it was lift-off and then disaster. a rocket and spacecraft bound for the international space station blew up off the coast of virginia. why students at the jersey shore were especially stunned. preparing for a possible strike. we are live with what's being done to get ready for a walkout puts the brakes on buses, trolleys and subways in philadelphia. and this morning we are tracking some showers due to arrive later today. right now it's a warm morning. look at that, 64 degrees as we take a live look at the towers at liberty place. colder weather, though, is on the way for the final days of october and the first of november. good morning, everyone. welcome to "nbc 10 news today." i'm chris cato. and let's begin with meteorologist bill henley and

his first alert forecast. yeah, bill, we're off to a warm one, right? >> we certainly are. good morning, chris. it is getting a little cloudy, so that's helping keeping our temperatures a bit warmer this morning. 50s and 60s right now, and it is dry. clouds are moving in. we will get some breaks of sunshine before rain arrives. right now, look at the numbers around the area. 65 at philadelphia international, northeast philadelphia, mt. holly, atlantic city, millville all at 65 degrees, and dover is 67. and even the cool spots are not all that chilly this morning for this time of year. 50 right now in allentown. forecast is calling for a dry morning. 59 degrees to start with. clouds will be building during the day. by lunchtime we'll be up to 66 degrees. then our attention will turn to the radar for this afternoon. showers right now are off to the north and west. the hour-by-hour forecast for the future weather to show you when showers may move into our area in less than ten minutes. first alert traffic reporter jillian mele has your wednesday

traffic. good morning, jillian. >> good morning, bill. we're starting with good news for drivers in northeast philadelphia. much of yesterday afternoon into the evening we had a massive water main break out on southampton road, closed near the boulevard, but around 10:30 last night, that reopened, so you're good to go this morning. heading to the blue route out near the mid-county toll plaza, nothing happening, no construction, no accidents. the blue route is clear so far. and heading into new jersey, we have a little construction on the turnpike northbound just past the delaware memorial toll plaza. the right lane is blocked there. chris? two minutes after 4:00. this morning, a possible septa strike in philadelphia is not just on the minds of commuters, it's also causing students some anxiety, too. right now about 60,000 public school students use septa every day to get to and from school. nbc 10's katy zachry is live at the frankford transportation center with what the district is doing in case this strike does happen. >> reporter: chris, that's a huge number. you said it, 60,000 students here in philadelphia every morning board septa buses, trolleys or subways to get to

school. if septa union workers do go on strike, many of them, i'm told, would have no way to get to school. it turns out, though, the school district is preparing for a possible septa strike. they've already worked out what they will do if a student is late or can't get to school at all because public transportation is not running. and they also have guidelines in place for teachers who rely on septa and who may have issues getting to school. now, all of these details are laid out in these three pages that the district has put forth. i'm going through them right now and i'll lay out the details for you coming up in about a half hour. live in frankford, katy zachry, nbc 10 news. here's what else is happening this morning. investigators will begin sifting through the wreckage of this rocket, looking for clues toes why it exploded just seconds after lift-off last night. the unmanned rocket, which was carrying a cargo spacecraft to the international space station, burst into flames six seconds after launching off the coast of virginia. what a sight there. and six students from ocean city

high school actually witnessed that explosion. their families tell us they were about a mile and a half from the launchpad on wallops island. now, those students had a vested interest in something on board that cargo ship. they're conducting a science project to test the effect of micro gravity on e. coli bacteria. their test tube was among the cargo destroyed in that explosion. now, no one was injured. that's the good news here. rocket was supposed to actually launch on monday evening, but it was canceled just minutes before because a boat was in the hazard area. now, stay with nbc 10 and nbc10.com for continuing coverage of the rocket explosion. and look at this, we actually have viewer video of the lift-off and explosion online at nbc10.com. football coaches at central bucks high school west are receiving plenty of support in the midst of that hazing scandal there. at a board meeting last night, school officials said the incidents in question happened at a preseason picnic. they said some players were subjected to humiliating

nutritious rituals like waterboarding and having their private parts slapped. the coaches were suspended and the remainder of the season canceled. >> no one's doubting that what happened was wrong, and the boys should have been punished. they should have been punished in an educational way, not in a punitive way. >> can't ask for anything more than the support we got in that room tonight. >> now, all of those coaches spoke last night, defending themselves, saying they weren't even there when this alleged hazing happened, and they also got a vote of confidence from former head coach mike patino, a coaching legend in pennsylvania. he issued a statement saying "from my view, it appears the school district gave little forethought regarding the ramifications of their overzealous, knee-jerk, overreaction when confronted with the hot-button topic of hazing." five minutes after 4:00 now. this morning, the search continues for the driver of an suv who took off after hitting a 71-year-old woman in delaware county. that woman was walking along the

highway in boothwyn around 8:00 last night when she was hit. surveillance video from a nearby store shows the suv. kind of tough to make out there. the woman is in critical condition. the neshaminy school board will send fifth graders into the middle school next year. hundreds of parents showed up at the meeting that voted in expanding middle schools beyond sixth to eighth grade. they say it will save money by utilizing the classroom space more efficiently as student enrollments shift, but many parents worry that fifth graders simply aren't ready for that environment, academically or socially. >> huge changes now to get ready for next year. >> absolutely. i know there's going to be tears. i won't even bring it up until the weekend because i'm going to need a couple days to get her settled. >> now, those fifth graders will have their own separate sections in the middle school buildings. supporters say that kind of separation has worked well in other 5-8 middle schools. from our trenton bureau,

happening today, mayor eric jackson will swear in six new cabinet members as he approaches 100 days in office. jackson says his priority is to fix the government and rebuild community relationships danieled by former mayor tony mack, who is in prison on corruption charges. and there's a special dedication ceremony today in honor of a gloucester county girl murdered two years ago. a gazebo will be unveiled later today at the autumn pasqualie park. 12-year-old autumn was strangled by a 15-year-old boy who wanted her bicycle. it's clouding up this morning, but that's helping us stay milder. this morning temperatures are in the 50s and 60s. the clouds will be taking over. we are tracking showers due in later today, and once those showers leave, the colder air arrives and a cold blast for the weekend with gusty winds, and it doesn't look like the weekend is going to be dry. 50 degrees right now in

allentown, northeast philadelphia 65. 65 degrees in millville. big turnaround from the beginning of the week when we saw readings in the 30s. right now, a dry view from center city. this is the view from the mellon bank building looking up the schuylkill. look at the temperature change compared to yesterday. 21 degrees warmer in mt. holly. allentown is five degrees warmer. but it's close to 15 degrees warmer for most of the i-95 corridor, which has us in the 60s right now for wilmington, philadelphia, northeast philadelphia. it's 65 degrees. north and west, 61 in brandywine, while westtown is 50. it's 55 at fair meadow farm and 61 in downingtown and just up to 62 degrees in phoenixville. not bad at all. but with the warmer air come the clouds, and the clouds will be staying for the day. we will see some breaks of sunshine to start with, but later today, this is what we'll have to deal with, some showers. they don't look all that impressive. they'll hold off until late this afternoon. and by later this afternoon, they'll be moving into the

pocono mountains and the jersey shore. but it's going to take much of the day for this to happen. this is 10:00 this morning, 63 degrees. you can see some scattered clouds, but breaks of sunshine. it will be a mild afternoon. those showers off to the north and west will start moving into the region during the afternoon hours. 3:00, we'll see some light showers in the allentown and reading area. and by later in the afternoon, those start to fizzle, but there's still a chance of some light, scattered showers during the afternoon commute. i'm back with a look at the extended weather. we'll talk more about the cold that will be here for the weekend in less than ten minutes. >> yeah, everyone wants to know about that. thanks, bill. all right, 4:09 now. let's get you caught up on the roads if you're hitting the roads early this wednesday. it is wednesday, right, jillian. >> i think it's wednesday. >> this week is flying by. >> it is. good morning to you. we have normal overnight construction out there right now. starting in chester county, active construction on 202, the northbound side near route 29, so only the far left lane of traffic is getting by right now.

but as you can see, it's still so early. we just don't have that much volume on the roads, so it's not causing a delay in that area. bridges looking good right now. this is the ben franklin bridge at about 4:30 this morning. we're anticipating a bridge opening on the tacony-palmyra bridge, so i'll keep you updated on that. of course, a lot of that overnight construction on the burlington bristol bridge. we also have construction right now on the new jersey turnpike/p.a. turnpike connector, the eastbound side between route 130 and the new jersey turnpike. the left lane is blocked and is expected to be blocked until about 6:00 this morning. chris? a notable and, for some, frustrating milestone today. it's been two years today since superstorm sandy smacked into this region. we'll check on the rebuilding efforts and what's still keeping some areas two years later from getting back on track. plus, you'll find tighter security at some federal buildings today across the country. we'll explain why and if any philadelphia buildings are included.

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.

13 minutes after 4:00 now. in response to recent acts of terrorism abroad, security will be increased at some federal buildings in washington, d.c., and other u.s. cities. the department of homeland security made that announcement yesterday. this is one week after that deadly shooting outside canada's parliament and inside parliament as well. we reached out to the right back office in philadelphia to find out if any buildings in this area will see increased security, but the government is not releasing that information. the second nurse infected by an ebola patient in texas is out of the hospital this morning as debate continues over the national strategy to stop that disease from spreading. amber vinson, you see her here, she hugged her doctors and nurses before walking out of atlanta's emory university hospital yesterday. vinson, of course, was diagnosed after caring for a liberian man

who eventually died of ebola at a dallas hospital, and she fueled fears across the country by flying to cleveland after being infected. now, health officials say three pennsylvanians who were on that flight are showing no signs of ebola. they're still being monitored, along with about 100 other people who spent time in west africa before arriving in pennsylvania. president obama pledged his support for health care workers on the front lines of ebola. >> the bottom line is, is that they're doing what it takes to make sure that medical personnel and health care workers from all countries have what they need to get the job done. >> now, the president did not directly address the case of nurse kaci hickox or the quarantine that kept her at university hospital in newark over the weekend. hickox volunteered recently in west africa. she became the first person forced into new jersey's mandatory 21-day quarantine for medical workers who return from that region. well, police in monroe county have a new tip to work with in the manhunt for eric frein. investigators say a possible sighting of frein was made yesterday afternoon near route

390 in barrett township. that's near canadensis, where frein lived. he's been on the run for 47 days after police believe he shot two state troopers outside their barracks in pike county, killing one of them. in burlington county, an investigation under way after human remains were found in someone's backyard. those bones were discovered by a construction crew that was digging a pool behind a home on bank avenue in riverton. a forensic anthropologist is trying to figure out the identity of that person and how they died. investigators say it could take a while, because the remains appear to have been there for a long time. 4:15 now. a man who was wanted in a shooting in south jersey faces new charges this morning after authorities say he stole the gun of the officer who was trying to arrest him. now, that suspect and the officer got into a struggle yesterday in franklin township, gloucester county. the man was wanted in a shooting that happened over the weekend in cumberland county. police say they recovered the gun after the man's attorney called them and told them he had it. the suspect turned himself in

last night. this morning, look at this, we're getting our first real look at richard plots, the man accused of the deadly shooting on the campus of mercy-fitzgerald hospital in delaware county. yesterday he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. listen to this, as nbc 10's christine maddela shouted a question at him leaving court yesterday. >> why did you shoot your case worker, richard? anything you want to say? [ inaudible ] >> he said "ask lee silverman, he knows the answer." silverman was his psychologist. he is accused of killing him and theresa hunt. silverman shot plots to stop the attack. sunrise is three hours and ten minutes away, and we will see little bit of sunshine, but we will get more clouds during the day today. for now, it is dry, but that's going to change later on. 65 degrees right now at philadelphia.

that's 14 degrees warmer than yesterday. a little bit of a breeze coming out of the south-southwest. it's going to keep temperatures on the mild side today. and showers will have to wait until tonight for cape may. that's a live dry view from the marquis de lafayette hotel. clouds will be increasing, but sunshine will be around. look at these temperatures. 67 right now in dover, 60s across south jersey, delaware, and into the i-95 corridor and even north and west it's mild. 59 in reading. allentown this morning one of the cooler spots this morning. and there are a few showers that we're tracking. for now, the rain is off to the north and west. and it doesn't look like it's far away. it really isn't all that far away, but it's going to take most of the day for those showers to pull into the philadelphia area. the first showers are likely to arrive during the afternoon hours. and then late afternoon for the evening commute, we could see some very light showers moving through philadelphia. those will clear out, and then here comes the chillier weather. tomorrow morning there are no 60s on this map.

that's 7:00 tomorrow morning. look at the 30s for allentown, mt. pocono, reading and lancaster. pottstown at 39 degrees. and philadelphia will be in the 40s. and it looks like it will be turning even colder for the weekend. when i come back, the seven-day forecast in the next half hour. >> all right, bill, 18 minutes after 4:00. let's get an early check of your traffic. nbc 10 first alert traffic reporter jillian mele will tell you if there's anything to slow you down on this wednesday. i did confirm that it is wednesday. >> it is wednesday. >> i've figured in out now. >> that is important ysion that everyone needs to know. thank you, chris. looking at the tacony-palmyra bridge, traffic is still moving, but we are anticipating a bridge closure around 4:30 this morning just for a few minutes so a ship can pass through. that means the arms on the bridge will open, and that hasn't happened yet. so, i'll keep you updated and let you know when it does. 76 near montgomery drive, both directions very quiet. no construction, no accidents to report the entire length of the schuylkill expressway right now. and in northeast philadelphia, we had a really big water main

break out here yesterday, closing southampton road pretty much all day and night right near the boulevard. that is reopened this morning. it reopened around 10:30 last night. chris? hard to believe two years ago on this day, the second costliest storm in u.s. history slammed into this region. superstorm sandy is blamed for $65 billion in damages, and two years later, that tally is still sti ticking upward. nbc 10's jesse gary is live in cumberland county, which didn't get a lot of attention as being one of the hard-hit areas, but a lot of people there, including the owners of one landmark you visited, are still struggling to get back on their feet. >> reporter: chris, that's exactly right. and the owners of the charlesworth hope to reopen the hotel in time to host christmas parties at year's end. but there is a lot of work to do between then and now. the owner of the charlesworth, jim fonish, took us inside the nearly century-old bed and breakfast on the shores of the

bay. superstorm sandy flooded the basement with 2 feet of water, but the costliest repairs are needed on the outside. the decking and ramp were ripped away and need to be replaced before opening. he says up until recently, there's been little state or federal assistance. >> we saw how much help was going to the oceanside. we would hear about programs that you could do. and bitter, because you would go to the computer and try and make an application and you would have to put in the county and it would say, cumberland county is not included. >> reporter: so, where did they get the help to rebuild? well, i'll have that part of the story coming up in the next hour. we're live in cumberland county, new jersey, jesse gary, nbc 10 news. chris? >> and jesse, listen to this. a new monmouth university survey shows that two years after the superstorm hit, a majority of new jersey residents that were hit by the hurricane are still unhappy with the recovery efforts. just one in three storm

survivors feel that their needs are being addressed by the government. many residents say they've been forgotten and that new jersey leaders have failed to communicate with them about recovery assistance programs. the only group of residents showing overall satisfaction are, not surprisingly, those whose sandy-damaged properties have been rebuilt. the study was also conducted last year with similar results. nbc 10 jersey shore bureau reporter ted greenberg covered the storm and its aftermath. he continues to cover it and he will have special reports today, marking the second anniversary, right here on nbc 10 starting this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. 4:21 now. it is a move designed to not reopen old wounds for penn state. we'll tell you why the university board decided not to re-examine the report that led to sanctions and fines against the university in the wake of the jerry sandusky case.

4:24 on your wednesday morning. penn state's board will not be taking another look into the controversial freeh report on the jerry sandusky child sex abuse scandal. the board voted last night 17-9 against create a special panel to examine that report and seek answers from former fbi director louis freeh. that report became the basis of sanctions for the ncaa, including $60 million in fines and loss of football scholarships. jerry sandusky, of course, the former assistant football coach at penn state was convicted of molesting ten boys. the former coach is serving a 30 to 60-year prison sentence. the freeh report concluded that head coach joe paterno and other administrators concealed facts about sandusky's abuse of children to avoid bad publicity. >> this board is divided on its own, each and every one of us, view of our sacred past.

there are different versions of that on this board and are two very different viewpoints, indeed. >> now, the board did okay a resolution that said it would monitor ongoing legal proceedings related to the case. now to the atlantic city casino crisis. there is help this morning for former employees of one of atlantic city's shuttered casinos. a joint union management health care fund is giving two months of extended insurance coverage to workers at the taj mahal casino resort. unite here health says it took action because of what it called unprecedented times in atlantic city. the taj mahal got a bankruptcy judge earlier this month to approve canceling its union contracts, which terminated employee health insurance and pension plans. as a result, workers' insurance coverage was due to expire on friday, but this decision made yesterday extends the coverage through december. happening today, some free flu shots are being offered to residents of camden county. you can show up for a flu shot starting at 9:30 this morning at city hall in camden.

those shots are being offered for two more weeks at other places in the county. to find a list of those dates and locations, just visit our website, nbc10.com. and look at this, a former shopping center in camden county that's been vacant for decades now is going to be transformed. more than 200 homes, walking and jogging trails and businesses will be built on the former acme and grant shopping center site on white horse pike in clementon. that project could bring in more than $1 million in new revenue. a warmer start this morning. temperatures are in the 50s and 60s, and clouds are moving into the area. later on, you'll likely see umbrellas going up. we'll go through it hour by hour. but first, first alert traffic reporter jillian mele is watching the roads. uh- uh-oh, flashing lights. >> a little construction out there. i-95 at route 322, southbound side. we have the right lane blocked, not causing any slowdowns,

though. in a few minutes, i'll take you to a live look at the vine street expressway. jillian, tens of thousands of students in philadelphia use septa to get to school every day. if the septa workers go on strike, many of those students will have no way to get to school, so the district has a plan in place. i'll break it down for you, coming up.

i . this morning, nbc 10 is helping you prepare for a possible septa strike. we're looking into contingency plans so you don't get left behind. and what caused this rocket bound for the international space station to explode just after takeoff on the coast of virginia? more than $200 million up in

flames there. and here's a live look outside right now, boathouse row in philadelphia. it is a warm morning. 64 degrees. and we're tracking showers that will bring us cooler temperatures as the week continues. good morning. this is "nbc 10 news today." i'm tracy davidson. >> and i'm chris cato. cooler temperatures and downright cold temperatures on the way for later. we'll talk about that in a moment, but first, let's talk about this warm morning we have. meteorologist bill henley is in with that. hi, bill. >> we are running 15 to 20 degrees warmer this morning. a nice warm-up from the earlier in the week when the temperatures are in the 30s. not this morning. we've got 50s and 60s. there are clouds around, but no sign of any wet weather yet. you can see beach avenue is dry in cape may. that's the view from the marquis de lafayette hotel. inland, the temperatures are cool for allentown, 50 degrees, but look at the 60s for wilmington, philadelphia, northeast philadelphia 65 degrees right now. so, a mild morning. and dry, too. 59 degrees at 7:00. by lunchtime, we'll be up to 66