students unite. this time at the high school where they watched their friends lose their lives. we're following the students return to classes in parkland, florida. banning assault rifles, the announcement this morning from one of the country's biggest gun retailers in the aftermath of the school massacre. not guilty, that's the plea entered by paul manafort. what we're now learning about his trial in the wake of felony money laundering charges. >> announcer: nbc 10 news starts now. right now at 11:00, an emotional return. students head back to stoneman douglas high zmool parkland, florida, a place forever changed from the last time they were there two weeks ago. good morning, i'm rosemary connors. they lost friends, staff

members, and a sense of security in the mass dhaer killed 17 people on valentine's day. some became act viflskrifts in fight against gun. today it's time to return to a new normal. wendy was there when the students arrived. >> reporter: students returned to stoneman douglas high school but without 17 proud eagles. >> so overwhelming. >> i'm afraid of the possibilities but i know nothing's going to happen. >> hundreds of armed officers from surrounding police departments stand in solidarities that school's student body takes the first step to a new normal on campus. >> i had faith before, but now like i feel more safe because everybody's here. it's so overhelming. >> that support helps in heeling. >> this is the best place for everyone to be with their colleagues, their peers, their friends so that they can work together as we go through this

difficult process. >> reporter: difficult doesn't begin to describe fred guttenberg's grief. >> gout power through and face things. >> reporter: he lost his daughter jamie two weeks ago today bringing her brother jesse back here is a bitter sweet moment. >> coming back to school today is a big first step. we're struggling with what life looks like going forward. so we're going to go forward because we still have each other. >> reporter: a tragic struggle for a family, a community, and a nation. nbc news, parkland, florida. new this morning, tic's sporting goods will no longer sell assault-style rifles following the massacre in parkland. the company also announced this morning it will not sell guns to anybody under 21 years old. according to the ceo, accused parkland shooter nikolas cruz legally bought a gun at tic's store but it was not the rifle

used during the shooting. they said after the shooting the company felt like it need dodd something. shoppers told us they think it's a good first step. >> i think it's one of the best things that could be done in light of the school shooting. they need to do something to cut back on that and there's really no need for automatic weapons. >> the ceo says tic's is prepared for potential backlash but will not change these new policies. three philadelphia high schools are joining force toss rally against gun violence. take a look. these students from boy's latin high school took to the building's front steps as part of the #we too gun rallies.l utd of their communities being plagued every day by shootings and murders. today, new jersey congressman donald norcross will host a discussion about safety in schools, high school students, administrators from

glosster township and washington township will talk about measures already in flies keep kids safe and what more can be done. count on nesn for continuing coverage of the florida shooting and the impact here at home and across the country. lets head to the lehigh valley where police are investigating a deadly shooter. officers are responding to a gas station on airport road for a shooting around 1:00 this morning. they rushed a second man to the hospital and he died there. the short time later a third man arrived to the hospital in critical condition. investigators are trying to figure out who fired the shots and why. police in burlington count tir trying to get to the bottom of a shooting that led to a standoff this morning. officers were called to this house in wealthwood avenue just after 1:00. the standoff with officers lasted until 3:30 this morning. when it ended police said they found one person dead from a

self-inflicted gunshot wound. another is now in the hospital. snag burlington county, this nome moorestown appears to be a total loss. crews responded just after 5:00 this morning. they suspect the flames may have started in the back of the house. nobody was inside and no one was hurt. fire also destroyed this house in cumberland i don't in the picture shows the flame shooting from the roof on cedar brook lane in lawrence township. part of the house collapsed. there's no word yet about any injuries here. another fire to report, this one be in west philadelphia and it turned out to be deadly. the fire commissioner called the efforts to fight thin fern know on 53rd street herc layiulean, e found the body of one person, this marks the second fire death in just 24 hours in philadelphia. fire commissioner is once again pleading with the public to make sure your house has a smoke detector. >> announcer: now your nbc 10

first alert weather. a taste of spring throughout our area on this last day of february. this is a live look from our kimble camera. enjoy today because march of roar in pliek a lion tomorrow. glenn "hurricane" schwartz is tracking these changes tomorrow. >> we're definitely starting the month of march off with a storm it's not going to look like this tomorrow or friday. high thin clouds coming up easton right now, continuing to increase during the afternoon. wilmington, delaware, still pretty sunny, a lot of blue on the side but the tarp's on the field because they know that rain's on the way. not during the day today. we have some clouds, westerly flow, so that means a lot of this moisture is tracking down to our south. there's more up in northern ohio that is headed in our direction. the wind is out of the south,

speaking of directions. 53 degrees now but it's 58 in dover. 56 in wilmington. 58 atlantic city international, these temperatures are way above the average high for this time. year. and of course only 11:00 pam there's plenty of room for them to go up. we will be going into the upper 50s to near 60 degrees during the day today. and tonight it's not going to cool down very much at all. you can see 51 degrees at 9:00. a lot of sunshine early this afternoon. the clouds increase later, but we're not expecting any kind of rain today or tonight or most likely tomorrow morning either. but eventually there's going to be plenty of moisture moving in. tell when you that rain's going to be the heaviest and we also have other problems with this tax refo storm coming up. smoke in an airplane bathroom forced a united flight

to make an emergency landing. this is video of the scene posted to social media last night. the plain had just taken off from newark, new jersey, it was headed to los angeles. after the emergency landing in allentown, united took the passengers back to newark on a bus to restart their journey. the cause of the smoke on the plane is under investigation. happening now, the jury is deliberating in the corruption trial of allentown's mayor. lawyers for both sides delivered their closing arguments yesterday. prosecutors accused mayor ed pawlowski of rigging spra step contracts go to bipss that supported his campaigns. his attorneys say he did nothing wrong and unusual. the charges include fraud, bribery, attempted extortion and lying to the fbi. be the first to know when there's a verdict in this case. download the free nbc 10 app for breaking news alerts. now a check of our first alert traffic with jessica

boyington. what are you seeing out there? >> rosemary a few things. starting on the schuylkill expressway, right around where we have eastbound delay because of a construction vehicle on the shoulder. one lape getting by making a 43 drive line on the eastbound side. that's heavy for right now with speeds into the teens too. villanova watching a crash on the blue routes northbound side before saint david's. and in radnor we have a closure. you can see both of these directions closed. so watching that, also watching in new jersey route 38 and cuss pert bfld boulevard. so we have instruction project here down to one lane moving through cherry hill. you'll see a little bit of a slow down here. there's a vehicle fire on school house lane and da cal pike. and the bridge, we two scheduled openings one we're in the process over the tacony pool mire ra at 11:00 so you can take the betsy ross bridge as your alternate. the birling ton bristol is scheduled after that for 11:15.

>>. an equipment shortage may mean that they may not be ready for this year's peak season. some of the beaches replenish meant could stretch into july. there have also been delays in getting permits and funding. the first stanls of replenish meant are set for may in bethany beach. they will only set down have a thousand feet at a time in hopes of impacting vacationers as little as possible. coming up, maintaining his innocence. breaking details about president trump's former campaign chairman paul manafort who entered a plea in a washington courtroom this morning on charges of money laundering and lying to the feds. plus, bluffing and controversy, right now a pennsylvania church is holding a commitment ceremony for couples and they're encouraged to bring their guns along. i'll tell you mild for now, but we got a storm brewing and

it's headed our way. i'll let you know what we're going to see the heaviest rain, the gustiest winds and even a chance for me to. that's next. at ikea, we believe that everything you need should be within reach. in an affordable dream kitchen that works as hard as you do. ikea family members get 15% back when you spend $2000 or more at the ikea kitchen event.

at ikea, we believe that everything you need should be within reach. in an affordable dream kitchen that works as hard as you do. ikea family members get 15% back when you spend $2000 or more at the ikea kitchen event. that breaking news, paul manafort has pleaded not guilty to the latest charges leveled against him by special counsel robert mueller. the president's former campaign chairman was indicted as part of the russian meddling investigation. a judge has set a trial date for

september 17th. staying in washington, jurd kushner, president trump's son-in-law and senior adviser will no longer have access to our country's highly classified information. the change in status comes after an overhaul of the clearance process by chief of staff john kelly. kushner's new classification prevents him from accessing materials like the presidential daily brief. kelly and kushner say that he can still carry out his duties as presidential adviser. a ceremony is underway right now in the nation's capital to honor the late reverend billy graham. his body is laying in the captain to row taund. you can see president trump and the first lady melania is present. the man known as white house pastor and befriended friends of both parties for decades. graham's body will continue to lie in honor in the capitol row taund tomorrow before his

funeral in charlotte, his hometown on friday. though he was sometimes known for koshl comments and stances, the christian evan list preached to more than 200 million people. graham died last week at the age of 99. right now, a church in the poconos is holding a ceremony to bless semi sauautomatic rifles. the schurth near lake wall pop pack. the choice is the ar-15. they believe the gun is the rod of iron from the book of revelation in the new testament. protesters who came to the church today insist guns are not holy. >> i don't care about guns. they kill people, i don't know. i mean, if it was nuclear weapons, i mean basically if you got an automatic weapon, that's a weapon of mass destruction. you're going to kill a lot of people. so how come weapons of mass destruction are legal? >> the church is expecting about 600 people for this special

service today. >> announcer: now your nbc 10 first alert weather. looks very nice right now, but 24 hours from now the rain will be right on our doorstep. so the warmest day of the week is today. we've got a thursday and friday storm lingering wind into the weekend, but it's at least expected to be dry. 53 degrees in philadelphia with sunshine at the average high is 47, although we were in the upper 40s last year for a record on this date. and sunshine across the entire area. the wind is coming out of the southwest bringing in some of that warmer air. it's 55 in wilmington already, 56 in ready point, odessa. farther to the south in delaware it's 57 in herrington, 56 in greenwood and lincoln. 57 lewis. and dewey beach, bethany beach

you can see with the southwest wind that's a land breeze, at least for now at the delaware beaches that's why they're as warm as everybody else. we have some clouds moving across the area, but they're relatively high. there's not a whole lot of moisture in the atmosphere yet. the bulk of this rain right now certainly appears to be tracking more to our south. so that's the area of rain we're going to be watching for the next 24 hours. but eventually we have plenty of moisture. there's more in texas and oklahoma riding that jet stream that's been playiguing us for mh of the month in february with storm after storm after storm. and tonight it's still dry were and we have that southwest wind. but by tomorrow the rain is getting closer. morning rush, dry. afternoon rush, not so dry. wind starts to come in from the ocean and that kaupcauses probl

too coming hundreds and hundreds of miles straight over the ocean. that builds up the flood threat at the coastline. plus, a full moon makes it even a little bit higher. plus the rain adds to the flood threat. there will be some flooding at the shore as we go into thursday night and friday and maybe even into saturday. there's some of the heaviest rain thursday night and friday morning. friday morning rush looks pretty nasty. look at those winds coming in off the ocean. and then finally as the storm moves offshore, the older air comes in, could even see a change over to some wet snow in parts of the area. more on that coming up later. >> i'm going to pretend you didn't say that. still ahead, britain's new fab four. prince harry and his future wife dazzled the crowd as they joined william and kate for their first joint royal engagement.

there is nothing rotten about a new musical comedy taking philadelphia by storm. critics have called something rotten, that's the name of the play, fresh, irrelevant reverent and hysterical and a how long broadway smash. we have two of the stars of something rotten which you can see now through sunday at the academy of music in philadelphia. thank you both for being with us. >> our pleasure. >> thank you for having us. >> so, robb, you have played the same role on broadway. >> yeah. >> give us the premise of the show. >> i play a writer in the renaissance who's competing with shakespeare. and our show has a contemporary sense of humor. shakespeare in our show is a rock god, like david bowie. and i'm trying compete with shakespeare in the renaissance. so i go to a soup say wer and fd out what the musical will be. >> and maggie, you of course are no stranger to the philadelphia area, a broad temple graduate and you've performed in many of

the theaters here, back at your home base. >> yes. it was kind of emotional last night because i've seen so many shows at the academy of music. think the first one when i was a little kid i saw peter pan there and the nut cracker. to be on the sage and looking out, it was special last night. >> tell us about your character. >> i play bee, i play his wife which is funny because we're married in real life. >> it makes things easer. >> but, yes, i play bee, nick's wife. and it's kind of difficult time to be a lady, but i can tell that he is having trouble but he's not communicating that with me. so i have to be sneaky about helping him because a lady back then couldn't just get a job. so she kind of has to put son some disguises and be a little tricky because he doesn't really want to let her help because >> you're talking about my character now. >> yes, i know. but she's determined to be his

partner and help him out. >> what's that like performing literally working -- you work together all day and then you go home at the end of the night. >> awesome. >> yeah, it's great. it's a gift because we get to see the whole country together. and it's also just -- it's so much fun to get to share this adventure together. >> seeing the count with o-- ar the country with our cat. he comes everywhere us. but it's a goift perform with each other every night because she sings the heck out of her first song every night it's called right hand man and i have the best seat in the house. and you can't help but be like wow, that was awesome. >> but i imagine it probably feels like a 24/7 -- >> yeah. >> because you get done with the play, you're heading home. >> you have to like each other. >> this is our second time touring with each other. we were here ten years ago so we kind of knew going into it how to balance it because, yeah, you travel together, work together, stay together, but we love it.

>> and you two met in philadelphia. >> yeah. we were doing a production of gree grease and he was duty and i wassen from which i. >> it was for childs, who's a great director and we played duty anden from which i and we knew pretty quickly it was was something there. and we introduced me to the philadelphialy community. and i start working at the walnut, even though broadway takes us away, our home is south fill sloil we're still thrilled we're sleeping in our own bed at night and performing for our family and friends in town. >> one last thing for anybody who hasn't seen the show and wants to come out, i read the critics review at the beginning of the segment. what's the feeling people walk away with? >> laughing. >> yeah. >> they should know that they're going to laugh. this is from the director who directed book of mormon and alladin, so the guy knows funny. the show is about bringing people joy, and getting to make people laugh right now is a

treat. >> and also it's brand-new. it's not an adaptation or a revival. so people are going to see something fresh and we have a lot of surprises for them. but at the same time it has a lot of references to shows that they love and know. you'll feel familiar and taken care of but they'll have a new experience and laugh and enjoy themselves. >> awesome. thank you guys so much for coming in. >> if you for having us. >> if you're interested in seeing something rot tone at the academy of muse nick center city, it's running now through sunday. we have all of the details right now on the nbc 10 app just look for find it on 10. coming up, there's a new normal this morning at the florida high school that was the scene of the dead left high school massacre in history. next we'll take you live to parkland, florida and students are now back in plus. plus, falling victim to medical debt can happen in the blink of an eye. also coming up, one woman's story that shows how easily your health can turn your finances upside down.

♪ we buy any car ♪ any make, any model, any age, any price ♪ ♪ from 50 bucks to 100 grand ♪ we buy any car ♪ any, any, any, any at webuyanycar.com, the gimmicks stop with our ads. trading in our selling your car is hassle-free with just three easy steps. one, get your free online valuation. two, drive to your local car buying centre. and three, walk out with your check in as little as 30 minutes. so don't wait. get your free online valuation now. ♪ find out how much your car's worth ♪ ♪ at webuyanycar.com fren

>> announcer: now your nbc 10 first alert weather. take a live look outside. pleasant morning for a walk through rittenhouse square. little bit earlier we spotted just some light jackets, no gloves, and even the pets seem to be enjoying the mild temperatures. glenn "hurricane" schwartz is tracking the great weather out there today, and the rough weather we have coming in tomorrow. hey, glenn. >> yeah, things things are going to be changing over the next couple of days. the flag's blowing, the wind coming from the southwest which is bringing in warmer air. we still have a fair amount of sunshine, although the higher clouds are starting to increase. this is up in allentown in the lehigh valley, still a lot of blue in that sky so we're in pretty good shape for this

afternoon. temperatures way above normal but as we look back to the west, there's a lot of moisture. much of this heavy rain is tracking to the south but there's more that's on the way. we're not going to escape with dry weather out ofth it's 53 in philadelphia now. 58 in dover is the warm spot. 56 at rehoboth beach, 51 in mount pocono. believe it or not they should get some snow accumulation out of this next storm by the time it's over with. and, we get into the upper 50s, near 60 degrees this afternoon with the sunshine, the increased clouds, and it doesn't cool off much tonight at all. and that sets us up for a mild start to this storm, but there's also going to be a lot of wind and coastal flooding. more on those threats coming up. tears, hugs, and unity in the face of tragedy.

today students who attend the florida high school where 17 people were killed two weeks ago are back in class. nbc 10's wendy wol foc is live in parkland. the students seem to be happy to see each other as they were entering school this morning. tell us about it. >> reporter: rosemary, good morning to you. students only went back for a half day today. you can see the pickup line is starting to stack up. the buses have arrived. only went for about four hours today. the shortened schedule to focus on comfort rather than curriculum. the morning was full of mixed emotions as they confront those haunting memories of what took place here two weeks ago today. grief counselors as well as therapy dogs on hand to help anyone who wanted and/or needed it. also, 50 armed officers escorted the students through the front doors this morning while hundreds of other officers from

surrounding jurisdictions came here to offer solidarity and support. >> there's no right time go back to school, but like we're all with our friends and we're like we have a community and it feels better to be back. >> i'm kind of excited to be back at school. a little bit nervous to see how different everything feels, but i'm excited to be back with my friends. >> reporter: obviously a mix of anticipation and anxiety. the heavy security is to make then tire community feel more safe and secure as they struggle to find their new normal. those students who weren't comfortable enough to return here to stoneman douglas were offered the opportunity to finish their classes online this year. live in parkland, florida, i'm wendy. raise marry, back to you. meantime we're learning the accused shooter in this case could have taken even more

lives. law enforcement sources tell nbc news when officers arrested nikolas cruz he had five fully loaded magazines that had not been spent. cruz is charged with killing 17 students and staff members in that shooting earlier this month. turn to nbc 10 and the nbc 10 app for continuing coverage of the florida school shooting. hear how students evare fightin for change and learn more about the alleged shooter's past. here at home, students are taking a stand against guns. three philadelphia high schools held rallies this morning. dray clark is life in southwest philadelphia to tell us more about the we count too movement. dray. >> reporter: rosemary, good morning. bart trom high school is the second stop on a three school tour for anthony williams who is calling for tougher gun laws and making a serious push to get illegal guns off the street, and he's asking young foam get involved with that effort. the first stop for the senator this morning was at boys latin

high school in west philadelphia. the series of school rallies are titled we count too rallies against gun violence. students held signs saying things like we don't want to die and this has to stop. senator williams says while the recent school shooting in parkland, florida, is tragic, he says gun violence elsewhere like on the streets of philadelphia is simply out of control. too many young people are dying because of too many illegal guns on the street. he says it's time for the country's gun laws to changend' believes the outrage this time around will lead to serious change because young people are involved. and they are young, spirited, and determined to prevent more lives from being lost because of illegal guns and senseless violence. >> this issue of guns in america will be changed, the face of it will be changed because of this generation that's politically active. >> make sure your voice is heard and your pain is heard because that's the hardest part of this

because nobody feels our pain because they don't feel it. the spain real. every young person here like to make sure all our wishes are heard and show everybody that we matter. >> reporter: and the senator's last stop today will be at motivation high school and he says he is encouraged that by going to each stop young people seem to be engaged and eager to get involved with that effort. live in west philadelphia, dray clark. high school students in south jersey say they won't stop fighting to make their voices heard about school safety. teenagers from cherry hill east demanded answers from a school board meeting last night. it followed a student walkout at the start of the day. the students and parents say they want more security on campus. >> you see all these -- all these students walk out, you see all this passion with the students talking about that they want safer schools, and then the school district want take it to

that second level. it makes absolutely no sense. >> the principal tells us the school is working on a plan that includes an open dialogue between the student and administration. assemblies on school safety rare school walk next month, and the formation of a committee to discuss safety at cherry hill east. we will keep you posted on this. student planned yesterday's walk out after the school suspended history teacher timothy locke. locke had expressed concern about safety at cherry hill east following that shoot agent park lond, florida. the student want locke reinstated. right now there's no word on what may happen with him. now to an nbc 10 responds special report. all this week nbc 10 is looking at one of the nation's leading causes of bankruptcy. medical debt. finding your way out of medical debt may seem like a never ending uphill battle. nbc 10 responds reporter harry hairston tro introduces us to

someone struggling with medical debt and a nonprofit way to raise awareness and money. >> it doesn't matter who you are or what you do for a living, we've learned that in a blink of an eye almost anyone can fall victim to medical debt. lisa makes a good living as a child psychiatrist. she's putting two kids through college. but last year they she got a lesson in medical debt. >> i was walking fine and then next morning i have no control of my left side from my waist down. >> she went to the er and received alarming news. >> i needed surgery, i needed emergency surgery. >> as she was in a hospital unequipped to perform the procedure, she was airlifted to another facility. the operation a success. then came the bills. >> the total of the services for the hospital was $39,414. >> after insurance, she was stuck with $15,000 in medical

bills she couldn't afford. >> i'm a doctor, i hear all these things, but i never think it's going to happen to you and i just -- it happens. >> and she's not alone. rip medical debt founder craig antiqueco has seen people from all walks of life get trapped in medical debt. he is a former bill collector turned debt for giver like collection agencies, his nonprofit buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of hounding people to pay, rip erases the debt. >> none of the portfolios that we buy can be ever collected on, they get put into the debt cemetery and they are kaput, they're history. >> rip focuses on helping the immediate. >> we want to see are they two times the positive vertly level or below? are they insolvent, meaning they just owe more than they own, or are they in hardship. >> she may not be in that situation, but it doesn't mean she can afford her medical debt.

>> if had this is what it's going to me, i can't imagine what it would do to other people. >> for just 1ed can help rerace medical debt for someone. go to nbc 10dom for the free nbc or the free nbc 10 app and click on this story. there you will see how to make a donation and see the freeiently asked questions about the charity and other resources to help you work through medical debt. >> and harry, nbc 10 has stepped up to donate some money here. >> yes, as all part of the nationwide effort of our parent company, nbc 10's owned television and station's group, they've donated enough money to forgive, get this, $2 million in our area. >> wow. that's incredible. and we're talking about $15 million across the country, but we didn't have to pay that 15 million, right? >> no, that's because you can buy this debt pennies on the dollar. so we were able to d

should say nbc 10 universal tv station, they were able to donate $150,000, that's thousand got to the number of being able to erase $15 million of medical debt across this country. >> that's incredible. so even just a dollar, as you're suggesting to viewers, if they want to do this, would go a long way. >> right. i also want to make sure and point out that people cannot sign up for this. there's no way you can register for this. this is something you're only going to know if your debt has been erased when you get an envelope like this. it's a yellow envelope and on this envelope it says rip medical debt. if you get one in your mailbox, open it up, it is not a bill, it's something good. and also if you get this your debt has been erased and we'd love to hear from you as well. >> absolutely. harry, thanks for bringing this to our attention. we'll be watching it. tonight at 6:00, george spencer speaks with a nurse who was slapped with a surprise medical bill herself. how the error that's leaving her in medical debt could happen to

anyone. you can call them the royal fab four of britain. little bit of lighter news now. today the duke and duchess of cambridge along the prince harry and megan markle make their first public appearance. they took the stage in london on he behalf of the new forum. it showcases the program set up by the foundation which was established by harry, his older brother william and william's wife kate to support their chosen charities. three astronauts are back on forth after a 5.5 month mission on the international space station. the two americans and one russia landed this morning. the temperature was below freezing so crews quickly wrapped the men in thick blankets. niem space was highlighted by robotic experience, school teacher pep talks and a greeting from pope francis. coming up, opening your home and your heart to a child who needs guidance and love. you're about to meet a man who's proof that families come in all shapes and sizes.

hear his story as nbc 10 continues the mission to find foster families for kids in our area. . we got a pretty big storm headed our way, question is is it going to move out for the weekend in the timing and what you can expect to see where you live just ahead.

this week's wednesday's child is sponsored by mealy's furniture. >> he's a fun living guy, loves

basketball, enjoys took cooking. he's missing a forever family. we're introduced to ricky, he's this week's wednesday's child. >> let's see how it fits on you here. >> we came today to the jma institute of culinary arts because ricky wants to be a chef. >> this is from spain. >> he already makes healthy versions of his famous spanish and latin dishes. he's here to hone his craft. but this young man has eclectic tastes. he's a food did i for sure, but he loves the saying, and. >> i would say that's his happiest because i think he fant size about being steph curry. if steph curry were next to him'd be on a cloud. >> basketball, cooking, singing and friends all pale in comparison when it comes to his wish of a favorever family.

>> ideally it would be somebody who's going to be in love with him to some extent, whether a it's a mom and dad or just a mom or a dad. he's partial to more of a traditional family and i think at least if he were the youngest child in the family, if not the only where he does get that personal attention. >> so what does ricky offer a potential adoptive family? >> he has a good heart and i think he would take that family with him. and everybody wants a wonderful warm heart in their family. >> ricky is this week's wednesday's child. >> if would you like to make ricky's dream come true or the dream of any wednesday's child, just go to nbc10.com and search wednesday's child. you can also call the national adoption center at 1-866-do-adopt. finding foster families for children in desperate need of a home. nbc 10, telemundo 62 and the

department of human services are joining forces. we're teaming up to help children who have been through tough times. thousands of kids who have survived abuse and neglect are in urgent need of foster parents. you don't have to have a traditional two-parent household to provide a loving home. erik johnson of north philadelphia say prime example of that. he joins us in studio. thanks for being with us. >> no problem. how are you. >> great. you're a single guy and you've always dreamed of having a child. >> i did. i always wanted to be a parent as long as i can remember. and then i decided to go flout says. and not only i get one, but i got two. >> first process was to become a foster parent. >> first was to become a foster parent. you go through the process, you fill out the application, complete all the paperwork, they do the home inspection, you complete a series of trainings and things like that. and thens that when they call you and say that they have children available. >> so two boys. >> two boys, 2 and 4.

>> tell us about them. >> sincier is a typical 2-year-old. >> terrible 2s or -- >> it depends on the day. some days he can be the sweetest kid, some days it's like, okay. edward very inquiztive 4-year-old. he will be going to kindergarten in the upcoming fall so i'm doing that process now searching for kindergarten programs that will benefit his unique personality because he's very inquiztive, he's always asking questions. i think he's going to be an attorney or senator. so the, yeah. >> you mentioned your 2-year-old son how it's ups and downs. that's i think important to point out to people who are interested in the foster parent or adoption process that, look, it's like any family, like any household. >> absolutely. >> incredibly rewarding as well. >> yes, it is. and it depends, you know. you have to have the passion and the love for it. if you don't, you know, it's not going to work. you have to have that love and

that passion. you have to be willing to put in the work. i've learned that throughout the years of supporting my friends, my nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, they put in the work and it was rewarding. so for me now at this stage of my life, putting in the work all those years is now being reward. to me it's being blessed with two beautiful sons. >> and we should, again, point out to our viewers, you may think well wait a minute, you know, i'm a single person, i -- anybody who has the passion has the love, as you said, can be a foster parent. >> anybody. you know, and at first it was kind of scary, you know, going against the process because i'm single and i have to do everything by myself. but then as time went on, you know, you have a routine and you build on that routine. but just because you're single does not mean that you can't be a foster parent. there are many children through the who need homes. so providing them with that love and that care and just because you're a single does not mean that they're not going to get

the same amount of love from a two-parent home. >> and, as i said, proof of that. erik johnson, thank you so much for taking the time to come in and appreciate your story and what you shared with us today. >> thank you. at nbc 10 and telemundo 62 are teeming up with philadelphia's department of human services. we're setting up a phone bank for tomorrow at 4:00 in the afternoon to answer any questions you may have about becoming a foster family. sob sure so be sure to tune in. >> announcer: now your nbc 10 first alert weather. well, another really nice looking day outside. a lot of places with sunshine and temperatures rising through the 50s and there are going to be places hitting 60 degrees like mays landing is already there. but it's not going to happen right at the beach because the wind's coming right off the ocean. it's 55 in wildwood, but 49 in avalon and atlantic city, 50 in cape may point. if anything those numbers are going to go down.

we have some clouds approaching, but they're generally high clouds. we have more significant rain coming towards cincinnati, another area up near cleveland. so it's all not that well organized yet, but there's a good bit of moisture and there's plenty more to come riding this powerful jet stream that's been helping to lead to these storms all winter long. as you go through the afternoon, we're going up through the 50s into near 60 degrees, again, except for right by the beaches. we're dry tonight. we're dry tomorrow morning for the rush, not very cold. and then here comes the rain. generally afternoon from philly northward, possibly little before noon in delaware and extreme south jersey. it becomes a steady rain that's affecting the afternoon rush but, again, the temperatures are not low enough for any kind of threat of ice or snow. here's the heavy rain. that's thursday night. and into friday morning that's the greatest chance of some flooding because of that heavy rain.

during the day friday, the storm itself is strengthening offshore so it's pulling cold air down and we could see this rain change over to snow in parts of the area, especially the poconos where some accumulation is likely. possibly into the lehigh valley, berks county or some of the higher elevations north and west of philadelphia. and this particular model has rain lingering into saturday morning. the other issue is is going to be the wind gusts. by friday morning it's not that windy. but look what happens later in the day and the evening. we've got gusts over 50 to near 60 miles per hour. that the could cause some damage. and by saturday morning it's still windy, but not quite as bad as what we saw on thursday night and into friday. how much rain? that's going to be critical too because we've had a lot of rain this month and if we get a couple more inches, there's

likely to be some flooding. and this particular model does show a couple of inches of rain or at least close to it in parts of the area, especially bucks county, mercer county, and in ocean county. and we'll be right back.

all right. we have heavy rain, we have strong winds, and we have

coastal flooding with this storm. but it dries out by the weekend. >> watch us at 4:00. >> time and temperature sponsored by cure auto insurance. drive well. (phone buzzing) i like these yogurt bites. (phone buzzing) and i like these yogurt bites... ah... ooh! apparently, i like them more than i like my phone. where...ah, oh! hello? ah, i missed it. it was my mother-in-law. i'll call her back. don't tell her i told you that. you'll like them both but love our price. award-winning little journey

baby essentials from aldi. simply smarter shopping.

>> jj: [exhales slowly] man, who knew there were so many china patterns? >> lani: [chuckles softly] i may have a better idea. >> jj: paper plates? >> lani: [laughs] instead of registering for our wedding, why don't we register for the baby? it's not like we need a new set of china. but we will need things like a changing table, a crib, and a bunch of onesies. >> jj: okay, listen to me. i'm all for that. but this wedding also happens to be about marrying the woman i am crazy in love with. i want to celebrate you, us, the beginning of an amazing life together. >> lani: i love you so much. >> jj: then let's do it. let's get married today.