The Pope's trip to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families will be the subject of two documentaries.
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March 20 is a significant weather day in our area. Not only is it the first day of spring, but it’s also the anniversary of one of the biggest weather events in the region’s history.
On March 20, 1958, 50 inches of snow fell on Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Yes, you read that right, 50 inches of snow.
The snowfall was part of a nor’easter that struck the Mid-Atlantic from March 18 through March 21 in 1958. During the storm there was a major contrast across the region in snow totals.
“It was one of the wildest storms because of the range of snowfall,” said NBC10 First Alert Weather Chief Meteorologist Glenn Schwartz. “From two inches at the shore to 50 inches in Chester County.”
Check out the contrast in snowfall totals:
March 18-21, 1958 Snowfall Totals
Were you living in the region during the record-breaking storm? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Share your most vivid memories of the storm by emailing us at PhillyWebTeam@nbcuni.com. You can also send us a message on our Facebook Page.
CLICK HERE to read some of the memories of the storm from our viewers who lived through it.
Two people were hurt during an accident on I-676 in Camden.
Two tractor trailers and another vehicle were involved in the crash, according to officials. At least two people suffered minor injuries in the accident.
All I-676 southbound lanes were shut down near the Walt Whitman Bridge due to the accident. They later reopened shortly before 7:30 p.m.
Members of the Cape May County Zoo are in mourning after the loss of one of their most popular animals.
Vijay, a male snow leopard passed away on March 5 from complications associated with Kidney Disease. He was 16-years-old. Cape May County Zoo officials said he had recently been fighting several illnesses over the years, including glaucoma and kidney stones.
"Vijay was the sire of all the seven cubs born at that Cape May County Zoo over a four year period,” said Zoo Director and Veterinarian Dr. Hubert Paluch. “Snow leopards are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which oversees all breeding of endangered species in zoos. The species survival program operates at 300 zoos worldwide and develops comprehensive population management plans to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse, and varied animal population. Vijay was a vital participant in the SSP, and his genetics are well represented in the population."
Vijay first came to the Cape May County Zoo from the Baltimore Zoo in 2005. He was joined by his mate Himani a few years later and they had seven cubs together.
“Vijay was a favorite among the Zoo Staff because of his laid back and affable personality," said Freeholder E. Marie Hayes, the liaison to the Cape May County Zoo. "I speak for my colleagues on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the staff at the Park and Zoo, in saying we are deeply saddened by the loss of Vijay and will miss him.”
Maya Rigler, the 10-year-old girl from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania battling cancer for the second time, reached her fundraising goal.
Donations in a fundraiser created by Maya and Alex's Lemonade Stand hit the $100,000 mark Monday.
Maya has an orange-sized tumor on her pancreas formed by a rare type of cancer called atypical Ewing's sarcoma. Doctors must shrink the tumor before they can remove it. The girl already fought and won a fight against a Wilms tumor on her kidney when she was 2-years-old.
Despite her own health scare, Maya is working to help other kids like her by raising money for pediatric cancer research.
NBC10 told Maya's story last month and less than 24 hours later, donations to her virtual fundraising stand jumped by more than $10,000.
Donations listed on the website ranged in amounts -- $3 from one man, $500 from a rabbi.
Her initial fundraising goal was $100,000. As of Monday night, she has raised $100,908.
An early morning fire that destroyed a 120-year-old building that housed a Montgomery County school was intentionally set according to investigators.
The fire started around 6:30 a.m. Saturday at Wyncote Academy on the 7900 block of Washington Lane in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. The fire was placed under control at 10:30 a.m.
No one was hurt during the blaze. On Monday the Cheltenham Fire Marshall revealed evidence indicates the fire was an arson.
"The initial investigation indicates an incendiary cause with the fire deliberately set," the Fire Marshal said.
The fire caused heavy damage to the school’s roof and the building is a total loss.
Classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday. Wyncote Academy students will have classes at Gratz College on Old York Road starting Wednesday. They will remain there for the foreseeable future.
Since the fire, the surrounding community has donated boards, desks, filing cabinets, chairs and refrigerators to the school.
Founded in 1973, Wyncote Academy is a licensed, non-profit, private school that serves special needs and at-risk students in grades 6 through 12.
"We have a lot of kids who have been victims of bullying and so they come to our school looking for a safe place to be," said Kerry Leraris, the Head of School of Wyncote Academy. "And honestly, now once again they've been traumatized because their school is no longer."
D.J. Williams, a 9th grade student at the school, described the impact the academy has had on her life.
"I was not the best student at my public school," she said. "But since attending Wyncote I've been an honor roll student two times now."
Staff members are still hopeful for the future however.
"We will rebuild," said Brock Weir, a Wyncote Academy graduate and staff member. "We'll create new work and we'll start new memories in a new location and hopefully we'll come back here and rebuild. We're going to carry on. Wyncote is going to remain Wyncote strong."
A man was shot and killed in West Philadelphia Monday night.
The unidentified man was on 60th and Irving streets around 10 p.m. when a gunman opened fire before fleeing the scene.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made. Police have not yet released a description of the suspect.
As the anniversary approaches, several viewers are sharing their stories of a record-breaking storm that dropped 50 inches of snow on parts of the Pennsylvania region back in 1958.
Read some of the stories below:
Peg Kidon
My husband and I were in the area at the time of this storm. He, being 13 years old, lived in North Coventry Township, Chester County, and I lived in Montgomery County in Lower Pottsgrove Township, both outside of Pottstown. He has told me stories of how he and his neighbors shoveled their road (E. Cedarville Rd.) all the way out to Hanover St. His family had coal, heat and a gas stove, so they had warmth and food. When it was possible to travel, many of his relatives came to stay at their house where it was warm, and there was food.
I, being 11 years old, recall living for a week with my other five family members in our teeny, tiny den where there was a fireplace which worked poorly, and smoke would back up into the room. My father would cook food for us on the back porch on a Sterno burner. The only time we would leave the room was to sleep at night under my daddy's heavy army blankets in our freezing upstairs bedrooms.
Bill Barlow
I lived in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and I remember that it was a heavy, wet snow. Downingtown lost power for several days. Emergency shelters were set up in the Downingtown Methodist Church and the Alert fire company. One of the problems that occurred in the community is that several residents tried to cook on charcoal grills inside their homes.
The word got out and the local Boy Scout Troops banded together and went door to door to tell residents that they were not allowed by order of the borough council. I remember my father trying to make a pot of coffee using a propane torch to heat the pot. Back in the 1950's there were no automatic coffee makers. I also believe school was closed for a week.
What I disliked the most was having to go to bed at 7:30 because with no power the whole house was dark and cold. We survived by throwing extra blankets on the bed. Downingtown is 30 miles west of Philadelphia and if I'm correct, Philadelphia got very little snow.
Kent Foster
I lived on Richard Road right off Valley Forge Park. We had no electricity for five days. My father tried to heat one room using charcoal and almost got us all sick. My brother got the worst of it. I remember when Channel 10 had a western town behind their building where the parking lot is now. Does anyone remember that? We were the first of the new homes on Richard Road. We needed a bulldozer to push the snow from our driveway which also tore up the driveway.
Clayton Owen
As I recall as I was 8 years-old and living in the suburbs of Malvern at the time. My father had a helicopter drop off a generator and some supplies off at our farm as we had been out of electricity for a number of days as he was the Commander of 111th Pa. Air National Guard stationed at the Philadelphia Airport. I believe that helicopter pictured was from his Air Guard.
Donnie Solinger
It seems to me we had two March snowstorms back to back in 1958 that were 19 inches each here in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Hildegard Lindstrom
I was living in Berwyn on a big estate in a house dating back to the late 1700's. I was in the 7th grade at Tredyffrin/Easttown Junior High School. We were fortunate enough to have bottled gas for our stove. We buried the food that needed to be refrigerated in the deep snow, melted snow for washing dishes or hands and tapped the hot water heater for drinking water. We were fortunate enough to have several large fireplaces in the house and plenty of wood so we kept warm. We were without power for almost a week as I recall and I know we were much luckier than some that lived in the newer homes.
A FedEx plane landed safely at Philadelphia International Airport Monday night after reported engine troubles.
The FedEx cargo plane, which only had two people on board, reported a fire in the engine during the flight. An alert was issued and fire officials were notified.
Fire crews gathered on a runway at Philly International waiting for the flight to arrive. The plane landed safely around 10:30 p.m. It was then escorted to a hangar.
So far officials have not found evidence of a fire or smoke in the engine despite the report.
No one was injured during the incident. Officials have not yet revealed whether Philly was the original destination for the flight.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Monday that two state roads will close March 30 for water main replacements.
Aqua Pennsylvania is planning weekday and weeknight closures starting Monday, March 30 on Dreshertown Road in Upper Dublin Township , and Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown Borough. The roads will remain closed until July 2015.
Locals will be able to access roads up to the construction zones. Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through Upper Dublin and Jenkintown.
It's true, we've sprung forward and temperatures are rising, but does that mean that winter is over? Maybe not.
There could be more snow ahead, according to data pulled from winter's past.
"Of the 25 largest metropolitan areas that record measurable snow in at least 50 percent of their winters, 16 are still due for one more snowfall," said Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight.com who collected data from the past 50 winters in those cities.
According to Enten's research, in more than 50 percent of winters, Philadelphia is one of three northeast cities that had their last snowfall of the season AFTER March 9.
So don't put away that shovel and salt just yet.
A Montgomery County school district put the community on alert after two high school students came down with pertussis (whooping cough).
Two Souderton Area High School ninth graders came down with the highly-contagious disease in recent weeks – county health officials determined one case on March 2 and the other on March 11.
County health officials declared the school to be in “outbreak status” and urged any student with a cough – the condition can begin as a minor cough -- to not come to school until a physician tests him or her for pertussis.
The respiratory condition – which can include fever and severe coughing fits that could continue for weeks – is spread person to person by inhaling bacteria droplets during direct contact with someone who sneezes or coughs, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition can be extremely dangerous to children up to 7 years old and children not completely vaccinated against the disease.
The Souderton Area School District asked parents to follow county and state recommendations in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease:
Parents who haven’t had their children vaccinated against the condition can talk to their pediatrician about receiving the DTaP vaccine.
Further questions can be directed to the county’s Division of Communicable Disease Control at (610) 278-5117.
Two Temple University football players face assault charges stemming from an off-campus fight that left a fellow student with a fractured orbital bone.
The university released a statement late Monday following the arrest of junior defensive lineman Haason Reddick and junior offensive lineman Dion Dawkins.
The arrests stemmed from a Jan. 18 brawl at a party at Club 1800 in North Philadelphia, said Philadelphia Police.
A 21-year-old Temple student told police he tried to break up a group of football players that were beating up his friend. Police said Dawkins kicked his classmate in the eye then started fighting with the victim -- getting help from several other people.
The brawl left the 21-year-old with a fractured right orbital bone.
Haason, a Haddon Heights High School graduate; and Dawkins, a Rahway, New Jersey native; face aggravated assault, simple assault reckless endangerment and conspiracy charges.
Both 20-year-old men posted 10 percent of $10,000 bail after being arraigned early Tuesday.
Both men were suspended from the team:
“Temple University is aware of allegations of improper conduct by two of its student-athletes at an off-campus location in January,” said a statement from university associate vice president Ray Betzner. “The university has, and will continue, to fully cooperate with the Philadelphia Police Department in its investigation and will take appropriate actions outlined in the Student Conduct Code. The two students have been suspended from football team activities pending further investigation.”
Both men are due back in court at the end of the month.