A shooting in West Philadelphia left three men hospitalized.
Gunfire rang out around 10:30 p.m. at Media and N Conestoga streets in the Carroll Park section of the city.
Bullets struck three men. All three were taken to Presbyterian Hospital with undisclosed injuries.
No word yet on what led to the shooting.
Residents heard screams and called police to their Bridesburg neighborhood, where responding officers found a woman dead from multiple stab wounds and two of her family members hurt.
The approximately 50-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times in the face in her home on the 2700 block of Reynolds Street around 6 a.m., police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:27 a.m.
Medics rushed a 74-year-old woman, who was stabbed several times in her face and her body, and an 18-year-old man, who suffered cuts to his hand, to Aria Torresdale Hospital, authorities said. The elderly woman is listed in critical condition.
The teenager told responding officers there was a home invasion, but it was unable to provide a description of the suspect, investigators said. He also showed police where the alleged assailant hid the weapon, a kitchen knife, used in the crime, authorities said.
The motive for the attack is unknown. Detectives said they plan to speak to the two surviving family members as part of their investigation.
Colleen Johns faces an ironic dilemma. Her 8-year-old daughter Stephanie has a rare disease that causes tumors all over her body and comes with the constant risk of mood swings and seizures. However, many people have never heard of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) which is making it especially difficult for Colleen to get any donations to go towards improving the lives of people who suffer from it.
“No one knows about this disease,” said Colleen who had to pull the plug on a fundraiser scheduled for early May because she couldn’t secure corporate backing for the event. “The federal dollars aren’t enough.”
Last March, when Stephanie was just 7, she stood alongside Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. on the House Floor to ask for funding for TSC.
“She’s still very proud of it,” said Colleen. She still considers herself a ‘celebrity.’”
TSC is a genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumors to form in many organs, including the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes and skin, according to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. As a result of those tumors, many people with TSC suffer from seizures. TSC has also been linked to autism spectrum disorder.
Stephanie’s last seizure happened when she was just 3 ½ years old. Even though that was more than 4 years ago, her parents still worry about the possibility of another.
Thanks in part to Stephanie’s efforts, Congress passed the bill to give $6 million to the Tuberous Sclerosis Research Program (TSCRP) for 2015 bringing the total to $59 million to date since Congress first helped fund TSCRP in 2002.
March's early snow storm kept the Johns family at home in Narberth and out of Washington like they had orignally planned but Fitzpatrick was there for them. Fitzpatrick called on Congress and was the lead Republican sponsor for the 2015 Dear Colleague letter, asking for TSC funding for 2016 just like he had the previous year.
Fitzpatrick, who is also a member of the Rare Disease caucus is now working with Democrat Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez to secure those funds and advocate for finding cures for such diseases and is also calling on efforts to bring new researchers to the cause.
"Beating TSC isn't about party or politics," Fitzpatrick said regarding the bipartisan effort. "It's about kids like Stephanie and their families and ensuring we're sure that vital scientific proposals are not left unfunded."
In the past few years, fundraising efforts have gone digital making it more convenient for people to request and give donations on sites like Kickstarter and GoFundMe.
"It only takes a few minutes to set up your campaign and start raising funds," said Kelsea Little from GoFundMe.com. "Our built-in social media sharing tools make it easy to reach out to family and friends to request support."
The site has raised over $830 million from some eight million donors since GoFundMe went live back in 2010. With approximately 10,000 new campaign pages created everyday though, it may be difficult to choose which cause to donate to and some campaigns could be left under-funded if they don't get enough social media traffic.
Colleen is committed to making sure TSC does not go unfunded and as a new member of the Board of Directors, the Governance Committee and the Development Committee for the TS Alliance, she's widening her approach. For 2015 she is focused on raising awareness about TSC and getting people to donate money that would go towards improving the lives of people who have TSC. Despite having to cancel the first event she remains hopefull and plans to have an inaugural fundraiser by the end of this year or early next.
It started as a monthly meeting between a Philadelphia school principal and a CEO and turned into a partnership that will change the way schools recruit new students.
The Industry Partners Program pairs business leaders with public school principals, like the leader of Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School, to drive enrollment, retention, recruitment and outcomes for students.
"I think if we get the momentum going, the pride going, that starts to spread in community and good things can happen," said Bob Moul, an entrepreneur with Industry Partners Program.
Bob Moul suggested to the Mastbaum's principal that his students should pair up with Temple University students to build a website dedicated to the Kensington high school and its students.
The school needed to improve attendance since enrollment is tied to state funding and the hiring of teachers.
The website gave students a chance to market their school online, act as tour guides, pump up school pride and learn skills for jobs post-graduation.
A school bus went up in flames Friday in Mercer County.
The fire occurred on the 2500 block of East State Street in Hamilton, New Jersey around 11: 30 p.m., according to officials.
Crews brought the blaze under control by noon, authorities said.
It is unclear if anyone was on the bus at the time of the blaze.
Police in Voorhees, New Jersey were looking for two men considered persons of interest in the beating and robbery of an elderly man.
Police said an 83-year-old man was struck in the head and robbed of his wallet around 5 o'clock Thursday in the 300 block of Preston Avenue near the Ashland PATCO station.
The man was hospitalized for his injuried, but police said he was alert and talking.
The two men pictured were considered persons of interest and police would like to speak with them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Voorhees Police Department at 856-627-7174.
Several buildings, including a well-known boardwalk landmark, were destroyed in a blaze on Fire Island early Friday, officials say.
The blaze broke out at Bayview and Holly walks in Cherry Grove at about 1:30 a.m., Suffolk County police say. When firefighters arrived, several buildings were engulfed, including the Grove Hotel.
"It's heartbreaking. It was a love, not just a hotel," said Frank Liguori, the owner of Grove Hotel, a 50-year fixture that was just preparing for a May 1 reopening.
Two other homes and the Holly House apartment complex were also destroyed. None of the structures or homes was occupied in the primarily summer beach community.
The blaze broke out in the apartment complex, officials say.
Iconic area nightclub Ice Palace was spared from the flames. Year-round resident Jeffrie McClean said he grabbed a firehose to help save it.
"That's the first place I worked back in 1982," he said. "It's the heart of the community."
Cherry Grove Assistant Fire Chief Craig Williams says three firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the blaze.
Williams says dozens of firefighters from 22 departments responded to the blaze. Some were taken to the scene by the Sayville Ferry Service.
The fire was under control by 4:30 a.m.
"There was significant damage done, of course. But it could have been much worse if not for the work of these incredible volunteers," said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
Arson detectives were investigating the blaze, police say.
Historic photos used as evidence in a string of burglaries in Colorado may have ties to Philadelphia and police are asking for the public's help in getting them back to their rightful owner.
The pictures, which date back to the Civil War era, were found in an old tin and were used as evidence against two men convicted of burglarizing storage units in Jefferson County, Colorado, according to News 9, an NBC affiliate in the state.
For the past two years, evidence technician Kim Van Norman has been searching for anyone who recognizes the people in the 140-year-old photos, most of which were taken in Philadelphia's Tacony section.
Along with the pictures, envelopes addressed to an Emma Stull, including a pension check for her husband Richard, was also inside the tin, said Van Norman. A poem, written by one of the couple's daughters, Lily, was also found.
"We were able to trace their children and who their children married. They seem to have stayed in Pennsylvania, as far as we can tell," she said.
Van Norman and her co-worker used census records they found on the Internet to trace some of the Stull family tree, but have come to a dead end.
"The problem is, when you start on your own family tree, you know the facts and can go forward from there. We’re kind of working backward," Van Norman said.
The determined duo are hoping that will the help of the web, news and social media, they'll be able to find the family and get these photos home where they belong.
"I'll never give up," said Van Norman. "I'm determined to find this family."
Anyone who recognizes the people in the old photos is asked to contact Kimberly Van Norman at 303-271-5655.
The little girl found soaking wet and alone at an intersection in the city’s Tacony section overnight Thursday just wanted a frozen drink from a nearby convenience store, according to the SEPTA bus driver who called authorities to report the unusual find.
Route 56 bus driver Harlan Jenifer called SEPTA’s control center around 3 a.m. after a man brought the 4-year-old girl onto the bus and told him she was standing alone on the corner of Torresdale and Magee Avenues.
"He had to question me twice, 'Like, what?'" said Jenifer. "He was shocked, too, at what was going on."
The girl told the driver and passengers on the bus that she dressed herself, unlocked the door to her home and ventured out because she wanted a slushie from a nearby 7-Eleven, said Jenifer.
The little girl roamed the parked bus and talked to other passengers until officers arrived.
"In this day and age, with all the stuff going on, someone could have picked her up... It was really scary to see her out there at that time of night by herself," said Jenifer.
The girl was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children for evaluation before she was released to her mother.
No charges have been filed.
The Philadelphia Police Marine Unit recovered a male body found in the Schuylkill River in Northwest Philadelphia.
The nude body was spotted by a passer-by floating in the river near the U.S. 1 highway overpass in East Falls around 4 p.m. Friday, police said.
The man, who wasn't identified, was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office.
Police said the body appeared to have been in the water for a few days.
