A fire station in the northwest section of Philadelphia will reopen Friday after an 8-month long closure to investigate toxic fumes that were making firefighters sick.

Engine Company 66's station, located at 7720 Ridge Ave. in the city's Roxborough neighborhood, will reopen 10 a.m. Friday, according to Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer.

Authorities began investigating the noxious odor reported by the company in December 2013 -- the same month crews and equipment were relocated to Ladder 30's station at 6630 Ridge Ave.

Before the station closed, several firefighters were taken to local hospitals after feeling light-headed.

An investigation revealed petroleum products and fuel gases were present, Sawyer said.

Several city, state and federal agencies worked over the past eight months to ensure the fire station could reopen safely.

Final tests show the fumes are no longer present, said Sawyer, who added an exterior fuel tank was removed and a Radon mitigation system was installed as precautionary measures.

A 16-year-old counselor at a New Jersey day camp has been accused of molesting three young male campers, prosecutors say.

Bergen County prosecutors say the teenage boy was arrested after another employee at the Kaplen JCC at the Palisades in Tenafly told administrators about the alleged abuse on July 28. The administrators then called police.

Special victims unit investigators interviewed every boy under the teenage counselor’s care, prosecutors say. Three 6-year-old boys made statements about inappropriate sexual touching involving the teen.

The teen was arrested Tuesday on three counts each of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors say. 

He was later released to his parents and ordered by a judge to wear an electronic monitoring device, prosecutors say.

Kaplen JCC said in a Facebook post that the teen was suspended as soon as administrators learned of the allegations and that it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those involved and their families,” the center said.

More than a month after four children died in a three-alarm fire that leveled homes in Southwest Philadelphia, those kids will be laid to rest.

A wake is planned for Friday night with a funeral Saturday for the four victims of the Gesner Street fire last month.

Friday's wake for 4-year-old twins Maria and Marialla Bowah and brothers 4-year-old Patrick Sanyeah and 7-week-old Taj Jacque will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight at Divine Mercy Parish at 7200 Grovers Ave. in southwest Philadelphia.

The young victims will be laid to rest after Saturday morning's funeral service at Divien Mercy at 9 a.m.

The children died in the early morning hours July 5. Dewen "Marie" Bowah was home with her five children and babysitting the two boys when a fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. Bowah was able to help her three oldest children escape through a second floor window, which she also used to get out of the house alive. She was not able to reach the youngest kids who were sleeping in a separate room.

Fire officials released a cause for the fast-moving blaze that leveled more than a dozen homes along Gesner Street Friday. The Chief Fire Marshal declared the cause "undetermined," citing extensive damage to the physical evidence used in the investigation.

There were reports, however, that people were playing with fireworks on a porch before the blaze.

Numerous in-kind funeral donations have poured in to cover the funeral costs. Patricia Quinn of Final Farewell has lead the effort. Antoine Turay of Turay Memorial Funeral Chapel estimates the discounted cost for funeral services and burials is $10,000.

"It’s very sad, but I’m glad to know that I can at least help out and ease their financial burden so they can get on with their life as best they can. Pretty much all the funeral expenses have been covered," said Quinn of Guckin Funeral Mansion. 

As for why the funeral date took so long to be held, Turay said in West African cultures it is not uncommon for a funeral to take place 30 days after a death. The victims' families are Liberian.

Motorists should plan on giving themselves a little extra time to get where they are going starting this weekend.

A major construction project will begin overnight Friday into Saturday along the Blue Route (Interstate-476) in Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

During the project, crews will repair and resurface deteriorated areas of I-476 in Haverford and Radnor Townships in Delaware County as well as in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County. It’s one of many projects in our area funded by the state’s new transportation plan.

Over the next two months, PennDOT crews will mill and pave I-476’s deteriorated pavements at the following locations:

• Northbound travel lanes between the Route 3 (West Chester Pike) and U.S. Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) interchanges in Delaware County
• Northbound right lane from the Delaware County line to the Montgomery Avenue overpass, just south of the Interstate 76 Interchange in Montgomery County
• Northbound middle lane at the Montgomery Avenue overpass in Montgomery County
• Southbound right lane from the County Line Road overpass to the Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) Interchange in Delaware County
• Southbound middle and right lanes from just south of the Marple Road overpass to the Route 3 (West Chester Pike) Interchange in Delaware County
• Southbound middle lane at Marple Road in Delaware County
• Southbound acceleration lane and right lane from the Interstate 76 East on-ramp to the Delaware County line

Construction on those sections is expected to be completed by late September. Drivers will face weeknight lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and should expect slowdowns.

The project was set to begin earlier in the week. PennDOT officials said the project to repave and resurface the Blue Route was pushed back to Friday night because of a change of schedule by contractor Allan A. Myers.

You can check on the conditions of I-476 and other major roadways in our area by visiting the 511PA website. You can also visit the PennDOT website.

Whether you’re already a vegan, into nutrition or just want to learn about sustainable lifestyle choices, head to Bethlehem for the fourth annual VegFest Street and Foods Festival. It’s free!

Located on the South Bethlehem Greenway, this one-day party kicks off at 11:00 a.m on August 23. It’s estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 visitors from across the region will be there, making this one of the largest single-day festivals in Bethlehem’s history!

You’ll enjoy live music on two sound stages and a variety of free activities throughout the day including yoga, live cooking demonstrations, food tastings and a KidZone for the little tykes. Additional highlights include a farm market, health and wellness exhibits, eco-friendly vendors and educational presentations.

An impressive crop of speakers has been harvested to discuss the latest in nutrition, meditation, organic foods and other health-centric topics. Check out the complete festival schedule, after the jump!

Vegans, carnivores and all those in between are welcome. Just don’t forget your appetite! In addition to the free tastings, you’ll find smoothies, fresh juices and delicious vegan cuisine for purchase in the Food Court. (Can’t “beet” that!)

For directions, transportation, lodging information and more, visit the Downtown Bethlehem Association.

VegFest at South Bethlehem Greenway
August 23, 2014
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
316 South New Street (corner of S. New St & Mechanic St), South Bethlehem.

Insider Tips

Participate in a free yoga class (all levels) on the Greenway at 10:00 a.m. and a Yoga Flash Mob from 1 -1:15 p.m. Rebel Pawn will distribute complimentary copies of their new CD at the festival (while supplies last).

A motorcyclist is in the hospital after he was hit by a fire truck early Friday in Washington Township, Pa.

Jarad Kulp was driving his Harley Davidson on Robin Hill Road in Berks County. He crashed into the fire truck, police say, when he turned left onto Old Route 100. The accident happened shortly after midnight.

Kulp, of Bechtelsville, was thrown from his motorcycle. The 31-year-old was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment.

The driver of the fire truck, Jeffrey Reitnauer and four passengers Christopher Schaeffer, Scott Reitnauer, Joshua Schmale, and an unidentified 15-year-old were not injured.

The accident is under investigation.

Will Philadelphia public schools open on time and will any teachers be laid off?

Those are the tough questions facing the cash-strapped school district as a major funding deadline approaches. Friday is a vital day for parents and students as school officials are expected to announce if the district will open on time on Sept. 8.

Superintendent William Hite will address the big questions during a press conference Friday morning at the Philadelphia School District headquarters at 10 a.m.

NBC10.com will carry the press conference LIVE on this page

In recent weeks, Hite has said that without millions of dollars more in the bank that he would be forced to begin laying off teachers while pushing back the start of school.

Last week, Gov. Tom Corbett advanced the district $265 million in hopes it would allow for schools to open on time without further cuts. But, as Hite pointed out at the time, a $2-per-pack cigarette tax is needed to close the $81-million gap that remains.

Pennsylvania lawmakers went on summer vacation without approving the city’s tax proposal.

The money mess leaves parents and kids in limbo.

“It’s always frustrating as a parent and as a teacher watching where it just seems to become about numbers all the time and you don’t put our childrens’ faces to the numbers as you cut, cut, cut,” said Philadelphia special-education teacher and school parent Nefertiti White.

Editor's Note: 10 Questions is a weekend feature on NBC10.com. If you know someone who we should profile, please email us.

Dr. Edward Olin Goodrich, 89, of Ardmore has overcome stroke, a heart attack and cancer. He's participating in the Bayada Regatta, an adaptive rowing competition for disabled persons on the Schuylkill River on Aug. 16. He says optimism has carried him through all these years and kept him laughing at life. He describes himself as 5'7'', 118 pounds and shrinking every year. 

How do you sum up your life?

I was born premature on May 7, 1925 in New Mexico. I founded a prep school in Sante Fe in 1950. I’m a surgeon and specialized in liver transplants. While working in Albany, I conducted liver transplant research and completed the first successful transplant on a dog. That research was used to develop transplants in humans. I moved to Ardmore 30 years ago. I've been a widower since 1990. I’ve had a pretty intense health history. I’m an optimist. My life is just about over. I’ve been pretty busy here and there.

What do you like about being a doctor?

The patients are very grateful.

Describe your early career path?

I was in the Navy college program. I attended Yale and wrestled. I also attended medical school. At the end of medical school, I wanted to get into surgery but the Navy would not support an internship in surgery so I had to switch over to the Army. I kept the GI Bill to get through medical school. I retired from the Army.

What was your military service like?

I served in World War II. (Goodrich’s son Alfred recalls his service in Korea: My dad was in North Korea and their unit's position was overran. My dad helped save the soldiers. He received a Silver Star for managing the evacuation of the wounded soldiers in his unit. This happened on Thanksgiving Day in 1950).

How do you stay in shape?

I row about 2,000 meters on the erg machine.

You’re a doctor, but you’ve been a patient. How did you overcome such serious health problems?

Staying optimistic. I had testicular cancer in 1965, a massive stroke in 1980, prostate cancer in 2002, heart attack in 2004, small strokes since 2009, lung cancer in 2013 and hernia surgery earlier this year. The stoke left me unable to continue to perform surgery. It took years for me to regain motor skills. Despite all that, I like to row and I have been training to keep rowing. I try to appreciate things wherever I can. I thinks it’s kind of ridiculous that I’ve been through so much and am still around and kicking.

Besides rowing, how do you spend your time in your golden years?

I volunteer at the Community Volunteers medicine clinic in West Chester. I take medical histories, do physicals and consulting. I stay active and volunteer.

One word to describe yourself.

Unstoppable.

What's your best advice for young people?

Keep your head down and keep pumping. If you are not limping by the time you are 50-years-old, you are going to miss something.

How do you maintain a good attitude?

I’m optimistic. That’s pretty important. I figure you are going to laugh or cry, and you’re better off laughing. Actor Robin Williams could have laughed at his situation, and wouldn't have been worrying about his depression. I think that’s important.

Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.

Philadelphia's public schools will open on time amid a severe budget crisis. But officials say doing so will come at a cost: more cuts.

School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. William Hite made the announcement on Friday morning as he outlined a number of new budget cuts ahead of the Sept. 8 opening of schools. It's his hope that the reductions are temporary.

Hite said the district still faces a $81 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year which make the cuts necessary. He said a delay would hurt students and could cause more to leave the district for charter schools.

"To delay school opening during which time we would be required to continue paying employees, make our charter school payments and meet our other contractual obligations all while students are not being educated punishes students for the failure of adults," Hite said.

Among the new changes will be the scaling back of transportation for students, reduction of sanitation services and less school police.

Some 7,500 high schoolers who live within two miles of their school will have to find their own way to get there, Hite said. A change that not only affects district school students, but also children that attend charter and private schools.

Schools will be cleaned less frequently and the district will be scaling back on the purchase of cleaning supplies.

The district will not fill vacant police officer positions, as well. A decision that Hite says will reduce safety in the city's 214 schools.

Additional layoffs are also coming, according to Hite. The superintendent says administrative staff will be further scaled back. The details of how many people will lose their jobs will be released at a later time, he said.

Local and state leaders and the district have been fighting to get additional funding for the country's eighth largest school district. They were hoping to get additional money from a $2 a pack cigarette tax in Philadelphia. But the bill never passed the state legislature before lawmakers went on summer vacation.

Last week, Gov. Tom Corbett advanced the district $265 million with the hope of avoiding a delayed opening.

Still, the future of the 2014-2015 school year remained a question. Hite threatened to not open schools on time last year. The city then provided $50 million in funding averting a delay. But budget issues remained for the district, which is controlled by a state-appointed reform board.

Hite hopes the district will be able to save money this year by renegotiating vendor contracts and receive concessions from the teacher's union.

"We are no longer seeking across the board wage reductions from the [Philadelphia Federation of Teachers]. But rather benefits changes that would enable us to restore essential services to schools," Hite said.

The superintendent said if the concessions are not made by October, the district will have to make a new round of cuts to core budgets.

Speaking at an event in Langhorne, Bucks County, Corbett also placed pressure on the teacher's union.

"The leadership of the union needs to come to the table and make the concessions that are absolutely necessary in order to move forward," he said.

The union plans to comment at an afternoon press conference, a spokesperson said.

Co-presented by the Department of Veterans of Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) is a competitive, sports and rehabilitation program for military service veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition due to spinal cord injuries, amputations or certain neurological problems.

Attracting more than 500 athletes each year, the NVWG is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world and it's free to attend!

Competitive events at the games include air guns, archery, basketball, bowling, field events, hand cycling, a motorized wheelchair rally, nine-ball, power soccer, quad rugby, slalom, softball, swimming, table tennis, track, trapshooting and weightlifting Athletes compete in all events against others with similar athletic ability, competitive experience or age.

Get the detailed schedule and check out an inspirational video, after the jump!

Insider Tips

Special Event: Kids Day

Kids Day offers local children with physical disabilities the opportunity to interact with the wheelchair athletes. Under the guidance of experienced athlete mentors, kids get to learn about, and participate in, adaptive sports activities. This year’s activities will be basketball, slalom and t-ball.

National Veterans Wheelchair Games
August 12-17, 2014
Philadelphia, PA

Kids Day
Friday, August 15, 9 – 11 a.m.
Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA

A man fell to his death as he and his brother were working to repair an elevator in a Jersey shore apartment building Friday.

Police say 25-year-old Brian Jacombe, of Bronx, New York, was performing maintenance at 233 N. New York Ave. in Atlantic City, N.J. when he tumbled down the elevator shaft around 10:10 a.m., according to police.

Both Jacombe and his brother, who was not injured in the accident, are employed by the same elevator company.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are conducting an investigation.

The 15-story building contains about 150 apartments for elderly and disabled individuals.

Philadelphia Police are investigating the death of a man in Center City.

The 65-year-old's body was found around 1:30 p.m. at Cherry and Mole Streets, police said.

Homicide detectives are on scene and have deemed the death "suspicious."

NBC10 is on the way. Check back for updates.

Police accuse a 33-year-old man of slapping a seven-months pregnant woman so hard that she passed out on a Brooklyn street Thursday afternoon.

Speaking through a translator because she does not speak English, Jannatul Ferdous, the 34-year-old woman, told NBC 4 New York she was walking with a friend to the store when a stranger walking in the opposite direction smacked her in the face so hard she fell to the ground and blacked out.

Guards at a nearby school heard the Ferdous' friend's cries for help and called 911. Ferdous was taken to the hospital with a black eye and bruises on the back of her head; she was later released.

Officers canvassing the area after the attack tracked down Willie Stephens, who apparently matched the woman’s description of the attacker, according to the NYPD.

Stephens was arrested and charged with assault; it wasn't known if he had an attorney.

Though Stephens is off the streets, the woman says she's nervous to walk on them after the attack. She said her husband works a lot, so she takes her children to school.  

On the verge of unveiling his masterpiece, Chester County artist Neilson Carlin sat down to discuss his faith, his art and what it means to have his latest painting -- commissioned for the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia that Pope Francis is expected to attend -- displayed in Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Carlin, 44, talked to NBC10.com from his Kennett Square, Pennsylvania studio.

The married father of three, who recently became a Kung Fu black belt, became interested in art thanks to the work of a fellow Chester County native. And, born a Protestant, Carlin became drawn to the Catholic Church because of the religious iconography and art on display.

The next few weeks will be hectic as Carlin works around the clock to put the finishing touches on his masterpiece before it’s unveiling on Sept. 1. But for Carlin, a higher power is helping drive his technical hand to complete the months-long project.

What does it mean to have the great honor of painting the Holy Family for World Meeting of Families?

As a professional it’s an honor to be chosen and to be recognized for my technical skills but, more so, as a Catholic, it’s very humbling to have the opportunity to serve the Church at large. We’re all called as Catholics to bring our gifts to the altar and that usually turns out to be someone doing something at the parish level. But, I’m being asked to bring my gifts to bear for something that will certainly be visible to the entire Catholic community.

Certainly professionally it’s a high mark. To be specially sought out and chosen, clearly I’ve been doing this long enough and to such a degree that I’m recognized as having the ability to pull this off.

On your website you reference the great artists like Michelangelo and Caravaggio, are they inspiring on this project?

From a technical standpoint, yes. For the first two months of putting the thumbnail sketches together, trying to get the idea off the ground, I was looking at the image of how the Holy Family has been represented by other artists… Really it’s more moments of quiet prayer and contemplation to take it beyond that. So, it’s not a matter of just figuring how I’m going to organize the models but how am I going to hopefully organize everything that evokes the feeling I’m trying to create with this piece.

As an icon piece it’s meant to be something for prayer and contemplation. Hopefully, if designed properly, it’s going to bring someone to a state where the piece will draw them in ... it’s a lens to the beyond. It’s a lens of someone sitting in front of it to feel a closer sense of reverence. It’s through which someone feels closer to God.

How much has the WMOF painting changed and evolved?

Quite a bit. From sketch to the finished painting it takes me a long time to get all the elements out on the canvas -- to a point where it's approaching the vision I had in my head -- and then it's a matter of finishing. Almost like dominoes falling, once this is finished then everything gets finished and polished from there.

With a piece of this type of visibility... I wanted to make sure that I was not experimenting that I was very sure of the process going into it. That I made sure I could meet the deadline and come out with a piece that I felt like I left everything out on the field.

Do you feel like there is a higher calling behind your work?

Absolutely! I had a 10-year illustration career, which was perfectly successful, I was doing work in galleries, I teach, I was doing portrait commissions but in 2007 when I got my first big commission for the Church it became a conscious decision to devote the entirety of my career to doing work for the Church. It’s something that as a Catholic, it excites me to be able to serve Church but also the imagery obviously resonates with me or I would have no interest in doing it.

With this piece and with everything else, everything done for the Church, in one way or another, it has to point back to (Jesus) Christ as being the source of our life as Catholics.

It’s a prayer in meditation for me. Obviously I’m getting a commission to do work for someone else -- to do something that they (want) -- but each piece takes up a certain amount of time of my life and it has to be something that I’m invested in because I’m going to be thinking about it in the quiet of the studio day after day, hour after hour. I’m enthusiastic for doing work for the church because they are images that I believe in.

You grew up Protestant but wound up a Catholic painter, how did that transformation happen?

There are three transcendentals: the good, the beautiful and the true. I think it was the beautiful that actually drew me to the Church before I ever became a Catholic. Because all the work that inspired me post-college when I made that shift from thinking about doing comic books to doing more fine art, it was the work that has been done for the Church that inspired me the most. The calling certainly came because I was attending mass with my wife over a 10-year period before I became a Catholic but I think there were a number of factors including the beauty of the liturgy and the artwork that really started to draw me before I made the conscious decision to join the Church.

How did you get your start in art?

It was just something I was always enthusiastic about doing. When I went to college I had every intention of being a comic book illustrator. As a younger man I wasn’t really looking at art in the fine art aspect, I wanted to be drawing for comic books. The story lines as a child certainly excited me -- the art certainly excited me.

Do you recall where you first saw a piece of art that resonated with you?

It wasn’t at a church or a museum, the first piece that moved me as a child was (Chester County’s) Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World.” I remember, as being either 6 or 7, seeing it and I remember asking my mother to get it, to get something -- a reproduction -- just get something that I could put in my room because it emotionally moved me to see the image.

I just happened to see it, it could have been someone else, but it just happened to be by the most famous, celebrated local artist.

How did growing up in Chester County impact your art?

Artistically having access to something like the Brandywine River Museum as a younger man was important. It’s one thing to be able to get into Philadelphia but that’s not as easy as going to the River Museum. Looking at another Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth -- the illustrator of illustrators -- that was very inspirational because the paintings were accessible in the sense that it wasn’t like going to the Philadelphia Art Museum and seeing these huge paintings, they were things that were done for books and they had a certain energy and life to them that were very exciting and reminded me of comic books.

How does your background and love of comics carry over to religious art?

It took me a long time to figure that out... I was working on a commission for seminary out in Minnesota and I was trying to get some costuming together because I doing a painting of Mother Teresa and I had one of the Spider-Man movies playing behind me... and it just kind of crossed me my mind that 'Hah! Spider-Man has nothing on Mother Teresa.' That’s what clicked though, I recognized that I set out to do costumed heroes and I ended up doing costumed heroes -- just a different type of hero.

I’ve been drawing and painting almost every single day since I can remember. The fact that it ended up that I became a Catholic and working for the Church I would still be painting regardless of what I was doing... It’s exciting to be doing paintings that I am both emotionally and spiritually invested in.

What advice would you give an inspiring artist?

The first you have to do is love it and then everything else is gravy. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, it doesn’t mean that the finances are going to be easy, ever, but if you love it -- and those who know what I’m talking about know what I’m talking about -- it makes you feel a certain bliss. Just keep doing it and eventually the world will turn.

Carlin’s World Meeting of Families masterpiece will be displayed at next year’s event. Other examples of his work hang in the Our Lady of Guadalupe in Buckingham, Pa.; Saint Rocco’s in Avondale, Pa.; and an upcoming piece for Sacred Heart Church in Royersford, Pa.