the investigation continues into a philadelphia tragedy. how did this female firefighter die in the line of duty and how is she being remembered this morning? masked men barge into a local home overnight. now the search to find them continues. we will tell you where police believe this happened. and we're not saying it's a banner day outside, but it's much better than it was yesterday morning. we're warmer at 42 degrees in philadelphia as we take a live look at the comcast center in center city. drying out, too, after all of that rain associated with the nor'easter moved through yesterday. good morning, everyone. this is "nbc 10 news today" on this wednesday. i'm chris cato. let's begin with meteorologist bill henley and his first alert forecast.

bill, is all of the rain done now or are we still seeing showers? >> done for this morning. for our area, we will be dry. we'll be watching for showers later this afternoon, but this morning it is actually breaking up the cloud cover. saw the moon just a short time ago. we still have gusty winds, as you can see from this live view from the loews hotel in center city, but the radar view shows that the showers have just fizzled over the last hour. it's dried up in the berks county area. the rest of the area is seeing dry conditions. just the pocono mountains are getting a few scattered snowflakes this morning. 42 degrees right now in philadelphia. nice and warm, even in the lehigh valley. allentown. look at berks county, reading 40 degrees and 40s across much of delaware and south jersey. even the mountains are above freezing this morning. so, we will see some limited breaks in the clouds this morning. the temperatures will hold pretty steady. the winds will be picking up as we head into the noontime hour. we'll go through it hour by hour with the future weather when i come back in less than ten

minutes. right now, let's check in with first alert traffic reporter jillian mele. >> good morning, bill. we have an accident on 76, eastbound side of the schuylkill expressway right near gulph mills. it's just beyond this curve. you can kind of see it through the trees. police are out there blocking the left lane. it's not causing a delay, but a tap of the brakes as drivers pass by that accident scene. the westbound side of 76 is okay. nothing out of the ordinary there. west conshohocken, we have a closure because of a mudslide yesterday. we'll have more on this in a second. balligomingo road is closed near front street, but matsonford road is okay to get around it. >> here's video of the mudslide that shut down that road in west conshohocken. the road is still closed at this hour. heavy rain and flooding caused the slide on balligomingo road. it is expected to reopen at some point today. we'll let you know when that happens. this is our camera down the shore atop the marquis de lafayette hotel in cape may.

much different than yesterday morning when all that rain was moving through, very heavy on the shore. the floodirain did cause floodi beach erosion, but looking better now. you can get up-to-the-minute reports to your smartphone any time. get the weather app for free. go to nbc10.com for a free download. it has been 24 hours since we broke the news of a tragic milestone in the long history of the philadelphia fire department. the first death of a female firefighter in that department. and one day later, many questions surround the circumstances of her death. nbc 10's monique braxton is live for us in west oak lane, the scene of that fire that led to that tragedy. and monique, investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened, aren't they? >> reporter: that's true, chris. they'll be looking at two things. one, the fire apparatus that she was wearing. and number two, what caused the blaze here at this home in west oak lane.

this morning we're learning more about the beloved firefighter who rushed into this house to save an elderly woman's life. fire commissioner derrick sawyer describes 36-year-old joyce craig-lewis as a firefighter's firefighter. the mother of a teen and a toddler was assigned to engine 64 in lawn crest but was working overtime when firefighters were called to west oak lane. commissioner sawyer says she was one of three firefighters to enter the basement of this home. when firefighters were ordered out, they noticed she did not retreat. she was found unconscious inside. we stopped by her home to speak to her family. >> she helped save that lady's life, and she's going to be remembered. i think she would love that. >> reporter: craig-lewis is 1 of 150 women in the fire department. our camera captured people gathered for a prayer vigil outside engine 64 last night. in the next half hour, we're working to bring you the

heartfelt comments from fellow firefighters. live for now in west oak lane, monique braxton, nbc 10 news. >> we also know that craig-lewis left behind two children. count on nbc 10 as we learn new information about that fallen firefighter and the investigation into the fire that took her life. we're posting updates constantly on nbc10.com. 4:05 now. new from overnight, a home invasion in delaware county. police tell us three men with guns and wearing masks entered a home on fern street in darby borough around 11:30 last night. no one was hurt and it's not clear yet what was taken. police are also looking for two men who pulled off a home invasion in south philadelphia last night. police tell us masked men armed with guns forced their way inside a home on mole street. investigators say the robbers hit a man in the head, trashed the home and got away with about $600 and some jewelry. the victim was not seriously hurt. and this morning, bensalem police are working to track down thieves who stole thousands of dollars in antique coins.

the robbery happened yesterday afternoon at the coin and collective store on street road. surveillance cameras captured the robbery going down here, one man pushing his way behind the counter, tying up the owner. the other man tied up an employee and a customer. the thieves then broke the glass on the display cases, pulled out trays of antique silver dollars and took about 100 coins worth about $5,000. we spoke to the owner, who asked us not to show his face. >> really thought for a second, this is somebody that's playing a game on me. but as he pushed me down, i realized this is not a game. >> now, cameras did capture one of the thieves pushing off his hoodie, clearly revealing his face. you see him there. investigators believe the men ran to the back of the shopping plaza where they hopped into a waiting car. none of the victims were seriously hurt. and from our delaware bureau now, we're learning more about the two men charged with setting several churches on fire in kent county. alex herrington and joseph sokolich are behind bars after

police say they set fire to healing hands christian church. you see the remains of the church there. and two other churches in felton last week. court documents show that one of the men admitted to starting the fires. investigators say it had nothing to do with religion, though, and one pastor tells nbc 10 they were looking to steal money or whatever they could find inside. in court today, a pretrial conference for milton garcia, the man accused of raping and attacking a doctor in philadelphia as she was walking home from a bar. police say garcia sexually assaulted that woman inside her rittenhouse square apartment in june. surveillance video shows a man fitting garcia's description locking up his bike at 16th and pine. investigators tell us garcia then forced the young woman inside her apartment, attacked her two different times and stole her cell phone and keys. also in court today, five adults charged with abusing several children in darby borough are set for a preliminary hearing in sharon hill. authorities say the kids are all

under the age of 10. police arrestth the adults last month. they're accused of beating the children, shooting them with bb guns and having sex in front of them. eight minutes after 4:00. on to the casino crisis in atlantic city. we've learned that the deal to sell revel casino and hotel to brookfield holdings, that company out of connecticut, is now dead. a source close to negotiations told nbc 10 that revel did everything it could to close the deal. the casino now wants to set up a court hearing to accept a bid by a florida developer who is still interested in buying the property. now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> things have settled down quite a bit. the wind is still blowing, but the rain has taken a break and the temperatures, they're much milder this morning. everybody is above freezing at this hour. showers, looks like they'll return this afternoon. mainly rain to begin with. as we head into the evening hours, we see some scattered, light snow showers, but not expecting any accumulation for most of the area.

the exception would be the pocono mountains. and the chance of some scattered snow showers into tomorrow morning, again, no accumulation here. allentown. the clouds have broken. we'll actually see some sunshine once it comes up. right now 40 degrees in allentown. northeast philadelphia 42 degrees this morning with mostly cloudy skies. and millville is at 40 degrees. so, a much milder start. but look at the camera in the pocono mountains. this is camelback. first of all, you can see there is not much snow on the ground here. it is precipitating, but very light stuff. the rest of the area is drying out this morning. see some scattered snow showers into new york state. some of these will be streaming into the pocono mountains at times, but it's not going to be a big snowfall this morning. could see some accumulating snowfall this afternoon, but just a couple inches possible at some of the higher elevations. future weather showing 7:00 a.m. mainly dry for our area. we'll get some breaks in the clouds, see little bit of sunshine this morning, but the clouds will be returning this afternoon. this is 9:00 this morning. still nice and dry. then you can see the wet weather

starting to move back into the pocono mountains around noontime today. but it looks like we're going to get off to a nice start this morning. gusty winds, yes. they'll still be with us. and a chance of afternoon showers. but this morning it will be dry and the temperatures that are in the low 40s now will be hovering in the low 40s for most of the day. held steady by that wind that will be gusting to 35 miles an hour. look at the extended future weather with a look at those scattered snow showers for tonight and into tomorrow when i'm back in less than ten minutes. >> all right, bill, we'll see you then. ten minutes after 4:00 now. things were such a mess yesterday morning with all the rain on the roads. let's hope things are calmer 24 hours later. let's check in with nbc 10's first alert traffic reporter jillian mele. there she is. >> good morning to you, chris. not seeing nearly as many problems as yesterday, but we are starting the morning with a few incidents, including this accident that i keep following on 76. you can see that police activity right past that curve. this is 76 eastbound right near gulph mills. the left lane is blocked so traffic can get by. it's not causing a slowdown,

just a little tap of the brakes as drivers pass the scene. area bridges looking good. ben franklin, no issues to report. that's westbound as drivers head into philadelphia. that's where we can see it jam later in the morning, but for now, no delays on any of the area bridges. in new jersey, 42 freeway northbound, you can see average speeds as drivers pass 295 in the mid-50s. chris? all right, we've got a lot to cover this morning. while you were sleeping, there were new developments in the oscar pistorius case. a judge has decided that prosecutors can appeal the ex-olympian's acquittal on murder charges. and controversy in state college. penn state's new president is under fire. you'll see why one state lawmaker wants him to apologize.

4:13 on a windy wednesday morning. look at the flags on top of the aramark building. it is gusty. not as cold as yesterday morning, though. and the big difference is the rain is out of the picture, at least for now. some of you may see snow flurries later today. meteorologist bill henley is back in a moment with a look at that. in the past few hours, the judge in a south africa courtroom ruled that prosecutors can appeal the oscar pistorius acquittal on murder charges. back in october, you'll remember the judge convicted pistorius of a lesser charge, culpable homicide, and sentenced him to five years in prison. pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, inside his home. he said he thought she was an intruder. again, prosecutors can appeal his acquittal on murder charges. the president of penn state university is coming under fire for a gesture he made outside the school's administration building. look at this. this is a twitter picture of university president eric barron with a group of students there holding his hands up. he joined students at a die-in demonstration last week to protest the shooting that

happened in ferguson, missouri. now one state lawmaker is demanding that barron apologize, calling it a slap in the face to law enforcement. barron says he supports police, but he also wanted to show solidarity with those students. the delaware county man accused of killing his case worker and shooting his doctor pleaded not guilty yesterday. 49-year-old richard plots is charged with murder and some weapons offenses. he's accused in july of shooting to death his case worker, theresa hunt, at a wellness center on the campus of mercy-fitzgerald hospital. authorities say his psychologist, lee silverman, was grazed with a bullet but returned fire with his own gun, wounding plotts. soon, drivers in new jersey will no longer have to worry about the watchful eye of the flashing red light cameras. red light cameras at intersections across new jersey are about to go dark. that's because they were part of a pilot program that is running out. supporters say the cameras reduce accidents and keep people safe, but critics say they're just money-makers. >> now, looking at the camera,

it's raining out. the camera's not working. if you go into the e-mails between the township and the police department, there's not wipers on it. if it's raining out, they're not working. if it's cold and the front freezes, they're not working. >> so, it's up to each town to deactivate the cameras on their own by next tuesday. once unplugged, the new jersey department of transportation will review the data and submit a final report to the state legislature. the national transportation safety board says there is no evidence of engine trouble or a bird strike in connection to monday's deadly plane crash in maryland. a private jet was trying to land at montgomery county air park when it crashed into a home. three passengers on board the plane were killed as well as marie gemmell and her two young sons. they were inside a house that was hit by part of the plane. gemmell is from ocean county. and her husband posted a message on facebook that reads, "no words can describe the enormity of our loss and sadness over yesterday's tragedy. we lost marie, the love of my

life, and my college sweetheart, and our two young, innocent and joyful sons, a loss that no person should ever endure." ken gemmell went on to say that the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. this morning, the reward is up to $65,000 in the search for that missing college student, shane montgomery. it's now been 14 days since he disappeared. the west chester university student was last seen early thanksgiving morning after leaving a pub in manayunk. temple university is going ahead with plans to expand its main campus in philadelphia. temple's board of trustees shared details of that plan yesterday. the project will include a new library in the heart of campus, a new science building and a full city block of green space. the head of construction told us that students and staff want that open space and have wanted it for a long time. >> there's always been a lot of conversation here at temple about the need for having more open space on campus. we're in the middle of a very, you know, large, urban area, not

a lot of green space, not a lot of open space for our students. >> and the entire project, they say, should be complete in about four years. we are prepping for the arrival of pope francis for the world meeting of families next year in philadelphia, and we've now learned that all schools in the philadelphia archdiocese will be closed during the pontiff's visit. catholic leaders will close all schools from september 23rd through the 25th. they say that will allow teachers and families to take part in the world meeting of families. more than a million people from around the world are expected to visit philadelphia for that event. now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> a windy start this morning, but it is dry and the temperatures are much warmer. look at the winds, though. the flags atop of the aramark building are going to be blowing all day long. the northwesterly winds right now at 18 miles an hour. temperature at 42 degrees and holding in philadelphia. the clouds are starting to break and the rain has stopped at the

shore. it's a view of beach avenue. still a bit damp outside, but no rain. it will be a windy day at the shore, too. look at the temperatures, looking much better this morning. 42 degrees in philadelphia. north and west, bluebell is down to 41 degrees, but well above freezing for collegeville and eagleville. 39 in pottstown. gilbertsville and pottstown at 40 degrees right now. so, no sign of any freezing conditions this morning. even the pocono mountains are above freezing now. and the radar is clear for most of the area during the day today. this morning it will be dry. this afternoon, we'll likely see some showers pop up north and west. winds gusting to 25 miles an hour right now in wilmington, but the clouds are already thinning out. we'll actually get some breaks of sunshine this morning before the clouds return for this afternoon, and that's when we'll see a chance of some showers returning to the area. hour-by-hour forecast, nicely above freezing. at 6:00 this morning, the temperatures are going to stay above freezing. the clouds are back right around

noontime. you can see them in philadelphia. we'll be watching some snow showers to the north and scattered rain showers may be developing early in the afternoon today. then later today, rain and possibly some scattered snow showers as the temperatures start to fall at 6:00, well off to the north and west into the pocono mountains. you can see some light accumulations there. but look at reading and allentown. temperatures above freezing. even if it does start snowing, with temperatures above freezing, it might just be a dusting on some of the grassy surfaces. and then during the evening hours, the clouds will hang in there. it's overnight tonight that we'll be watching to the north and west for some snow to be redeveloping. and early tomorrow morning we could see some snow showers. temperatures just below the freezing mark in doylestown and allentown. until then, well, a dry morning. for today, look at the temperatures. 40s this afternoon. even with the gusty northwesterly winds. the temperatures will be coming down, though, as we head into tomorrow. the details and a look ahead toward the weekend with the seven-day forecast in the next half hour. >> oh, we always like to look

ahead to the weekend. thank you, bill. 4:20 now. let's get a check of the roadways and see how things are shaping up. nbc 10's first alert traffic reporter jillian mele has us covered. >> good morning, chris. no accidents on 95, the blue route, 422, even 20 2 looking good. a minor accident on 76 eastbound right near gulph mills. the left lane remains closed there. and in west conshohocken, a mudslide happened from all that rain. balligomingo road is closed near front street. take matsonburg road around it. that is okay. north to the lehigh valley, quiet right now. this is route 22 at airport road. all is looking good here. 78 is clear of any accidents and so is the northeast extension. chris? >> thank you, jillian. well, a local landmark is set to get a makeover. love park is getting some work done, but what should it look like? we'll tell you how you can have a say in the process. and amid the casino crisis in atlantic city, there is word that new jersey could get new casinos. but they'll be very different from the ones we are used to

seeing on the boardwalk. we'll tell you what could be in store for gamblers.

4:24. you are waking up to, thankfully, much drier conditions than we saw yesterday as we look live at 30th street station you see in the center bottom of your screen. it is 42 degrees in philadelphia, and we will see later today some precipitation. meteorologist bill henley is back in a moment to tell us what we can expect based on where you live. stay tuned for that. well, we have some new information now on a story we brought you first last week. new jersey economic officials have now approved $118 million in tax breaks for subaru to move its u.s. headquarters to camden. officials also okayed $40

million in tax breaks for cooper health system to move its business office to camden. both subaru and cooper had considered moving to philadelphia, so some economic victories for camden this morning. also happening today, philadelphia's iconic love park is getting a new look. today the public is invited to give their input on what it should look like. city groups will be hosting a public meeting on the redesign of the park. it's expected to take shape over the next couple of years. the meeting today will be held at the philadelphia free public library. and in delaware, officials will break ground on the new lewis public library. governor jack markell will be there for today's ceremony. a new, state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot building. the project is expected to cost $10 million. a lot of that money has been raised through public and private donations. the philadelphia school reform commission continues hearing today on new charter school applications. during this first round of hearings, applicants can make a presentation about their proposed charter and the public can comment on it. a second round comes in january. well, the clock is ticking

for philadelphia public school students to turn in their school selection applications. friday is that deadline for students who want to transfer schools or start high school next fall. students can also apply to attend several magnet schools or special admission high schools. for more information on how to apply, just visit our website, nbc10.com. peco employees brought holiday cheer to hundreds of families. look at this. nbc 10 was at the loews philadelphia hotel in center city. this was for families displaced by disasters and being helped by the red cross. guests got to dance, decorate cookies, and of course, put in a good word with the big man himself. now your nbc 10 first alert weather. >> a windy start in the pocono mountains. this is a live view from camelback. snow on the ground. not much falling from the sky just yet, but that's going to change later in the day. just a few scattered snowflakes at this hour. right now here at nbc 10, 42

degrees at 4:26. jillian mele is watching traffic. good morning, jillian. >> good morning to you, bill. a live look outside, 95 near cottman avenue. looking good and quiet on 95. we are following an accident on 76 and construction for drivers in new jersey. i'll break it down next. and the investigation into the death of this firefighter is set to take a step forward today. we'll have the latest on a tragedy that claimed the life of a hero.

as the philadelphia fire department continues to mourn its first female firefighter to die in the line of duty, today the investigation into how she died is set to move into a new phase.

and the search is on this morning for masked gunmen after an overnight home invasion. we'll tell you why what they were after is a mystery at this point. and a much better weather situation down the shore this morning. this is time yesterday we were feeling the effects of a nor'easter. now we're drying out and warming up. that's good news on this wednesday morning. thanks for joining us. you're watching "nbc 10 news today." i'm christine maddela. >> i'm chris cato. and yes, 42 degrees is considered a warm-up based on what we had yesterday. >> considering, yes. by comparison. >> those winds were cold. meteorologist bill henley is back now with his first alert forecast. good morning, bill. >> good morning, chris. yes, much improved this morning. we are dry. nothing falling from the sky. the wind is still steady. in fact, getting some wind gusts of 25 miles an hour in the area. it's a steady northwesterly wind in philadelphia, but the temperatures, in spite of that northwesterly wind, are not bad at all. well above freezing. even in the mountains this morning. a look at the radar. it is cleared out this morning. it's this afternoon that the