that breaking news we're following, a string of car fires overnight in philadelphia. nbc 10 is live on the scene as police try to figure out if an arsonist set those fires. and get the shovels and salt ready again. we are tracking the next weather threat. a nor'easter sliding up from the south right now to move in as your weekend gets underway. good morning, this is "nbc 10 news today." i'm chris cato. we begin on this friday with meteorologist bill henley and the first alert forecast. bill, it is all dry out there right now. right now, but we have a first alert weather day for today and tomorrow. this is for later this evening and overnight tonight. hazardous travel is expected for most of the tri-state area as

snow accumulating will be moving in during the late evening hours and continuing into early saturday before it mixes with sleet and freezing rain. and then changing over to rain. right now it is completely dry. but you can see the coming storm to our south. it's moving through mississippi and alabama, georgia, that wet weather will move into colder air. and what you see is rain there. we'll start as snow up the i-95 corridor. right now 30 degrees in philadelphia. 30 also in wilmington but there are colder readings for trenton, mt. holly, allentown in the middle 20s right now. it's still falling with the skies clearing. we'll see lots of sunshine this morning with a few high clouds moving in at noontime. a pretty nice day shaping up today, but tonight it's going to be a bit messy. we'll go through it hour by hour with the future weather when i'm back in ten. but first we'll check in with first alert traffic reporter katy zachry. it is dry and quiet in your

world. the same thing in my world. to the pennsylvania turnpike we have the typical overnight construction going on that is accounting for a lane closure. we'll get to that in a second but first we have a road closure in elkins park in township line road between cedar road and route 611. it is closed because of road work. that stretch of road. we are talking about the pennsylvania turnpike westbound. that's between route 1, which is exit 351 and the exit for route 611. the right lane is closed there. taking a live look at the roads right now in philadelphia this is 76 at spring garden. really quiet out there. things are looking great in new jersey and delaware as well. chris? katy as you know the road crews across the region are ready to roll for this weekend's storm. penndot says they are prepared to put more than 330 trucks and plows to work. salt and brine trucks with freezing rain and salt it bay mcand plows for snow. the agency will bring in more contractors depending on what the weather brings. they will be watching the

forecast closely, so should you no matter where you go. take nbc 10's first alert weather technology with you this weekend to track the storm as it moves through. get the latest forecast alerts and advisories on winter weather streets on your smartphone or tablet by downloading the first alert weather app in the app store now. back to the breaking news from this morning on the "nbc 10 news" room a string of car fires occurred overnight. jesse gary is live on edmonds street overnight. do investigators know if these are connected? >> reporter: investigators are working on that right now. they are bringing in a canine unit to see what accelerant was used. you can see the damage to this mariner suv. this started around 2:00. the family inside here was inside asleep but the

neighbor's dog was barking in the house to the right. that dog wakes up that family and they see the suv on fire. they go over wake up this family and both families were able to evacuate. get the kids and get out. the fire on the suv actually spread up to that second floor bedroom and burned the bottom. the exterior of it but it did not make it inside. investigators are determining how this fire started. we heard chris say a string of fires. we'll tell you what proceeded this and why it could be related because of the close distance and why the fire didn't make it inside the second floor bedroom. we'll talk about that coming up in 30 minutes. jesse gary "nbc 10 news." now to a developing story. the isis deadline for japan to pay ransom for the two hostages passed three hours ago. a japan news agency reports that the terrorist group promised to release a statement soon. isis threatened to kill the two

men if the japanese government did not pay the ransom. leaders in tokyo are doing the best to get the hostages released but will not give in to isis. officials plan to make a marketing someplace at "the new york times" traveling show today. the goal is to promote the resort and divert the negative publicity after many casino closings. and people in atlantic city can talk about their concern for future storms. there will be a meeting tonight from 5:00 to 7:00 in chelsea. they will also talk about the bid recovery money that will come from a national fund. and a philadelphia priest is

facing sex charges and set to go before the judge today. andrew mccormick had a first trial that ended in a hung jury. mccormick is accused of sexually assaulting an altar boy in 1997. he was arrested in 2012. now the archdiocese placed him on leave earlier because of other abuse allegations. today in delaware this woman will be sentenced for her fourth dui offense. a jury convicted kimberly mock of causing a crash to injury a family of four in 2013. the reverend al sharpton's civil rights group is calling for state, not local investigators to look into the police shooting death in bridgeton, the death of jerome reid. this week bridgeton police released dash cam video. on the video you can hear the officers warning reid several times not to move after finding a gun inside the car in which reid was a passenger. he shoved his way out of the car before the officer shot him to death. the two officers involved are

suspended while the county prosecutor looks into the shooting. and in bucks county members of a well-known family are accused of bilking insurance companies out of $20 million. authorities say claire risoldi, she, her husband, son and daughter and daughter-in-law tried to scam insurance companies. they also accused firefighters of stealing jewelry during the last fire in 2013. >> i knew my guys didn't take anything out of the house, but we were accused. >> authorities cleared the midway volunteer fire company of any wrongdoing. look at this investigators seized about $7 million in assets from the risoldis. including a million more than in jewelry, six ferraris two rolls

royces and several other high-end cars. the california supreme court put the case against kathleen kane on hold until march. the grand jury said she leaked information to a newspaper. kane denied breaking the law and asked to remove the special prosecutor. >> the special prosecutor failed to find what he was looking for. >> now the montgomery county district attorney is investigating the case but the supreme court's hold on the case will prevent the d.a. from bringing any charges until after that hearing in march. and winter storm sweeping through parts of texas is on our way to the delaware valley. the storm dropped several inches of snow in el paso. up to a foot in the panhandle of texas. dozens of texas school districts canceled classes yesterday with delays expected again this

morning. that's a storm to come our way as a nor'easter. it will be tracking up the east coast and we will see it arrive late tonight. and it is going to start as snow for our area. snow and then overnight into saturday morning we'll see sleet and freezing rain mixed in before it changes over to a cold rain that's going to fall for much of the day on saturday. heading out the door right now completely clear. no sign of that nor'easter in our area. skies are going to see a lot of sunshine to warm things up. right now, it's getting colder for allentown, northeast philly and atlantic city in the 20s to start with. a nice quiet view very little wind. you can see the waters barely moving in front of boathouse row. that's a live view from the mellon bank building. tonight, this is what is moving in with the heavy precipitation over alabama moving into georgia. this will march up the east coast and come in here with snow late this evening and into tomorrow morning. during the day today, mostly

sunny skies. a high temperature will be very close to where they were yesterday, but we'll see more sunshine today. so it's going to feel warm. upper 30s to lower 40s with winds fairly light. but it starts to change this evening. when i come back the future weather will take you right on through the nor'easter coming our way. everyone is wanting to see when the snow will arrive. at ten minutes after the hour we'll see if there are any other problems to slow you down. happy friday to you, katy. we'll start things off in new jersey because yesterday morning it was a little bit of a busy morning for new jersey roadways. but 295, the turnpike and the 42 freeway, no accidents to report. no issues to report there. so new jersey drivers are good to go right now. moving up into chester county in exton we have construction for drivers along route 100 at shoen road that may account for just a very slight closure right there.

but you'll be able to get around it. 495 in philadelphia pike in delaware, yesterday at this time there was a speed restriction, a 55-mile-an-hour restriction. that has since been lifted. roadways look good in delaware. chris? threatening to strike. the local hospital where nurses could soon walk off the job. plus the city of philadelphia said it wanted to change food truck safely laws after this one blew up last year. next, the nbc 10 investigators checked to see if the city is following through. and the one problem delaware's governor says could derail the state's success in adding new jobs.

eyes to the storm. that's the nor'easter coming our

wayenen tonight into tomorrow. a first alert weather day has been issued for tonight and tomorrow for hazardous travel. at 4:13 we now know the rescue crews struggled with communication problems while trying to save people on board a washington subway that is filled with smoke. a drexel university student died in the accident. firefighters had trouble using their radios because fire officials had made changes to the radio system without telling subway officials. carol glover is the woman who died in that accident. more than 80 people were injured. authorities say an electrical problem led the smoke to fill the subway cars. and this morning investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire at an auto body shop in delaware county. the building and several cars caught fire 11:00 a.m. at north 9th in upper darby. the fire also impacted a neighboring building. >> it was like a car repair shop and they do alterations to vehicles. the exposure to the printing

shop goes back to the old days. >> the no one was injured in the fire. and an update north side to a fire that injuryed and killed people. you may remember this food truck explosion that killed a woman and her daughter last summer in philadelphia. the city council introduced a bill that would regulate the safety of food trucks and their propane tanks but the city council never voted on it. nbc 10's investigative reporter harry hairston went to daryl clark for an explanation and clark told him the fire commissioner put the bill on hold. >> the commissioner has indicated he would like for us to sit down prior to any passing of a bill to get an understanding of what direction we're going to go and then to proceed with something that will withstand a challenge. now the fire commissioner derek sawer you see here tells nbc 10 until the state gets involved nothing will happen. he also says there have been no meetings between the city and the state and none are scheduled.

happening today, president obama will speak at the u.s. conference of mayors in washington. he's also hosting a reception for the mayors at the white house. the mayors will meet with other white house officials to expand partnerships between cities and the federal government. also today we'll hear from the delegation of u.s. officials visiting cuba. the u.s. assistant secretary of state will join foreign cuban officials to hold a news conference in havana. both are trying to normalize ties between the u.s. and cuba. governor jack markel is looking to fix some of philadelphia's biggest problemses. nbc 10 was the only station in dover yesterday for his speech. and at the top of his agenda ways to improve infrastructure and reduce crime in wilmington specifically. delaware is adding jobs more quickly than any other state but warns that the entire state will be in trouble if wilmington's crime can't be reduced. >> the crime rate is down in most of these areas across the

country, including those who developed terrible reputations over the years. if they can reverse the trend, so can wilmington. >> markel also pushed for more drug treatment programs and wants to find a better way to help prison inmates transition back into society. in the lehigh valley the pocano medical center is bracing for a possible nurses strike. according to published reports, the nurse's union has set a strike date of february 1st. this move follows eight weeks of unsuccessful bargaining. 500 nurses would hit the picketline. 400 jobs is how many new jersey lost in december. but according to a new report the state's unemployment rate dropped to 6.2% last month. that's down from 6.4% in november. 2014 marked a fifth straight year for job growth in new mexico's private sector. the philadelphia's teachers union is getting help from a judge in the contract battle. yesterday the court sided with the teacher saying the school reform commission cannot cancel the union's contract and force

workers to pay for their health care. the district said that move would save $200 million over four years. the frc is now evaluating what the next move will be. some parents in philadelphia say they want a choice for where their kids can go to school. national school choice week kicks off sunday. supporters in philadelphia got an early start at the national constitution center yesterday. advocates believe parents should have more options when it comes to where their child gets an education. rutgers has a reason to celebrate this morning. the university surpassed a $1 billion goal that is set during a seven-year fund-raising campaign. that campaign was called our rutgers, our future. it ended december 31st and brought in just over a billion dollars to make it the largest fund-raising campaign in the school's history. it's clear and cold this morning. and we'll see a lot of sunshine today. but tonight things are going to

get dicy. a first alert has been issued for hazardous travel late tonight and early in the morning on saturday during the day where we could see sleet and snow. but it will start with accumulating snow late tonight overnight tonight and into saturday morning. changes over to sleet and freezing rain and then a cold rain will be falling for much of the day on saturday. right now, clear and 30 degrees in philadelphia. very little breeze just out of the northwest at 5 miles an hour. the winds will be light today. at the shore they get ready for rain. only rain in cape may and portions of southern and central delaware may only see rain as well. but, as that system moves to the north and into the colder temperatures, we will see snow developing. and there will be more snow tonight north and west. right now it's clear and cold for blue bell. look at lafayette hill at 24 degrees. 24 in eagleville. and a bid colder in collegeville at 22 degrees right now. clouds are out of the picture for now but they are just to the south. they will be moving in later this afternoon after a nice

sunny day today. then we're going to be dealing with a system that has marched across texas and now is moving into mississippi, alabama and georgia. that's just rainfall. it's much warmer to the south, but as the nor'easter comes up the coast it will run into the colder air. by later this afternoon, the hour-by-hour forecast 6:00 the clouds start to move into the area. it will be dry through the 8:00 hour. but after that we'll zee things quickly change. by 10:00, some light snow just starting in philadelphia. it will be snowing in wilmington. millville, a wintry mix is possible while rain is coming down in atlantic city. as the night progresses snow will spread across most of the area from lancaster, reading, into the lehigh valley doylestown trenton, that's midnight tonight. snow accumulating in philadelphia. but you can see rain is moving in from the south. we will see the snow change over to a wintry mix early saturday morning in philadelphia. while it's still accumulating in

areas to the north. that's just rain to the south. and then as the morning progresses, early morning hours, that's 5:00 in the morning, it will changeover to rain in philadelphia and points to the south while accumulating snow is still coming down north and west. during the day today, lots of sunshine. lots of sunshine. highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s. but things change quickly coming in tonight. the full seven-day forecast coming up in the next half hour as this is not the only possibility of snow coming our way. once we get past this nor'easter, there is a chance that we'll see light snow falling on monday with a clipper coming into the area. that clipper is not going to be quite as impressive at this time as what we're expecting for tonight and tomorrow. but it's one more thing to be watching over the next few days. >> the more job security for you. you said the snow is starting around 10:00 tonight, what are we looking at in terms of accumulation? >> right now it looks like one to three inches along the i-95 corridor for philadelphia.

north and west you're going to see more snow. in the immediate suburb two to three inches. and three to five inches for the lehigh valley with the snow going to be continuing there. what is going to limit the snow for us is the intrusion of sleet and freezing rain. and then just plain rain. so the accumulation starts late this evening and into the morning hours of saturday. and then we'll see the totals very limited. there's a slight chance we'll see a little bit of snow or sleet at the end of this system saturday night, but there's also a pretty good chance it will just end as a cold rain. >> it's going to be an active 24 hours. we know you'll keep us posted. there's a way you can stay posted no matter where you are. our team of meteorologists bill henley included will be tweeting updates about the nor'easter throughout the day, overnight and as long as necessary tomorrow. follow them on twitter to stay ahead of the storm. and we are keeping you ahead of anything out there on the roads this morning, too. nbc 10's first alert traffic

reporter katy zachry had word of an accident last time we checked with you. we have a weather-free morning with an accident in the philadelphia area on kelly drive. it's happening at lemon hill drive with an overturned vehicle. but i'm told that traffic is able to get by it. so it is not tying anything up along kelly drive, but be aware of that commute at this early morning hour. moving south into darby, mcdade boulevard northbound is closed between route 13 and pershing avenue because of road work happening right there. and taking a look into new jersey at 295, this was the scene of an issue yesterday. pretty significant issue southbound, but right now this is a live look at 38 where things are running smoothly. no accidents to report on 295. chris? lower gas prices are saving us money every month. we'll take a look at just how much and where a new report says that extra cash is going. plus speaking of extra cash, this local baby has a new job lined up.

with gas prices down we are saving a lot of money at the pump. on average $18 per person per month. that's not bad, but exclusive data from a credit card linked firm provided by cnbc says americans have been spending the money in true american fashion eating out and shopping online. tracy is shaking her head over here. >> david. >> i'm going to eat out. it pays to be adorable at least for one pennsylvania baby. this is grace from lancaster county. the winner of the fifth annual gerber baby search. a year's worth of baby food is coming her way and the chance to appear in a gerber ad.

grace's mom says the money will go toward's grace's college fund. congratulations, grace. clear skies the morning with cold air in place. they are making snow in the pocano mountains. we have a nor'easter to deliver snow tonight. a first alert has been issued. right now, 31 degrees at 4:27. katy zachry is here with more. good morning. >> good morning. you may find residual salt on the roadways but overnight we are dry throughout the area. a live look at the blue route at the 76 interchange. we'll take you out to the lehigh valley coming up. plus a philly homicide detective accused of helping his girlfriend cover-up his ex-girlfriend's murder.

and we have breaking news overnight with several cars torched. cops are on the scene trying to figure out if the fires were intentionally set. and get ready for the first alert radar tracking a nor'easter and let anything a nasty start to the weekend. bill will tell you a clipper is one thing but a nor'easter is quite different. good morning, this is "nbc 10 news today." i'm tracy davidson. i'm chris cato. this could impact travel again heading into saturday morning. we'll begin with meteorologist bill henley and the first alert forecast. bill? saturday morning and people are out late tonight as well. during the day today will be fine. skies are clear right now. in fact, we'll see a lot of sunshine today. it will be a nice one with a nice breeze blowing in center city, but winds of change are headed into the night. the first alert has been issued for tonight and saturday for