Former Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels and Phillies chairman David Montgomery are expected to speak on Roy Halladay's death. Watch it live in the video embedded above starting at 6:30 p.m.

Legendary Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay has died in a plane crash, according to officials. He was 40.

Halladay's ICON A5 plane went down just after noon in the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday. It landed upside down in shallow water about a quarter mile west of Ben Pilot Point in New Port Richey, Florida, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.

No Mayday calls were made to Tampa Air Traffic Control and the 911 call came in at 12:06 p.m., officials said.

The sheriff's office marine unit along with Pasco Fire Rescue and the Coast Guard responded to the downed plane and found Halladay's body. No one else was on board the plane.

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"We recovered one body," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced late Tuesday afternoon. "It's a two-passenger plane but I can confirm that only one body is involved. And it's sad to say it's a friend of ours. It's Roy Halladay."

Police haven't revealed where the plane was headed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash.

The ICON A5 is a two-person, single engine amphibian plane.

Since retiring to Florida with his wife and two children, Halladay had picked up flying as a hobby, posting just last month about his joy of buying an ICON A5 aircraft.

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ICON aircraft had posted a video with Halladay trying out the ICON A5.

In the video, Halladay said the terms of his baseball contract prevented him from having a pilot's license while playing, and that his wife was originally against the idea of him getting the aircraft.

"She's fought me the whole way," Halladay said.

"Hard. I fought hard. I was very against it,'' Brandy Halladay said in the same video, before explaining why she eventually understood and approved of her husband's desire to have the plane.

Halladay had donated money to purchase a K9 for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

"We are grateful and blessed to have known this incredible friend," the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Roy's family."

Halladay, known as "Doc," pitched four seasons with the Phillies before retiring after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He won the 2010 National League Cy Young Award and pitched a perfect game while winning 21 games in his first season with the Phillies. He went on to pitch a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 divisional series.

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MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred called Halladay a “well-respected figure” and “fierce competitor during his 16-year career” in a statement expressing his sadness and condolences to Halladay’s family.

He started his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, winning the 2003 American League Cy Young Award, before he was traded to the Phillies ahead of the 2010 season.

"We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay’s untimely death," the Phillies said in a statement. "There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden."

The Toronto Blue Jays also released a statement on Halladay, writing the organization is "overcome by grief with the tragic loss of one of the franchise’s greatest and most respected players, but even better human being."

News of Halladay's death led to many reactions on social media, including tweets from athletes and teams from various sports, celebrities and politicians. 

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Roy Halladay, known as "Doc," arrived in Philadelphia after an all-star career with the Toronto Blue Jays. During the 2010 season, he joined a transformed team, which had won the World Series in 2008 and gone to the Series again in 2009. After years spent growing their own talent, the Phillies had traded for a big name.

The city and the pitcher clicked immediately.

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Phillies fans loved Halladay's work ethic, loved the way he showed up early and talked humble. He was popular with his teammates.

"I can still remember the first day we met," teammate Chase Utley wrote on Instagram. "It was 5:45 am on the first day of spring training ... his clothes were soaking wet. I asked if it was raining when he got in. He laughed and said, 'No, I just finished my workout.' I knew right then -- he was the real deal."

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And then there was the winning. "Doc was as driven a human being as I’d ever met in my life," said former teammate Scott Rolen.

Halladay started Opening Day for his first season, in 2010, and gave up only six hits. He notched two shutout games early in the season. Halladay jerseys sprung up throughout the stands at Citizens Bank Park.

On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins. Later that summer, he gave 60 of his teammates and Phillies staff Swiss watches engraved with the date of the game. They arrived with a message that read, "We did it together. Thanks, Roy Halladay."

By Sept. 21, he had won 20 games -- the first Phillie to reach that milestone in a season since Steve Carlton in 1982.

"We will all remember Roy for his amazing moments on the field, how he dialed it up in the most important situations, how he competed and left his heart on the field every time he took the ball," said former teammate Brad Lidge. "But he was also an incredible dad, an incredible husband and an incredible teammate. He was quiet and thoughtful, but knew how to be playful. I competed against Roy since we were in Little League together and I will remember him in that way, and as a man."

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Halladay opened up the playoffs in 2010 in spectacular fashion, pitching a 104-pitch no-hitter in game one of the NLDS. He won the National League Cy Young award -- his second Cy Young -- in 2010.

In 2011, Halladay was in pitching squad that lives on in Phillies history, which included Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.

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That year, Halladay was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game. But by the 2013 season, Halladay was struggling with a back injury.

When he decided to retire -- he signed a one-day ceremonial contract on Dec. 9, 2013 with the Blue Jays to retire in their uniform -- he took out a full-page newspaper ad, giving a "heartfelt thanks to Philadelphia."

"As a baseball player, you realize that's something you can't do the rest of your life," Halladay said at the time. "I really don't have any regrets. You realize there's other things for you to accomplish in life."

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Halladay was raised Mormon, and believed in family. Halladay met his wife, Brandy, when they were children; the two later reconnected by chance. They have two sons.

"Roy was like a brother to me and we remained close after his playing days," said former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "I’m heartbroken for Brandy and the boys."

Halladay also believed in giving back. While in Toronto, Roy and Brandy started a program to bring gravely ill children to a luxury suite at the Blue Jays' stadium. They called it "Doc's Box."

As a Phillie, he supported Philabundance, which said in a statement Tuesday, "We will remember him for his perfection on the mound and for his longstanding partnership in the fight against hunger."

He was a constant at charity events sponsored by the team and his teammates. He was an animal lover; Utley introduced Halladay to the Pennsylvania SPCA, which he supported with a popular Phillies' game night. Halladay also recorded public service announcements for the Humane Society of the United States.

In July, Halladay united with a all-star lineup of MLB retirees as part of the Kansas Stars, supporting military families and veterans' causes. The last tweet on his verified Twitter account was in support of the Florida Burn, a youth baseball program.

He gave money to the Pasco County, Florida sheriff's department to help them buy a K9 officer, the sheriff's department said. They named the dog "K9 Doc."

That same sheriff's department was involved in the recovery effort after Tuesday's crash. "I’m blessed for having known him," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Tuesday.

Through the years, Halladay never lost his connection to Philadelphia. He stayed involved with the Phillies, as a guest instructor.

The Blue Jays issued a statement saying the organization was "overcome by grief" and calling Halladay "one of the franchise's greatest and most respected players, but an even better human being."

"We are numb," the Phillies organization said in a statement. "There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game."

When Bob Oppenheimer started selling houses in New Jersey 30 years ago, taxes didn’t elicit the guttural scorn from residents that they do these days.

Over the course of the Realtor’s career, he watched property taxes grow into the issue that entangles almost all other aspects of life in the Garden State — and into the king of all political albatrosses.

“Look, with taxes, I don’t think there’s an issue with paying for what you get,” says Oppenheimer, who is president of the 50,000-member New Jersey Realtors Association. “It’s how fast do they increase and what exactly are they funding.”

Reigning in taxes now becomes the priority of Phil Murphy, the Democrat NBC News projected to win Tuesday in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Chris Christie. Murphy defeated Kim Guadagno, the current Republican lieutenant governor, in the general election Tuesday.

It’s not his only task, however. After eight years of the bombastic and tumultuous Christie era, a clean break for Murphy means numerous opportunities and challenges.

Here a look ahead at the next four years.

Re-Establish Decorum

A big part of Christie’s legacy is the confrontational approach he brought to the political arena, according to Brigid Harrison, a professor of political science and law at Montclair State University. This video of Christie arguing with a voter moments after he cast a vote on Election Day shows he is apparently leaving office the same way he held it.

Changing the culture of the governor’s office could be the first and easiest thing Murphy, a former Goldman Sacks executive, will do.

“Many New Jerseyans are looking for a change in the decorum of the office,” Harrison said. “That should be relatively easy for Gov.-elect Murphy to accomplish.”

End the Exodus

Plugging the loss of college graduates and retirees would be a trend-breaking success for Murphy that would come in large part from lessening the burden and perception of the state’s high taxes.

The damage done by multiple iterations of ineffectual politicians on taxes has led many residents to take an alternative route to voting, Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray said.

“Voters have been telling us all along is that property taxes is the number-one issue in the state and the number one issue why they want to leave in New Jersey,” Murray said. “And for many people, they have given up on solutions at the ballot box and voted with their feet.”

Schools and Teachers

Murphy has said he supports an education funding formula that includes an increase of $125 million for local school districts. What he or any of the state Democratic lawmakers who support the additional funding have not said is where it will come from.

Millionaire’s Tax

Murphy has indicated he would support a millionaire’s tax. It means he’s willing to tax himself more. A millionaire’s tax has been on state Democrats’ wish list for years.

“They have always been hankering for a millionaire’s tax for many, many years,” Harrison said. “Christie was unwilling to sign that for a few reasons: not wanting to raise taxes and believing it causes flight from the state. Murphy has said he would sign that.”

Still, it won’t solve New Jersey’s revenue ills, Harrison said.

Painful Choices

That’s what Murphy will confront in January, and it will take political courage rarely seen in New Jersey to put a dent in the state’s property tax problem.

Solutions could include an increased sales tax, higher across-the-board income taxes, and the always difficult haggling with the powerful unions for state workers, teachers, police and firefighters.

Oppenheimer doesn’t see an easy path ahead, particularly in lessening the property tax burden while funding things like education and public pensions. He just hopes Murphy establishes a path early next year.

“We realize there is no immediate rectification of this issue, but we’d love to see a plan that maybe is five to seven years into the future that truly takes care of the issue,” he said. “We need someone who will come in and do what they need to do.”

New Jersey voters will decide whether damages from natural resources lawsuits should go only toward environmental cleanups when they go to the ballot to pick GOP Gov. Chris Christie's successor.

Voters will be asked whether they want to use all the money from natural resources damages to "repair, restore, replace or preserve" the state's natural resources.

Lawmakers and supporters of the legislation say the amendment creates a constitutional dedication for the funds that would prevent future governors and lawmakers from using damages for other purposes.

The issue gained traction after the Christie administration settled a lawsuit with ExxonMobil for $225 million after more than a decade of litigation involving petroleum plants in Bayonne and Linden as well as gas stations across the state.

Fred Vito's days on the Hazleton High School swim team don’t seem that far away to the retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper, who still remembers a dear, and infamous, friend: Jose Menendez.

Jose first rose to fame as a Hollywood entertainment executive, but he died in infamy alongside his wife, Kitty. The couple was gunned down by their children, Lyle and Erik, inside their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.

The subsequent legal battle was the stuff of Hollywood legend.

It took two trials and seven years for the young men to be convicted. Their first trial included sordid allegations of sexual molestation, psychological torment and a supporting cast of extremely memorable characters, including an L.A. therapist whose angry ex-mistress taped Lyle and Erik confessing during a therapy session.

NBC10 sat down with Fred in his Carbon County home to pour through old high school yearbooks and learn more about Jose.

"He had a nice way about him," Fred said. "He was very competitive, to say the least. He was one of the best [swimmers]."

Jose was born in Cuba to wealthy parents, who sent their son to live with a cousin in Hazleton when Fidel Castro came to power. Jose didn’t have a hard time making friends in Hazleton, Fred said. He was popular, athletic and handsome. His accent only made him that much more intriguing.

"It was interesting talking to someone who was actually born and raised in another country," Fred said.

The retired state trooper still visits the same diner where he, Jose and their friends would hang out after swim practice. He was sitting in one of those seats in 1989 when he picked up the newspaper and saw his old pal on the front page.

"I just couldn’t believe it. I was asking myself, ‘Is this real? Did this really happen?” Fred said.

“He goes out to California and winds up murdered by his own sons. It’s really hard to comprehend.”

Prosecutors argued Lyle and Erik killed their parents because they had been written out of Jose’s will. But the brothers’ legal team painted a very different picture. The boys had endured years of sexual molestation at the hands of both Jose and Kitty, according to the defense team. They were psychologically tormented into excelling in school and sports. When they didn’t, they were verbally harangued and physically attacked.

The sordid details captivated a national audience but troubled Fred. He never believed the rumors.

"It was very disturbing when they started with the allegations of abuse. I knew it wasn’t true. No possibility whatsoever," he said.

To this day, Fred can’t help but think of his old friend when he visits Hazleton. He still has his senior yearbook and in it, he and Jose stand near each other in the swim team photo.

Next to his class picture, Jose joked about being the "mightiest merman" and a "casual Cuban casanova" with aspirations of joining the United States Foreign Service.

In a handwritten note to his friend, Jose told Fred his hoped the two would meet again someday.

"I wish we had done that," Fred said.

In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of killing their parents. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

NBC10 is bringing the #NBC10Mornings Team back on the road Wednesday mornings.

The latest stop for the #NBC10Mornings crew was the Wawa along Easton Road in Horsham, Montgomery County on Nov. 8.

NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Bill Henley and Montgomery County native, reporter Deanna Durante, were at the Wawa during the morning news shows and NBC10 anchors Tracy Davidson and Vai Sikahema and NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Jessica Boyington later joined them to meet viewers and sign autographs.

The first stop was the Wawa at 8240 West Chester Pike in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on Oct. 25. NBC10 celebrated with giveaway mugs as Wawa gave away free coffee, food samples and branded merchandise.

On Nov. 1, the NBC10 Mornings Team was at the Wawa at 332 S Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, New Jersey.

Be sure to tag us on social media in the photos you post from the event and use the hashtag #NBC10Mornings.

In May, the morning team showed up at Wawas in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware on Wednesday mornings to meet and chat with viewers during the morning show.

The constitutional amendment that Pennsylvania voters approved Tuesday could eventually lead to reductions in the state's heavy dependence on property taxes, but it is only a tiny step in that direction.

The amendment gives the General Assembly the authority to pass a law authorizing local governments to exclude up to the full value of residents' homes that they own from taxation.

The new language does not by itself change anything, however.

Local governments have had the ability for two decades to exclude up to half the median value of homes in their area from taxation.

Billions are collected every year through property taxes to fund public schools — and the amendment does not provide a way to make up for any cuts in that revenue.

It's a politically divisive topic that may prove a bigger challenge than it was to get tax-weary voters to approve the constitutional amendment.

At issue is the so-called "homestead exemption," which lowers tax bills by reducing a home's value before the taxes are determined.

As the Pennsylvania School Boards Association put it, "the most that can be said at this point" is that lawmakers can "adopt legislation to provide additional options for property tax relief for residential property owners, likely with shifts in other tax and revenue sources to help fund the exclusions and replace the revenue needed for educational programs."