Officials revealed new information Tuesday night in a sex scandal involving the Philadelphia Fire Department.

NBC10 confirmed two fire department employees allegedly connected to the scandal waived a department hearing on the accusations against them and instead chose to face their punishment. Officials have not yet revealed what that punishment will be.

Allegations surfaced in late January that a female paramedic engaged in sexual acts with multiple co-workers in firehouses throughout the city while they were both on-and-off-duty.

Seven fire department employees, including two battalion chiefs, a captain, a lieutenant, two firefighters and a paramedic, were charged with disciplinary violations, including conduct unbecoming, in connection to those allegations. 

Philadelphia Firefighters and Paramedics Union Local 22 President Joseph Schulle told NBC10 the union initially learned 13 members were accused of sexual misconduct from the redacted version of the report he received. However, the redacted report only addressed allegations against the seven staffers, according to Schulle.

Schulle claimed the redacted report failed to include information on the other six staff members and revealed there was no evidence to indicate any misconduct happened while on-duty or in a firehouse.

"It defies logic," he said. "The department forced this member to file a complaint, charged several members that were not even identified in the complaint and is now considering charging her."
"We didn't even provided the complete copy of the EEOC complaint," Schulle said.

It is unclear what city agency provided the redacted version to the union. Officials with the mayor's office declined to comment on the matter.

One of the two battalion chiefs allegedly made an effort to help the female employee at the center of this scandal -- leading to a disciplinary violation.

"It was determined by the IG that one of these chief officers was overly concerned with her well-being and participated in off-duty, non-sexual activities with this subordinate employee," Schulle explained. "The IG concluded that his off-duty relationship and his effort to help the subordinate employee with her struggles was evidence of misconduct."

The other battalion chief and two others were charged based on "alleged consensual, off-duty sexual relationships" with the female, Schulle said.

"In these three cases, the inspector general found that there was no substantiated charges of sexual activities within the firehouse or on any Fire Department apparatus," he continued.

Although the accusations were unproven, the Fire Department still charged one of the Local 22 members with having sexual relations within a fire house, he explained.

Philly's Fire Department currently has no policy about fraternization and several sets of spouses work within the department -- some in supervisory roles, he said.

No allegations were made by the female employee at the center of the scandal against the battalion chiefs, said Schulle, who added she was coerced by department officials into making the complaint.

"She was told if she did not file a complaint, she would be required to sign a document stating nothing inappropriate had occurred," he said.
 

Nearly two dozen big-name companies will be recruiting veterans Wednesday afternoon. But they will be doing it virtually.

VeteranRecruiting.com, founded by Kevin O’Brien, is based out of Bucks County and serves to place veterans in jobs when they return from overseas.

“Philadelphia ranks 85th out of 100 as far as biggest cities and best cities for veterans,” O’Brien said. “I think it’s awareness, and that’s what we’re hoping to accomplish with this campaign.”

The site changed Navy veteran Shawn Lightfoot’s life. Lightfoot works for Philly-based Aramark, managing the staff who stock food and drinks on Amtrak trains in the Northeast corridor.

“Aramark has hired hundreds of veterans over the years because of their work ethic,” said Roger Peterson of Aramark. “We’re in a people business at the end of the day, and veterans bring leadership and a focus on getting the job done.”

These career fairs have placed more than 100,000 veterans in jobs.
 

A multi-vehicle wreck involving a special services school bus Wednesday morning left at least 10 people with minor injuries in Burlington County, New Jersey.

The crash -- involving the bus, a box truck, a Lexus sedan and Chevrolet Tahoe -- happened around 8:20 a.m. along Woodlane Road near Tarnsfield Road in Westampton, according to  officials.

Medics took all injured people to Virtua Memorial Hospital for precautionary treatment, said police. It is unclear the age of those hurt in the crash.

No word yet on what company owns the school bus nor which school the kids attend.

A Penn State Abington professor felt compelled by recent events to go on a midair rant that landed her in handcuffs and raised eyebrows on the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania campus where she teaches.

Dr. Karen Bettez Halnon became unruly on an American Airlines flight headed from Managua, Nicaragua to Miami, Florida on Saturday, said officials.

"The United States has declared war on Venezuela! The United States has declared war on Venezuela!" The PSU professor continually screamed about midway through the 2-1/2-hour flight.

Back in Montgomery County Tuesday, Halnon said she used the plane as platform to express her displeasure over American policy toward the oil-rich South American country.

“It was a moment of conscience, it was the timing and I felt compelled to speak,” Halnon told NBC10.

Fellow passengers captured the associate professor of sociology’s tirade on cellphone video.

“I’m going to say my piece before I’m arrested,” Halnon said after being told by a flight attendant that police would be meeting the plane to arrest her. “They’re already saying they’re arresting me, so I’m going to tell you more!”

Before landing – and being booked for disorderly conduct – the Willow Grove woman is seen on video lighting up a cigarette then trying to blame another passenger.

Halnon lit up the cigarette to pay homage to revolutionaries she admires.

“Most ‘revolutionarios’ that I respect, smoke – Fidel Castro...” she said. "That was more in jest, every good revolutionary smokes ... You have to have a sense of humor when you're in this kind of situation.”

Halnon said she felt compelled to speak out about what she calls an injustice of U.S. policy against Venezuela.

“This is a very, very disturbing situation where I believe it was so urgent that I had to speak out and speak out now,” she said.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed an executive order imposing sanctions on Venezuelan officials and the Obama Administration called Venezuela’s recent actions an “extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” reported NBC News.

“It means they want to take the oil and, I think, more generally, it means they want to have a base for extracting the precious water resources in Latin America.”

Some passengers seemed amused by the rant while others seemed upset. “You’re a national security threat,” one passenger can be heard half-heartedly saying.

Blake Goodwin said he was sitting in the aisle seat next to the woman.

"That was the first time I was actually nervous for my safety because I was in close proximity to the woman," Goodwin told NBC Miami Monday. "As we were landing she was calling us fascist and capitalist."

On PSU’s suburban campus the news of the caught-on-camera rant was a hot topic.

“It’s kind of weird, no one really expected that,” said PSU Abington student Keenan Safadi.

Halnon has taught at PSU Abington since 1999 and earned the campus’ 2012 Diversity Award. Her PSU bio includes mention of her many publications including two books -- The Consumption of Inequality: Weapons of Mass Distraction and Webbing Vicissitudes of Forgiveness.

Neither Halnon nor PSU would share if she remains employed at the university.

“Penn State Abington is aware of Dr. Karen Halnon’s behavior this past weekend on a flight from Nicaragua and is looking into the matter,” said Chuck Marsh, director of university relations.

After landing, Halnon was taken to Miami's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She said the FBI questioned her and she felt mistreated.

"They made the room extremely, extremely cold, they chained me to what you might call a bed but it was just a metal, flat thing, and would not allow me to go to the bathroom," she said.

Halnon was released and flew back to Philadelphia on Monday without incident. She said it was worth it, and hinted that it may not be the last time she protests.

"I would do it again," she said. “I think people get concerned a lot when people speak out because people have been trained just to go along.”

A resident in a South Jersey community heard a loud bang coming from a neighbor’s home on St. Patrick’s Day then saw a blonde leaving a home with a 12 pack of beer before jumping in her car and driving off.

The resident called Egg Harbor Township Police and described the car seen driving off from the Club at Tilton off Hingston Avenue in the Farmington section of the township around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers responding to the burglary saw the suspect’s car passing them along Hingston Avenue. The officers pulled over the car and found blond-haired Barbara Webb behind the wheel.

Officer arrested Webb on suspicion of DWI, theft, burglary and related charges.

Further investigation revealed that someone through a lawn chair through the rear sliding glass door of the Club at Tilton home.

Municipal Court Judge H.R. Switzer sent Webb to county jail after she was unable to post $25,000 bail.

You have made your child afraid of me.

It’s the impression, SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel says, parents leave with their kids when pointing to police officers and saying: If you’re bad the officer will arrest you.

“Unfortunately it happens every day,” Nestel told NBC10 on Wednesday.

Hoping to combat the unintended, but negative message, the transit authority’s top cop is developing a small card to make parents aware of the consequences of their words.

Dear Parent,

I know there is no tougher job than being a parent.
I suspect that you didn't think of this but when you told your child that I will arrest them if they are bad, you have made your child afraid of me.
If your child gets separated from you, is scared or in danger, I would love to be the person your child looks for to feel safe.
Next time you see a police officer, think about introducing your child. We want to be their friend.
-- A Concerned Police Officer

“The point of it is to educate parents to make us the people that their kids run to instead of run away from,” Nestel said.

Nestel posted the first pass to Twitter on Monday. He’s making tweaks as he gets feedback from followers. In the coming days, the language will be finalized and then cards will be printed up for the 260 officers policing the city’s trains, buses, trolleys and transit hubs.

The chief sees the card as a nonconfrontational way to address the issue with parents who are face-to-face with police and other citizens in close quarters.

“Just smile, give them the card and walk away. No conflict. Just give the parent a second to read it to themselves and hopefully think about the message they’re sending their child,” he said.

You can share your suggestions with Nestel through his Twitter account.

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

Winter is holding on through the final official day of the season, bringing a blast of cold air after a mild St. Patrick's day and snow to kick off spring.

The cold returned Wednesday following two days of temperatures in the 60s, with the day’s high only reaching the mid-40s.  

Wind gusts were expected to reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, making it even chillier.

The winds will die down Thursday, but temperatures will remain in the 40s as clouds move into the region and bring with it a high chance of snow.

Friday marks the beginning of spring, but it won’t seem much like winter is over, as many people’s morning commute will be slowed by snow.

The white stuff will start falling around 6 a.m. in areas north and west (north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and west of the Blue Route), said NBC10 First Alert chief meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz.

It’ll move across the area during the morning rush, making things slippery for drivers on untreated roads.

Timeline:

• 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Snow starts falling north and west of Philly and will move SW to NE
• 9 a.m. - noon - Snow (rain mix south and east)
• Noon - 5 p.m. - Snow/rain mix (snow north and west/rain south and east)
• 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Mix ends

How strong the March sun is Friday will determine if snow will continue through the afternoon commute or if it will turn to a wintry mix or all rain, said Glenn. And if the snowfall is gentle, it’s not likely to stick.

If the snowfall is heavy and fast, areas north and west could see 3" to 6". The I-95 corridor will anywhere from 1" to 3" and a trace to an inch down the shore.

All precipitation is expected to end Friday evening.

The weekend will be dry with highs in the low 50s Saturday and upper 40s Sunday. There's another chance of snow next Tuesday for areas south of the city.

A U.S. Air Force veteran and former airplane mechanic from New Jersey charged with attempting to join the Islamic State group in Syria pleaded not guilty Wednesday to terrorism charges.

A bearded Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, wearing prison-issued khaki pants and a blue short-sleeved shirt, repeated his full name when asked but said nothing else before Judge Nicholas Garaufis in a New York federal courthouse. His attorney, Michael K. Schneider, entered the plea on his behalf. He declined to address reporters after the brief court appearance.

Pugh, 47, of Neptune, was indicted Tuesday on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstructing justice.

He was stopped at a Turkish airport in January carrying a laptop containing information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points as well as 180 jihadist propaganda videos, including one featuring an Islamic State prisoner beheading, according to an indictment.

In a letter addressed to a woman investigators believe is Pugh's Egyptian wife, Pugh declared: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States," according to court papers.

"There is only two possible outcomes for me," said the letter, which was recovered from his computer. "Victory or martyr."

The computer, as well as thumb drive data-storage devices and other recovered equipment, appeared to have been intentionally destroyed to deny investigators access, the indictment said.

Garaufis scheduled a May 8 status conference to review prosecutors' evidence and discuss any possible plea negotiations. Schneider said in court he would need time for his own forensic expert to review the data seized by federal authorities and to coordinate interviews with potential witnesses in Turkey, Egypt and elsewhere.

Pugh has been living overseas for the past year and a half, most recently in Egypt, the court papers show.

Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems. The airman first class was first assigned in July 1987 to the Woodbridge Air Base in England and then to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1989, the Air Force said. After leaving the air force, he worked as an avionics specialist and mechanic for companies in the Middle East and U.S.

The FBI got a 2001 tip about Pugh from a co-worker at American Airlines who said Pugh expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden, according to court papers. The airline said he left in early 2000 after a few months at American. In 2002, an associate of Pugh's again told the FBI that Pugh was interested in traveling to Chechnya to wage war, the indictment said.

Pugh was stopped by Turkish authorities on Jan. 10, and returned to the U.S. five days later by way of Egypt. He told investigators he was in Turkey on vacation and to look for a job and had no intention of crossing into Syria, the indictment said.

Technical issues have led to thousands of errors in South Jersey Gas' billing system and the company has recently sent out letters with information about fixing the problem.

About 12,000 customers were sent an elevated, estimated bill in error and South Jersey Gas has offered many different solutions, fully explained in the letter.

Customers now have the option to provide the company with their actual meter reading. This can be done either through their website or by calling the customer care line (888-766-9900) and following the automated voice prompts.

To successfully read the meter, affected customers should first establish whether the meter has dials or is a digital meter. Dial meters should be read left to right, but if the marking is between two numbers, the lower number should be read. Digital meters can be read simply left to right.

If customers want to speak to a live representative, South Jersey Gas suggests calling early in the morning- between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.- or later in the evening- between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The company stated they can also be reached by email at customercare@sjindustries.com.

In addition to settling the matter with South Jersey Gas, affected customers also have the right to submit a claim with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. A downloadable PDF is available to file complaint against a store or business on their website.

A Conshohocken police officer is recovering after he accidentally shot himself Wednesday afternoon.

The officer was inside the processing room of the Plymouth Township Police Department at Belvoir and Valley roads in Plymouth Meeting shortly after 4 p.m.

Sources told NBC10 he had transported a prisoner and was placing his gun back in its holster when it accidentally went off and struck him in the leg.

The officer was taken to the Einstein Medical Center in East Norriton. Officials have not yet revealed his condition but say he is alert and talking.

Sources told NBC10 he is expected to be okay.

A trash truck dumped its load along Lincoln Drive in Philadelphia after the garbage caught fire Wednesday evening.

The incident blocked the northbound lanes of Lincoln Drive near Cherokee Street in Mt. Airy around 5 p.m., said Philadelphia firefighters.

As SkyForce10 hovered over the scene a short time later, police could be seen directing traffic around the garage, which appeared to no longer be on fire.

No injuries were reported.

The private garbage truck came to a stop a short distance in front of the dumped load.

A Montgomery County school district continued its fight against whooping cough after the community was put on alert after five high school students came down with pertussis.

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. Three other students also tested positive for the disease, said the district.

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 District can confirm that, as a result of five Souderton Area High School Students having confirmed pertussis, (whopping cough) Montgomery County health officials are monitoring what they have classified as an 'outbreak' at the school," read a message on the district's website.

Workers cleaned classrooms and surfaces in the school daily as they looked to curb the illness. The school also canceled some sporting events during the outbreak status but didn't reveal the reason for the cancellations.

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:

1. Parents should review each child’s health record to determine the vaccination status of the child.
   
2. Children should be observed over the next 2 weeks for any symptoms such as a running nose, sudden, uncontrollable bursts or spells of coughing that persist and sometimes cause vomiting. These symptoms should be reported immediately to your pediatrician.
   
3. If your child comes down with cold symptoms that include a cough, the child should be evaluated by his/her pediatrician. Evaluation should include a nasopharyngeal culture for pertussis.
   
4. Children with pertussis, if their medical condition allows, may return to school and activities five (5) days after starting appropriate antibiotics and must continue taking the antibiotics until completed.
   
5. All household members and close contacts of a confirmed pertussis case should receive preventative antibiotics regardless of their age or vaccination status.

The county also released a whooping cough fact sheet.

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.