Plenty of us are over the deep freeze that has gripped the region for the past week. A thaw is one the way, but along with the warmer temps could come new problems at home.
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A Big Thaw Could Mean a Mess for Your Home
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Protest Doesn't Stop Kids and Parents from Packing Montco Drag Queen Storytime
A reading event for children at the Lansdale Public Library has been the center of controversy for the past week. The reason: the drag queen hosting it. Despite a campaign calling for the event to be canceled, kids and parents packed a room at the library to hear from Miss Annie.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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Petal the Elephant Sculpture Saved from Trash Heap
Petal the Elephant has been saved from destruction.
The 37-year-old life-size pachyderm sculpture faced an uncertain future as the building it was commissioned for — the Burlington Center Mall — was slated for redevelopment.
Petal's creator, Philadelphia-based sculptor Zenos Frudakis, led a charge to save the 2,500 lb. artwork over the past several weeks. Still, as the new year began, Petal's future remained in doubt.
On Friday, news came that the fiberglass sculpture would be saved. The Rotary of Burlington pledged $15,000 to have the statue moved, restored and installed along the Burlington City River Walk, the artist's spokesman said.
The mall's owners donated the sculpture, which carries the formal name "The Watering Hole" and features an 11-year-old boy riding on top of Petal, to the nonprofit Art Guild New Jersey.
Petal was removed from the defunct shopping center Friday afternoon. It'll head to Chester, Pennsylvania, for restoration and then be moved to the riverwalk in the coming months.
Frudakis based the sculpture on an elephant of the same name from the Philadelphia Zoo.
Photo Credit: Dan Farrell/NBC10
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Robbery and Chase Leaves Police SUV Smashed
An armed robbery turned police pursuit in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, ended in a crash in Southwest Philadelphia Saturday night.
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90 Seniors Sleeping in Community Center After Pipe Burst
Dozens of senior citizens were forced out of their assisted living facility on a cold Saturday evening after a pipe burst.
Firefighters were called to the Sacred Heart Senior Living facility on E. 21st Street in Northampton, Pennsylvania, around 3 p.m. A pipe in the ceiling of the building's third floor, the top floor, broke open causing water to flood the facility. Parts of the ceiling also came down, officials said.
Ninety seniors living at the home were loaded onto buses and taken to a community center nearby. They'll spend at least the night at the center while officials assess the damage and necessary repairs.
“There’s pretty decent damage. The ceiling tiles were collapsing and everything," Northampton Fire Dept. Chief Keith Knoblauch said.
Gale Yastrop, the facility's executive director, said the residents will either stay with relatives or be taken to a sister facility until repairs were finished.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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As Abuse Settlements Rise, Catholic Schools Shutter
The Philadelphia landscape is literally changing as Catholic churches face a legal reckoning over the sexual abuse of minors. Forced to pay out monetary settlements, churches are being demolished, and the Catholic schools that reside in them are going too.
Photo Credit: Abandoned America
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What’s an Inversion and Why is it Affecting Air Quality?
The Philadelphia region is under an air quality alert through Monday that could pose a risk to children, the sick and the elderly. So why’s the air quality so bad? It all comes down to a temperature inversion. NBC10 First Alert Meteorologist Krystal Klei breaks down the phenomenon.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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Fire Erupts at Delaware Oil Refinery
Thick black smoke was rising into the sky as a fire broke out at a Delaware oil refinery.
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Del. Refinery Fire Sends Black Smoke Billowing Into the Sky
Multiple fire agencies were responding as a blaze broke out at an oil refinery in Delaware, releasing thick black smoke into the air Sunday afternoon.
The fire broke out at the Delaware City Refinery on the 4500 block of Wrangle Hill Road, the Delaware State Police said. The DSP was helping to close nearby roads and advised people to avoid the area.
Firefighters could be seen dousing the blaze from the ground as large flames shot into the air and released a plume of thick black smoke hundreds of feet high.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the fire.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Photo Credit: Delaware Department of Transportation
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How Advertisers Are Trying to Cash in on the Super Bowl
This year, it’s estimated that companies will shell out an average of $5.2 million for Super Bowl ads. But is all that cash really worth it?
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Gunman Armed With Shotgun Shoots Driver in West Philadelphia
A man is fighting for his life after he was struck twice by shotgun blasts while driving in West Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old man was driving on the 5400 block of Media Street around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when an unidentified gunman opened fire. The driver was struck once in the head and once in the chest and then crashed his vehicle into the side of a nearby home.
The victim was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he is in critical but stable condition.
Police say they recovered two shotgun shells from the scene of the shooting. No arrests have been made and police have not yet released a description of any suspects.
If you have any information on the shooting, please call Philadelphia Police.
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Fake Officer Pulls Woman Over in Bucks County, Police Say
Investigators are searching for a man accused of impersonating a police officer and pulling a woman over in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
On Friday at 10:40 a.m., a woman was driving on Lincoln Highway when she was directed to pull over by a man who she initially thought was an officer. The woman pulled into the parking lot of the Honey Baked Ham on 636 Lincoln Highway. The woman told police the unidentified man then took her ID as if he was conducting a traffic stop.
The woman began to suspect that the man wasn’t actually a police officer and protested when he told her to get out of the vehicle. The man then gave the woman her ID back and drove off.
The woman then called the Falls Township Police Department who confirmed that the man and his vehicle were not connected to law enforcement.
The man was driving a black or dark blue older model Ford Crown Victoria with one red and one blue light placed inside on the dash. The vehicle also may have had a front license plate.
The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s to early 40s with a “dirty appearance” and two to three day growth of facial hair. Police also say he had a body odor, smelled like smoke and alcohol, had scruffy hair and spoke with a Philadelphia or New York accent. He also wasn’t wearing a uniform and may have had a plastic or security badge on.
Falls Township Police don’t use unmarked patrol vehicles for traffic enforcement. Two of their vehicles are black Crown Victoria sedans with municipal license plates, spotlights and push bumpers. All of the officers who use those vehicles for traffic enforcement are in full police uniform however.
If you have any information on the suspect or experienced a similar incident, please call the Falls Township Police Department at 215-945-3100.
If you’re ever stopped by an unmarked patrol vehicle, call 911 and speak to a dispatcher to determine if the officer is legitimate. If you don’t have a cell phone, stop in a well-lit, populated area and ask for a marked unit to respond to the scene.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/EyeEm, File
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Pennsylvania Fans Take Advantage of Legal Sports Betting During Super Bowl
Residents took advantage of legalized sports betting at local casinos during the Super Bowl.
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Why Apprenticeships Could Be the Way Forward for Philly Workers
Many in the Philadelphia region do not have a four-year college degree, which can stifle their earning opportunities. However, apprenticeships can provide a bridge to "opportunity occupations," which are jobs that can provide family sustaining wages without the college degree.
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NBC10 Meteorologist and Author Brittney Shipp Shows Off Her Jump Rope Skills
The African American Children’s Book Fair hosted its 27th annual event at the Community College of Philadelphia this past weekend. Many African American authors were there, including NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Brittney Shipp. She signed copies of her book, "The Meteorologist in Me," then showed off her jump rope skills.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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Councilman Henon Speaks Out After Indictment
Philadelphia city councilman Bobby Henon is speaking out for the first time since he pleaded not guilty to bribery and fraud charges. Henon is accused of doing the bidding of powerful union leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty. He spoke to NBC10 while attending the Lunar New Year celebration in Mayfair.
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Taking the Polar Plunge in Del. for a Good Cause
The annual Polar Bear Plunge at Rehoboth Beach on Sunday raised more than $900,000 for the Special Olympics.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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Equine Therapy for Recovering Drug Users
Gateway HorseWorks and the Recovery Center of America in Devon, Pennsylvania, have teamed up to give people recovering from drug usage a new outlook on recovery. They say that because the horses don't know their history, participants feel less shame and tend to stay almost 50 percent longer in treatment.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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This Kensington Café Uses Influence to Build Community
Franny Lou’s Porch, a café in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, uses its space to create a sense of community for African-Americans. Blew Kind created the café’ as a positive place for people to freely connect and build with one another.
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Girls Who Invest Pushes to Add More Women in Financial Investing
Girls Who Invest is a program that was started by Wharton graduates in Philadelphia. The program is designed to increase the number of women in financial investing. It has gone global since it began three years ago.
Photo Credit: NBC10
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