For the first time in about 15 years it could soon cost you more the drive across the Delaware River on certain bridges and some drivers will be paying twice as much.

The Burlington County Bridge Commission wants to double the toll for some regular drivers crossing the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol bridges. Under the proposed rate hike it would cost $3 for E-ZPass customers and $4 for cash customers to cross the bridges between Pennsylvania and New Jersey compared to the $2 it currently costs. The price of tolls will also go up for multi-axle trucks, buses and RVs.

The commission would use the increased revenue toward $110 million in future maintenance including $45 million to replace the roadway across the Burlington-Bristol and $43.5 million to repaint the Tacony-Palmyra as well as less expensive projects.

Before the tolls would go into effect, the commission will hold public meetings on Aug. 10 at the Commission's offices at 1300 Route 73 South in Palmyra; and Aug. 11 at the Commission's Maintenance Building at 260 Reed Street in Burlington City, said the commission. Commuters are welcome to comment at those meetings but first alert communications director Liz Verna by email or phone at (856) 829-1900.

An animal cruelty survivor has found a loving home two months after veterinarians removed a shackle from the then emaciated dog's neck.

On #TransformationTuesday, the Delaware County SPCA showed off a photo of Trooper with his new owner David Byrd, someone who has fostered large-breed dogs before. Byrd took in Trooper so that the dog could socialize and continue to recover. With the bond between Byrd's other dogs and Trooper evident, Byrd decided to permanently adopt Trooper, said SPCA spokeswoman Justina Calgiano.

Trooper -- a now 10-month-old Great Dane -- his tongue out and his body looking full is a far cry from the sad-faced dog that could barely walk when it came to the Delco SPCA in early June.

The SPCA found Trooper in Darby, Pennsylvania, on June 4. He was badly emaciated to the point where animal officers had trouble determining his breed at first.

The Delco SPCA asked anyone who could help “put meat on those bones” to donate. And, after two months, Trooper's health was to the point where he could be adopted.

Trooper found a home as humane officer's continued to search for the dog's abuser. A $1,500 reward remains for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to call 610-566-1370, ext. 214.

On a beautiful Tuesday morning last month, Kevin Wallace slowly rose toward the aqua-blue sky at the corner of Art Museum Drive and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway diagonal from Eakins Oval. The burly technician guided the van-mounted cherry picker east to bring him eye level to a brown street pole.

Sliding metal radio receivers into pole-mounted racks and connecting fiber optic wires, Wallace installed some of the last pieces of equipment needed to complete a new cellular antenna system designed to flood the area with radio waves.

Wallace was one of 100 people working on the parkway that Tuesday racing to get the installation, called an Outdoor Distributed Antenna System or 'oDAS', up and running to provide expanded high-speed 4G LTE voice and data service along the grand avenue.

It's a network designed to (hopefully) keep 1.5 million of Pope Francis' pilgrims in contact with their families and social networks during his September visit — a daunting task.

The sheer number of people crammed into the confined area and data-hungry wireless habits of event attendees has wireless carriers beefing up coverage to ensure people can stay connected.

"That's a massive amount of people in the same place at the same time using their smartphone and tablet and that means it's a challenge, and we openly say that it is, but we're giving this challenge everything we've got," said AT&T spokeswoman Brandy Bell-Truskey.

AT&T and Verizon shelled out $42 million to make temporary and permanent upgrades around the region ahead of the papal visit. Both are leasing space on the parkway oDAS network and bringing in mobile cell towers called COWs (cells on wheels) to boost capacity.

Randall Miller, executive director of Verizon Wireless' local network operations, said engineers have been working to predict usage since the World Meeting of Families was announced in 2014.

"We'll use past models like Super Bowl events across the country or events on the Washington Mall like the presidential inauguration ... or New York City's Times Square for New Year's Eve celebrations," Miller said. "Those are all good starting points to give us what's going on and what we need to do to deploy capacity for this size."

During the 2015 Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, 70,000-plus attendees used more than 6 terabytes of data over wireless networks — the equivalent of posting 18 million photos to Instagram over just a few hours. Twenty-one times the people are expected to flood the parkway when Pope Francis celebrates Mass on September 27.

Adding to the unknown: when a large number of people will use the network. Traffic peaks during key points in an event or when something unexpected happens — something that's almost impossible to plan for.

"There are three wireless carriers that are trying to saturate the area with as much coverage as possible," said Mike Kavanagh, president of DAS Operations for Crown Castle. The telecommunications wholesaler designed and installed the oDAS system and carriers lease access for their customers.

The parkway oDAS array, described by Crown Castle employees as one-of-a-kind, is designed to relieve intense pressure a crush of people can inflict on wireless networks. It distributes 37 mini-cell towers — like Wi-Fi hot spots on steroids — along the parkway from the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Each tower is low to the ground bringing access closer to the cellular user.

"We're trying to limit the interference and to do that you gotta get lower to the ground," Kavanagh said. The system's first big test will be the two-day Made in America festival. A fraction of the people expected for the papal visit will attend the concert, however — only 50,000 a day. The parkway system is permanent and will join a similar oDAS array installed across Center City.

The carriers aren't putting all their eggs in one basket, though. AT&T installed a new permanent cell tower at 23rd and Race streets. The temporary COWs they're deploying will feature nine cellular beams — an upgrade from one when used under normal circumstances.

"These antennas are able to better serve a crowd by dividing it into sections, each with its own dedicated antenna beam," Bell-Truskey said. "The increased beams help to improve customers’ mobile experience by using cellular resources more efficiently."

Realizing the masses will be roaming the city and attending events in other venues like the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the World Meeting of Families conference is being held, Verizon installed indoor cell sites and has taken a look at cell capacity on SEPTA's rail lines. They're also providing a secured network for the U.S. Secret Service, details of which, Miller declined to expand on.

Standing in Logan Circle, he said, "We're not just focused on the immediate event down here, but the Greater Philadelphia area as a whole."

While Pope Francis' visit was the catalyst for the added infrastructure, most of the upgrades are permanent meaning city residents can expect to reap the benefits with better service long after the papal visitors leave.

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

We sat down with the FBI's top agent in Philadelphia, Ed Hanko, for his first interview since declaring he would retire from the bureau on July 31.

The Wilkes-Barre native has been with the FBI for 29 years, most recently leading the Philadelphia division — the bureau's eighth-largest office — since 2013.

Over the years, Hanko has overseen an investigative force with a focus on counterterrorism, cyber crime and public corruption probes.

Why did you decide to retire?
It’s very difficult for an agent who has spent their entire life serving their country to leave this position. Congress edicts we have to leave at 57 years-old, so as we get to that age we look at what can we do next and how can I still contribute while going to the private sector. Those were factors that led up to me making the decision it was time to leave. I received an excellent offer from private sector company and I took the offer knowing I will still be able to help out the United States and its’ citizens.

How will you continue to serve your country while taking your next step?
I am going to be Vice President of Global Security for Aramark Corporation. They are in 22 countries, 275,000 people and they provide all kinds of services internationally. While we have our law enforcement and military to keep citizens safe, the economic engine that drives this country is business. The economic engine of all our businesses combined make us one of the strongest nations in the world. Our economy is larger than the entire combined economy of Europe. I will be able to assist in keeping our economy strong.

What do you think is your legacy as you leave this office?
I believe my legacy of being here is that I was able to get things accomplished as a team. I was able to bridge those gaps that needed help, build partners, and give employees a pat on the back because we don’t get that a lot. It’s a part of my job to make sure the atmosphere in our office is upbeat and moving forward in a positive direction.

How many corrupt politicians do you think you’ve uncovered in your career?
I’ve dealt with around 15 or 20 corruption cases. Although looking at my whole career of 29 years, I have been blessed to be able to work on an array of organized crime cases, kidnap cases, and drug cases. During this job, we see the good that can be done, but we also see the darker side that most citizens don’t see. It’s a tough business.

Is there any baggage you are going to take with you as you move on from the FBI?
Losing two of my agents in the line of duty and losing another to cancer were definitely tough. But one of the things that bothers me the most will be the cases you can’t solved. You know who did it, but you can’t prove it. While we believe we know who committed the crime, there wasn’t enough evidence to take it to court. Those types of things bother you and they’ll continue to bother you. You can only hope someone will turn up one day and say “I saw it.”

What kind of terrorist threats have you faced in Philadelphia?
We are a big target because Philadelphia is where America started and most terrorist organizations would love to do another dramatic attack. New York and Washington D.C. are big targets, but people want to get Philly because they think we might be less prepared than the other cities. But we are just as prepared because we talk to all our partners so we can get all our intel together to prevent attacks. Right now, for me, is one of the scariest times because we are no longer able to see some of their communications. What’s really disturbing is that some of those terrorists’ organizations are using encryptions to communicate and those companies that create the codes can’t event crack them.

Have you prevented attack during your tenure?
I have, right after 911 there was a secondary plot we had heard of and this was to use trucks with explosive material to attack unknown sites. In Pa. we had two subjects that were attending a trucking school, both of their home addresses were in New Jersey where a terrorist leader resided. Those two people came to light when the trucking school told us they had two middle eastern students who were about to graduate and all they were interested in was driving trucks carrying hazardous material. We intervened and during the interview process they were able to give us where they lived, but it was so scripted. Just by talking to them we were able to stop them from committing a terrorist attack and had them deported out of the country.

What keeps you up at night?
The biggest thing I worry about is that we are going to miss something and there’s going to be an attack or explosion. We might miss something that is totally off our radar. We second guess ourselves all the time because for terrorists to succeed, they only have to be lucky once, but we have to be perfect every single time. It’s actually impossible, but it doesn’t deter us because we will continue to work the cases to the best of our abilities.

Philadelphia has a reputation for being a politically corrupt place, is it as bad as its’ reputation?
There are really good people here, politicians and citizens. I think any town or city that has a few arrests people assume “oh it’s a corrupt town”, but it’s our job to weed out those individuals before they corrupt entire systems like the Philadelphia traffic court case. That was an important case to do and it caused legislation to be reformulated as to where less corruption can exist, which is the big win there.

As you talk about your accomplishments, how did you almost not become an FBI agent?
As a Baltimore city police officer, I was finishing my degree at the University of Baltimore. I always had a friendly competition with one of my classmates, Ed Goetz, so when I went to take the test for the FBI, I sat next to him. Three weeks later, I got a letter saying I didn’t score high enough, and that was the end of it. Ed got in and eventually went to the applicant coordinator, asking about my test. When they bought up the sheet, I had scored an 89, but then they looked at the actual test, I had really scored a 98. So you could imagine receiving a phone call from the FBI saying they made a mistake. They asked me if they could have my background check done and start in thirty days, so that’s where my career started. Ed Goetz and I are still pretty good friends.

On the day that Sandra Bland’s family filed a federal lawsuit over what officials say was her suicide in a Texas jail, a report released Tuesday shows the number of suicides continuing to rise in local jails.

The report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000 - 2013,” found that the number of suicides in local jails increased from 300 in 2012 to 327 in 2013.

Suicide was the leading cause of deaths in jails, up 12 percent since 2009 and accounting for 34 percent of deaths in 2013.

The report also found that overall the number of inmates who died in jails and state prisons rose for the third straight year — 4,446 in 2013, up 131 deaths from the year before. The total was the highest number reported since 2007.

Most jails, 80 percent, reported no deaths in 2013. Nearly a quarter of all deaths among jail inmates, 23 percent, occurred in Texas and California, which had the largest state and federal prison populations.

Paul Wright, the executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center in Lake Worth, Florida, which advocates on criminal justice topics, said there were no surprises in the numbers.

“Barring any change in our sentencing practices, and also in our medical and mental-health care, these numbers are only going to go up,” said Wright, a former prisoner himself.

Approximately 2.2 million people were incarcerated in jails and prisons in the United States in 2013, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Bland, 28, was found dead in her cell in Waller County on July 13 and officials say she hanged herself with a plastic trash can liner. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards criticized the Waller County Jail for insufficient training.

Bland’s family is suing the state trooper, Brian Encinia, who pulled her over, and others they say are responsible for her death. Encinia has been placed on administrative duties after he was found to have violated procedures regarding traffic stops.

The number of deaths in jails as a result of drug or alcohol intoxication, accidents and homicides also rose. Homicides and accidental deaths were less common, accounting for 3 percent or less of deaths in jails in 2013, according to the report. Illness-related deaths declined.

The typical jail inmate who died was a white male 35 years old or older and in custody for fewer than seven days.

As far as deaths in state prisons, Texas and California again led with nearly a quarter. Every state department of corrections reported at least one death.

The number of deaths was up 122 from 2012 to 2013. About 90 percent were related to illness, with about half a result of cancer or heart diseases. The number from liver disease, the third leading cause, declined.

Suicides accounted for 6 percent of the deaths; homicides for 3 percent.

Also: the percentage of those who died who were 55 or older has increased by an average of 5 percent a year since 2001 and although the average mortality rate for men and women was nearly equal, the suicide mortality rate among males was 1.5 times the rate for females.

An eastbound lane is now open on the Pennsylvania Turnpike following a fiery crash Tuesday afternoon.

A tractor trailer loaded with cardboard crashed near mile marker 348 in Southampton, Bucks County around 12:15 p.m. and caught fire. Fortunately no one was injured in the accident.

Crews at the scene dumped the contents onto the roadway, extinguished it and then loaded them into a recovery dumpster.

Eastbound lanes were shut down between the Willow Grove and Bensalem exits. Traffic could be seen backed up for miles as SkyForce10 flew overhead at about 1:30 p.m.

Shortly after 4 p.m. officials announced the eastbound left lane was reopened. The other two lanes remain closed however and are expected to stay closed through rush hour.

Drivers traveling eastbound on I-276 may exit at the Willow Grove Interchange and take Route 611 north to State Route 132 east to US Route 1. This brings you to the Bensalem Interchange (Exit #351) to reenter the system and continue east to New Jersey.

Several units were destroyed in a blaze that ripped through an apartment complex on the New Jersey shore Tuesday afternoon, police say.

The blaze broke out at the Twinbrook Village Apartments in Ocean Township at about 1 p.m., according to police. 

Dozens of people were taken out of the complex, and about 36 residents are homeless after the fire, Ocean Township Police Lt. Kevin Fowler said. The blaze, which so far appears to be accidental, destroyed 12 units.  

Two police officers and two firefighters from West Long Branch and Ocean Township were taken to Monmouth Medical Center with injuries ranging from cuts to the face to smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, said Fowler. They're expected to be treated and released.

No civilians were hurt.

Multiple fire departments were expected to stay on the scene through the evening to hose down any lingering hot spots.  

WARNING: The details of this story are graphic and may be disturbing to some readers

As officials continue the search for a New Jersey resident who disappeared 24 years ago, a former prostitute is speaking out for the first time about a disturbing video he claims a person of interest in the case showed him.

“People need to know what I seen that night,” said Daniel Coll.

Coll is a former prostitute who claims Thomas Butcavage Jr. was a frequent client of his. Butcavage, a convicted sex offender, is one of several persons of interest in the disappearance of 11-year-old Mark Himebaugh in 1991. Some people who knew Butcavage believe there’s a strong resemblance between him and the sketch of a man spotted talking with Himebaugh shortly before he vanished near his Middle Township, New Jersey home.

Coll told NBC10 he was with Butcavage the night of Feb. 14, 1993 inside his Haverford Township apartment. That’s when he said Butcavage showed him a graphic video that left him traumatized to this day. 

“A little boy who was shackled, handcuffed and had a ball gag in his mouth,” Coll said.

Coll told NBC10 Butcavage sexually assaulted the boy in the video and he’s positive that boy was Himebaugh. 

“I remember looking at the little boy’s face and just the look on his eyes,” Coll said. “I mean completely, you ever see fear? Just through the eyes. Man, the little boy was scared to death.”

Coll then recalled the disturbing conversation he had with Butcavage as he saw the video.

“I said, ‘that looks like the little boy from South Jersey,’” Coll said. “Tommy told me it was him. He confessed to me and said it was him. I said, ‘What did you do with him?’ He said, ‘Well, I did like I did the rest of them. I dispose them.’ ‘What do you mean the rest of them?’ He said, ‘Well, I got five or six other kids I did.’”

Coll says he contacted police the next day and told them about what Butcavage allegedly showed him.

“He kept reassuring me, ‘I need you. I need you to help me get little kids,’” Coll said.

Coll’s tip led to a police search through Butcavage’s apartment, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Butcavage denied any involvement in Himebaugh’s disappearance however and he was never charged in relation to the case. Six years later he pleaded guilty to numerous sex crime charges involving young boys in Chester County. He remains in prison.

During a renewed push in June to solve the Himebaugh case, investigators confirmed Butcavage is one of several persons of interest in the disappearance. Coll, who is terminally ill, told NBC10 he decided to speak publicly about Butcavage for the first time after seeing our recent reports on the case.

“I’ve been in the grand juries,” Coll said. “I testified up in Camden for the feds. They need more people to come forward on this because he’s there. People seen him there. I just need people to know the truth of Tommy Butcavage, you know?”

Police are hoping to talk with people who may have seen Butcavage in Cape May County in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Detectives also hope to speak with Coll again as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information in the case can call Middle Township Police at 609-465-8700 or the NCMEC hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST.

If your loved one has gone missing, here's a list of things you should do right away.
 

Shoppers will now be able to pick up a six-pack of beer at a Delaware County Wawa.

The Concord Township Board of Supervisors approved the sale of beer at the Wawa at 721 Naamans Creek Road in Chadds Ford Tuesday night during a meeting at the township building on Thornton Road. The decision was made quickly as public comments were already heard at previous meetings.

With the approval, six-packs of beer will be added to the store's product line, according to the Delco Times. The Times reports Wawa will create a separate 400-square foot space within the store for "beer sales and consumption." The space will also include a cooler and seating for 30 people. Customers will face limits of buying two six-packs at a time.

The Chadds Ford store is the first Wawa in Pennsylvania to win approval.

"I can come to Wawa, get an awesome sandwich and pick up a six-pack and go home," said Dan Street of Chadds Ford. "That would be amazing."

Not everyone is excited about the decision however. Local beer distributors who have dominated Pennsylvania's beer market say the extra competition will hurt their business.

"There's only so much beer that could be sold in a geographical area so the more people that are selling it obviously the less that will be bought from us I mean there's no way around it," said Steve Blaisse of D&I Beverage.

While Wawa officials said they were only seeking approval for the Chadds Ford store, they may try to expand the product to other locations if beer sales are successful. They will need approval from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board however.

Residents in Wildwood and other Jersey Shore communities received quite a show Tuesday night when lightning lit up the night sky as storms moved through South Jersey and Delaware. Along with the lightning the storms also brought heavy rain.

The storms may linger overnight but should be clear by the morning commute.

Check out photos and videos of the lightning below:

A man is now in custody after he allegedly stabbed his father to death inside a Bucks County home.

Police say the 26-year-old man was arguing with his 66-year-old father around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday inside a home on Trappe Lane in Langhorne. He then allegedly grabbed a knife and stabbed his father.

The victim, who has not yet been identified, died from his injuries. His son was taken into custody. Police have not yet revealed the specific charges against him.
 

There were hugs before the game. There was talk of text message emojis being sent between former teammates. And once again, there was that trade-marked gap-toothed smile.

Although, this time, the player owning said smile was wearing a particularly ugly shade of blue. And sitting in the visitor's dugout.

The return of Jimmy Rollins to Citizens Bank Park for the first time as a member of the visiting team was one of, if not the, most anticipated moments of the season for Phillies fans.

"At the end of the day it's just another baseball game," Rollins said before the festivities got under way.

That may be true for the Los Angeles Dodgers but for the Philadelphia Phillies faithful, this was yet another chance to look back and celebrate the Team To Beat years and honor one of the franchise's all-time greats.

To the tens of thousands of Philly fans in attendance, the outcome of the game was clearly secondary.

So it's no surprise Jimmy was greeted with a standing ovation when he came to the plate for the first time wearing Dodger blue. J-Roll tipped his cap, flashed that big smile, and the fans didn't let up, so he tipped it a second time.

It was a nice moment. Then Rollin struck out and the world turned.