To some, Raffi the stuffed giraffe may look like an ordinary stuffed toy, but to 8-year-old Colson Tabbert, Raffi is the one constant source of comfort in a life of struggle... and now he's lost.
Raffi was last seen in the Philadelphia area when Colson visited from Milwaukee for an appointment at Shriner's Hospital.
Colson suffers from a disability called Anthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, which means "crooked joint" according to his mother Jennifer, "He is affected in his arms and legs, and the condition restricts his movement. He is unable to walk and has limited range of motion in his arms."
The disability has meant multiple surgeries for Colson over his 8 years and Raffi hasn't missed one, Jennifer told NBC10. Raffi means so much to Colson Jennifer even dedicated a blog post to the special stuffed friend.
In a plea for help when Jennifer realized Raffi was missing, she turned to facebook. In the post, Jennifer explains that Colkson and his father stayed at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill, NJ, rented a car from the Thrifty/Dollar rental on Holstein Avenue in Philadelphia, and flew on Southwest Air flights #2712 from Philadelphia to Atlanta and #232 from Atlanta to Milwaukee.
"Raffi could really be anywhere," she said, "He could have been lost in the hallways (of the hotel), the parking lot, the car, the lobby of Thrifty/dollar, the shuttle to the airport, the airport, the flights...."
Jennifer is hoping someone sees Raffi and contacts her via her facebook page.
With a blizzard set to blanket Philadelphia with its first significant snow of the season, the city’s Street Department has revised its trash collection schedule.
The updated trash collection information is as follows:
For those who have normal THURSDAY trash and recycling collection, which was to be picked up Friday because of the MLK holiday, leave your trash at the curb Friday as scheduled.
For those who have normal FRIDAY trash and recycling collection, which was to be picked up Saturday because of the MLK holiday, residents are asked to hold their trash until next week; the trash trucks will be used to plow starting Friday evening.
City officials said residents who normally have rear driveway trash pick-up will have front street pick-up next week.
City officials said a snow emergency will go into effect beginning at 9 p.m. Friday. Car owners are asked to not park on snow emergency routes. The snow emergency routes, which are marked by signs on the streets, can be found here.
“We’re going to get through this together, as a city,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
Kenney urged residents to help by clearing steps and sidewalks, by helping neighbors do so, and by checking on elderly neighbors.
All city residents are required to clear a path of three feet in front of their property within six hours of a snow event ending, including curb cuts. Don’t shovel snow back into the street, as it is both against the law and disrespectful of the city crews that have worked hard to clear them.
The city’s Emergency Operations Center will begin operating at 8 p.m. Friday and full activation Saturday.
For Philadelphia residents who spend time shoveling snow out of street parking spaces after the storm, keeping that space from being taken by another person comes down to dropping a strategically placed chair, cone or trashcan in the spot.
But if you play the #GameofCones you could be fined. Philadelphia Police used Drake's "Hotline Bling" to remind people #NoSavesies.
"You need to call us on your cellphone, late night when you see that cone," says a monotone voice as Drake dances with orange cones. "Call us on your cellphone, that parking spot's not yours to hold..."
The practice, popular in some Philly neighborhoods where street parking is scarce is both illegal and some would say, plain old unfair, nut it can also cause a potentially dangerous confrontation.
"Folks - the spot isn't yours, and saving it is against the law," said Philly Police. "Don't fight and argue with your neighbors - if you see an offending spot saver, call 911 and the PPD will swing by and check it out."
The humorous response to #NoSavesies wasn't lost on police.
Since we are a totally hip police department, and as such, we know that the kids like the Drake, we made this neat video that you can share with them! Now, it's easy for young kids everywhere to get the message that when it comes to holding parking spots on public streets, Philadelphia is a #NoSavesies city!
Fun aside, residents might want to think twice about putting that chair out there -- or at least think twice about using anything expensive to reserve a space.
Philly Police say their officers can and will confiscate any item used to reserve a parking space on a city street.
So, when it comes to sharing, neighbors in the city might want to take a little advice that Olney's Amir Goodwin gave to NBC10 a couple of years back.
"You want good to come in your life, you gotta do good. People should just be nice and share," he said.
As a result of the “no normal winter storm” on its way, SEPTA is suspending most operations for 24 hours beginning Saturday morning.
During a news conference Friday, SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Knueppel said all service, with the exception of the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line, will be suspended beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday.
“The Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines are important to carry emergency personnel, hospital employees and other essential workers during the storm,” Knueppel said.
Knueppel said it is estimated that service will be suspended for approximately 24 hours. He is hopeful to restore most of the service by Sunday morning, but conditions could change that.
In addition to the subway lines remaining operational, Knueppel said the agency’s CCT paratransit service will remain open.
“Customers who use CCT connect service are encouraged to move up critical medical appointments to today. Service on Saturday and Sunday will be limited to dialysis patient only," Knueppel said.
Amtrak officials said they intend to operate a modified schedule of service along the Northeast Corridor this weekend depending upon conditions. Amtrak urges its passengers to check their status frequently.
The snow is expected to start falling late Friday night and last until early Sunday morning.
Heavy snow and strong winds made driving and even just walking treacherous Saturday morning as a winter storm pounded the Philadelphia region.
Snow emergencies are in effect as a major storm that could dump up to two feet of snow on parts of the region and flood the coast continues to move through our area.
Snow began falling in Delaware shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, around 4 p.m. in South Jersey and in Philadelphia around 6:30 p.m. It's now widespread across the region and will intensify early Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon with winds picking up.
State of emergencies were declared in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. State of emergency declarations allow the governor to make state resources immediately available to help rescue, evacuate or shelter residents. They could also help the state seek federal assistance if the scope of the event exceeds state resources.
A snow emergency also went into effect in Philadelphia at 9 p.m.
The declaration of a snow emergency in Philadelphia means all cars parked on snow emergency route must be moved. A list of the snow emergency routes can be found here. As a result of the snow emergency declaration, drivers can park at Philadelphia Parking Authority garages for $5. The city’s Emergency Operations Center began operating at 8 p.m. Friday and will go into full activation Saturday.
The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team issued a First Alert Weather Warning for Friday into early Sunday.
Timing
Saturday
5 a.m. to noon - Heaviest snow, blizzard conditions, winds increase.
Noon to 8 p.m. - Snow inland (mixing with rain south and east) with blizzard conditions, gusty winds.
8 p.m. to Sunday a.m. - Snow tapers off, very windy.
"The snow is moving very quickly," said NBC10 First Alert Weather chief meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz.
You should plan to stay home for the duration of the storm with nasty conditions and bad visibility expected.
Slippery road conditions caused a tractor trailer to jackknife on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Friday night. The center and right lanes were closed eastbound between Willow Grove and Bensalem as a result. Fortunately no one was hurt.
The latest NBC10 First Alert Weather forecasting computer models show the storm lasting into early Sunday. The brunt of the storm should come Saturday making travel difficult if not possible, said NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Bill Henley.
“By (Saturday), no one’s going anywhere, unless it’s an emergency,” said Glenn.
Estimated Totals (will be updated)
Snow totals could vary up to 20-plus inches of snow. "Hurricane" Schwartz sums it up:
"The real questions are at the edges -- up toward the Poconos and Lehigh Valley -- will the snow be heavy enough? And right down the shore, how much (snow) is going to be mixed in with rain," said Glenn.
The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team will be refining and updating predictions as more information becomes available.
The storm already knocked out some cultural events in the area including the Guster concert at the Fillmore Philadelphia and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concerts at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby. And the Sixers pushed their game against the Celtics back to Sunday night.
As the storm headed toward the Philadelphia region Friday, the Philadelphia Airport canceled all flights Saturday and SEPTA halted most services before the first flake fell.
SEPTA suspended all bus routes and stopped all train services outside of the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Line subway lines starting at 4 a.m. Saturday. The Philadelphia International Airport already canceled all flights in and out of the airport Saturday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf declared a state of emergency soon after the National Weather Service declared a Blizzard Warning for Philadelphia, the immediate suburbs, Wilmington and most of South Jersey from 7 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Sunday. Many local municipalities also declared states of emergency ahead of the storm.
Flooding at the Shore
Besides the snow there is also a concern at the Jersey Shore due to the combination of a high tide, full moon, a wintry mix and onshore wind gusts up to 60 mph. The storm surge could be the worst since Superstorm Sandy.
High Tide Times for Jersey Shore and Coastal Delaware
Saturday: 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Saturday: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. (this high tide might not be as severe as first thought)
If you live at the Shore or have property there, you should be taking precautions now to minimize damage from coastal flooding. Flooding from the bay could also impact parts of Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware.
Wind Worries
Wind is going to be a component to this storm. Blizzards have defined wind (35+ mph), snow and visibility of a 1/4 mile or less.
That kind of wind could cause power outages, especially if there’s heavy wet snow. Even if we dodge the snow-to-rain changeover bullet, there will be several warmer hours during the storm where we could see gloppy, heavy big flake snow.
"The type of snow might be different at different times during the storm," said Glenn.
Toward the end of the storm, temps will fall again and snow will get lighter and fluffier. You’re going to want to get on that wet snow early before it gets buried and freezes solid. It will be much harder to shovel after that.
"This is one you're going to want to get ahead of and clear as much as you can on Sunday because it's going to freeze solid on Monday morning," said Bill.
Community Events:
It is probably best practice to call ahead and see if a community event is still scheduled or has been postponed.
The lesson here … stay tuned and check in with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team on air and on NBC10.com as the storm approaches.
What do you do when the electricity goes out? Now, you can Plug In, and Power Up!
NBC10 and Telemundo62 are partnering with Comcast to offer viewers who lose power the ability to recharge their devices at participating Comcast/Xfinity store locations in the region. As power outages occur, listed locations will become active Plug In, Power Up sites to assist viewers in need.This is a FREE service and anyone is welcome to visit participating locations.
You can visit any of these participating Plug In, Power Up locations -- please refer to the list below.
LOCATIONS:
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.
Due to severe weather, participating locations are subject to change.
Hours of operation can vary by location. The best way to check store hours is to go to Xfinity.com.
DOWNLOAD THE NBC10 APP TODAY FOR LIVE, UP-TO-THE-MINUTE STORM COVERAGE.
Obituaries have long served as not only a way to memorialize the deceased, but also to help convey a loved one's final wishes.
For a Pennsylvania chiropractor, who passed away suddenly on Jan. 17 at the age of 70, his one request for mourners attending his funeral: "In lieu of flowers, please don't vote for Donald Trump."
“[Jeffrey H. Cohen] was a voracious teller of jokes of all kinds, especially dirty and groan-inducing ones,” his obituary, published on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, read. “He had a great smile and all his teeth were still his.”
The self-proclaimed "only Jewish cowboy that he knew of” spent his summers as a teenager working at Bear Creek Ranch in Montana before completing his undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh. Cohen received his Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic and opened his own practice on April Fools Day 1976.
According to his obituary, Cohen, dubbed the “chiropractor to the stars,” treated celebrity clients like Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" fame, singer Liza Minnelli and parody songwriter “Weird Al” Yankovic. He also cared for professional boxers, members of the Pittsburgh Ballet, and NFL players from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cohen's obituary made no mention of his political views, nor did it make any recommendations for whom his friends and family should vote for instead.
The Pittsburgh-based doctor wasn't alone in his appeal to stop Trump. The conservative magazine National Review published a scathing editorial Friday calling the Republican frontrunner a "menace to conservatism."
The issue also features accompanying essays by 22 prominent conservative thinkers from various ideological factions opposing Trump's candidacy. It's cover simply states: "Dump Trump."
Trump immediately dismissed the attack on Twitter, calling the magazine a "failing publication." The Republican National Committee disinvited the magazine from a Feb. 25 GOP debate in Houston in response.
Cohen's obituary isn't the first to make a 2016 plea.
In August, a New Jersey woman's final request to friends and family appealed for them to not vote for Hillary Clinton.
With a potentially historic blizzard threatening the East Coast, the best thing to do once the snow begins to fall is to stay home. Winter storms contribute to more than 2,000 road deaths every winter and nearly half a million crashes, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
But if you do have to drive in possibly treacherous conditions, here are some tips for remaining safe on the road from the AAA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
BEFORE THE SNOW
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DURING THE SNOW
AFTER THE SNOW
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New Englanders know how to handle snow - especially after last winter. But some of the areas on the East Coast that are expected to get hit the hardest by this weekend's blizzard are less used to giant mounds of snow.
With that in mind, the Bangor, Maine, Police Department posted a list of tips for dealing with wild winter weather on its Facebook page on Thursday. The account is run by Sgt. Tim Cotton, who is known for his wry sense of humor.
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Sgt. Cotton clearly enjoyed poking fun New England's neighbor's to the south, providing advice - some serious, some less so - on how to survive the weekend.
Among his tips?
