The year of 2018 is coming to an end, which means your opportunity to save money from your taxes is too. NBC10 Responds lets us know about the last bit of options available.

New tax laws went into effect at the beginning of this year, but you may not realize the changes until it’s time to file in 2019. That is why financial experts are saying that everyone should begin thinking about your taxes now. NBC10 Responds has information on what you need to know about the new law.

A burst of snow hit South Jersey and the Jersey Shore Wednesday. Check out these totals from the National Weather Service. We will update this page as we receive new information from the National Weather Service.

NEW JERSEY

Atlantic County

Absecon - 2.2

Atlantic City - 2.8

Brigantine - 7.5

Corbin City - 2.8

Egg Harbor Township - 5.5

Galloway Township - 2.0

Hammonton - 1.4

Mays Landing - 2.0

Pleasantville - 3.0

Somers Point - 4.5

Cape May County

Beesley's Point - 5.0

Belleplain - 2.0

Marmora - 5.0

Ocean City - 2.5

Ocean View - 2.0

Seaville - 3.0

Tuckahoe - 2.5

Cumberland County

Vineland - 4.8
 

Gloucester County

Mantua Twp. - 2.0

Mullica Hill - 2.0

Newfield - 4.2

Police have identified the bodies of an elderly couple that was found dead by a mailman in Whitemarsh Township.

The deceased are Ross Woodward, 84, and Rhoda Woodward, 81, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

A mail carrier discovered ther bodies at 540 Bethlehem Pike near Mathers Lane around 11 a.m. Tuesday, the district attorney's office said.

Neighbors described them as long-time members of the community who were quiet, friendly and always returned a smile and wave.

"Soft spoken, older couple," Michael Skalecki said. "Seemed pleasant."

Rhoda Woodward was found face down on the ground in a side yard while her husband was found dead near the bushes of the property, sources told NBC10. Police say the woman was partially undressed.

Sources described the crime scene as bloody though police have not revealed how the couple died.

"Something went terribly wrong. That's shocking," Ian Cyrus, who works near the property, told NBC10.

The Montgomery County Coroner's Office has conducted an autopsy of the couple. Their cause of death is pending toxicology results. 

Police are searching for a man who they say yelled for a young boy to get inside his vehicle in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, Tuesday.

The 9-year-old boy told police he was riding his bike on the basketball courts in the back of Highland Elementary School at 4:15 p.m. when a blue Dodge Charger pulled into the school parking lot.

A man then stepped halfway out of the vehicle and yelled at the boy to, “Get in my car now,” police said. The boy told him no and rode away on his bike.

The man is described as a white male, possibly in his 40s, wearing a camouflage jacket with a black hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head. His vehicle had race car stickers on the side doors, the passenger side had flames running down the side and the driver’s side had black and white checkered flags on it, police said.

The hood of the vehicle also had a large sticker with the numbers “1-2-3” on it, according to investigators.

If you have any information on the incident or suspect please call Abington Police at 267-620-1401 or Detective Lisa Burton at 267-536-1108. You can also email Detective Burton at lburton@abington.org.

Three local college campuses suddenly closed, leaving students wondering what to do about their credits and their cash. We take a look at what caused the sudden closure of the Brightwood Career Institute.

Proceed with caution as you head out the door Thursday morning on your way to work or school in South Jersey. Snow plows got some early season snow action Wednesday and some slick spots remained on roads and sidewalks.

The trick to balancing on slick sidewalks is to "walk like a penguin."

Instinct tells us to do the opposite and center our weight mid-stride, which works on dry walkways.

But this tactic forces legs to split your body weight in half and rely on both feet to maintain balance — not the best idea for icy streets.

A few years ago, Little Baby’s Ice Cream in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood shared a simple infographic on their blog to remind everyone to think of gravity and mimic penguins. Shifting one’s weight onto the front leg keeps people – and penguins – from slipping.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs up the penguin waddle claim, reminding people to also spread feet slightly to fortify the center of gravity.

With sidewalks freezing over, remember to stay smart and give yourself extra time to waddle to and fro.

One more tip, keep your hands out of your pockets (and in gloves) and wear a puffy coat…so if you do fall, at least you can catch yourself and cushion your buns.

NBC10's very own Katy Zachry and her family welcomed a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Penn Willow, on Tuesday night. Congratulations on their newest addition.

A child was seriously hurt after an overnight fire tore through a Southwest Philadelphia home.

The row home along Ardell Street near Wheeler Street caught fire shortly before 1 a.m.

Two men at nearby tavern smelled smoke and jumped into action. They found an older man on the front porch roof yelling that his 8-year-old grandson was trapped on the second floor. They convinced the man to not go inside.

The men, who say they called 911, tried to go upstairs but the fire was too bad.

Firefighters arrived minutes later and rescued the boy, who witnesses sad was badly burned in the fire, and the grandfather.

A 6-year-old girl and two adults escaped the flames on their own. The girl suffered smoke inhalation.

All five people in the home were taken to area hospitals. The boy was in critical condition while the girl and two adults are expected to be OK, the fire department said. The condition of the fifth victim wasn’t revealed.

It was unclear if the home had working smoke detectors.

This story continues to develop and will be updated.

A split U.S. appeals court has upheld a New Jersey law that limits the amount of ammunition a single gun magazine can hold. 

A law passed this year limits most gun owners there to magazines that hold 10 rounds of ammunition instead of the 15-round limit in place since 1990. 

U.S. Circuit Judge Patty Shwartz wrote that the law balances the state's interest in public safety with the rights of individuals to defend their homes. The 2-1 ruling Wednesday denied a motion by a gun-rights group for a temporary injunction to stop the law from taking effect. 

New Jersey officials hope the ban on large capacity magazines could thwart mass shooters if they have to stop to reload. About seven other states, the District of Columbia and several cities have similar limits. 

Shwartz said the National Rifle Association affiliates challenging the law downplayed "the significant increase in the frequency and lethality" of mass shootings and active shooter situations. And she said the state effort doesn't violate the Second Amendment because "it imposes no limit on the number of firearms or magazines or amount of ammunition a person may lawfully possess." 

Judge Stephanos Bibas, in dissent, pointed to that fact in questioning evidence the law will reduce gun violence. 

The law is one of six gun control measures signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in June. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, in a tweet Wednesday, called the ruling "a big win for public safety and law enforcement safety."

The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, which vowed to appeal, said that Americans own 133 magazines that can hold more than 10 bullets, about half of all those sold. Executive Director Scott L. Bach attacked the ruling as "plainly wrong," and said it was "turning one million honest citizens into felons" for taking steps to defend their homes.

Three lots of Infants' Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID) have been recalled by Tris Pharma, Inc., due to potentially higher concentrations of ibuprofen found in the product. 

Used as a pain reliever and fever reducer, the recalled products were packed in 0.5-ounce bottles and sold by Wal-Mart stores, CVS and Family Dollar, according to a news release. 

A list of the recalled lots, as well as their expiration dates and descriptions can be found here. 

There is a possibility that infants who may be more susceptible to a higher potency level of the drug may be more vulnerable to permanent NSAID-associated renal injury, the news release said. 

"Adverse effects that may be experienced are nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, or more rarely, diarrhea," Tris Pharma said. "Tinnitus, headache and gastrointestinal bleeding are also possible adverse effects."

Tris Pharma said it has not received any reports of adverse events associated with the medication under recall. 

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact the Tris Pharma at 732-940-0358 or via email. Anyone who has experienced problems that may be related to the recalled products is encouraged to contact their health care provider. 

A beloved longtime South Jersey kindergarten teacher died in a Tuesday evening crash in Camden County.

Michelle Barrett, of Blackwood, died after her car collided with another vehicle at Erial Road and Douglas Avenue around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Gloucester Township police said.

A passenger in Barrett’s car and the other driver were hurt in the wreck, police said.

Gloucester Township Public Schools Superintendent John Bilodeau called Barrett, a 46-year-old kindergarten teacher, “a dedicated educator and well-respected member of the at Chews Elementary School staff.

"She had devoted the last twenty years, faithfully serving both students and their families," Bilodeau said.

Barrett’s impact on the community and “passion” for teaching was noted by Mayor David Mayer.

“She certainly left her mark on education and the lives of many here in Gloucester Township,” Mayer said.

The school district made grief counselors available to staff and students.

The crash remained under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Gloucester Township police at 856-228-4500 or the GTPD Anonymous Tip Line at 856-842-5560.

NBC10 is one of 19 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push towards economic justice. Follow us at @BrokeInPhilly.

Philadelphia City Council will vote Thursday morning on a fair workweek bill that would affect some 130,000 hourly workers in the service and hospitality industries.

“I’m just one of 130,000 Philadelphians experiencing stress in our lives due to our work schedules," former Target employee Madison Nardy said.

The daughter of a single mother, Nardy knows what how it feels to borrow money and miss bill payments because of inconsistent paychecks. 

"I was naive to conditions of the service industry," she said.

Nardy hopes that Philadelphia will pass a fair workweek ordinance to regulate hourly workers' schedules, but not everyone is behind the idea.

The bill was first introduced over the summer by Councilwoman Helen Gym and seven co-sponsors. Business associations immediately raised concerns that it would hamper business development and, by extension, curb job growth.

“In the long run, it’s going to hurt the industry,” Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said.

On Thursday, Gym introduced several amendments aimed at creating a “strong compromise” that could have broader appeal among lawmakers, business leaders and advocates.

The “concessions” included new exemptions for employers to staff last-minute ticketed events and large banquets and added language allowing employees to voluntarily change their schedules.

Perhaps most significantly, however, language was removed from the original bill prohibiting under-scheduling, or the practice of not scheduling enough hours per employee. Gym removed that provision because she felt the bill as written provided sufficient worker protections, the councilwoman said.

“This is a city council that is dedicated to ending poverty and supporting working families,” she said. “This is a bill that will do that.”

According to 2015 U.S. Census data, at least a quarter of Philadelphia’s service employees work part time. Many of these retail and service industry workers frequently face unpredictable schedules that change as often as the seasons.

This has been the case for hotel housekeeper Earlene Bly, who is a 27-year veteran of the hospitality industry. Throughout her career, the 52-year-old has spent entire weeks waiting to be called in for work. Sometimes she would get notice the day before. Sometimes she would call her employer to make sure she still had a job.

The longest stretch she went without regular work was from the end of November to early March, she said. She received part-time unemployment pay during that period, but it was only half of her regular pay, Bly said.

“I took out loans, cashed in vacation time to pay rent,” she said.

But Grose countered that Bly’s experience is not necessarily the standard. While many hotels do slow down in winter months, the association found that several in Center City offered full benefits and paid a living wage, he said.

Recently, Philadelphia's hotel association asked a Center Center hotel to review its wage information for hourly workers, Grose said. The hotel, which Grose declined to name, found that it paid an average of $44,000 to its hourly employees, including benefits and additional perks like meals.

Grose said that is fairly typical of full-service hotels.

“We feel that we take care of our people,” he said.

To address the kind of insecurity experienced by Bly, fair workweek advocates want employers with more than 250 employees to provide a reasonable notice of schedules, at least 11 hours rest time between shifts, opportunities to work additional hours and provide for enforcement and penalties if an employer does not comply.

Philadelphia's bill would specifically apply to large chain businesses in the retail, food or hospitality sectors with at least 30 locations across the country or state.

Supporters argued that underemployment remains a persistent problem in Philadelphia, which has the highest poverty rate of the nation’s largest cities. A recent report by Hunger Free America found that food insecurity increased in the city by 22 percent from 2015 to 2017. Nearly 80 percent of residents experiencing hunger were working, according to the report.

“This part-time instability is a real cause,” Gym said. “If there is something we can do about it, we should take action.”

Detractors argued that forcing big employers to offer more hours could ultimately hurt job growth in the area. When the bill was first introduced over the summer, Philadelphia’s Chamber of Commerce called the legislation “yet another anti-growth, out-of-sync initiative.”

“Under the guise of improving worker flexibility, this ... legislation hurts the very industries where we are seeing growth — the very industries that have put Philadelphia on national and international business site selection lists and travel and tourism lists,” the Chamber of Commerce said in an emailed statement at the time.

The amendments introduced Thursday have not assuaged these fears.

"We still have concerns," a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson said. 

Part of the ongoing problem between city council and business associations is the state minimum wage, which stagnated 12 years ago at $7.25 under former Gov. Ed Rendell. A provision adopted at the time prohibited local municipalities from further making changes to their minimum wages. That power was given to the General Assembly.

As a result, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has not budged. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s minimum wage increased to $8.44 and Delaware’s to $8.25.

“I consider it a poverty rate,” Gym said. “I can’t let that stop me.”

Philadelphia City Council will vote Dec. 6 on the fair workweek bill.

A nonprofit in Indianapolis named People for Urban Progress is recycling the old leather seats from Amtrak trains and making adventure bags. Amtrak is replacing more than 6,000 leather seats and instead of throwing it away, they are donating the seats.

A big push in how New Jersey transit interacts with passengers. Gov. Phil Murphy says it means improvements like getting announcements out and improving the overall experience on board.

A Delaware County couple has been charged with murder after officials say their 10-month old daughter got ahold of their fentanyl and fatally overdosed.

Joseph Milano, 31, and Lauren Semanyk, 34, were charged Wednesday in the April 16 death of 10-month old Angelina Milano, Upper Darby Police Department Superintendent Mike Chitwood said.

In addition to the murder charge, the couple has been charged with conspiracy, involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child and use of drug paraphernalia, Chitwood said.

Officials say the child died inside the couple's home at 5186 Westley Drive, in the Clifton Heights section of Upper Darby Township.

According to an affidavit, Officer William Sides arrived around 1:17 a.m. to a call of a child in cardiac arrest. When he arrived, a frantic Joseph Milano was on the sidewalk in front of the house, holding the little girl and shouting that she was not breathing.

He told Sides that his daughter had slid under the water during a bath, according to the affidavit.

Sides directed Joseph Milano back inside, where he began administering CPR on the living room coffee table.

"At this time, Officer Sides noticed that Angelina had no pulse, and her skin was grey and pale. Angelina was cold to the touch, her skin was dry, and her diaper was dry," the affidavit says.

The county medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide due to ingestion of fentanyl.

"I'm all for helping the addicted, but when your addiction causes the death of a 10-month old, shame on you," Chitwood said.

Joseph Milano was arraigned Wednesday and ordered held without bail.

Semanyk is expected to be arraigned sometime Thursday.

A man has been arrested in connection to a triple murder in North Philadelphia.

Tahzay Young, 23, was arrested for murder after three people were found slain inside a North Philadelphia home Saturday while police responded to a burglary in progress. Young was renting a room in the home at the time of the murders, police said.

Police have identified the victims as 92-year-old Warren Harrison and his girlfriend, 60-year-old Khadijah Abdullah, as well as her brother, 57-year-old Earl Cottle.

The call came around 7:30 p.m. after a woman walked into the home to find it ransacked. When police arrived, they found three victims dead inside. 

All of the bodies were wrapped inside blankets or something similar, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross. Investigators say one victim was stabbed while the other two were beaten to death.

Two of the victims were found dead in the basement and one was discovered on the second floor of the house, located at 19th and Venango streets in the Tioga-Nicetown neighborhood, according to officials. 

The victims were two men and one woman, police said.

Police believe that at least one of the victims, a 92-year-old man, lived inside the home.

"To find your father dead, wrapped in a blanket, I wouldn't wish that on nobody," Varleen Henderson, a neighbor of the man, told NBC10.

Henderson had fond memories about her neighbor.

"He would always sit on his porch, drink his coffee, read his newspaper," Henderson said. "Always asked about everybody."

Investigators have not released the victims' identities but say the woman was in a relationship with the 91-year-old man while the third victim was the woman's brother who was visiting the home.

"There are a lot of questions right now," Ross said. "It's very tragic circumstances."

Family members of the victims reported that some items were stolen from the home.

"I would like to find justice for my mom and the people who were murdered," Fatima Daley, the daughter of the female victim and niece of the third victim told NBC10.

There was no sign of forced entry, police said. No weapons were recovered at the scene and no arrests have been made. 

"My mom was loved by everyone who knew her," Daley said. "She was a sweetheart. She helped a lot of people. Always kept a smile on her face."

The bodies were found about five hours after police discovered a body wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet at a different North Philadelphia home. Two men and a woman were in custody regarding that death, police said.

Students at the Vanguard School in Malvern got a special visit from the Eagles as part of the Eagles Autism Challenge.

Police are searching for a man who they say tried to rape a woman inside her apartment in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia.

The 28-year-old woman told police she was entering her apartment complex on the 600 block of North Broad Street back on Nov. 17 at 3:15 p.m. when an unidentified man followed her inside. The man then tried to sexually assault her, police said.

The woman managed to fight the man off after a struggle. She ran into the hallway where a neighbor heard her screaming and called 911.

Investigators say the suspect fled the woman’s apartment but hid inside the building for about 30 minutes before fleeing out onto Broad Street and then east on Wallace Street on foot as police arrived.

The owner of Lofts 640, where the incident took place, told NBC10 the suspect was able to enter the building because the employee at the lobby desk didn’t follow proper protocol and never questioned him. That employee was fired, according to the owner.

The owner also told NBC10 they changed the position of their courtyard cameras, are working to fix a broken gate and may add key fobs for certain doors to get into the apartment building.

Police released a surveillance photo of the suspect. If you have any information on the incident, please call Philadelphia Police.