rosemary? >> reporter: jacqueline and keith, this was the victim's opportunity to tell the court how this crime impacts her everyday life. she didn't cry, but no doubt it was very emotional. she told the judge that she sees a therapist who has diagnosed her with ptsd, that when she encounters unfamiliar men. the fbi and federal prosecutors called her a remarkable young woman who was very smart during this ordeal by trying to show empathy for her attacker in an effort to save her life. >> she got him to feel comfortable with her, that way he did not harm her. >> reporter: flashbacks of her kidnapping caught on camera, still haunt the victim. the young woman from germantown told the judge today that when delvin barnes forced her into the trunk of his car in november of 2014, she thought she was going to die. it was fast-moving law enforcement that tracked down barnes and his victim in maryland. federal prosecutors also credit the woman with saving her own life. >> thinking constantly about how

she would be rescued, the information that she would give to the law enforcement pursuing her in trying to locate her, such as requiring making him use her atm card at a machine that would have a camera. >> reporter: these images quickly circulated and led to barnes' capture. in court today he cried and told the judge he hoped to make good out of a bad situation from the halls of confinement. despite the terrifying experience of being snatched from the sidewalk in her own neighborhood, the victim stayed calm. that kept her attacker calm. >> she is very compassionate. she's thinking on her feet, thinking about her family, thinking about her will to live, her will to survive. >> reporter: this was the first time the victim saw 38-year-old delvin barnes since the kidnapping. while she's working through what happened, she said she's trying to move forward with her life. recently she became certified as a nursing assistant. reporting live outside the federal courthouse, rosemary

connors, nbc 10 news. >> we're wishing her the best. new information now on the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy in germantown. the 15-year-old friend is facing charges in connection with the shooting. last night investigators say a group of kids were playing with a gun in the backyard of a home on east walnut lane when the gun accidently went off. a bullet hit the 13-year-old in the face. police aren't sure where the came came from. right now, philadelphia cease-fire is hosting a vigil for the teenager at the scene of the shooting. they will also open up the conversation about gun violence. turns out it won't cost you more to fill up at the gas pump this weekend. the state senate did not vote on a controversial gas tax hike. it would increase the gas tax by 23 cents per gallon. the money generated would go to the nearly bankrupt transportation trust fund that pays for maintaining the state's roads and bridges. the proposal would also lower the sales tax to 6%, and

eliminate the tax on retirement income. senate president steve sweeney said the proposal cost too much money and didn't have enough votes. >> i expect we'll come to an agreement. sometimes crisis brings people together sooner. >> the transportation trust fund could run out by august. whether you're in jersey, pennsylvania, or delaware, a lot of people will be filling up their tanks before they hit the road this holiday weekend. this is a live look at a jammed-up i-95 in south philly, bumper to bumper. you could be dodging some rain out there tomorrow. >> sheena parveen is here with a look ahead to the holiday weekend. >> yeah, you know, today is fantastic. but tomorrow, if you're starting your weekend early, we have showers and we have thunderstorms in the forecast. so keep that in mind. take an umbrella with you. keep an eye to the sky. we do expect lightning and gusty winds, even very heavy rain in

some of these thunderstorms. here's a live look at center city, mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. beautiful day today. don't forget, though, your seven-day forecast is always at the bottom of the screen for you, and you'll be able to see that chance for thunderstorms tomorrow. so that's going to be in the forecast for your friday. in the meantime, we're still in the 80s. 85 degrees in philadelphia right now. we'll stay in the 80s tomorrow. but it is going to come with some rain. more like the mid to low 80s across the area. the rain we're watching, though, is approaching chicago. we have clouds ahead of that. this is the main area of moisture. it will be moving in as we go into the day tomorrow. so we could have showers around for the morning commute and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon hours. for tonight, though, temperatures staying nice and mild. clouds increasing through the overnight hours. tomorrow, 7:00 a.m., we'll have a chance of some showers around. more cloud cover. temperatures around 78 degrees. a thunderstorm through the afternoon. again, keep the umbrella with you. i'll give you a closer look at

the timing for tomorrow, and the forecast coming up. the show will go on at the jersey shore. >> wildwood made big plans for the july 4th weekend. but now one of the main events has been canceled. nbc 10's randy gyllenhaal is live in wildwood. >> still plenty of time and things for visitors to enjoy. >> reporter: the businesses here hoping people show up. like this pizza shop in wildwood. they're saying it's still basically preseason. you can see the tram just went by. problem is, a lot of these families are going to have to miss out on a very popular concert that was canceled at the last minute. as thousands descend on wildwood, for independence day weekend -- >> >> reporter: restaurants like hot spots on the boardwalk are gearing up for the busiest three days of the summer. >> we're ready as we can be. >> reporter: but this year, families won't get to see one of

wildwood's most popular events, the philly pop salute to the troops concert has been canceled. organizers say they only sold some 85 tickets. last year the event was completely free and drew thousands. >> unfortunately we did have to cancel the philly pop concert on saturday because of the low ticket sales and feedback from the community they would like a more local talent, a free event. >> reporter: but the big headliner, tim mcgraw, will still play on monday. crews spent the day setting up the stage as mcgraw posted a message to fans on facebook. >> i can't wait to spend the fourth of july with you in wildwood, new jersey. so come on out and help us celebrate america. >> reporter: that concert will cost you money. but families looking for free fun can still check out the beach baconfest, a battle of the fans, and, of course, all the fireworks. >> we like to bring glow sticks and watch the fireworks. >> we love the beach, we love the ocean. the kids had a great time. >> reporter: just a quick note

on the philly pops. they say the concert promoters were the ones who actually decided to cancel the event in a statement to nbc 10. they said they were disappointed by the decision. however, they do have three other concerts this weekend in philadelphia. live in wildwood, randy gyllenhaal, nbc 10 news. >> randy, thank you. a lot of people out there. >> no question. down the jersey shore, at 5:00, a strike has now been averted at four atlantic city casinos where workers were threatening to walk off the job this weekend. in the past few minutes we learned that the tropicana struck a deal with its workers. the other casinos are bali's caesar's and harrah's. the details of the new agreements still haven't been reached. the one still without a deal is the trump taj mahal. workers at that casino could still go on strike tomorrow if a deal isn't reached. it's trying to get back the concessions that it gave back to the casinos when they were

struggling for cash. the water quality advisory were lifted after they retested the water today. samples of excess bacteria tested positive at the beaches at dag's worthy street. it was just an advisory, so the beach and swimming areas were not closed. the elevated bacteria levels were likely from increased rainfall. tonight an 18-year-old is facing charges in the hit-and-run death of a school superintendent in mercer county. april 19th, dr. steven mayor and his dog were hit and killed while jogging. the teenager who police say was behind the wheel of the car was allegedly talking on the phone when the crash happened. two men have tested positive for the zika virus in delaware, and that brings the total number of cases in the state to seven. all of the zika positive test results are due to a mosquito bite while traveling abroad. none of them involves a pregnancy. there have been 24 cases of the

travel associated zika virus. confirmed in pennsylvania, and 39 in new jersey. we want to turn to breaking news now just in to nbc 10. crews are on the scene of a jitney crash. >> let's go to sky 4. they are just now arriving live at that scene. we want to show you the live pictures from atlantic city. this is an accident involving a casino jitney. there you see right there, that jitney to the side of the road. it apparently collided at pacific and connecticut avenues with another vehicle. we know that as it's being put now on a tow truck, that there were earlier medics on the scene. we were told there were injuries. we're still working to get more information on the extent of any injuries. but once again, this is a jitney crash in atlantic city at pacific and connecticut avenues. we're told there were injuries. we'll continue to work this story. but for now, live from our breaking news center, jim rosenfield, nbc 10 news. back to you. quick work by crews in berks

county, meanwhile. i want to show you a sinkhole. there it is. it opened up on avington drive. it's about ten feet deep. water that was shut off to nearby homes is now back on. septa is now getting a head start on the fourth of july celebrations and getting into the spirit of independence. check out the newly minted fifth street independence hall subway stop. the new name was unveiled today. that's not all for the station. septa is also planning a major renovation for the subway stop that they say will help revitalize the surrounding area. an historic property turned into an area of open space. the county announced details today on the plans for the little flower manor. the property acquired by the county once belonged to abraham lincoln's assistant secretary of war. officials call it one of the last major parcels of open space

along the darby creek watershed. is the parkway a great place for a wawa welcome america concert? yes. that's the short answer. but there are significant challenges. coming up, a backstage look at the stage itself.

you can imagine there's a lot of traffic at fireworks

stores all across the country. people stocking up for the fourth of july holiday. looking down the aisles, they all come with warnings about safety. >> you want to weigh them down because it's windy, plus some of these are very powerful when they go off. some of them will jump and all that. weighing them down with a brick on each side is always a great idea. >> something else to keep in mind, this is really important, keep a bucket of water nearby so you can extinguish the fireworks when you're done with them. it was like a wawa worker convention in the basement of the national constitution center this morning. look for yourself. about 300 wawa associates got together at 4:00 in the morning to take six tons of ingredients and transform them into 23,000 hoagies. the first 5,000 went to independence mall. the festival is in full swing.

culminates on monday, july 4th. with the parade and fireworks, also the concert. >> nbc 10 is a proud sponsor of this year's festival. tim furlong joins us live on the parkway with more. it's wawa hoagie day. how many hoagies have you had, tim? >> reporter: i just had one. because i wanted to make sure all 17,999 other people made sure they got theirs, too. i'm not a greedy guy. talk about a backstage look. how about a look at the actual stage itself. we've had a gazillion concerts out here, live aid, all this great stuff out here. the pope here. it's great for concerts out here on the parkway in a lot of ways. but really, there are some issues to overcome. it's pretty important to get the stage right. on monday night, thousands of people will be staring at the musicians jamming on it, and the fireworks exploding high above it. but it presents some challenges.

>> you're self-contained in here, the three lines on both sides. it takes away a little of the viewing angle from different places. >> reporter: wireless speakers will line the parkway and crews are happy the concert will be not right on the steps, putting it in the oval allows them to use a stage kit instead of building a stage from scratch like they would have to do up on the steps. >> it unfolds, you build from within. >> reporter: this location presents the lighting guys with a challenge. they have to outshine the sun. >> it blasts right on through there. it creates many interesting challenges. the shadow lines across the stage makes it extremely difficult to match it. >> reporter: they want to keep the back of the stage open, but in the late afternoon the sun hits the back of the stage hard. they tell me the later it gets on monday, the happier they'll get. darkness is a lieding dude's best friend. >> yes, indeed. a lot more controllable that

way. >> reporter: come back live. people who live in the high-rises on the other side of the art museum, they probably like the concert better on the steps because these trees didn't block their views. but for folks on the parkway, the stage is probably better here in the oval, that big statue right there, that's not going to be in their way. by the way, this stage is going to be taken down on tuesday morning, as soon as they can get it down they'll take it down and take it to the poconos where they have a music festival coming up. you think you're busy this summer? so are the guys who put the stage together. >> tim furlong, live for us. if you can't get out there, get it right at your fingertips at nbc10.com. we're covering it for you. >> the app is so handy. the fun continues tonight. catch a summer concert at the mummers museum. and the string band will perform at 8:00. or head over to penn's landing at 9:00.

for more events throughout the weekend, check out that app, or look at the list scrolling right there at the bottom of your screen. join us tomorrow night, 7:00, live at penn's landing to get you ready for all the holiday weekend activities. i was talking to vi earlier today. he said he'll be wearing a wireless microphone and going to dance. >> he is a big dancer. >> he is. >> he loves music, loves motown. first alert weather team is tracking some rain on friday. hopefully vi won't have to dance in the rain throughout the weekend festivities. >> if he's singing in the rain, that's a whole different ball game. >> very different if he's singing in the rain. but tomorrow, we do have rain. don't let that ruin your weekend plans. after tomorrow, saturday and sunday look really nice. today, sunny and warm. we don't have to worry about the rain, the rest of today or tonight. from center city from the comcast center in philadelphia,

dry tonight. temperatures right now, mostly to mid to low 80s through the area. in the philadelphia region, right around our philadelphia neighborhood, 85 degrees at philly international. 83 westmount aire. winchester park 86. here's future weather. what we have coming is actually a round of thunderstorms. you're going to want to keep that in mind before you make your plans for tomorrow. so, by the early morning hours, we're talking 7:00 a.m., we could already see some showers moving into the philadelphia area, new jersey, and delaware. can't rule out an early morning thunderstorm either. we go through midday tomorrow. scattered showers around. best chance of thunderstorms will be after about noon tomorrow. so 2:00 p.m., thunderstorms starting to flare up around the philadelphia area, south jersey and delaware. now look at 7:00 p.m. we could have an organized line of thunderstorms stretching from delaware across philadelphia, up to trenton, and then moving

through new jersey, heading to the shore by about 9:00, 10:00. we could even have some leftover showers by about 11:00 p.m. tomorrow is one of those days you want the umbrella. keep your eye to the sky. temperatures will still be warm. allentown coming in right around the mid to low 80s. if you're in the new jersey neighborhoods, mostly the mid-80s there. atlantic city 79 degrees. dover with scattered thunderstorms. we go across the weekend, once the rain from friday leaves, we're going to have a really nice weather pattern for especially saturday and sunday. high pressure moves in saturday, stays in place on sunday. that keeps us dry. it keeps any rain down to the south for the weekend. by monday, we'll be seeing mostly dry. we'll be watching the area of rain which could start to move into delaware and south jersey by late monday night. so, again, updates on that as we go throughout the rest of tonight, and especially tomorrow. so we'll have more improvements on that forecast when we get

closer. your ten-day for philadelphia tomorrow, scattered thunderstorms. monday looks mostly dry for the fourth of july in philadelphia. next week, we're in the 90s. we could be looking at a heat wave. if you're heading to the shore this weekend, looking pretty good. saturday and sunday low 80s. uv index is high, so you want the sun block. the dry air will hang on for the most part. chance for showers late at night. we could see quite a bit of cloud cover move in before then. your shore forecast is looking really nice for the fourth of july weekend. we'll take a closer look at the rain coming up. we want to bring you breaking news now concerning a convicted murderer who was at the center of a widely popular podcast. >> jim rosenfield is back live with details on this. jim? >> that podcast called serial, millions of people listened to it. the man at the center of the podcast will now get a new

trial. he spent 16 years in prison for killing his high school girlfriend and then burying her in a park. well, now a baltimore judge says his lawyer failed to cross-examine a witness. that witness, a cell tower expert who could have spoken about the reliability of data that placed said's cell phone near the burial site. but the judge said the lawyer failed to do that, to cross-examine that witness. that podcast showcased little-known evidence, as i said, millions of people listened to it. it raised new questions about said's guilt. but the victim's family also expressed the pain that it reopened for them. and they were dismayed with the millions of fans who came to said's defense. again, he will now get a new trial. this coming today from a judge out of baltimore. live in our breaking news center, jim rosenfield, nbc 10 news. back to you. >> jim, thank you for those details. why the government is asking thousands of people to stop driving their cars.

plus, diamonds, as you know, are a girl's best friend. but this one may be the best of all. why is this 1,100-carat rock still without an owner? i'll take it. we'll explain coming up. hello!

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more deadly than previously thought. that's what safety officials are now saying about the defective takata air bags. >> in an older car they're telling you to act right now. here's what's going on now. the government is urging owners of certain hondas and acuras to get them fixed right away, especially models made between 2001 and 2003. the national highway traffic safety administration says it has new data that shows the chances of air bag inflaters exploding in a crash are as high as 50%. officials say there are 300,000 of these older cars on the roads that still haven't been repaired. notifications were sent out to the owners, but some still haven't followed up. >> new data, we know how bad it could really be. literally flipping a coin in a crash, you don't know if you could end up having the shrapnel coming at you. >> in a statement exclusive to nbc news, honda says they're taking extraordinary measures to reach owners, including millions

of letters, phone calls, text messages and also ads. you saw a couple of minutes ago, we've been telling you about that recall at ikea. >> it involves millions of pieces of furniture. ikea said it would offer refunds. but consumers say they're not following up on the promise. harry hairston goes to the company for answers. the philadelphia mom accused of killing her own children. why she may not have to go to trial.

nbc 10 is getting you ready for the holiday weekend. this is a live look at cape may. a lot of people will be heading to the shore. that beach will get a lot more crowded than that. >> you may not be able to see sand. and this will be a popular destination. the philadelphia museum of art will be at the center of the wawa welcome america celebration, including the big concert and, of course, fireworks. all these plans depend on the all-important weather. >> sheena parveen is keeping an eye on it all for you. sheena, though, you're tracking rain. >> yes, rain and thunderstorms for tomorrow. that's in the forecast if you're starting your weekend early with friday. we have showers in the forecast.

but tonight, you can still enjoy really nice low 80s lehigh valley. as we go through the overnight hours tonight, we'll stay dry. we'll see more clouds moving in. by tomorrow morning, if you're in easton, expect 68 degrees. just about partly cloudy by 7:00 a.m. but then later in the day, we have thunderstorms that will be moving in. especially in the afternoon. so right now we're nice and dry. we're watching all this moisture right around chicago, a little bit farther south toward st. louis. this is all moving in our direction. once it gets here, we could start to see the development of some morning showers tomorrow. then as we go through the afternoon, the threat of thunderstorms. now, the severe threat is shown in yellow. that's just north of the lehigh valley. but there is still a chance later in the day tomorrow that we could see some pretty strong thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rain. a little farther to the north, we could have the best chance for damaging wind, heavy rain and potentially hail as well as that lightning.

we'll be tracking this through the afternoon tomorrow. don't let it fool you, though, because your fourth of july weekend does look really nice. i'll show you that forecast and the timing of the storms coming up. here's some of the stories making headlines on nbc 10 news at 5:00. a man pleads guilty after kidnapping a woman was sentenced to 35 years in prison. delvin barnes kidnapped a nursing student, sparked a three-state manhunt in 2014. no vote, that's the word tonight out of the new jersey state senate which did not vote on a controversial gas tax hike. the proposal would increase the gas tax by 23 cents per gallon. and lower the sales tax to 6%. senate president steve sweeney said the proposal costs too much money, and did not have enough votes. the pentagon will let transgender individuals serve openly in the u.s. military. defense secretary ash carter announced that change today. he said only a person's

qualifications should matter and that there should be no other unrelated barriers to service. also now at 5:00, questions and complaints from ikea's massive recall across the country. >> the company recalled tens of millions of dressers and chests earlier this week. >> "nbc 10 responds" reporter harry hairston joins us with advice on what consumers should do. harry? >> keith and jacqueline, we're hearing many of you are having trouble getting your money refunded, or even response from the company. so we went directly to ikea with questions of our own. they can tip. and fall in seconds. and they're blamed in the deaths of three children just since 2014. 29 million ikea dressers and chests recalled earlier this week. but nbc 10 is now hearing many of you are having problems. a viewer named peter told us he

was denied a refund at an ikea store, with the manager citing the store's 90-day return policy. when we brought his complaint to an ikea spokesperson, she told us that response does not match the store's recall refund policy. anyone returning a chest or dresser made after 2002 should receive a full refund for the product. another complaint, getting disconnected from ikea's phone line. the company tells "nbc 10 responds" it apologizes and is taking multiple steps to address the issue. as a work-around, consumers can e-mail ikea at ikea.com. as they respond to customers, either with a repair kit or refund, parents and caregivers should keep the recalled furniture away from young children. serious stuff there. the consumer product safety commission tells "nbc 10 responds" today to file reports

with its hotline. if any company is not living up to its promise when it comes to refunds and recalls. so dangerous stuff there. make sure you're just not having inaction. do something to protect your children. >> it's difficult to watch that video. the dummy hanging on the shelf. >> exactly. really important tonight. harry, thanks. >> sure thing. if you're still having trouble getting tli to ikea, call "nbc 10 responds" and harry hairston. or fill out our consumer complaint form online at nbc10.com/nbc 10 responds. new information tonight about a philadelphia mother accused of killing her two young kids in florida. 40-year-old sophia hines will not stand trial for now. a judge ruled yesterday that hines is incompetent due to mental illness. in the courtroom, hines spent months curled up in a ball. she's accused of smothering her

3-year-old and 8-year-old. she will go to a hospital to be treated for mental illness. meanwhile, a philadelphia fire truck makes a grand entrance into its new home. that's how you usher in a new fire truck in philly. nbc 10 in kensington where the mayor and fire commissioner took part in a time-honored tradition. a new pumper truck. everyone took part in the ceremonial pushing in of the apparatus. the truck and crew were also blessed by a priest. what are the best beaches at the jersey shore? see if your favorite made the list. plus this. >> good morning. good morning, everyone. hi. >> why is nbc 10 barging in on this private meeting? this group has 35,000 reasons to be happy about it. we'll explain why coming up. america is a place to explore.

>> america is innovative. >> america is beautiful. >> america is baseball. >> america is home for my family. for more than 200 years. >> america is home to everyday heroes. >> america is just beginning. america is celebrating its birthday. join nbc 10 and telemundo 62 for wawa welcome america. wawa is proud to celebrate our everyday heroes in philadelphia.

presumptive republican nominee donald trump talked about trade in new hampshire today. he addressed supporters outside a plant that closed in 2014. trump said the facility was shut down due to bad trade deals negotiated by former president clinton and advocated by hillary clinton. >> new hampshire's lost 37% of its manufacturing jobs since china joined the world trade organization. and this was a deal that was very, very much pushed by hillary clinton. >> trump spoke about the heroin epidemic sweeping through new hampshire. vice president joe biden will join presumptive democratic presidential nominee hillary clinton on a campaign trail to pennsylvania next week. the two will visit the scranton area next friday, july 8th, for a pennsylvania democratic party event. clinton and biden will discuss their shared commitment to

building an america that is stronger together and an economy that works for everyone. hear me out here. here comes the donkeys. starting today, there will be 57 fiberglass donkeys all around philadelphia. there's one donkey for each state, washington, d.c., and the six u.s. territories. this one represents colorado. it will be placed at the union league of philadelphia. the donkeys will be on display until september 9th. after that, they'll either be auctioned off or shipped back to their states. wawa welcome america has become a philly tradition for the fourth of july, but it wasn't always around. next on nbc 10 news at 5:00, we take a look at the idea, and how it became reality. and the men who made it happen. well, tomorrow very different than today. thunderstorms heading our way. coming up, i'll show you the timing as we go into the fourth of july weekend, and a close-up

look at the fourth of july weekend forecast next. there's one place where america's pastime is preserved for all time.

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a history lesson is waiting for people flying in and out of philadelphia international airport. wawa welcome america helps unveil the new photo exhibit. a tribute to the city's presidential convention history. it features photographs from republican and democratic conventions in philadelphia. dating back to 1856. you'll find it in terminal "a." wawa welcome america is celebrating its 23rd year in philadelphia. >> believe it or not, the idea was hatched by two men sitting in the living room at 2:00 in the morning. today they're well-known philadelphians, but back then they were still making a name for themselves by bettering the city. every firework, there's a spark.

and over the city of philadelphia, while some fizzle out, others explode. much like the story of a wawa welcome america celebration. let's go back to 1992. the scene, the birthplace of america, the players, these guys. then mayor ed rendell and 25-year-old familiar face. who was david cohen then? >> david cohen was someone who most people in philadelphia had never heard of. >> now comcast executive vice president david cohen earned his chops as rendell's chief of staff. >> which was to sit in his living room at 2:00 in the morning and listen to these incredible ideas, and then try and work with him to figure out how to make them a reality. >> one of those incredible ideas, the wawa welcome america celebration. it was ambitious, but then again, the pair was a force. here's how nbc 10 described them back then. >> good cop, back cop, passionate, cool detail man.

>> so in 1993, they launched an 11-day celebration, carving a space for philadelphia on the national stage, sparked by a visit from vice president al gore. >> i hearby declare the pennsylvania convention center officially open! >> and exploding days later with a trip by president bill clinton to award the liberty medal to nelson mandela. >> it was one of those moments where philadelphia was truly the center of the world. it is rare, truly rare where you have a sense that you are in the presence of history. >> then mayor rendell and cohen made sure philly owned independence day, from the parkway, across center city and every neighborhood. everyone was included. 23 years later, it's still the priority. today nbc 10 and telemundo 62 are proud partners of the wawa welcome america festival, and we're bringing it to you like you've never seen before, on

air, online, in the palm of your happened, even in spanish, anywhere, and anyway you celebrate. because it only takes a spark, in cohen's words -- >> to give every philadelphian and visitors to philadelphia the opportunity to participate in some way in a celebration of the nation's birthday. >> so impressive. another example of brilliant brainstorming by david cohen. so interesting to look at the history. the festival is in full swing. it culminates july 4th, with a parade, concert and fireworks. nbc 10 and telemundo 62 will broadcast the events live. we'll also have a full list of events scrolling at the bottom of your screen. how about this for the beaches. looks like ocean city, new jersey, is still the people's choice. >> the city gets top honors yet again in a survey that people pick their favorite shore beach. more than 9,000 people cast

their votes. ocean city took first overall. followed by wildwood crest. this year, voters picked the top three beaches in each of the coastal communities. drum roll, please. take a look at these results here. broken down by county. atlantic county, brigantine, atlantic city and margate took the top three. down to cape may, it was ocean city, wildwood crest, and north wildwood. and at ocean county, the top three were seaside heights, point pleasant, beach haven -- point pleasant beach, and beach haven. this is better for the holiday weekend. we're going to have great weather. >> it might be if unto hopscotch one weekend and go from each one and make your determination that way. >> we should do it this weekend. >> that would be good. >> we have to get through rain first, though. sheena parveen is here with the neighborhood forecast. >> we have showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for tomorrow. so if you're starting your fourth of july weekend early,

tomorrow you'll run into the rain. but over the actual weekend, saturday and sunday, it looks really good for most of your monday. don't forget your seven-day forecast is at the bottom of the screen for you. right now, we're looking at the radar. we're watching some showers off to our west. this is the area of moisture we're going to be concerned about tomorrow. showers and storms heading in our direction. we're going to stay nice and dry for tonight. as early as tomorrow morning, we could start to see some showers moving in. can't rule out a thunderstorm. but most of those storms will be in the afternoon. so thunderstorms tomorrow. a warm and humid day still looking at about the mid-80les. i think through most of the area. this is future weather. now we're looking at 7:00 tomorrow morning. more clouds around, showers potentially in new jersey, delaware and possibly through the philadelphia area by 7:00 a.m. right around lunchtime, this could be a period where we see spotty showers. but then we go into the early afternoon. 2:30 p.m., we could already see some thunderstorms trying to flare up around philadelphia and

points south, through south jersey and delaware. then for the evening commute, take a look at this. the model this afternoon, fairly consistent about showing some kind of an organized line of storms forming. at least from baltimore, possibly through northern delaware, philadelphia up to trenton and in new jersey. by 7:00 p.m. tomorrow evening, heading to the shore shortly after. by 11:00 p.m., we could see lingering showers or a couple of thunderstorms, so we're not out of the woods until we get into your saturday. the timing of that is good, your saturday and sunday looking nice. the weekend, i think pretty perfect for the fourth of july, dry and hot. we go into the fourth of july monday, we're watching the possibility of very late rain. it would mostly be south of philadelphia. but of course, we'll have more updates on that as we get closer. i'll show you that in a second, too. storm threat for tomorrow. this is the area we expect thunderstorms shoek in green. the most severe potential is in yellow. that's where we could see the most damaging winds, heaviest

rain and possible hail. we cannot rule this out through the rest of the area. so tomorrow during the afternoon hours, i think we could see thunderstorms with heavy rain. we expect lightning, and we could be seeing pretty strong winds. once the rain leaves friday, now we're looking at saturday, and the weekend. high pressure moves in. that keeps us nice and dry. both saturday and sunday. so this really protects us from the rain as we go across the fourth of july weekend. so that's good news. monday, by about noon, we may start to see more clouds moving in for the fourth of july. by 10:00 p.m., there is a chance we could see some late-night showers for delaware and south jersey. of course, we'll be watching that very closely. tomorrow, penn's landing by 8:00 we could be seeing showers or storms still. 9:00 p.m., at penn's landing we should be clearing out. and by 10:00 p.m., low 70s just about mostly cloudy. we'll still be watching for any lingering showers tomorrow night. weekend forecast nice and dry across the board saturday and sunday. monday, upper 80s. by monday night, i mentioned the

late showers for the jersey shore and delaware, we'll be watching that forecast very closely, because we could be changing that slightly as we get closer. if you're heading to the shore, for avalon, margate, atlantic city, looking pretty good. uv index will be high, sunburn in about 15 minutes. >> sheena, thank you. lester holt joins us from the studios in los angeles. >> good to see you, lester. what's coming up in "nightly news"? >> ahead for us, the deadly risk that has safety officials urging owners of certain car models to stop driving them until they can fix them. why an impromptu meeting between bill clinton and loretta lynch is raising some eyebrows today. we'll tell you about the beach invasion that's created a state of emergency in florida ahead of this busy holiday weekend. it's all coming up for "nbc nightly news" at 6:30. keith and jacqueline. >> lester, thank you so much. we'll see you soon. it is the world's second largest diamond.

>> no one has enough money to buy the world's largest diamond. a rare gem was up for auction yesterday in london. the tennis ball-sized rock is estimated at more than 1,100 carats. it was found last fall in botswana. $61 million, they were hoping to get at least $70 million for it. >> i find it interesting that you know exactly how to say that. it's like you practiced it. >> exactly. i was waiting for the arrival of it, so i knew exactly what to call it. next at 5:00, nbc 10 gets a really big surprise. a great story. a group doing a lot of good. >> good morning. good morning, everyone. >> we may have barged into their meeting, but we couldn't wait any longer to thank this group for all their hard work. we'll show you why, next, on nbc 10 news at 5:00.

we want to share with you a big surprise for a local organization today. members thought they were holding just a regular meeting. >> yeah, nothing special. little did they know a group of people were just waiting to burst in with balloons and a big check. nbc 10 shows us why. >> good morning. good morning, everyone. >> reporter: students and board members with asap had no idea

they were about to become the latest champions in action. >> congratulations to all of you. >> reporter: it's a partnership between nbc 10, telemundo 62, citizens bank and the philadelphia enquirer daily news. >> all of tus at citizens bank are proud to present this check. >> reporter: the partnership, or asap, believes when students become involved in high quality after-school activities, the sky is the limit. >> it's an award for collective impact. we're here at one of our great partners, carver high school engineering of science. they brought us in to help think about how they can have a really strong school culture. we said one way is to have a number of after-school programs. >> you thought you were just going to lay chess all day, right? i'm wondering about you. i'm looking outside, it's absolutely gorgeous. so i commend you for being here on such a gorgeous day. >> we just hope all the kids in the city take advantage of the

opportunities that asap provides. >> reporter: jada said being a part of the program's debate team boosted her confidence. and set her on the path to pursue english this fall. >> it's a really great feeling having people, and really adults support you and believe in you, and genuinely want to see you succeed. >> reporter: in north philadelphia, pamela osbourne, nbc 10 news. coming up next, concert canceled. what forced wildwood to scrap a fourth of july show on the beach. and why it says the holiday will still go down in history for the jersey shore town. new jersey drivers breathing a sigh of relief tonight. what will not be happening at gas pumps, for now anyway. nbc news at 6:00, next.

nbc 10 news at 6:00 begins with a welcome reprieve on the roads of new jersey. this is a live look, of course, at the ben franklin bridge as drivers head to the shore for the holiday weekend. >> tonight they can coast into new jersey knowing the state's gas tax won't be going up. at least for the fourth of july as some had feared. nbc 10's andrea is live in trenton where the lawmakers failed to vote on the tax hike. >> this isn't the end of the road for the possible hike, though, right, andrea? >> reporter: that's absolutely right. the one thing that all sides

agree on is the gas stacks hike. the point of contention are all of the tax breaks put in the plan to sweeten the deal. so this means if you drive an suv in new jersey, you could be paying an extra $4 very soon every time you fill up. the senate's decision not to vote on the gas tax means the future of their jobs working construction on new jersey's roads and bridges remains uncertain. >> the fund runs out of money, it will make the roads and bridges be very dangerous, and put thousands of people out of work. >> reporter: coming up with the money for the nearly bankrupt transportation fund is the reason behind the assembly's proposal to increase the gas tax by 23 cents per gallon. >> we're going to lose business, i believe so. everybody coming from philly just to get their gas, we're going to lose that. >> reporter: as the tradeoff to ease the pain at the pump, the plan backed by governor christie will also trim the sales tax from 7% t