making our mark on the world. and here's what we're following this morning. fire tearing through a city block, injuring two people and forcing families out into the streets. we are live on the scene as the investigation into what caused that fire gets under way. stopping ebola from spreading. as new instructions begin today to protect travelers, some workers at philadelphia international want to know who's protecting them. and we are tracking showers and storms, as you see on the nbc 10 first alert radar. for a second morning in a row, wet weather will impact your morning drive. good morning, everyone. this is "nbc 10 news today" on this wednesday. i'm chris cato. quite a bit cooler out there this morning, too, than it was yesterday. let's begin with meteorologist bill henley and his first alert forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning, chris. we are tracking showers and some

thunderstorms this morning, some heavy downpours, especially right along the coast of new jersey. live view of cape may shows the rain has moved through there. it's really tapered off in cape may, but the heavy weather is just to the north, right up the coast. atlantic city seeing lots of lightning, especially offshore with some heavy downpours that extend into ocean county this morning. you can see toms river's getting some thunderstorm activity this morning. and some heavier downpours in portions of central delaware and into maryland there is some thunder and lightning with heavy downpours, thunderstorms moving through there. the showers are going to be with us for much of the morning and still a possibility this afternoon. the temperatures are running a degree or two warmer than yesterday right now. it's 57 degrees in philadelphia. trenton is 54 and wilmington is 55, but we will not see the big warm-up we saw yesterday. with rain moving in, a couple showers, 55 degrees at 7:00. by 9:00, 56 degrees.

and then just up to 59 degrees with occasional showers and a slight chance of a thunderstorm at lunchtime today. we'll go through it hour by hour with the future weather when i come back, but first, jillian mele is standing by with traffic. good morning, jillian. >> good morning to you, bill. to you at home as well. following overnight construction right now on 95. this is a live look at 95 right at cottman avenue, southbound side. you can see we have that activity, that overnight construction set up. so, one lane of traffic, that left lane is getting by, but it's still so early, it's not causing any slowdowns in that area, but that's something i'll continue to watch for you. we're also following some construction on the boulevard in both directions. northbound between ninth and fifth and southbound between rhawn and whitaker, lane restrictions there. heading into new jersey, a quiet look at route 73 right at the turnpike. 73 is clear. the turnpike is looking good. coming up in a few minutes, i'll take you to some of our live cameras in delaware. chris. at 4:02, new from overnight, several homes destroyed, two people hurt and it could have been worse if not for a good

samaritan who saw these flames and came to the rescue at this row home fire in philadelphia. it broke out around 11:45 on park avenue in the hunting park neighborhood. nbc 10's jesse gary is live on scene this morning for us. what's happening now? >> reporter: chris, the fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of the flames behind me. as you can see, the red cross is also here, assisting four residents left homeless from this fire. you can see some of their personal belongings charred and burned by the flames. nbc 10 cameraman pete kaine first on the scene last night. the fire started on the end unit on park avenue and spread down the block, ultimately destroying five homes. one neighbor driving by stopped to help rescue people from one of the burning homes. >> knocked on a few doors, helping kids out of the house. that's about it. i didn't do too much, anything a normal person would do. >> reporter: two people were taken to a nearby hospital, but their injuries are not life-threatening. coming up in 30 minutes, i'll

explain why the flames that started right here were so easily spread down the block. live in hunting park, jesse gary, nbc 10 news. chris? at 4:04, turning now to concerns over the ebola virus. freelance nbc photojournalist ashoka mukpo is now ebola-free. he will be released from the hospital later today mukpo said knowing he's recovered from ebola is truly a humbling feeling. he contracted the virus while working in liberia on assignment. former white house adviser ron klain begins as ebola czar today. and local health officials are meeting this morning at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania to discuss the area's ebola preparedness. also today, changes at several u.s. airports as local airport workers are preparing to voice their concerns over their possible exposure to ebola. nbc 10's katy zachry is live at philadelphia international to tell us about that. katy? >> reporter: hi, chris. there's a lot going on today with regards to the ebola front.

today here at philadelphia international airport, workers are going to be speaking out about health and safety conditions that they feel put them at risk for catching the virus. take a look at your screen. these five airports that we've highlighted, beginning today, passengers traveling from liberia, sierra leone and guinea can only enter the u.s. through these international airports. at these airports, additional steps have been taken to screen for the ebola virus, such as taking passengers' temperatures. additional health and safety measures is something that hundreds of philadelphia airport workers would like to see locally. this afternoon they will gather inside the airport to question the quality of protective gear, for example, latex gloves. they're also asking the airport to raise the standard for subcontractors who employ thousands of workers. now, coming up at 5:00, i'll tell you specifically what group of workers who works on the front lines here at the airport every day is most concerned about their exposure to the ebola virus. reporting live inside the airport, katy zachry, nbc 10 news.

>> and we have an entire section of our website dedicated to ebola concerns. you can read more about how that virus is spread, and there's new criticism this morning from the family of dallas ebola victim thomas duncan on how the hospital handled his care. that's online. read it now at nbc10.com. six minutes after 4:00. now to philadelphia school budget crisis. a hearing is set for later today in harrisburg on the contract fight between the school reform commission and the teachers union. now, on monday, a judge issued a temporary injunction. that means that teachers will not have to pay for their own health benefits, at least until a legal ruling is made. the src has said the city cannot afford to keep giving teachers free health care coverage. happening today in philadelphia, a man charged with killing a man outside an antiviolence concert will head to court. eric jamison is scheduled for a preliminary hearing, charged with the murder of 20-year-old alex guevara. guevara was shot to death this past summer in the parking lot of the dell music center as he

was attending a concert for peace held there. police say he and the suspect got into an argument over a woman. what is essentially the supreme court of the united methodist church is conducting a hearing today about the lebanon county pastor who was defrocked for officiating his son's same-sex marriage. the judicial council of the united methodist church is hearing the case of the reverend frank schaffer. in 2013, as you know, he was stripped of his credentials for presiding over his son's same-sex wedding. he appealed that ruling. he was reinstated in june, but the united methodist conference of eastern pennsylvania is challenging that appeal at today's hearing, which takes place in tennessee. seven minutes after 4:00 now. there is new information on the ncaa's lawsuit linked to penn state and the jerry sandusky scandal. the ncaa has dropped governor tom corbett and its auditor general from the suit, leaving state treasurer rob mccord and another administrator as the remaining defendants. the ncaa is challenging a state law that limits where $50 million in fines paid by penn

state can be spent. we're learning more this morning about the alleged sexual abuse of high school football players in new jersey. the sayreville board of education voted unanimously last night to suspend five coaches of that team. seven sayreville high school football players have already been charged with crimes ranging from hazing to sexual assault in what witnesses describe as a locker room bonding process. last night, the team's head coach and four assistants were suspended with pay. the board released this statement, saying, "we took another wrenching, yet important and necessary step in demonstrating to members of this great community that the safety and welfare of our students is by far our top priority." the board says it will conduct a full investigation into the sayreville high school football program. one man is in the hospital, another still on the loose after police say they robbed a delaware county pharmacy and then led officers on a chase. investigators say around 7:00 last night, the men robbed a pharmacy near baltimore pike in

clifton. police began chasing the getaway vehicle, which eventually crashed in upper darby. the suspects ran off in different directions and an officer shot one of them in the leg while the other got away. >> some guy hop out of his car, run left, and then cop cars zoom by. >> did you ever see anything like this before in your life? >> no, no, that was the first time. >> the suspect is in stable condition. police say they do have a good description of the other suspects. apparently, he left his i.d. in the car. in delaware, police believe five break-ins at businesses in kent county are the work of the same burglar. someone cut a hole through the roof of this building on route 13 in dover last weekend, broke through a wall and stole money from a check cashing business. and someone broke in the same way at the maple dell country club, but the alarm went off in this case and nothing was taken. now, your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> getting ready to leave the house? you'll need your umbrella today.

we're already tracking some showers and some thunderstorm activity, and it's going to be a wet and windy day. the winds will pick up and we'll see rainfall that will continue into this afternoon. but we're still on track for lots of sunshine this weekend. as the two-day storm system is starting right now at the shore, atlantic city seeing some showers and some thunderstorm activity. 57 degrees there. it's 56 in northeast philadelphia and allentown with clouds overhead is 53 degrees. it may take some time for any showers to get to the lehigh valley, but we've already seen rainfall in cape may. that's a live view from the marquis de lafayette. you can see cape may is already clearing as the storms push to the north. now some heavy downpours just to the north and offshore of atlantic city. stafford and ocean county seeing some thunder and lightning in the toms river area as well. and in philadelphia, the showers are trying to move in. it's not reaching the ground just yet, but it's just a matter of time before we get some rainfall in philadelphia. central delaware, you're already seeing it come down this morning

into new castle county. the heavier rainfall has pushed now into maryland this morning. but there is more on the way. the future weather shows this morning showers, possibly some thunderstorms will continue. the heaviest rainfall expected in new jersey, but some of those cells will be pushing inland. 55 degrees in northeast philadelphia at 10:00 this morning. then this afternoon, you can see the rain continues for the shore and into parts of delaware, but not everybody's seeing the rain. off to the north and west at 2:00, some areas will reach into the low 60s this afternoon, which is not a lot warmer than it is right now. and by 6:00 this evening, a break or two of sunshine north and west, wet weather still falling in new jersey and parts of delaware, too, and temperatures in the low 60s. that's as warm as it's going to get today. we'll be running about ten degrees cooler than we were yesterday afternoon. a look at just how much rainfall you can expect when i come back with the future weather. >> 11 minutes after 4:00. and as bill showed us, it is a messy morning on the roadways already in some parts of the

area. let's step in with nbc 10's jillian mele for a look at what's happening on the wet roads. jillian? >> we've got wet roads in portions of new jersey and delaware. a live look in delaware, route 1 at route 273. this is the off ramp to 273 and this is the actual highway itself, route 1. and you can see it is definitely wet out there, so you need to slow down and take your time. we say that every morning whenever we get rain. in south philadelphia, we're dealing with a problem here, a vehicle fire right at the intersection of swanson street at ritner street, so watch out for lane restrictions there. construction on 95, the southbound side. you can see it's active right now. this is right at cottman avenue. in fact, only one lane of traffic is getting by, that far left lane, but it's still too early that it's not causing any delays. chris? 4:12 now. a first of its kind for one city. we'll tell you about the local mayor who is opening his door to concerned taxpayers. plus, this high-speed processional here. look at this. we'll tell you the reason philadelphia police allowed these dirt bikes to break the rules. and the reason a local city

covered up an artist mural that was meant to honor the missouri teenager killed by a police officer and the community's reaction to that cover-up.

revealed through the work of its scholars and graduates. it has inspired strength and purpose.

an enduring symbol of passion and excellence that is not static, but moves among us. a feeling...a shared experience, a reminder that we are connected for life. we are penn state, making our mark on the world. at 4:15 on wednesday morning, streets are wet, as you see in this live picture from cape may. some of you are actively seeing rainfall right now. thunderstorms even in parts of ocean county, as you saw on the radar a moment ago. it will be a windy day on and off throughout much of the day for most of the area. windy and rainy at times. meteorologist bill henley is back in a moment to tell us when we can expect some more showers to pass through. from our delaware bureau this morning, wilmington's mayor, dennis williams, is holding his first open office

hour session today at 4:00 p.m. he says this is a chance for citizens to share their issues and concerns with him. future sessions will be held every other wednesday at the mayor's office. a new program being unveiled today in philadelphia will help disabled veterans start their own businesses. pennsylvania senator pat toomey will be at st. joseph's university later this morning to give the details. here are some of the details. right now the veterans entrepreneurship jump-start program is designed to give vets the skills they need to start a business. veterans who sign up will take classes and then be paired with a mentor from the business community. also today, women veterans will be the focus of a hearing in the new jersey state assembly. two committees will hear testimony on issues and programs like creating a website for women vets. that would include information on legal rights, tuition assistance and medical benefits. the hearing is all part of a process to pass a women veterans bill. it was a memorial that roared. skyforce10 captured this caravan of dirt bikes and atvs rolling

through philadelphia streets during the evening rush hour last night. quite a dramatic scene. it was a tribute, actually, to a fallen rider. tyrell tyler was shot and killed in southwest philadelphia last week. police have made no arrests. yesterday's procession followed tyler's funeral. bikes were weaving through traffic, as you saw there. police told us they gave the riders a break because they were mourning a friend, but eventually, police did have to crack down. >> now are doing a little bit of a push to get some of the riders off of the street. again, to make sure that we ensure the safety of those in our community. >> now, philadelphia police emphasized that it is illegal to ride most dirt bikes and atvs on city streets. 4:17 now. we have new information on what police are calling an inside job in the armed robbery. a drexel hill restaurant. investigators have announced a $5,000 reward for information in the chickie's & pete's holdup. this is surveillance video of that robbery that happened sunday morning. and look at this. several employees you see here

being forced inside a walk-in freezer. before the robbers got away with more than $16,000. >> they knew what they were doing. i mean, there's no doubt about that this was a setup job, and in my opinion, based on my experience, the way they did it, they went exactly where they were going. >> now, police are looking for the person driving this car. can you make that out there? it's a little blurry. it's described as a white or silver suv or minivan. later this week, a former philadelphia mob boss will go back to court for a parole hearing. prosecutors say parole should be revoked for joey merlino. you see him there with the dark hair and sunglasses. they say he's still involved in organized crime. merlino's lawyers, though, say that he's been working an honest job since his release from federal prison. that hearing will be held on friday. a montgomery county town will soon be cutting its police force in half. those layoffs are happening in

franconia township, which covers about 15 square miles in the northern part of montgomery county. six of the township's twelve officers will be let go on november 1st along with three township employees. the township manager tells nbc 10 that franconia's operating at a $900,000 deficit. supervisors have been using a rainy day fund, which is now depleted. the police union is demanding to know why there is such a big budget shortfall. well, hundreds came out for a red carpet celebration in delaware county. ♪ yeah, a little jammin' there. nearly 700 students, parents and staff from chester community charter school kicked off their first ever night of the arts last night. through a grant and community investment, that school recently hired 12 new music and art teachers and bought some new instruments for the kids, too. a similar celebration is taking place next tuesday on the school's east campus. now your nbc 10 first alert

weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> it's a rainy start for much of the area. we're seeing some areas of heavy downpours, but those heavier downpours have not reached boathouse row and much of pennsylvania is dry this morning. cape may is seeing some rain drops. 57 degrees at philadelphia international, where the winds are going to be picking up this afternoon. this is the view from delaware. you can see the roads are damp. showers have moved through and thunderstorms are not far away this morning. there's a chance of some thunderstorm activity, but right now those storms are right along the coast, new jersey, from central new jersey northward and offshore. and we've seen some lightning bolts with these heavier downpours in maryland. it's all part of a system that is spinning just to the south and going to stay with us for today, tonight and tomorrow. so, we'll watch the rainfall accumulate. in those areas that will see the heavier rainfall, and at times, it could be moving inland, topping an inch by 10:00 this

morning. the showers will continue at the shore and delaware, close to 3/4 inches by this afternoon. and then the rain is back tonight and tomorrow. we'll see some showers first thing in the morning, and those will continue into the afternoon. so, your two-day storm totals could be as little as a tenth of an inch north and west. allentown may see a shower or two, but really not much. more than an inch possible in philadelphia and parts of new jersey could top 2 inches of rainfall. but it will clear for the weekend. got the seven-day forecast with the weekend and beyond when i come back in the next half hour. >> all right, bill. 4:21. let's check on your rainy and wet roads in some cases. jillian mele will let us know if there are any problems because of the rain. >> good morning, chris. we're not reporting any accidents, but we definitely have wet roads in portions of the area. taking a live look in upper township, route 9 at route 50. you can see the roads are wet, wet in portions of delaware this morning. but we're also following some of

the normal construction out there, like 295 northbound. we have some road work on the route 160 off-ramp, and we're also still following this vehicle fire in south philadelphia. swanson street right at ritner street. aside from that, the majors around philadelphia looking pretty good. free of any accidents. but we do have this construction still out there on the southbound side of 95 right near cottman avenue between cottman and bridge street. we have the left lane of traffic getting by. chris? cracking down on hate crimes. next, the upgraded punishment that haters in philadelphia could soon face. and a disturbing case of home-grown terrorism involving some teenage girls. next, we'll tell you what's being done after those teens were caught sneaking off to syria, allegedly to join isis.

4:25. we have new information now about the fire at the flight 93 national memorial in shanksville, pennsylvania. the new information is this. the investigation may officially end soon if authorities can't find a cause. and so far, there is no sign of arson or foul play. that fire destroyed the headquarters and a flag that flew over the u.s. capitol on september 11th, 2001. out of our trenton bureau, reaction this morning to the city's decision to cover up an artist's mural of slain missouri teenager michael brown. that mural at north broad and east hanover streets was painted over on monday. trenton police say that it undermined community relations, so they urged the city to cover it up. the artist, though, is defending his work, saying it was only meant to encourage dialogue. >> we can sit down and talk about it, not put any particular group in a negative light. that was not the original intent. i'm not angry at anyone, you know? to me, it did its purpose.

it served its purpose. it started the reaction that we were looking for. >> now, an online petition in support of keeping the painting there has nearly 200 signatures. in philadelphia, it looks as if a bill that revises the city's hate crime law is going to pass. that measure okayed by a city council committee stems from an attack on a gay couple in center city last night. police say the suspects were seen in this surveillance video, taken moments before the assault. the bill would increase penalties in cases when a suspect is found to be motivated by the victim's sexual orientation or gender. now, those suspects are accused of asking the two victims about their relationship before punching and beating them. one of the men had a broken jaw, he was beaten so badly. defense attorneys denied that the fight was motivated by sexual orientation. kevin herring arrigan, philip w and kathryn knott are charged with aggravated assault in that case. now, your nbc 10 first alert

weather. >> a rainy start this morning. we're tracking some heavy showers and some thunderstorms. they've already moved through the cape may area. right now it's 56 degrees at 4:27. jillian mele is watching traffic. good morning, jillian. >> good morning, bill. definitely seeing wet roads out there. a live look in dover, route 13 wet as you can see. same thing on route 1. coming up in a few minutes, i'll take you to center city, philadelphia, where things are looking dry. and new at 4:30, a change coming today that will hopefully make the morning commute a little smoother for patco riders.

revealed through the work of its scholars and graduates. it has inspired strength and purpose. an enduring symbol of passion and excellence that is not static, but moves among us. a feeling...a shared experience, a reminder that we are connected for life. we are penn state, making our mark on the world.

fire guts a line of philadelphia row homes, sending people to the hospital as families stand in the streets and watch their houses burn. a new line of defense in the fight against ebola. restrictions that begin today and why one group of workers wants to know what's being done to protect them. and get your umbrellas ready. it's already a wet morning and more showers and storms are ahead. it's 4:30. good morning. this is "nbc 10 news today." i'm tracy davidson. >> and i'm chris cato. yeah, a day where your umbrella will probably see some action today. meteorologist bill henley has his first alert forecast. bill, a raincoat might be a good idea, too. >> it's going to come in handy. get your rain gear handy because we have some steady rainfall, some heavy downpours in parts of the area and some thunderstorm activity as well that we're tracking in new jersey. it's already rolled through cape may. you can see the puddles on beach avenue. to the north, that's where the heavy rain is falling right now, along the coast. radar shows it nicely. look at the lightning. thunderstorms extend offshore, but some of them have moved into ocean county this morning, and some heavy downpoursn