this peacefully. we were warned of active automatic gunfire in this neighborhood. officers swarmed this area earlier this afternoon. we've heard reports from neighbors that there were several bursts of gunfire even while police were on the scene. a number of negotiators have been brought in. we've been checking with police for updates but it's unclear if anyone has been injured. as for the neighbors, those in their homes have to shelter in place away from the windows. don't come outside. that's been the order for the past several hours. it remains the order right now. we spoke with people who are stuck outside of their entire neighborhood. they've been driving around with us on the other side of this road block, hoping this will end soon. >> i've lived here over 60 some years. we've never had anything like this. never. never. >> reporter: are you worried for the neighbors that are sheltering in place? >> as long as the police told them, because we do have a few elderly around where we live, as long as they stopped and told them not to come out, so that's

a good thing. i hope they did that. >> reporter: and there has been little information released about who this man is who is barricad barricaded. there is lot of law enforcement with longguns a guns around the neighborhood. we're live in bethlehem township, i'm drew smith, nbc 10 news. police have surrounded the pennsylvania state capitol after a driver with a gun started shooting. our partners at wgal in harrisburg are reporting a police cruiser was hit by gunfire but it's unclear if anyone was hurt or if the gunman has been captured. we'll keep following both these stories all evening long on the nbc 10 app. right now at 6:00, a ms. america scandal that could force the century old pageant out of atlantic city.

the pageant's ceo is accused of name calling and fat shaming former contestants. vulgar remarks were made public in leaked e-mails. cydney long is talking to former contestants who want the ceo to step down. >> reporter: there she is, ms. america on the very boards where the beauty queens have showcased their intelligence, community service and talent. today, reaction to the ms. america internal e-mail scandal. >> everything that's going on is just disgraceful. >> reporter: many shocked to learn about the huffington post's reveal of years' worth of leaked e-mails by the ceo and other higher ups. speaking about contestants and former winners. in those exchanges comments like 80% of the winners don't have the class, smarts or model for success. they also spoke about a recent former winner preparing for quotes, her new career as a blimp in the macy's thanksgiving day parade and referred to her

active sex life. dick clark productions severed its ties for the ms. america organization. and atlantic city's incoming mayor said he'll see to it that the pageant never returns heres. >> i believe this ship has sailed. >> reporter: the mayor elect says the outpouring stories in recent months about men who violate women make him sick. >> the scandal, we can't support things that violate women, again, we won't stand for that in atlantic city. i hope that's our wishes will be complied with. >> reporter: this woman has a 9-year-old who competes on stage. >> if you're going to be on that platform you have to think about your daughter our nieces. >> reporter: ms. new jersey 2015 told me by phone the e-mail exchanges go against everything the organization represents. saying, quote, these women need scholarship support now more than ever. atlantic city, turning their back on them goes against

everything we stand for. >> as far as leaving atlantic city, it's a shame. >> reporter: cydney long nbc 10 news. dry driving conditions for anyone leaving for their holiday destinations right now. a live look at i-95 in south philadelphia and at the ben franklin bridge. the airport is bustling with travelers right now but the weather isn't calling delays at this point. temperatures, they're pretty warm for the skaters at the blue cross river rink tonight. it will be even warmer tomorrow. let's bring in first quarter meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz. with the warmup tomorrow, also comes some rain? >> yeah, rain for the entire area. that includes in the pocono mountains here, camelback where the conditions are pretty good. and they're going to be spectacular next week. this is one of the areas that may actually see a white christmas, at least for a couple hours or so. the lehigh valley, that's easton, we've got cloudy skies there. cloudy skies all across the area.

that's going to prevent the temperature from dropping very much. 48 in philadelphia now. 42 in allentown. 34 in mount pocono. 53 at rehobeth beach. the southern areas will be getting into the 60s tomorrow. you see all the clouds out there right now and the rain continues to get closer and closer. it's in west virginia now, coming toward the washington, d.c. area. it will reach at least part of the area before midnight tonight if you're going to be staying out late, bring the rain gear with you. 10:00, generally on the dry side but the chance of rain increases after 11:00. by the time you get up in the morning, it is wet. and it is going to be a really wet and warm day. more about the chances for a white christmas and more significant snow later this week, coming up. home for the holidays, nbc 10 was at the airport when a sailor returned home for the

first time in five months. in the midst of the hustle and bustle you find memorable reunions at the airport. we were there when tyler bowman returned home for the first time since entering boot camp. >> i missed him a lot. i feel like i haven't seen him in a thousand years. >> i only got ten days, but i'm thinking about spending most of them with them. >> tyler's sister says she doesn't plan on leaving her brother's side the entire time he's home. it's crunch time for shoppers, just two days now left to get those final gifts. cherry hill mall is expected to see 150,000 people over the next few days. major department stores are staying open until midnight to allow last minute shoppers time to check off their lists. some shoppers told nbc 10 they wait until the very last minute. >> i'm going to do a little bit today, mostly tomorrow. so it's really last minute. >> toys r us and target will be

open around the clock until christmas eve. we want to hear from you. how much money did you spend this holiday season? answer our poll right now on the nbc 10 facebook page. the top response right now is below $500. no matter what your holiday plans, take the nbc 10 app with you. use our live interactive traffic map so you can drive to your christmas destination with ease. check out our live regard as well to track that chance for christmas snow. now, to an nbc 10 exclusive. a backpack mystery police are hoping you can help solve. the book bag found near a school, but it doesn't belong to any kids there. inside police found items worth more than $100,000. but there's a twist. >> she had found it that morning in the parking lot and just thought it was a kid's backpack. >> reporter: people lose things all the time, even backpacks. this was found outside a ben salem school. >> it looks like a woman had

dropped the backpack off. >> reporter: what's so strange? it's what was inside. once police opened the bag, they were very interested in finding the woman in this video. >> it looks like a woman had dropped it off and just threw it up on the loading dock so that no one ran over the books. >> reporter: inside the bag, no books. >> 10,000 baggies, four bricks of heroin with a street value of $100,000. >> reporter: the need to find an owner took a bigger turn. this is precious cargo and police are certain someone is missing it. >> someone's going to pay a price for it and it's going to be more than $100,000. i hope no one gets killed over this. >> reporter: found by police, now they're trying to figure out who lost it. they're more than happy to hold it here for someone who wants to show up and pick up their drugs. police say they know the drugs were not destined for the area. the experts can spot the information based on the way it's packaged. >> we know these drugs were

headed for trend. this was a pass through. someone got off at the wrong exit. >> reporter: police say if that person wants to turn around and fess up to the ownership they'll hold the bag here. the drugs are now the property of police. ben salem, nbc 10 news. a sheriff's deputy is charged with slapping someone in the face. authorities say they had to restrain the sheriff back in july. thrown to safety, an adult tossed children from the window of a rowhouse to save them from a fire. a neighbor caught the kids. the fire started after 2:00. crews had that fire under control in about 15 minutes. four people were taken to the hospital, but none of the injuries appears to be serious.

tonight, president trump has kept his promise of delivering tax cuts before christmas. today, he officially signed the republican tax bill into law. >> i consider this very much a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs. and jobs are produced through companies and corporations. you see that happening, corporations are literally going wild over this. i think even beyond my expectations. >> tonight, the president is spending his holiday weekend in florida. he shook hands, signed autographs and held a child here in the crowd. president trump and his family are scheduled to remain in palm beach through the new year. up next, philadelphia students becoming revolutionary heroes. how their project saved george washington's holiday tradition. also, dealing with beast mode. how the eagles plan to deal with raiders' star marshawn lynch in their primetime christmas showdown. t comes to

cancer treatment centers of america in philadelphia, she's coming for the multimodal therapy where the specialists form a treatment plan together. we were looking for a cancer team that would help us decide the best course of action. we have so many tools at our center. this is what attracted amy all the way from new york. these were people who were experts in their field. and for us that was the best choice. learn more about our breast center at cancercenter.com slash philadelphia.

mii'm alive and have a second chance. james: i'm thankful for the help and the opportunity that i received. darlene: i'm thankful to be able to help people in crisis. vanessa: i'm thankful that addiction is treatable, and that help is available. christie: new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. but if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, i want you to know: we are here for you. this holiday season, choose help. call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj.gov.

welcome back. new at 6:00, a holiday tradition saved by the work of philadelphia school kids. the annual christmas day reenactment of george washington's crossing of the delaware river had been called off. but it is now back on thanks to

boats the children built by hand. >> reporter: for years now every december 25th, this reenactment of general washington crossing the delaware river has brought the revolutionary war to life. this video from last year shows it's part family fun and part history lesson. but this year, the river posed a problem. the waters here in bucks county are so slow, traditional boats can't cross. >> they had told the public it wasn't going to happen because they didn't have the boats to enable it. >> reporter: that's where nicholas pagan's group stepped in at the very last minute. he works with students at local public and charter schools to build their own boats by hand. boats which happen to be flat bottomed. perfect for this year's low river levels. al. >> the more traditional craft, the keel would come down like

this. >> reporter: it's shallower down on the bottom. >> the water will only come up to here. >> reporter: yesterday, six of the school children's hand built boats were brought here to the site of washington's crossing. the christmas day reenactment back on and a major lesson learned for the students. lawrence jones is the principal of the first school to enter the program four years ago. >> ultimately what it does, it shows students that education actually allows you to create things that are real and productive for the community. >> reporter: indeed, during the summer months, anyone is invited to paddle the boats around the schuylkill, but pagon says taking part in annual christmas history puts their work on a bigger stage. >> it's fantastic. and part of the reason i had picked boats is that they are so central to the entire history of the city of philadelphia. this brings us right back to

that starting point. >> reporter: reporting in bucks county, george spencer nbc 10 news. no coal at all for the 190 students at shepherd elementary school. they were on santa's nice list this year. st. nick made a surprise stop, but santa wasn't the only guest. officers from the philadelphia police department volunteered to be part of the special day. >> we are bringing them this moment of joy, it's heart breaking. >> this year, this part of the city is seeing a growing number of puerto rico of puerto rican residents. boathouse row is shining on this mild winter night. a live look just three days out now. the weather causing no problem

for last minute shoppers. it's dry, not too cold out there, but we're expecting rain tomorrow and then maybe some christmas snow. a live look at camelback mountain resort. poconos could see a white christmas. let's bring in first alert meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz. >> we don't often sto say that some parts of our areas will see a white christmas. berks county, lehigh valley likely to see at least a few hours of snow. it may be in the middle of the night, but at least it's something. 48 degrees in philadelphia right now. we got up to 51 today. a southwest wind keeping things on the mild side. the clouds prevented the temperature from dropping very much. 48 at the airport and in manayunk. 50 degrees in society hill. and just about all of the area

in philadelphia will be in the 50s tomorrow. we've got a lot of clouds across the area, starting to see more moisture toward washington. rain is not reaching the ground there yet. but it will, there's a tremendous amount of moisture moving this way. we've been talking about rain for saturday for quite a while and it's coming. here we go friday night, by midnight it could be a little bit of rain in parts of the area. tomorrow morning it's raining everywhere. and there's going to be quite a temperature contrast from north to south tomorrow. keep an eye on this as we go through the day. everybody's getting wet weather, but it's a cold wet. 38 to 54 at 10:30 in the morning. in the afternoon, it's 38 to 60. it's chilly in the lehigh valley, and then pretty mild else where. some of that rain on the heavy side. later in the day we clear out on saturday night.

sets us up for dry weather and chilly weather on sunday. nothing too brutal. so sunday is definitely the nicer of the two weekend days here. and then christmas eve, sunday night, we've got a disturbance moving in from the west. there's the snow, poconos, lehigh valley, berks county. even get a little accumulation, it won't last very long. it looks like it may be just too warm from philly southward for any snow. could be a little bit of a mixture just to the north and west. you see, it's all gone by 4:30 in the morning. you'd have to get up real early to see that snow. it may be better to stay up real late at night. here's the map for tomorrow. chestnut hill, 56. allentown and easton, 46 for the high. most of the day is colder than that. longport, 60. rehobeth beach, 64. as we go into the weekend, showers saturday. generally dry sunday.

a cold wind on monday. all through christmas day, cold all day, windy all day. a fair amount of sunshine. as we take a look at the eagles game, it's going to be cold, too. not just cold, but also windy. feeling like the teens. i'm marshall harris. the eagles want to defeat the raiders monday night, it will be a good idea to contain marshawn lynch. we'll find out how they plan to do that next

marshall harris here, the

eagles continue to prepare for their game against the raiders. that means getting ready for marshawn lynch. he has five touchdowns in the last six games. >> stop him before he gets started. let's not get him downhill into our safeties. everybody knows he's a physical runner. we've got to get him on the ground. >> the flyers have back to back road games tonight and tomorrow. tonight in buffalo, tomorrow in columbus before a four day christmas break. with three assists wednesday, giroud is up 34 points. a colossal turn around for someone whose production dropped each of the last three seasons. >> it got a little personal, yeah. i try not to read too many things. obviously, there wasn't a lot of

positive articles out there this summer. you know, you kind of take that as a motivation. you want to push yourself to be the best player you can be. >> meanwhile, the sixers visit the raptors tomorrow. last night they were up by as many as 22 against toronto but could not finish off the raptors. it may be time to change how they play. >> play dirty, play tough. really start to do things like that, you know, we can be so much better. >> from the pros to college. temple taking on georgia. tough day, they couldn't control the game against senior madden. he moved into the top ten in bulldog history. that's sports, i'm marshall harris. coming up tonight on nbc 10 news at 11:00, the holidays are saved in one local jersey shore

town. tonight a happy ending to a story involving a real life grinch. sorry. i can't make it. it's just my eczema again, but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more.

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live look at lincoln financial field. the eagles have a primetime game christmas night. it's going to be cold out there? >> that's right. prepare for that. you're not going to get any snow but it's going to be windy and cold. once we get past saturday, which is tomorrow, and it's a mild rain for most of us. it gets cold and then colder. so monday, christmas day, it starts getting really cold. the rest of the week is bitter cold. and then we're setting up for some significant snow the way it looks later on during the week. right now, it's looking friday towards saturday. and computer models are suggesting that it's a pretty nice setup for snow. not just a couple hours' of mix. >> something you're going to

have to shovel. all right. we'll keep an eye on it. thanks for watching, nbc "nightly news" with lester holt is up next. breaking news tonight from the fbi. an alleged christmas terror plot foiled. the popular american tourist destination the feds say the suspect had his eyes on. holiday storms disrupting the mad dash as millions try to make it home for christmas. snow and ice in the northeast, flooding rain in the south. are your travel plans up in the air? our taxes set to change as president trump signs that sweeping overhaul. is a serial sniper on the loose in california? at least ten cars hit as police hunt for the person taking aim at drivers in broad daylight. and a new alert from oprah. >> it's a fraud, it's a fraud! >> don't get fooled. the giveaway warning she wants you to hear. this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt.