A man was electrocuted this afternoon while trimming trees at his home in Salem, N.J.
New Jersey State Police say the 40-year-old man was using a chainsaw to cut down tree limbs at his home on Three Bridge Road.
A preliminary investigation shows that one of the limbs he cut off, fell onto an active power line, sending electricity through the limb to the chainsaw.
A.C. Electric was called to the home to shut off the power.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The body of 13-year-old Brandon Boyle was found in the Pennypack Creek today, three days after he disappeared while swimming.
The Medical Examiner officially identified the body as Brandon.
"I just want to thank each and every person that has come out here since Monday for my boy," said Kim Boyle, Brandon's mom.
At a vigil tonight, friends and neighbors lit candles and sent them floating down the creek in honor of the teen.
"He just loved being outside, he was with his brother all the time," said Karen McBride, Northeast Philadelphia.
Condolence messages are also pouring in on the Pray for Brandon Facebook page.
Boyle went missing on Monday afternoon while swimming with his younger brother and a few friends at the rain-swollen creek. His 11-year-old brother was rescued after being found clinging to a ledge.
Boyle's body was found by someone passing by the creek, near Holme and Winchester Avenues, around 6:30 this morning, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Boyle just graduated 8th grade and would have celebrated his 14th birthday on July 22.
A Civil War re-enactor proposes to his girlfriend-- a Civil War seamstress-- at the 150th Gettysburg Battle Re-enactment on July 4th.
A York Daily Record/ Sunday News photographer snapped this priceless picture of Patrick McCarthy and Anna Jennings, mid-proposal.
According to the Daily Record, the couple met at a Civil War club at college and has been together for four years.
The proposal took place on the field after the re-enactment and her answer was "yes."
Click here to read the full story.
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Residents living in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia hope a new basketball court will help to combat crime and create a safe place for kids to play.
Organizers want to build the court at Ralph Brooks Park located at 20th and Tasker Street where surrounding neighborhoods have increased in violent crimes, according to Jahmall Crandall.
"In 26 years, the grounds that you see here have always been in disarray,” said Crandall.
Crandall hatched the idea based off Harlem's Rucker Park, home to an annual all-pro summer basketball league. The league started in the 70’s and soared to stardom attracting the best and those who wanted to become better. His concept would also remake the blocks surrounding Ralph Brooks Park, with a new farm box and improved housing and playground areas.
The group has already raised $240,000 towards the project set to be named Rucker-Philly. Another $70,000 is needed.
“This is going to be a facility where people that are coming from out of town will want and come and visit,” said Tali Mazzola, Director of Urban Roots Marketing.
Groundbreaking could begin in the fall of 2013.
For more information on how you can donate click here.
A college right in our own backyard could be one of the worst investments for graduates.
A recent study by human capital firm PayScale.com named the best and worst schools in America when it comes to return on your investment for the cost of college.
The top of the list featured engineering heavyweights like MIT, CalTech and SUNY-Maritime with tiny liberal arts/engineering school Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, Calif.) topping the list with a 30-year return of investment of more than $2 million. But for those return on investment (ROI) champs there are also schools where going there seemingly costs you more over time than just tuition, according to the study.
At the bottom of PayScale’s ROI list, which looked at data collected from surveys filled out by alumni of 1,511 colleges, are two Pennsylvania schools -- the Art Institute of Pittsburgh is dead last with Valley Forge Christian College coming in second to last.
Valley Forge Christian costs about $114,100 for a four-year student but leaves that student owing $178,000 rather than earning money in the future, according to the report.
The small Assemblies of God denomination-affiliated college’s President Dr. Don Meyer disputes the report.
“As far as return on investment, we feel that we are comparable to any similar kind of college or university in the state of Pennsylvania,” Meyer told NBC10.com.
When the ROI report came out, Meyer sent a letter to “friends” of the school that disputed the methodology of PayScale’s report since it took data from the last 30 years -- a time period during which VFCC went through drastic changes -- especially in the 17 years since he took over as college president.
“The fundamental basis for their report is inaccurate because we are a transformed institution from what we were in 1983,” Meyer said.
In the past 30 years, Meyer says VFCC has grown from a non-accredited regional school offering just six majors to about 400 students to now having regional accreditation with 57 majors and six masters degrees offered to more than 1,000 students on the four-year school’s 102-acre Phoenixville, Pa. campus.
When asked if the ROI report is a challenge to VFCC, Meyer said. “To reply to that question incurs that there is even a modicum of accuracy in the basis of this report.”
In his letter, Meyer noted the study’s methodology.
Here is PayScale’s methodology that Meyer questioned:
“We are effectively assuming the (wage inflation adjusted) earnings 30 years from now for a 2012 graduate is the same as the current earnings of a 1983 graduate. If the character of a school's graduates has changed substantially in the last 30 years, this measure may be inaccurate.
“For example, a school that has added or substantially expanded an engineering program in the last 30 years, such that the mix of graduates today are much more likely to be engineers than 30 years ago, would tend to have a 30 year median pay that underestimates the future earnings of the typical 2012 graduate.”
“It’s just very unfortunate that the profile of return on investment is based on three-decades old of our institution,” Meyer told NBC10.com.
PayScale didn’t respond to a written request for comment from NBC10.com.
Other ranking institutions like U.S. News and World Report didn’t publish a ranking for VFCC and the school doesn’t appear on Forbes’ list of “America’s Top Colleges.”
Meyer says VFCC, despite mostly being under the radar, is headed in the right direction while staying true to its core values with thousands of VFCC graduates in “very, very high demand.”
According to Meyer, the college has expanded its vocational training curriculum while keeping true to the values the school was founded on in 1933. We’ve advanced “the application of our mission to include not only church vocational ministry majors but also marketplace ministry majors.”
According VFCC’s mission, the school must “prepare individuals for a life of service and leadership in the church and in the world.”
“When we speak of preparation we speak of it from the Gospel of Luke 2:52 where it speaks of the four-fold development that Jesus had as a young man in wisdom, stature, favor with God, and man,” Meyer said. “So all of students are developed with the intellectual, the physical, the spiritual and the social components -- and all way we do inside the classroom and outside the classroom is focus on those four developmental strategies.”
But does that strategy play in the ever-changing highly-competitive collegiate world?
That is the question raised in part by the PayScale study but Meyer isn’t worried and isn’t looking back.
“If you were to ask us what our best year was we ever had our reply would be ‘the next one’ because we want to continue the maturation process of our entire institution.”
VFCC will be able to prove Meyer’s words if they improve in next year’s 30-year ROI study.
For a brief moment there was panic along the Ben Franklin Parkway Thursday night as thousands gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.
Police say a crowd ran down the parkway during the fireworks show after hearing loud popping noises that many believed to be gunshots.
Investigators say someone fired a BB gun into the crowd. No one was injured in the incident and police were able to grab the gun so that no one else would panic.
Rumors of a shooting spread across social media sites but police say that they are not true. Some described the incident as a stampede.
No arrests have been made in the incident.
About 500,000 people flocked to the parkway for the annual birthday bash.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
More stories at NBC10.com:
In the Curtis Institute's Field Hall, pianist Jonathan Biss sat at the keyboard of a Steinway concert grand, and fixed his stubborn hair.
"Alright. Take two," said a man with a headset and a clapboard. "Coursera, Jonathan Biss. Lecture two, section one, take 2."
Clap!...and action.
"Now, we have four classes to cover 32 sonatas," said Biss into a two-way teleprompter lens. "That's some tough math..."
Biss, a member of the Curtis faculty, has performed Beethoven's piano sonatas for both live audiences and CD studio recordings. For this four-part online class, "Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas," he will explain what he thinks about when he performs.
"You can't teach how to perform the sonatas to thousands of people with whom you have no contact," said Biss, who illustrates his lectures by playing sections of selected sonatas. "You don't know their experience with music or with the piano. The idea is to talk about the process of working on them that a performer goes through."
For 89 years, the Curtis Institute has trained some of the very best classical music performers in the world. Starting this fall, anyone with an internet connection can get a taste of that education, for free. The Curtis is the first classical conservatory to offer classes online, through Coursera.
Still two months out, Biss' course "Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas" has attracted 20,000 registered participants. That is more than the total number of students who have walked through the Curtis building since 1924.
As a teacher, Biss cannot make assumptions about any of them.
"No assumptions. Which is what's exciting and terrifying," said Biss. "I think that means the class will be different things to different people. There will be people who will find it slow and people who will find it crammed full with information they don't know, and others in the middle for whom it's just right. I think it's incredible that there are so many people out there - thousands upon thousands - who want spend hours of their week listening to someone talk about Beethoven. It warms my heart."
The courses (a second class, "Western Music History Through Performance" with David Ludwig and Jonathan Coopersmith, will be offered in October) are the latest pieces of an ongoing campaign to broaden the Curtis' popular appeal, representing a sea-change in how the Curtis operates.
"Curtis had prided itself on being the best-kept secret in the industry," said vice president Elizabeth Warshawer. "If you didn't know about Curtis, you didn't need to know about Curtis."
The Curtis Institute is the most exclusive institutes of higher learning in America, accepting only 4% of applicants. On a given year there may be between 160-170 students, none of whom are charged tuition. The school was founded with a $12 million endowment in 1924, and is reliant on donors to stay afloat.
With many graduates going on to stellar careers (superstar pianist Lang Lang is an alumnus, for example) the administration has been expanding its legendary reputation beyond the circle of classical music insiders. The Curtis launched a series of international tours highlighting its student ensembles, and a growing, high-definition video library of recitals by students can be readily streamed online. The school now offers summer music workshops for non-students.
That thinking is being passed onto graduates.
"We have been encouraging students to think about how to invent careers in the 21st century, with digital media, by participating in community projects, and through publicizing," said Warshawer. "At the core of all of it, is the highest musical standard - the legendary point of a Curtis education. That doesn't go away."
The Curtis is protecting their legendary brand by making online video classes with production values that match the music. The two-camera shoots are tightly scripted, directed, and edited to make them as engaging as possible.
"It feels faster to me. Does it sound faster?" asked Biss, having delivered 10 minutes of his lecture on Beethoven.
"It sounds faster," said the guy in the control booth.
Which means Biss had to peform it again - and again and again - until he got it just right.
This story was reported through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and NewsWorks.org
What gives the City of Philadelphia the right to take a privately-owned property?
This is the question Meletios Athanasiadis has been struggling to answer since the City informed him that his properties—six parking garages and one home with tenants—would be condemned and taken by eminent domain last December.
“Days before Christmas I received several registered letters informing me that the titles of my properties had been transferred to the City of Philadelphia. Nobody had called me, nobody tried to contact me. They took them, just like that. Months later, I’m still fighting this,” he said.
“I’m 53 years old, I was never in a position where either I cannot call the police or defend what’s mine by myself. I spoke to eight different lawyers; I can’t get justice done. I made a good investment, and the government can come and take it off of me to give it to a developer, why?”
Eminent domain is a law that allows a government to seize private property for public use, with just compensation. The City has since offered Athanasiadis $149,000 for all seven of his properties, but he says it’s not about the money.
“Even if they offer me crazy money, double the money I was going to make developing them myself; if I had a say, I would not sell to them simply because of their actions and the way they went about things,” he said.
Athanasiadis is one 19 property owners whose combined 33 lots were taken by the City of Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) for the impending building of a 45-unit residential project—the Tajdeed Residences. The project, funded through a public-private partnership between the City, the Arab-American Community Development Corporation and the Conifer Realty LLC, seeks to revive a cluster of narrow streets that are riddled with vacant lots and dilapidated buildings.
The eminent domain issue set off a heated battle between Kensington community residents and City officials, which continued at a public meeting at the Drueding Center earlier this week.
Over the past few months, residents have become very vocal about their dislike for the project, complaining that the City did a poor job of reaching out to notify residents of the coming development.
Seventh district Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, who has taken the brunt of residents' complaints -- including a marching protest outside of her home -- said the purpose of this week’s meeting was to discuss the community’s concerns and to make sure the property owners were aware of their rights.
“We’ve been trying to address what people have brought to us, their concerns, and do better due diligence with the community in terms of informing them of the facts. But even with the facts, some people are still gonna disagree,” Quiñones-Sánchez said.
When anger among residents escalated at the meeting, Quiñones-Sánchez admitted fault on behalf of the City for not doing more, early in the process to communicate with and include people in the neighborhood.
“Our communication was not the best and that’s why we’ve hired a community outreach coordinator. We will do our best to be more deliberate moving forward,” she said.
Vice President of Conifer Realty Charles Lewis said that while his company may have faulted in general outreach, it did provide notice as required by law.
“You can argue whether or not they got enough notice but by the law, they got enough. We did a community meeting last summer, and I think for whatever reason we didn’t do the proper outreach and that’s why they think maybe we could’ve done better with notice and outreach. That’s why we’re doing the outreach now,” Lewis said.
One big complaint among the property owners is that Pennsylvania’s eminent domain law only gives a person 30 days to contest a seizure. Many argued that they would have filed to contest the City if they had known their rights early-on. The deadline to contest these seizures expired on Jan. 18, leaving property owners only one other legal option: negotiating just compensation with the City.
David Snyder, an attorney with Fox Rothschild LLC whose focus is on condemnation and eminent domain litigation said the entire process can be both challenging and emotional for property owners in cases like these.
“The problem you run into is if you’re not prepared when the declaration of taking is filed, 30 days is not a lot of time. You have to find a lawyer; you may not know anything about the project, so if you’re going to challenge it you have to learn about it to see whether it’s defective or not for eminent domain purposes. It’s a really tough thing for a property owner who has never been through the process to make a determination within 30 days of whether or not they want to challenge a taking,” Snyder said.
“Whether it’s a home or a business, property rights are really important to our culture and it can be a very emotional thing for someone to go through when someone tells them that they have to give up their property.”
Emotions aside, the situation largely comes down to the law.
Two of the main requirements for taking a property under eminent domain are proving that the area being taken is “blighted” and that the area will be taken for “public use,” both terms that are somewhat vague in definition. Pennsylvania’s eminent domain law recently got overhauled largely due to the outcome of a 2005 Supreme Court case Kelo versus City of New London in which Supreme Court held that private redevelopments could be permissible “public use” under the Fifth Amendment. This led a number of states to modify its legislation to include more specific definitions of blight and public use.
According to Snyder, the amendment to the eminent domain code in Pennsylvania made it much more restrictive. Philadelphia, however, was grandfathered or temporarily exempted from the new legislation, through Dec. 31, 2012.
The PRA confirmed that the City used eminent domain for the taking of approximately 1,200 properties last year. This is compared to less than 100 properties taken in 2011. The PRA stressed that the difference in the number of properties taken year-over-year varies based on a number of variables but Snyder indicated the change in the amount of properties taken may have been due to the new law change.
“The city of Philadelphia had a rush at the end of 2012 to make sure they got all of their blight eminent domain cases filed so that they wouldn’t fall within the new, somewhat more restrictive criteria or requirements for establishing blight,” Snyder said. “It’s not a shady practice; it’s what the law permitted.”
So what happens now?
Only two property owners were able to file preliminary objections to contest the taking of their properties within the 30-day time limit. These two disputes could defer the project if the complaints were decided in the property owners’ favor but Snyder says, historically, that is very unlikely.
Based on appraisals and fair market value, the City has issued compensation offers to all of the property owners though some of the owners, including Athanasiadis have complained that the amounts offered are not fair.
Pennsylvania’s eminent domain law covers up to $4,000 in costs for property owners to obtain supplemental appraisals or legal assistance and several owners have begun the process of contesting the compensation offers. According to Snyder, compensation negotiations can be lengthy and could continue for years but ultimately would not hinder the project from being built.
Executive Director of the Arab-American CDC Marwan Kriedie says he’s confident that the project will move forward and that it will be good for the community.
“Look, the project is gonna happen, I think the important thing now is to make sure that everybody knows what rights they have and they basically have to go and negotiate with the City. We want to make sure everyone is happy and gets a fair amount,” he said. “We’re convinced this is gonna be a great project, it’s a community project and we’re all excited about it.”
In response to Athanasiadis’s complaints, the City says it is now doing a re-appraisal of his properties. Athanasiadis says he’s still unwilling to negotiate.
Kreidie hopes to break ground on the Tajdeed Residences this fall.
The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for most of the Philadelphia area.
The heat warnings will be in effect from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. Actual temperatures will range in the mid 90’s, but NBC10 meteorologist Sheena Parveen says it will feel close to 100 degrees.
The weather is expected to be hot and humid which could possibly lead to heat-related illnesses across the region.
"The most important thing is to stay out of the sun and stay hydrated during the day,"says Parveen. But if you want to escape the heat she says "the coolest places to be is near the shore, at the Poconos or inside with the air conditioning."
Here are some more tips that will keep you cool throughout this steamy weekend:
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July 4th Holiday Weekend Events
PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
Mt. Airy
Friday, July 5
Moonlight Movies and Dining Under the Stars at Lovett Library Park, 6945 Germantown Avenue
Every Friday from June 21 through August 16, a free film screening takes place. This Friday, July 5 is a screening of Akeelah and the Bee.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Food trucks
8:30 p.m. Film screening
If it rains, screening will take place indoors at the Cliveden Carriage House.
Adventure Aquarium Splash in the Square
Friday, July 5
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Philadelphia's Franklin Square
Philadelphia Seaport Fireworks Spectacular!
Saturday, July 6
6:30-10:00 p.m. at the Independence Seaport Museum, on the second floor balcony there will be an evening celebration full of family fun including entertainment, crafts, and a great view of the fireworks later that night on the Delaware River. Tickets: $13.50 Adults, $10 Seniors, $10 Children/College/Military, any children under 2 free admission.
Philadelphia Independence Week
July 3rd to July 7th
National Constitution Center
Daily offerings include:
10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Fourth of July Show: Show from the early days of American independence to the present day
11a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Flag Etiquette Workshop
Discover the history and symbolism of the American flag.
11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. “The Star-Spangled Banner”: Learn the story and the history of the flag that inspired our national anthem.
10 a. to 5 p.m. Arts and crafts station offered
Philadelphia
July 4-6th
Red, White & Zoo
10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Celebrate the Fourth of July at the Brandywine Zoo complete with patriotic games, crafts, animal presentations and more. All military personnel and their families are admitted for free with their ID cards.
Philadelphia Art After 5
Friday, July 5
Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Great Stair Hall
5-8:45 p.m. A performance by Irene Diaz and Tiva Tiva will take place this Friday and guided gallery tours are offered. Snacks, light food, and refreshments will be available. Free after admission. General Admission: $23.50 Adult, $3.50 child, $21.50 Senior, $17.50 Student, $17.50 Youth
PENNSYLVANIA SUBURBS
Newtown's First Fourth
Saturday, July 6
6 p.m. Newtown Middle School
9:30 p.m. Fireworks
Rain date is July 7
Celebrate Coatesville
Sunday, July 7
12-9:30 p.m. at Gateway Park
Food, craft booths, games and activities for entire family, ending with fireworks
Nottingham
Saturday, July 6
22nd Annual Freedom Fest
6-11 p.m. Nottingham County Park
Rain date is July 7
PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
Philadelphia Fourth of July
Thursday, July 4
Wawa Welcome America
12-7 p.m. Party on the Parkway
Philly’s Fourth of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks
Thursday, July 4
Concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway
Celebrate America’s birthday with the “Largest Free Concert” in the country, hosted by Kevin Hart and featuring John Mayer, Neo, Jill Scott, J. Cole, Grace Potter, Ben Taylor, Hunter Hayes and The Roots.
Betsy's Independence Day Bash
Thursday, July 4
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Enjoy Independence Day activities for children, including a naturalization ceremony at 1:30 p.m. and ceremonial bell ringing at 2 p.m.
Celebrate the 4th with Patrick Henry
Thursday, July 4
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Patrick Henry and the Pa. Sons of the Revolution “Let Freedom Ring” to celebrate Independence Day at the Barry Statue behind Independence Hall
Germantown
Thursday, July 4
Ring Out Freedom and Independence in Historic Germantown
11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Cliveden, Concord School, Hood Cemetery, and Stenton
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Stenton will host a celebration including hotdogs, ice cream, games, and more activities.
12-3:00 p.m.Hood Cemetery and the Concord School House & Upper Darby Burial Ground are open to tour
12-4p.m. Cliveden is open for tours, including a children’s activity, “Life as a Colonial Soldier!”
Adventure Aquarium Splash in the Square
Friday, July 5
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Franklin Square
Pennsylvania Counties
BERKS COUNTY
Exeter Township
Thursday, July 4
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Independence Day Program at Daniel Boone Homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Road. Historic activities recreated for families, bring a picnic lunch.
Reading
Thursday, July 4
FirstEnergy Stadium, 1900 Centre Avenue
6 p.m. Concert of Patriotic Music
8 p.m. Fireworks
Rain date is July 5
Union Township
2 p.m. Reading of the Declaration of Independence at Hopewell Furnace, 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, Pa.
Wyomissing
Thursday, July 4
10 a.m. Fourth of July Parade
Begins at Cleveland Avenue and ends on Garfield Avenue
BUCKS COUNTY
Doylestown
Thursday, July 4
Fonthill Castle Museum Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration
12-4 p.m. Experience an early 20th century inspired July Fourth
Tickets $4 adults, $1 youth. For more info, 215-348-9461
Holland
Wednesday, July 3
Free Community Patriotic Concert
7-9 p.m. Saint Bede Venerable Parish Grounds, 1071 Holland Road
Levittown
Thursday, July 4
9 a.m. 2nd Annual Fourth of July Parade
700 Veterans Highway
Newtown
Saturday, July 6
Newtown's First Fouth
6 p.m. Newtown Middle School
9:30 p.m. Fireworks
Rain date is July 7
CHESTER COUNTY
Celebrate Coatesville
Sunday, July 7
12-9:30 p.m. at Gateway Park
Food, craft booths, games and activities for entire family, ending with fireworks
Downingtown Good Neighbor Day
Thursday, July 4
Kerr Park in Downingtown
8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 5K run/walk, big wheel race, carnival rides, crafters, games, music and watermelon seed spitting contest
Fireworks at dusk
More info: 610-285-1119
Phoenixville Fireworks
Thursday, July 4
Friendship Field at corner of Fillmore Street and Franklin Avenue
9 p.m. Fireworks
Rain date July 5
Nottingham
Saturday, July 6
22nd Annual Freedom Fest
6-11 p.m. Nottingham County Park
Rain date is July 7
Tredyffrin Township Fourth of July Celebration
Thursday, July 4
Shire Pavilion, Wilson Farm Park, 500 Lee Road, Chesterbrook, Pa.
7 p.m. Chester County Concert Band and fireworks
DELAWARE COUNTY
Collingdale
Thursday, July 4
Fourth of July Festivities
9 a.m. Parade starts at MacDade Blvd. and ends at Collingdale Park with games starting thereafter
Fireworks begin at dusk
Rain date Saturday, July 6
Lansdowne Independence Day Parade
Thursday, July 4
9-11 a.m. Parade begins at East Greenwood and Wycombe Avenues, including marching bands, decorated bikes and cars.
Radnor
Thursday, July 4
29th Annual Independence Day Fireworks
6:30 p.m. gates open with music, children's games and refreshments.
Fireworks begin at dusk
Tickets in advance are $3 for children under 13, $6 for teens and adults, $12 for a group car or at the door: $5, $10 and $20 respectively. You can get tickets in advance at Wayne Sporting Goods, D'Amicantonio Shoes, Braxton's Animal Works, Radnor Township Building, Dayton Lock Co and Bryn Mawr Trust
Rain date is Saturday, July 6
Ridley Park
Thursday, July 4
10 a.m. Parade starts at Park Street and ends at the Firehouse. Food, vendors and music all day
Fireworks at dusk
Rain date is July 7
Media
Thursday, July 4th
10 a.m. to noon 4th of July Celebration at Barrall Field at State and Edgmont Streets
The event is free and will include food, races, crafts, live entertainment, and water slide.
Swarthmore
Thursday, July 4
July 4th Activities
8:30 a.m. Children’s bicycle race at Park and Dartmouth Avenues
9:45 a.m. Children’s parade
10:30 a.m. Antique car parade and more
11:45 a.m. Free fire engine rides and a horseshoe tournament at 12:30p.m. at Little Crum Creek Park.
LEHIGH COUNTY
Allentown
Thursday, July 4
A Star Spangled Celebration
4-10 p.m. Street Festival on Linden Street, outside the J. Birney Crum Stadium, The event is free
Music performances, food vendors, skydivers, face painting, children's activities and beer garden
9:15 p.m. Fireworks
Severe weather delay date is July 5
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Police say a shootout erupted during a party at a southern New Jersey motel, but that no one was reported injured.
Cherry Hill Police say two men exchanged gunfire outside a room at the America's Best Value Inn around 12:02 a.m. Friday.
By the time police got there, they say those two were gone.
Authorities say interviews of witnesses did not develop “conclusive information.”
At least six shell casings were found in the parking lot and one bullet was found inside an apartment in an adjacent complex.
Two men at the party were arrested on outstanding warrants in unrelated cases.
More stories at NBC10.com:
When Katy Matich first moved to Philadelphia from Minnesota in 2008, she noticed a difference in the way men approached women in public places.
“Where I grew up, and where I went to school for undergrad, and just my experience in metropolitan cities in Minnesota, the culture was very different with how men treated women. You’d get it ever so often there. But I’ve found that, upon moving here, men were much more forward than what I was used to,” Matich said.
“Actually, here I could identify it as harassment; it was actually more clearly defined. It wasn’t just somebody being playful or just trying to pick you up, this was like clearly more aggressive than I was used to and much more verbally harassing than what I experienced before.”
Matich, 28, may have never known that what she was experiencing here in Philadelphia, a variation of whistles, honks, kissing noises, vulgar gestures, flashing or sexually charged comments, was something called street harassment if it weren’t for an organization called Hollaback.
Street harassment is an action or comment by a stranger in a public place that is disrespectful or threatening, and is generally motivated by gender.
Hollaback, a national non-profit founded in 2005 by seven New York City residents who were prompted to discuss their own encounters with street harassment, is dedicated to helping people gain a better understanding of what street harassment is and to developing new strategies to ensure equal access to public spaces. Since 2011, Hollaback has trained over 200 leaders in 62 cities, 25 countries to join the anti-street harassment movement.
Rochelle Keyhan is the director of the local chapter of Hollaback here in Philadelphia, which she started in 2011. HollabackPHILLY garnered a mass of press and citizen support in April of this year when it launched a series of eye-catching advertisements that were displayed on SEPTA buses and trains. Keyhan says the success of the ad campaign helped with many goals that the chapter hopes to accomplish in the future.
“Our shorter term goals were sort of to just get the conversation started in the city. When the SEPTA ads came out, we sort of did that on another level,” she said.
“Now we’re moving on from that step because we have obtained that goal of the definition shift and conversation. Now it’s an engagement shift, where we’re trying to get people more actively involved in speaking up about street harassment; even if they’re uncomfortable in the moment, to report it on the site so we can document the frequency, the severity, where it’s happening, how it’s happening, what time of day it’s happening. That would give us more information to then meet our goal of policy change, where we want to engage City Council to think of creative ways to improve the way we interact with people in public.”
According to Keyhan, two of the organization’s biggest resources are its web site and its engagement on social media. The Hollaback web site allows victims of street harassment to share their stories and provides an array of resources including methods for self-defense, as well as information on how bystanders can intervene if they witness street harassment.
Matich says she first learned of HollabackPHILLY through a posting on Facebook. Laura Jill Steinig, 39, who found out about the organization via a tweet said she’s found Hollaback’s web site resources on how to respond to harassers to be very helpful.
“I’ve been dealing with cat calls and stares, kissing noises from cars and guys on the street trying to ask me out -- I use that term in quotation marks -- for my entire life,” she said.
“What I love about their site is that it made me feel not alone. On the Hollaback site, they have this wonderful page full of strategies of how to respond. Now when I’m walking down the street and there is a construction zone, and someone’s going to say something to me I can get in my head, like here’s what I’m going to say if they say something. Hollaback taught me how to stand up for myself. It taught me how to stand strong and say no, that’s not okay, I don’t like that, nobody likes that, that is sexual harassment.”
HollabackPHILLY’s next major project is a comic book, HOLLABACK: RED, YELLOW, BLUE, which will be used for educational workshops on street harassment and bystander intervention.
“The comic book is a pretty thorough introduction to the issue. It’s an engaging and non-aggressive way to get people more aware of street harassment. So we can hand them a comic book, and it’s visually appealing, and it allows people to digest and process all of the issues in the comic book on their own time instead of having to do it right then while a person is talking to them,” she said.
The comic book will be available for sale in local comic book stores in Center City and West Philadelphia, as well as on the web site by the end of July. Keyhan says HollabackPHILLY also hopes to partner with the Philadelphia School District to teach awareness of street harassment to students as part of sex education classes.
It's been one month since a building collapse in Center City killed 6 people and injured 13 others.
Kadie Conteh's sister Roseline was shopping inside the Salvation Army thrift store at 22nd and Market, when a building undergoing demolition came crashing down onto the store.
"Everyday I cannot even believe it. I cannot believe that I lost my sister," said Conteh, who tells NBC10's Matt DeLucia she has a lot of sleepless nights, thinking about what went wrong.
"It bothers me a lot because how can somebody go and have a short building and then somebody go demolish a tall building under a short one? I don't know," said Conteh.
A lawyer representing six of the injured victims and the estates of two who died in the collapse tells NBC10's DeLucia he sent his own investigators to the collapse site.
"Our experts have a very good idea at this point of what happened, by looking at the scene and looking at the debris from the scene," said Attorney Larry Bendesky.
Bendesky says he will soon file lawsuits in the case.
"In the future, demolition sites can be planned and handled so that the job is done more safely, so something like this never happens again," said Bendesky.
Conflicting stories have risen regarding an incident that occurred on the Ben Franklin Parkway Thursday night as thousands gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July at the Welcome America Festival.
Police say someone fired a BB gun into the crowd, triggering a large group of people to run down the parkway in a panic.
According to the Associated Press, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison says someone lit a firecracker and threw it to the ground, causing some people in the crowd to run.
Gillison says a couple of people fell to the ground.
There have been no immediate reports of serious injuries, but after the incident there were a number of postings on social media from people saying they thought there had been a shooting. Police say the shooting rumors are not true.
Despite the confusion over what exactly caused the incident on the parkway, some people in attendance described it as a chaotic, stampede-like scene.
Robert Quartucci, 54, said he and a friend were standing on the parkway near 21st street taping footage of the fireworks finale when a large group of people came running in their direction.
“I saw just masses of people running towards us in sheer panic. There were people screaming, people crying, my friend was shaking like a leaf,” Quartucci said.
“If you were in the middle of the Parkway there was a good chance that you could have been trampled. I mean afterward we saw people’s bags and people’s shoes; it looked like people just left everything where they were and took off running. For people with kids it had to be terrible. It was just a scary experience.”
Several readers took to NBC10's Facebook page to share their experiences.
Frank Weindel wrote: “I was walking on the 2200 block of the parkway alongside Park Towne Place Apartments when a rush of panicked people started running away from the parkway. It was scary to say the least, some people tripped, dropped belongings, and lost touch with friends/family. It was like a scene out of a movie.”
Gerard Nolan wrote: “It was definitely a stampede. I was absolutely terrified because of the crowd, but more so because I didn't know what we were running from. After about 30 seconds of running, the crowd seemed to calm down. We just left at that point, totally spooked, and we didn't care that we missed the grand finale. We just wanted to go home.”
No arrests have been made in the incident.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
In the span of one week, Animal Care & Control of Philadelphia says they've taken in 900 animals surrendered to them by area families.
"We're seeing a lot of animals coming through the door, which is typical in the summer," said Natalie Smith, of Animal Care & Control.
Smith says there are various reasons why people give up their pets-- for some its financial while others maybe forced to give them up because they move someplace new that won't allow pets.
"In the summer, we typically get between 25 to 30 dogs into our shelter a day," said Smith, who says the shelter's maximum capacity is 600 animals.
"Space is limited and animals are at risk of euthanasia in this shelter. So we try to do creative marketing for foster care and adoptions," said Smith.
Here's information on adoption prices at Animal Care & Control:
Adult cats: $10
Kittens: $ 30
Older Cats ( 5+ years): FREE
Puppies (under 6 months): $200
Adult dogs (over 6 months): $40
Pen Pal Dogs: $20
Benefactor dogs: $250
DEALS:
Feline Friday: Every Friday from 5pm-8pm - get a FREE Adult Cat!
