nbc 10 news starts now. nbc 10's first alert radar is tracking rain as it moves into the philadelphia area now. there's a risk of severe weather this afternoon. be sure to learn more today about the death of robin williams. an autopsy is scheduled for later today. and some new road construction could have you hitting the brakes this morning. see where you could run into slowdowns out there on the freeways. good morning, this is nbc 10 news today. i'm vai sikahema. let's get right to meteorologist bill henley with his first alert forecast. >> we're tracking wet weather moving into the area. not everybody seeing the rain just yet. but parts of delaware and

pennsylvania and areas of the west, it's already starting to come down. it's inching toward center city at this time where the temperatures are in the low 70s. there you can see the rain, especially north and west of the city, scattered light showers in delaware, steadier rain in chester, lancaster, berks, lehigh and into bucks county this morning. some isolated spots where it's coming down heavier, lionsville, south çcoventry, heavier there. but not by much. the heavier stuff will be here this afternoon and tonight. 60s for pottstown, trenton an mt. holly. some spots close to 15 degrees warmer this morning. a muggy one with occasional rains this morning, 9:00 we'll see 73 degrees and up to 77 degrees at lunch time with a chance of thunderstorms as we go into the afternoon hours. the future weather hour by hour when i come back. but first, jillian mele has traffic. good morning, jillian. >> good morning, bill.

so far, no accidents to report. we are following some construction out there, that overnight road work. this is 95 this southbound side at the commodore barry bridge. the far left lane of traffic is the only one that's open to drivers right now. it's not causing a big delay because it is early in the morning. i will keep an eye on this construction and let you know if that causes any delay in that area. we're following construction, 26th street northbound as you approach 76. expect to see lane restrictions there. speaking of 76, this is what it's looking like at the vine street expressway. both directions of 76 are quiet right now. no incident to report on 76. the vine is also quiet. vai? an autopsy is scheduled today to determine the exact death of robin williams. he's believe to have committed suicide at his home. nbc 10's tracy davidson joins us now. there's plenty of reaction this morning to the shocking death of one of the great artists of our time. >> a lot of comments on twitter,

vai. 63-year-old actor took his own life, law enforcement officials are saying. he studied theater at juilliard. he was a beloved performer who excelled as a comedian and actor on both stage and screen. he was found dead in his home in northern california on monday. the coroner's office says it suspects the death is due to asphyxiation but the cause is still under investigation. >> good morning, vietnam! this is not a test. this is rock 'n' roll. >> reporter: williams was a versatile actor who first starred as a wacky alien in the tv show "morning & mindy." he was flamboyant if "the bird cage," "mrs. doubtfire" and "good morning, vietnam." he could also play serious

roles. the shock of his death could be seen on the hollywood walk of fame. mementos like a miniature as kerr were left for the award-winning actor. even the president weighed in on his death. part of president obama's statement reads he made us laugh, he made us cry, he gave us his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most. one of williams most acclaimed roles was in 1989 "dead poet's society." the film was shot solely in delaware, most of it -- he signed memorabilia for an auction. he leaves behind a wife and three grown children. tracy davidson, nbc 10 news. and new this morning, investigators are looking into what caused the power to go out at morey's peer, trapping people on more then a dozen rides.

amusement area in north wildwood around 10:30. the spokesperson says the power went out to half of the peer an hour before that. the rides were evacuated. one of the rides got stuck and you could see the chaotic moments as people were freed from the nor'easter roller coaster. skyforce 10 was over morey's peer. the lights were on at some the rides but not others. we talked to an official who told us about the evacuation process. >> and they just methodically go through the most important rides where people are stuck, you know, in the highest positions and things like that, bring them down little by little until we have everything unstuck. >> officials say everyone got off the rides safely. and happening today at the jersey shore, more fallout and a

spooi spike in atlantic city property taxes. council approved a 29% hike. that sparked a de eed a demonst outside city hall. this high of a tax bill isn't new to residents there, right? >> that's exactly right, vai. this is the second costly tax increase in as many years in this city. this time it has a lot of residents here ready to revolt. city leaders say they cast a difficult ballot out of necessity, staringality t alita the specter of the tax. you'll hear from some of the people affected by this. saying if they have to pay this kind of bill, they may be forced out of the city. that's in 30 minutes. live in the city this morning,

jesse gary, nbc 10 news. happening now, the first night of a major renovation project will soon be wrapping up for the day along one of the busiest roads in philadelphia. nbc 10's jillian mele has the details on the improvements along roosevelt boulevard. >> about 84,000 drivers a day use this stretch of road but many say it's a much-needed project. penndot will resurface 12 miles of roosevelt boulevard from 9th street to the bucks county line. nearly $6 million project started last night and will run from 7:30 at night until 6:00 in the morning during the week through the end of october. during construction the interlanes will be closed which could mean significant slowdowns. drivers while it will likely be a headache, it's going to be worth it. >> the problem is when they repave it's going to jam up traffic a lot worse and there's really no alternatives. >> it's going to be congested. >> but worth it? >> yes, i was going to say, for

three months, they can deal with it. >> delaware valley commuters have been seeing a lot of road construction recently. penndot is in the process of repaving a stretch of 76 near center city. repairs have started on the spring garden street breath. that started yesterday. on friday, resurfacing work begins on the blue route. this burst of road improvements was made possible by additional penndot funding from the state legislature and governor. >> new from overnight, atlantic city police are looking to a pair of shootings that happened early this çmorning. three people were wounded in an apartment complex on arctic avenue, this happened shortly after midnight. we're still working to find out how seriously they're hurt. so far, no arrests. >> an hour after that a man in his 20s was shot about a mile away. this scene is on north maryland avenue. no arrests. police don't believe the two shootings are related. and now to a developing story in missouri.

at least five people have been arrested following a second night of protests over the deadly shooting of a teenager by police. 18-year-old michael brown was unarmed when he was gunned down on saturday during a scuffle with a police officer. the fbi is investigating that shooting. police dressed in riot gear had to use tear gas and rubber bullets late last night after some people in the crowd fired guns and threw rocks at them. brown's mother called for an end to the violence. city leaders are promising justice in the case. investigators say there was no looting or vandalism as there was on sunday. president obama is calling for all of iraq's political leaders to work together to solve the ongoing crisis there. this as the u.s. carried out 15 air strikes to slow down the advance of extremist militants who are trying to overtake the country. the u.s. navy released video of military activity in the persian gulf after president obama authorized targeted air strikes in iraq. the video shows members of the navy building bombs aboard the

"uss george h.w. bush." the u.s. military is con dubting strikes to protect personnel. now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> getting ready to head out the door. don't forget your umbrella. rain is moving into the area first thing this morning. we're tracking mainly light rain this morning. but this afternoon, there's a possibility of strong thunderstorms developing, a severe weather. we could see strong, gusty winds, possibly damaging winds and hail, too. during the morning hours, you'll see the temperatures come up. it's starting off warmer and damper in allentown. right now, 70 degrees with rain falling in allentown. northeast philadelphia 72 while atlantic city is waiting for the wet weather. right now it is dry in center city. clear view across the delaware from the adventure asquarium. but that is going to change.

the first clouds are already here. and showers not yet at the shore or the delaware beaches but from northern delaware into the western suburbs, the rain is moving in. look at that cloud cover. it's not going to be an all-day rainfall but for most of the day, umbrellas go up in at least parts of the area. look at the portions of upper montgomery county. and the future weather shows that the clouds will stay put and look at the storms developing this afternoon. this is 1:00 this afternoon. this is the first possibility of some strong storms. look at 4:00 this afternoon, heavy duty wet weather. and south jersey not completely out of it. there's a possibility of showers and thunderstorms even into this evening. we'll be watching the skies through the day today. rain to start with, thunderstorms this afternoon. that's going to keep temperatures lower today, into the upper 70s for much of the

area. the winds southeasterly to 20ç miles an hour. higher within thunderstorms. a look at the shorecast when i come back. for 12:00 this tuesday morning, even with road closures, probably not a problem out there on the roads. let's get a check with traffic and jillian mele. >> we have construction out there, nothing that's creating any big slowdowns. in fact, this is just starting to wrap up. it's way over here in the corner of our shot. this is 95 southbound at the commodore barry bridge. we have the overnight road work. it is starting to wrap. it looks like when you see the vehicles start to push back and pick up the cones, that's the first sign it's clearing. we have construction northbound right near the philadelphia international airport, heading south on 95 into delaware, this is what it's looking like at 495 at the northern split between those two roads. that's all quiet. new jersey turnpike, no accidents to report. we have construction northbound on the new jersey turnpike.

the left lane is blocked in that area. a string of local holmberg larrys totaling more than $100,000. up next, what the thieves are after. plus, business busted. what authorities say they found inside an area pet shop. high drama. two workers two have quite the tale to tell after what turned out to be anything but another day at the office.

4:15. breaking news in norristown. three people have been taken to the hospital after a fire in a home there.

we're working more to phone out more about the information. matt delucia is on his way to the scene. we'll have a live report from him as soon as he arrives. from our south jersey bureau, police are warning a neighborhood in burlington county to be on alert after a series of home break-ins. there have been five burglaries during the affluent moorestown. burglars took over $200,000 of jewelry by ripping out the bedroom safe. the family was away, the alarm wasn't set. they think the back door may have been left open. >> we're in a safe, secure neighborhood but someone was in our bedroom, our bathroom. >> police are asking moorestown residents to keep their eyes open, lock their doors and remember to set their alarms. two lanes at a pennsylvania turnpike toll plaza in bristol,

bucks county are in need of repairs. a car clammed into a toll booth at the delaware toll bridge. traffic was blocked going into new jersey for more than three hours. we'll keep checking to see when the toll lanes will be re-opened. we're trying to find out the condition of a septa worker. the man was work on a trolley tunnel project when he was hit by a train. service was stopped for several hours. the accident is still under investigation. autopsy results show kevin ward jr. was killed by blunt force trauma. he was competing in a dirt track race in upstate new york when he walked on to the track to confront stewart. stewart's car ran into ward, killing him. the sheriff in charge says there's no timetable to complete the investigation. stewart has been questioned twice so far.

and the sheriff says nothing so far supports criminal conduct or probable cause. and we're learning more about the driver in texas who led police on a chase and caused a crash that left six people dead. he was wanted for dwi. an officer tried to stop the man on sunday night for driving erratically but he sped away. he ran a stop sign, slammed into another car. the suspect, his passenger and four people in the other car were killed. firefighters in california are battling flames and mother nature as they try to contain a number of wildfires. strong, erratic winds are hindering efforts to douse two fires north of san francisco. the smaller fire is 25% contained. the bigger blaze is 24% contained. lightning strike started five new wildfires in california on sunday. the teen accused of sexually assaulting a murdering a little girl in washington state remains behind bars this morning. the 17-year-old suspect is expected to be tried as an adult in the death of 6-year-old

wright. he's charged with murder withç aggravating circumstances and rape of a child. at his first court appearance yesterday, a motion was passed preventing the teen's face from being shown on camera. he'll need to undergo a mental health evaluation. the teen was arrested after his dna was linked to the crime. and two workers had to be rescued after they got stuck 20 stories up outside a new york city high-rise. the scaffolding wouldn't move up or down. firefighters pulled them in through a window. they were not hurt. the authorities say the scaffold had been tested recently not have a history of problems. now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> if you're going to get stuck on the side of the building, better yesterday than today. storms are moving into the airy. they're not here yet but those are winds of change.

we have strong, gusty winds ahead of us today. it's blowing this morning. a southeasterly wind or east/southeasterly wind at 9 miles an hour. the humidity is higher as well. rain falling in the allentown area. that is route 22. the rain is steady now in the lehigh valley and it's going to be moving into the rest of the area. there's allentown. you can see the rain across lehigh county and into berks county as well. and farther to the south, you can see steadier rainfall. look to the west. that line, that thunderstorm activity, that's going to be here this afternoon and into this evening. already some scattered showers in south jersey and delaware. you can see scattered showers in delaware from isolated stuff in south jersey. it will be on the way to points along the shore. at the shore and delaware beaches, showers and possibly thunderstorms this afternoon. that's going to keep temperatures in the 70s today.

still see showers in the area on wednesday. by thursday, we're breaking out into sunshine and a high of 78 degrees. more on the possibility of strong storms in our area, plus the seven-day forecast, coming up in the next half hour. 4:21 on a tuesday morning. usually nothing going on out there on the roads. any surprises out there, jillian mele, in the first alert traffic center? >> no big surprises, vai. this is a live look in chester county, route 100 aat route 113. i'm looking through the cameras more to see where the roads are wet right now. in philadelphia, the roads are dry. the cones set up, 26th street northbound just beyond the tune as drivers make their way on to 76. we do have a lane restriction there. as i showed you about seven minutes ago, that construction on 95 southbound near the commodore barry bridge is still in the process of wrapping up. we have road work for drivers in new jersey, 295 northbound between route 38 and route 41.

the left lane is blocked in that area. a local pet groomer is facing animal cruelty charges. the illegal activity that investigators say was going on inside this business that put the animal's lives at risk. toddler on the tracks. watch as a child ends up in a precarious position with a train on the way.

from our delaware bureau, police are trying to locate a man who ran away during a traffic stop that ended up turning into a major drug bust. frederick mitchell iii and lynn

traitor were pulled over in sussex county. police found more than 5,000 bags of heroin, marijuana and $9,000 in cash. mitchell was arrested. police are still looking for traitor. the owner of a bet grooming shop in ocean county faces animal cruelty charges. they raided picture perfect pets and seized 21 dogs. they say the animals were in poor health, underweight, flea ridden and in rusty cages. the store was shut down by the ocean county health department though it was advertised as a grooming shop, authorities think it may have been a puppy mill. >> evidence led us to believe it was a breeding operation, varying ages, all intact, meaning unspade, unneutered and with several puppies on site as well. >> the dogs received vet theyer

care. ten years ago today, the governor of new jersey announced that heç was gay and would ste down. >> so my truth is that i am a gay american and i am blessed to live -- >> jim mcgreevey served three more months. ten years later, mcgreevey is still in new jersey. he helps prisoners in jersey city make the transition back into society and is an activist for prison reform. now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> wet weather is moving into the airy, mainly dry in center city but the western suburbs already see something steady rainfall. grab your umbrellas as you're heading out the door. right now 71 degrees at 4:26. jillian, can you see the rain out there? >> i can in some of our cameras.

right now i'm looking at 422, sherpa road. no delays to report, chester county i'm seeing wet roads. the lehigh valley i'm seeing wet roads. i'll bring you those live pictures coming up in just a few minutes. @@@@úúú@@@@ú

nbc 10 news starts now. >> a riff look at the nbc 10 first alert radar. rain is arriving and storms could be heading our way later. we should learn more about the death of robin williams. an autopsy is scheduled for later today. atlantic city residents plan to make their voices heard today in response to a big tax

increase that will hit them right in the wallet. good morning, this is nbc 10 news today. i'm tracy davidson. >> i'm vai sikahema. let's get right to meteorologist bill henley with his first alert forecast. bill, i just heard jillian saying she's seeing some rain on the traffic cameras. >> it's falling in the western suburbs, scattered showers in delaware and inching into south jersey as well. not everybody has the rain just yet but there's a threat of storms and rain for the entire area as the day goes on. those are clouds over center city. the radar view shows the showers are scattered in delaware, dover is seeing late rainfall. the steadiest rainfall, the western suburbs portions of chester county, upper montgomery, bucks, into the lehigh valley, berks and lancaster counties getting rainfall now. you can see the line of stead der steadier activity has moved into the pottstown area. the temperatures are up. in some spots, close to 15 degrees warmer this morning, thanks to the clouds moving in.