Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter says his record is being distorted by the recent ads released by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. So he's taking a swing back at the union with his own series of ads released today.

"The PFT leadership is running false ads, distorting my record on education funding and my support for our children," said Mayor Nutter, in one of five videos posted to YouTube. "They failed to tell you that as mayor, I've increased education funding by $155 million annually, while the state has cut funding by $140 million."

Mayor Nutter then laid out everything he's proposed to help fund the schools-- including a sweet drink tax that would have brought in an estimated $77 million, a liquor-by-drink tax that would have brought in an estimated $22 million and $94 million from an adjustment in property values in the city.

None of these measures became law and Mayor Nutter says the PFT failed to throw their support behind these proposals.

"They failed to tell you these things because their leadership has not actively supported one of these efforts in city council or in Harrisburg. They've been absent on supporting education funding increases for years. Well, they get an "F" in telling the truth," said Nutter.

In a statement released today, PFT President Jerry Jordan fired back at the mayor's accusations.

"It is the job of our elected officials, not educators, to create budgets, pass laws and develop legislation designed to properly fund our schools," said Jordan. "We are happy to see the mayor demonstrate a new found zeal to pressure Harrisburg for additional education funding. We hope in the future he'll fight alongside Philadelphia's teachers and school employees rather than fighting against us."

The PFT released another ad campaign today, but the union says they decided to pull the campaign.

NBC10'S Daralene Jones caught up with Mayor Nutter to ask him if this back-and-forth fighting is a distraction from the real issue at hand.

"There is no question that the schools need more funding and I'm prepared to fight that fight. And as I said earlier, all of us have a role to play. I think it's unfortunate that this started a couple weeks ago with false information out there, " said Nutter.

The first day of school in Philadelphia is Monday, September 9 and the PFT continues negotiations to come up with contracts for its 15,000 members.

Roy Halladay took the hill on Wednesday night for the third time since returning from mid-season shoulder surgery, in what would go down as a 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. The veteran allowed one run over six innings, and did not factor in the decision.

Earned-run wise, it was his best start since returning from mid-season shoulder surgery just over a week ago. It's just the third time that he's allowed one or fewer earned runs in ten starts this season. For comparison's sake, Halladay allowed one of fewer 14 times over his 32 starts in 2011.

Other than that, it was a so-so outing for the 36-year-old. He walked five batters, including three in the first inning. The last time Halladay walked that many was in 2007, when he walked six batters in a complete game loss to the Oakland Athletics. It's his highest walk total of the season, and he's not had one start in 2012 where he hasn't walked at least one batter (he's done that once).

Velocity-wise, Halladay sat around the upper 80s for most of the night, and appeared to focus heavily on his off-speed repertoire. Ultimately, the end result was pretty positive, but considering the Nationals are one of the worst-hitting clubs in baseball, it's hard to judge just how good Doc actually was, or is.

He was in trouble from the get-go, as he allowed six of the first 11 batters to reach base. He settled down in the third, where he proceeded to set down nine of the next ten batters. He allowed a pair of hits and an intentional walk in the top of the sixth, but escaped without any further damage to end his third start.

While it appears that Halladay appears to be much like the pitcher who was getting crushed by opposing hitters to the tune of a 7.00+ ERA earlier this season (he has allowed eight runs in his three post-DL starts), the one thing that he hasn't had the luxury of is time. It's going to take him time to rebuild shoulder strength and to find his form, so we mustn't make snap judgments based on a few starts.

Conservatively, Doc figures to have at least four more starts in the regular season, so there will be plenty more chances for him to demonstrate that he's progressing and getting stronger as he looks to rebound from his shoulder injury. Ultimately, the month of September is akin to Spring Training from him, so we won't truly know if he is back to his old self until 2014. Whether he is in a Phillies uniform is another question altogether.

An electrician working at Skippack Elementary School in Montgomery County suffered serious injuries tonight after getting shocked.

Authorities tell NBC10 the worker was shocked with about 277 volts of electricity while doing work at the school, located at 4081 Heckler Road in Collegeville.

Emergency responders immediately started performing CPR on the worker.

We are working to find out that worker's condition.

Stay with NBC10.com for updates in this developing story.

MORE NEWS:

• N.J. Inmate Charged With Murdering Cellmate
• Police Search for Gunmen in Tire Shop Shooting
• 'Crime Fighting Plan in Trenton
• Homicide Detectives Work to Identify Body Found in River
   

Two men in their 20s were shot tonight in a Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.

Police on the scene tell NBC10 they are checking surveillance video in the area of 61st and Buist Avenue.

The shooting happened just before 10:00 p.m. Police say a 22-year-old man was shot in the back of the head and shoulder. He's in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The second man, who is 24 years old, was shot in the buttocks. He's listed in stable condition.

Police also say that two stray bullets hit the window of a nearby house. The woman living inside was not hurt.

The gunman drove off in what's believed to be a dark-colored Ford Crown Victoria.

MORE NEWS:

• School Electrician Injured After Getting Shocked
• Murder Victim Found in Schuylkill River
• 17-Year-Old Charged With Murder in School Stabbing
• Trenton's Plan to Cut Back on Crime

Philadelphia police are looking for two gunmen involved in a shooting and attempted robbery at a tire shop in the Olney section of the city.

Surveillance video from Express Tire Shop shows the suspects lurking behind a stack of tires early Monday morning, at the shop located at 4673 North 6th Street.

Shop owner Hector Alicea says there are normally five workers at the shop, but three of his employees had gone to get breakfast. He thinks the gunmen were watching and waiting for the right time.

The men pointed their guns at the employee and demanded money, according to police.

As one of the suspects started to struggle with the employee, police say the other suspect fired his gun and shot the employee in the right thigh. Both suspects ran from the scene.

“Nice neighborhood, it’s the first time that it happened," said Alicea, who says in the six years he's worked at the shop, nobody has bothered them.

Both suspects are between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11. Investigators say they were both wearing white hooded pullover sweatshirts with a string tied tightly around the face, dark blue bandanas, and blue jeans.

If you have any information about the crime and the suspects contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-8477.
 

More stories on NBC10.com

More May Be Linked to Student Beating Death

Kidnapper Hangs Himself

3 Teens Pulled Safely From River After Canoe Mishap

With a record-setting number of homicides this year, Trenton authorities are trying to come up with a plan to reduce crime in the city.

This year, 160 people have been shot in Trenton and there have been 33 homicides.

"We are everyday working diligently with the limited staff that we have to try and solve these murders," said Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera.

Rivera stood alongside Trenton Mayor Tony Mack today, as they announced a plan to reduce crime by creating a new, specialized unit in the Trenton Police Department and the addition of monitored cameras in the city's trouble spots.

"It's frustrating when you see the numbers, the record-breaking number, with all the effort that we've been putting in to reduce crime here in the city," said Rivera.

In 2011, more than 100 Trenton police officers were laid off due to budget cuts.

Last month, New Jersey state police officers came in to help Trenton police deal with the ongoing violence. Those officers will likely stay until the end of the month.

Rivera is hoping officers can use the newly acquired information from state police to help create that specialized task force.
 

Some of Philadelphia's students, who head back to school next Monday, say they are scared to go back.

"It doesn't only make me angry, it makes me sad at the same time," said Gian Carlos Rodriquez, a high school freshman. "I was bullied a lot and picked on and stuff. Now I think we only have one counselor in school, so in high school what if i get bullied again?"

Rodriguez isn't alone with his fears. He is just one of hundreds of students affected by the budget crisis in the Philadelphia School District.

"I don't think they understand because they're not the ones going through it," said Deionni Martinez, who is 16 years old. She says the last thing she should be worried about is the lack of staff and resources.

"I don't know what's gonna happen when I go in, what staff is going to be there to help me. It's like you don't know what you're getting into," said Martinez.

And they have a message for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. "We voted for you, because we know your good. Now it's like you're turning your back on us. We need you to do your job and get the money from somewhere else," said Rodriquez.

This Sunday night, about 200 people including students, plan to protest outside Governor Corbett's office along Broad Street in Center City. That is the night before the first day of school.

A serious accident on I-76 westbound had traffic crawling this morning.

The accident involving two tractor-trailers and a pickup truck happened early Thursday morning near Gladwyne.

Police say one pickup crashed or was disabled when a tractor-trailer hit it. A short time later, another tractor-trailer hit those vehicles.

The accident had both lanes shut down and  traffic backed up from approaching City Line Avenue to Gladwyne. Traffic was able to get by the accident on the right shoulder.

No one was injured in the accident.

More News: 
Cars Torched in Lawndale
Worker at Marshmallow Peeps Plant Hurt on Job
Pa. Woman Hoped to Meet Men By Posing as Rodeo Star

A man is in stable condition at a local hospital following a suspected road rage incident in Southwest Philadelphia late Wednesday night.

Police say that a road rage incident sparked an argument and then a fight between two men that ended with a 37-year-old man being shot in the arm.

Authorities are calling the shooting -- which happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 6400-block of Grays Avenue -- accidental.

They say that the victim was involved in an accident with a 48-year-old and that he fled the scene.

The older man followed the victim and when he got out of his car near his house, the two began fighting. It was then the victim was pistol-whipped and hit in the wrist with a bullet from a gun that went off accidentally, according to police.

A witness was able to flag down an officer quickly and that officer arrived on the scene to find the 48-year-old man with the weapon, according to police.

"The officer arrived on the scene so fast, he was able to apprehend the shooter," Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10.

The victim is recovering in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Police say the alleged gunman has a license to carry.

No one has been charged in the shooting. 

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 5, 1972, terror struck the Munich Olympics as the Palestinian group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the resulting siege.

On this date:

In 1774, the first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.

In 1793, the Reign of Terror began during the French Revolution as the National Convention instituted harsh measures to repress counter-revolutionary activities.

In 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1913, fire devastated Hot Springs, Ark., destroying some 60 blocks.

In 1914, the First Battle of the Marne, resulting in a French-British victory over Germany, began during World War I.

In 1939, four days after war had broken out in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring U.S. neutrality in the conflict.

In 1945, Japanese-American Iva Toguri D'Aquino, suspected of being wartime broadcaster "Tokyo Rose," was arrested in Yokohama. (D'Aquino was later convicted of treason and served six years in prison; she was pardoned in 1977 by President Gerald R. Ford.)

In 1957, the novel "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac, was first published by Viking Press.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed legislation making aircraft hijackings a federal crime.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford escaped an attempt on his life by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, Calif.

In 1986, four hijackers who had seized a Pan Am jumbo jet on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan, opened fire when the lights inside the plane failed; a total of 22 people were killed in the hijacking.

In 1997, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II broke the royal reticence over Princess Diana's death, delivering a televised address in which she called her former daughter-in-law "a remarkable person." Mother Teresa died in Calcutta, India, at age 87; conductor Sir Georg Solti died in France at age 84.

Ten years ago: Israeli commandos killed a Hamas bombmaker in a firefight and pulverized the West Bank apartment building in which he had been hiding. Hurricane Fabian slammed into Bermuda, killing four people. Singer-actress Gisele MacKenzie died in Burbank, Calif., at age 76.

Five years ago: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice became the highest-ranking American official in half a century to visit Libya, where she met Moammar Gadhafi. Europe's Rosetta space probe flew by the Steins asteroid 250 million miles from Earth. Publishing giant Robert Giroux, who'd guided and supported dozens of great writers from T.S. Eliot and Jack Kerouac to Bernard Malamud and Susan Sontag, died in Tinton Falls, N.J., at age 94.

One year ago: In an impassioned speech that rocked the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., former President Bill Clinton proclaimed, ``I know we're coming back'' from the worst economic mess in generations, and he appealed to hard-pressed Americans to stick with Barack Obama for a second term in the White House.

Today's Birthdays: Former Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul A. Volcker is 86. Comedian-actor Bob Newhart is 84. Actress-singer Carol Lawrence is 81. Actor William Devane is 74. Actor George Lazenby is 74. Actress Raquel Welch is 73. Movie director Werner Herzog is 71. Singer Al Stewart is 68. Actor-director Dennis Dugan is 67. College Football Hall of Famer Jerry LeVias is 67. Singer Loudon Wainwright III is 67. "Cathy" cartoonist Cathy Guisewite is 63. Actor Michael Keaton is 62. Country musician Jamie Oldaker (The Tractors) is 62. Actress Debbie Turner-Larson (Film: Marta in "The Sound of Music") is 57. Actress Kristian Alfonso is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Terry Ellis is 50. Rock musician Brad Wilk is 45. TV personality Dweezil Zappa is 44. Actress Rose McGowan is 40. Actor Andrew Ducote is 27. Actress Kat Graham is 27. Olympic gold medal figure skater Kim Yu-na is 23. Actor Skandar Keynes is 22.

Thought for Today: "History may be divided into three movements: what moves rapidly, what moves slowly and what appears not to move at all." - Fernand Braudel, French historian (1902-1985).

A restaurant fire forced the evacuation of an office building in the Old City section of Philadelphia.

The fire broke out inside the Cosi Restaurant on the first floor of Consitution Place at 325 Chestnut Street around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Fire officials say the fire caused smoke to fill the second floor of the 20 story building.

The high rise was evacuated for a short time as fire crews worked to put out the fire.

Chestnut Street between 4th and 3rd Streets, as well as, 4th Street between Market and Walnut Streets were shut down as crews responded to the emergency.

There were no injuries.

The Philadelphia Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
 

Less than a month after his release from federal prison, former Pennsylvania state senator Vincent Fumo is headed back to court, but this time, it's by his own request.

Lawyers representing Fumo filed a 42-page petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Fumo wants his conviction overturned and he wants his money back -- more than $3 million dollars.

In 2009, a jury convicted Fumo on 137 counts of fraud, tax offenses and obstruction of justice for stealing $4.2 million from the state, the nonprofit Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, and the Independence Seaport Museum.

Originally, Fumo was facing a maximum of 27 years. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter cut the sentencing guidelines in half after Fumo's attorneys asked for special consideration of his prior civil service and his declining health.

Fumo was initially sentenced to four years and seven months in prison in 2009. But prosecutors appealed the original sentence and in 2011, an additional six months were added to his sentence and he was ordered to pay $3.8 million in fines and restitution.

Now, Fumo wants it all back.

The petition, filed by criminal appeals attorney Peter Goldberger, seeks to overturn Fumo’s conviction based on a claim that jurors in the case were exposed to prejudicial information against Fumo by way of media reports about evidence that was excluded from the trial and negative publicity.

The petition claims, "In addition to coverage in traditional print and broadcast media, there was widespread coverage by new media, including 'live blogging' direct from the courtroom on the evidence and proceedings, which then appeared on various websites in real time," the petition states. "The defense repeatedly voiced concerns that given the extensive coverage, the jury might be exposed. The district court, however, infrequently instructed the jury regarding exposure to extraneous influences, and refused to question the jury about potential exposure to such influences.”

Fumo is also seeking reimbursement of $3 million of the restitution award and $300,000 in pre-judgment interest against him, stating that the "amount of victim loss is a fact neither alleged in the indictment nor found by the jury beyond a reasonable doubt."

Goldberger further contends that the fine violated Fumo’s Sixth Amendment right to trial by an impartial jury.

Buckwalter, who has been criticized for being too lenient in Fumo’s sentencing, declined to comment on the filing.

The Supreme Court may determine whether to accept Fumo's case for full review by the end of the year, and if it is taken up for review, a decision would be expected by early next year.

Law enforcement officials in Gloucester County have taken the first step in empowering residents to know what crimes are happening in their communities.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has begun posting monthly crime call reports for each of the county’s 22 police agencies online.

"We hope by providing this information, we’re going to raise public awareness and enlist the support of residents on crime prevention strategies that make their communities safer," Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton told NBC10.com Thursday.

Eleven types of calls -- assault, burglary, theft, criminal mischief, domestic disturbances, driving while intoxicated, harassment, juvenile complaints, narcotics, stolen vehicles and terroristic threats -- are listed. Although there are nearly 30 types of calls police answer, Dalton says officials felt those eleven would be of most interest to residents and empower them to act on trends happening in their communities.

"For example, if you see a bunch of burglaries or car thefts, things of that nature, there might be some proactive steps that residents can do to make their cars and their homes safer," he said.

One category noticeably missing from the list is homicide. Dalton says the county experiences so few, only three over the past three months, that listing them would not allow residents act proactively.

The types of calls municipalities get vary wildly from one town to another. Washington Township, the county’s largest municipality, responded to 19 assault complaints and 57 thefts in August. By comparison, nearby Harrison Township had three assault calls and one theft for the same month.

"I think it all depends on whether [the community] is a more suburban type area compared to a rural-type area and as the size of the towns increase, you’re going to see more of the types of calls as far as the assaults and thefts and things like that," Dalton said.

Gloucester is the first county in South Jersey to offer these online monthly statistics, but they provide only a township level snapshot. Across the river in Philadelphia, police release weekly crime statistics and plot crimes on a map for citizens to see what’s happening in and around their homes. Dalton says mapping crime for the public is something officials would like to do, but that the current record management system doesn’t allow for it.

"Maybe down the road, if we can do it in such a way to ensure privacy of individuals, we may provide additional information, but this we believe is a good first step," he said.

Officials have been tweaking the data’s presentation for the past three months and just launched in September. New data, from the previous month, is posted on the county’s Community Partnership website on the first week of every month.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

There once was a time, in our Mad Men culture, when gays and guys were deemed to be different species. Gays were womanly and weird; guys were manly and normal.

But now comes Steve Lonegan, the born-to-lose conservative candidate in the New Jersey Senate race, to inform us that it's still circa 1960, that the old stereotypical demarcations remain in force, that gays are gays and guys are guys and never the twain shall meet. As Johnny Carson used to say, "This I did not know!"

Forget the war clouds for a moment (they'll be hovering for awhile anyway), and check out the snore-worthy contest that concludes on Oct. 16 when Lonegan morphs into roadkill. Democrat Cory Booker will become the sole elected African-American in the Senate chamber, and Lonegan will demonstrate yet again that a fringe Republican has zero chance of being elected statewide in blue-leaning Jersey.

The race has been largely substance-free, which perhaps explains why the late-summer spat about Booker's sexuality has garnered so much attention. But this episode has actually been quite instructive. Once again, the reactionary utterings of a right-wing Senate candidate have undercut the GOP's attempts to craft a more inclusive national image.

It all began with an August profile of Booker in The Washington Post. Early in the piece, while addressing old rumors that he might be gay, Booker (who's 42 and single, thus rumor-worthy) said: "And people who think I'm gay, some part of me thinks it's wonderful. Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, 'So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I’m straight.'"

Booker's remarks were totally in sync with today's centrist American zeitgeist - on the issue of whether he's gay or straight, who cares? - but somehow, inexplicably, Lonegan smelled an opportunity.

An opportunity to paint himself as the He-Man candidate.

In the friendly confines of Newsmax, the conservative website, Lonegan shared his thoughts about Booker's remarks: "It's kind of weird. As a guy, I personally like being a guy. I don't know if you saw the stories last year. They've been out for quite a bit about how he likes to go out at three o'clock in the morning for a manicure and a pedicure. I don't like going out in the middle of the night, or any time of the day, for a manicure and pedicure. It was described as his peculiar fetish. I have a more peculiar fetish. I like a good Scotch and a cigar. That's my fetish but we'll just compare the two."

I personally like being a guy...as opposed to what he called "acting ambiguous."

A real man has a Scotch and cigar; a girly man has a manicure.
(Lonegan was referring to a 2012 magazine story, where Booker was quoted as saying: "I had an ex-girlfriend who ruined me in terms of my macho ex-football player self. She turned me on to mani-pedis....It's this guilty pleasure I have.")

Naturally, Lonegan's reactionary outburst has been a political boon for Booker. How awesome it must be to have an opponent who's so out of step with the mainstream. The Washington Post-ABC News poll says that 58 percent of Americans, and 81 percent of those under age 30, now support gay marriage - vivid evidence  of a 'tude revolution. The gay-guy dichotomy is passe.

Booker duly slam-dunked Lonegan in response (albeit with rhetorical overkill): "It's just disheartening to hear somebody, in this day and age, in the United States of America, say basically...that gay men are not men, they're not guys. It's shocking to one's conscience in this country, where we believe that the content of one's character, the courage in one's heart, the strength of one's sense of purpose, the love that one has for others and their service, is what defines them. And instead he's challenging the masculinity of millions of Americans."

Booker is basically getting a free ride in this Senate race. Some skeptics have long contended that he's too close to Wall Street, but Lonegan, as a former state director of a Koch brothers front group, is the least credible guy to raise that issue. Instead, he's doing what ideologues do best - ceding the middle ground. And, much like washout Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, Todd Akin, and Richard Mourdock, he's discomfiting a national party that desperately needs that middle ground.

Last winter, GOP chairman Reince Priebus said the party can't succeed nationally unless it becomes more tolerant and inclusive. He specifically addressed the challenge of wooing gay people: "I think it's about being decent. I think it's about dignity and respect - that nobody deserves to have their dignity diminished, or people don’t deserve to be disrespected." Lonegan, in thrall to his guyness, never got the memo.

This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org

The man behind Giovanni's Room, the nation's oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bookstore, is ready to move on. That leaves the fate of the beloved store and gathering place in Center City in jeopardy.

A lot has changed in Philadelphia, and for the LGBT community, since 1976. That's when owner Ed Hermance took over Giovanni's Room.

Now he's making it official that he plans to retire this winter.

"I'm hoping to sell the store. I've been looking for a partner, a successor for 25 years, and I think I've come close several times but it's never actually happened," he said.

Hermance said it's been emotionally rewarding to run the business.

"I'm hoping somebody's going to find a way to keep it going, because we certainly do serve an awful lot of people," he said. "For example, just a minute ago, a young man was here who's trying to help his mom, who's coming out."

If he can't find a new owner, Hermance said he will have to close Giovanni's Room. The store faces financial challenges, he said. And he's looking forward to having the time to do other things.

Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, said the closure of Giovanni's Room would be a blow to the city and its LGBT community.

"For Philadelphia's LGBT community, which has worked for 37 years along with Ed to keep that building and that bookstore open and in good shape, it's sad," Segal said. "It means a lot to us."
Hermance said people interested in continuing the store are invited to submit a proposal.

This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org

Four cars were on fire in the Lawndale section of the city early Thursday morning.

Police say two of the cars were set on fire on the 500-block of Gilham Street. They say the fire spread to two other cars.

No one was injured in the fires.

The fire marshal is on the scene with dogs trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Police say the cars, a 2002 Mercury Sable, 2003 Cadillac Escalade, 2004 Ford Explorer and a 2005 Chrysler 3000, do not belong to anyone that lives on the block.

They are searching for the owners of the vehicles.

We'll keep you updated as details become available.

More News: 
NE Philly Man Murdered, Body Found in River
Body Found in Del. River ID'd as Missing Tuber
Search for Gunman in Tire Shop Shooting