in federal court this afternoon. the feds have been keeping an eye on her for almost two years and they arrested her this morning. only "action news" was there last week when the fbi raided thomas' home on north tenth street. she lives here with her mother the raid came to days before thomas planned to board a plane and join isis in syria. the criminal complaint indicates the fbi started monitoring her online activity in august of 2013. she allegedly communicated directly with known isis fighters and used her twitter account to post isis propaganda. investigators say she used the aliases young lionness. she was asked by isis fighter if she wanted to participate in martyrdom operations schenn replied a girl can only wish. in another posting she allegedly said if we truly knew the realities we would all be rushing to join our brothers on the front line.

we got a terse response from thomas' mother when we went to her home this morning. >> could you get off my door please. >> reporter: she appeared in court this afternoon dressed in full muslim gash. she gave yes or no answers to a few short questions from the judge. she was informed of the charges and the court appointed a federal defender since she can't afford an attorney. >> i don't have any further comment at this time. my office was just appointed but we'll be prepared next week. >> reporter: thomas will be back in court next wednesday. >> on wednesday we'll be back in court for a detention hearing an preliminary hearing. >> reporter: thomas is charged with attempting to supply material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. if she is convicted on those charges she faces the possibility of 15 years in jail. live at federal court, david henry, channel6 "action news." brian. >> pretty extraordinary stuff david. thank you. our coverage of thomas' arrest continues on high pressure. you'll find more details from the criminal complaint against

her and more on that exclusive video on the raid of her north philadelphia home. it's all right there right now on 6abc.com. >> it is time for a check of the accuweather forecast on this rainy friday afternoon. >> meteorologist melissa magee in for adam joseph today. she is live at the big board. hey, melissa. >> hi, brian, hi shirleen. we have been in and out of the moisture today. storm tracker six live double scan radar showing you light activity south of the city mainly across south jersey and also moisture starting to bubble up in lancaster county and also in berks county pretty close to reading. now, we do have the moisture overhead. despite that temperatures are pretty mild with that southwesterly wind. it's 62 in philadelphia. 56 up in the poconos but much cooler along the coast from beach haven down to sea isle city there temperatures are only in the upper 40's. we'll widen out the picture because we're tracking more wet weather to come later tonight. storm tracker six live double scan radar 3-d showing you off to the west we're tracking an area of low pressure that is

starting to get pretty close to illinois and indiana and with that there is a tornado watch that has been posted for western sections of kentucky, also into tennessee. we'll be tracking this moisture with this area of low pressure cutting up to our west but some of that precipitation could work eastward overspreading the delaware and lehigh valleys. so the storm prediction center has placed us in a risk of finding some severe weather. when we talk about this we're looking at the probabilities here. so low probability of finding gusts up to 60 miles per hour here in philadelphia. points to the north and a moderate probability of finding some gusty winds down across south jersey and into delaware within 25 miles of this highlighted location. coming up we'll take a closer look at the forecast on the way and let you know if awful this moisture will clear out just in time for the holiday and for easter on sunday. details coming up with the accuweather forecast. shirleen. >> we'll check back in with you soon. thank you melissa. stay ahead of changes in the weather by checking 6abc.com/weather. you can always find live storm tracker six radar and the

seven-day forecast and get the very latest our team of meteorologists. >> philadelphia police have arrested dozens of people in a major drug sweep and the suspects include both dealers and buyers. vernon odom live at police headquarters this afternoon and vernon, this all happened in an area where police say the drug trade is rampant. >> reporter: it's been rampant out there for a long time brian. today's announcement however of a big drug sweep comes as the sensational trial of six former narcotics cops proceeds in federal court. in today's case more customers were arrested from dealers. >> if your employer doesn't know you're a heroin addict if you're arrested the next morning they'll know. the 40 people busted yesterday for allegedly buying heroin on the streets of philadelphia. more than a third of them are sir suburban nights. 20 drug dealers were swept up in that same east division operation. dozens of vehicles were confiscate.

>> if you think it's a good idea to come into philadelphia or if you already live in philadelphia to buy illegal drugs, that not only -- then not only will you be arrested and charged for that crime but your vehicle if you have one will be confiscated. more importantly your picture and information will be publicized. >> reporter: the operation hit open air drug corners in sections known as the bad lands in kensington where residents whispered to me they were happy to see this operation but would not comment on camera. quote i want to wake up tomorrow one said. >> one of the things we want to do is make it difficult for drug dealers to make money. out of town buyers who find it easy to purchase narcotics here we want to make it very, very hazardous for them to enter, venture into philadelphia and purchase drugs. >> reporter: police would not display the thousands of dollars worth of heroin or cash they confiscated but they did show off this drug dealing

car with a hidden stash compartment under the back seat. now, if you want to peruse those mug shots dozens of them go to our 6abc web site. live at narcotics strike headquarters in germantown, i'm vernon odom channel6 "action news." >> vernon thank you. police say they caught the man accused of raping a woman inside a fraternity house at west chester university. police arrested 19-year-old marreese yo' san and juan martinez of -- gettysburg. martinez was arraigned and is nest chester county prison while he waits for his preliminary hearing. >> two people in gunfire after a party at temple university. a 19-year-old was critically wounded, a 23-year-old was also hospitalized in stable condition. temple university says none of the victims or suspects is it

a is a student although there were students at the party. >> there were at least 100 people inside this house involved in the party when a fight broke out inside. the fight spilled onto the street and that's when shots were fired. detectives recovered a gun in front of the house. no charges have been announced so far. >> from our delaware news room today, police in milford are on the hunt for the man who robbed a pnc bank. they gave us these surveillance pictures of him and the car he was driving. you'll see that shortly. the heist happened yesterday around 4:00 o'clock at the branch on north dupont highway. police say the man flashed a gun and passed a note to the teller demanding money. he left the bank with cash, walked to a nearby mcdonald's then got into the car you saw and drove off. police are asking anyone who might recognize this strouse please call them. >> political allies of senator bob menendez launch add major pr campaign to support him as he heads to trial on corruption charges.

supporters launched the web site i stand with bob.com. the site is being paid for by the menendez for senate campaign committee. menendez pleaded not guilty in court yesterday to accusations that he used his office to benefit the business of a friend and political donor. today the new york times published an op-ed calling on the senator to resign. the florida developer buying the revel casino may not be done scooping up property in atlantic city. glen straub is reportedly trying to buy showboat which is next door to revel. richard stock couldn't college bought showboat back in december and wanted to open a college campus there but trump taj mahal invoked a contract provision to block that saying it wants a casino on the site instead. >> all right, time now for a look at the "action news" traffic report today. lots of people getting out of the office a little early today. >> trying to get that weekended. let's go thrive matt pelman. >> not a boat load of fun as we try to head out on this

holiday weekend. big problems in montgomeryville, montgomery county where you can see 309 is closed in both directions here at five points road right by the lowes home improvement store trafficked being forted onto horsham road and cowpath road. the crash brought down some poles so that's why it's taking some time for them to clear things out here. if you don't want to use horsham road maybe stick with 202 as a possible alternate through the montgomeryville area this afternoon. and just across-the-board we're walking a whole lot of traffic volume like here on the vine street expressway, some damp conditions as well. westbound stacked the taillights headed toward the schuylkill eastbound also quite busy from 76 out to 95. and of course we have some accidents for you as well. one here in brookhaven delco along 352 at edwards drive. plenty of slowing on 95 as you come south of the airport with speeds like 12 miles per hour and head down toward the delaware state line and on 95 in delaware watch this. 12, 14 miles per hour, a slow crawl northbound the whole way from 896 up toward the

delaware memorial bridge. we also have a ya' in new -- crash in new castle. grab the ipad to do the commuter report. on holiday friday afternoon we always see a lost traffic on the new jersey turnpike around robbinsville. some foggy weather out there damp conditions as well this afternoon. we'll check it again brian and shirleen in the next half hour. >> all right thank you. >> thank you matt. new details on a terror attack in kenya. we get our first look inside the college that was attacked by gunmen. >> plus, a massive fire rips through a plant where thousands of people work every day. what investigators think started the flames and the lucky break that kept people from getting hurt here. >> and the rush is on to get ready for easter sunday from pierogies to pastries we're with shoppers picking up their favorite parts of the menu.

yeah, i'm married. does it matter? you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ ♪

>> ♪♪ >> hundreds of firefighters had to come together to battle a raging inferno at a general electric plant in louisville kentucky. you can see the flames there tour right through that building. took more than 200 people to get this situation under control. the flames started at the ge appliance park early this morning. from the air you can see the plumes of smoke that filled the skies as if they were clouds. firefighters can only stand back and watch as that building eventually collapsed. about 6,000 people work in that complex. fortunately they are all safe and all accounted for. the company says most of the buildings were empty today because most people were off for good friday holiday. crews don't know exactly how this started just yet but they think it might have been a lightning strike. >> new images show the aftermath of a college massacre in kenya. garissa university college is covered in shattered glass and bullet holes. the terror group al-shabaab has claimed responsibility for

killing 147 people. survivors think the attackers scouted their campus beforehand because they knew exactly where to find christian students praying. some kenyans believe their government failed to protect them from the extremists. iranian president as san rouhani vowing to stand by the nuclear agreement reached with the u.s. and other countries. yesterday iran said it would dismantle its nuclear program if sanctions were lifted on tehran. secretary of state john kerry says a deal could still fall apart in the coming mostly sunny and some opponents say it could threaten america's national security. june 30 is the deadline for a final compromise. >> business, marketss were closed today in observance of good friday. there was still bad news about the u.s. economy. the jobs report showed the country added just 126,000 jobs last month. that's the lowest number since december 20's 13. it snaps a streak of 12 straight months with gains

above 200,000. the unemployment rate stayed at five and a half percent. the economy has been hurt this year so far by harsh weather factory slowdowns a sluggish market for construction. wages were up over all by about seven cents but because the average number of hours worked fell in march americans actually earned less money. >> this weekend is one of the most important times of the year for christians. but for easter -- but the easter celebration doesn't mean just a day at church it also means a traditional meal whether it's a heart dee dinner or sweet dessert eva pilgrim has more on the people picking up their favorite part of the holiday. >> reporter: the rush is on. >> today everybody is in for their easter cakes. >> reporter: five generations have been busy in the kitchen getting ready. >> the decorators probably make 30,000 handmade roses on all the cakes. >> reporter: the must have items here is pound cake. >> i live in delaware county.

i just traveled 45 minutes to get -- i sent out a text this morning that i was making my run and so i have to pick up 12 of them. >> reporter: even the rain can't keep people away. >> we'll still stand here, right guys? that's right. [laughter] >> nothing like it. >> reporter: the wait more than two hours and it's been like that all week. >> it's a long day. it's a long couple weeks but in the end it's worth it. >> reporter: the kielbasi is made the same way. generations keep coming back for more. >> my dad started the tradition a good 40 some years we've been doing this. >> reporter: no easter is complete without chocolate. >> easter is always our highlight. spring's on the way, the days are longer, the people are happy. >> reporter: chocolate is so great here it even has the kids dancing. at the italian market -- >> we like to eat. >> reporter: it's the only place in town you can get these little lambs made in a

custom mold. they have been baking cakes the same way rooted in tradition. >> to do something like this all the time is -- it's family. this is why we get up in the morning. >> reporter: and while it will only take a fraction of the time it took to make these delicious goodies to eat them. >> nobody trusts a skinny baker. >> reporter: every shop we talked to says the same thing it's so worth it to see the families come back yeast after year. eva pilgrim channel6 "action news." >> and of course easter also means big business for the flower industry and in west chester you can get your arrangement and help a local fire company at the same time. the goshen fire company on boot road started its annual easter flower sale today. anyone shopping can also check out the fire trucks and equipment. the sale runs until 7:00 o'clock tonight. they'll also be opened tomorrow and sunday. >> all good stuff. >> made me hungry. >> pretty lousy out there right now but looking a lot nicer as we head into the

holiday weekend. >> i know. let's send it to melissa magee who is tracking that for us. >> hi, shirleen and brian we have some improvement as we head into the weekend but for now we are tracking the unsettled weather. we'll show you what's going on behind me. storm tracker six live double scan radar still some light activity across our region. as you look off to the west you can see that area of low pressure that's over indiana and with that low there's a tornado watch that has issued across western many western sections of kentucky, tennessee. that low cuts up to our west but that moisture works its way eastward for the rest of the evening and into tonight. we'll show you what's going on with storm tracker six live double scan street level. you could see north and west of town for lancaster and berks counties we've got a little bit of light precipitation especially if you're there in lebanon and to the south by route 422 and down across south jersey from seaside heights down surf city, mays landing we're tracking a little bit of wet weather. a lot of this will push on out. then we'll track that

secondary wave of energy that moves in as we go throughout the rest of the evening and into tonight. temperatures however responding nicely with that southerly wind its 62 in philadelphia. average for us this time of year is 59. we're already above that. 48 though, in sea isle city so much cooler with that moisture coming in off of the atlantic and that south facing wind affecting our shore communities today. 66 in lancaster, the upper 60's in reading. later on tonight with a sunset 7:27 this evening passover beginning at sundown cloudy and warm with some showers and even a rumble of thunder is likely that temperature by then coming in at 65 degrees. we'll fast forward and track future tracker six will show you at 7:30 we have showers starting to pop up from lakehurst westward into millville also into northern sections of new castle and kent county as well. a cluster of activity moving to the north and west. 11:00 o'clock tonight tracking that wave of energy. i would not be surprised if we

had an embedded thunderstorm with the moisture that's moving on in. 4:00 o'clock this morning during the morning hours i should say saturday morning we'll track the actual front that the going to work its way eastward and with that we've got one last push of moisture that moves on through. we'll start to clear out as we get into saturday, 7:30 in the morning, high pressure works its way into the region. however, it will be quite windy. winds gusting anywhere from 40 to 45 miles per hour for the start of the weekend tomorrow. call from accuweather for the rest of tonight showers an rumble of thunder. a low probability for the city, points to the north of finding gusty winds but a moderate probability of finding some gusty winds across south jersey and right through delaware. we'll drop do unto 49 in the city, 47 in the suburbs. the exclusive accuweather forecast showing you in that four day a 4:00 tomorrow we dry out nicely '55 55, gusts up 240 miles an hour. sunday it's breezy, nice for the easter bunny and all of those easter egg hunts, 62.

67 warm for the phillies for their season opener on monday and tuesday cloudy with showers, high temperature 55. so we're just tracking the weather on the way tonight and possible severe threat but it looks like conditions improve just in time for the rest of the holiday, guys. >> you guys have your easter colors on already. >> yeah. >> already. >> love it. >> thanks very much, melissa. on that note, today is the most somber day on the christian calendar as the faithful honor the death of jesus christ on the cross. in trenton they reacted the 14 so-called stations of the cross. each station representing a scene along jesus' path from condemnation to his crucifixion and death. this procession began outside sacred heart church on south broad street and ended in front of saint stanislaus church. >> a group of men break into a yard just to steal a pair of bicycles. now police are asking for your help to catch them. >> plus, who killed the ceo of cooper hospital and his wife? prosecutors say they know but the family is not satisfied

with the answer. now they're telling their side of the story and you'll only see it right here on 6abc. >> ♪♪

>> ♪♪ >> we're still working to learn the name avenue driver who died in a crash in abington township. the wreck happened around 11:30 last night at the intersection of fisher road and jenkintown road and you can see with the force of the impact did to the car. police aren't sure what caused the 45-year-old driver to lose control but the car ended up going off the road and into a pole. the man died at the scene. >> philadelphia police are looking for the suspects who stole a pair of dirt bikes in franklinville. the crime was caught on camera back on march 26th. police say three men cut the locks to a fence on the 700 block of west ontario street and then just took the bikes that were inside the yard. they then put those bikes into a minivan and drove off. police are asking anyone who might have information on this crime to please call them. >> and still to come on "action news" at 4:00 it's

freebie friday. >> yes, it is plus additions to citizens bank park that could mean longer lines for fans. >> in big talkers a high school basketball star picks someone other than his girlfriend as his prom date. why he's being hailed as an athlete with a heart of gold when "action news" comes right back. >> ♪♪ [leaves rustling] are you day dreaming? hmm? yeah. about a luxury tree house? mmm hmm. with lookout decks for star gazing?

yeah. cool! wait. how...? you've got the new instant game from the pennsylvania lottery. oh yeah! the wizard of oz with top prizes of $300,000. there's a full moon tonight! [male announcer] want to see your dreams come to life? you could scratch your way to instant winning. the pennsylvania lottery. bring your dreams to life. >> ♪♪ "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph alicia vitarelli

shirleen allicott and brian taff. >> ♪♪ >> it is 4:30 and "action news" continues with the new information pulled from a flight recorder found after a german plane crashed in the alps. >> lawmakers speak out in response to those controversial ads now on the sides of septa buses across philadelphia. >> and later we'll introduce you to a woman who could be making history this fall in the nfl. >> but we're going to begin here at 4:30 with accusations from the son of a prominent new jersey couple found dead in their home last year. >> murder-suicide the second they walked on the scene. >> prosecutors say cooper health ceo john sheridan murdered his wife of 47 years and then killed himself last september. now sheridan's son has spoken for the very first time about the case in an abc news exclusive he blames officials for an incomplete and biased investigation. nora muchanic live now in our new jersey news room. nora you've got more on this

story. >> reporter: brian mar mark sheridan is sharply criticizing the results of what he and his familiar are calling a bungled investigation and he is suggesting tonight that john and joyce sheridan's real killer is still on the loose. >> we're not going to allow the prosecutor's office to destroy my father's legacy, my mother's legacy to protect them from their screwups. >> reporter: mark sheridan is the son of cooper health systems ceo john sheridan and joyce his wife of 47 years. the prominent political couple was found dead in their skillman home last september and family members are rejecting a recent report released by the somerset county prosecutors' office that concluded john sheridan murdered his wife set fire to their bedroom and then killed himself. >> the prosecutor have indicted and convicted my brother of murder when there hasn't even been a trial. >> reporter: the family has questions about what they call a botched investigation. why were there no scratch marks on john sheridan when dna from an unknown source was

found under joyce sheridan's fingernails? what was the motive? john sheridan had been sending work e-mails just hours before the killing even planning a meeting for the next day. and the couple face timed with their grandson that night no signs of trouble. and where is the weapon used to stab john sheridan? it was never recovered. >> the community should be scared. the prosecutor has no idea what happened at that crime scene and he was out telling the public they were safe. >> reporter: family members think john and joyce sheridan may have been the victims of a brutal double homicide, not a murder-suicide. >> i want justice for my parents. i want a declaration that my mother died of a homicide then my father's manner of death is unresolved. i'd really like the prosecutor's office to actually go out and do some investigation to determine how he really died. >> reporter: now the sheridans are planning a lawsuit that challenges the findings of the report. the prosecutor says he stands by his report and because there is the possibility of a

lawsuit, they'll have no further comment. live in our new jersey news room, nora muchanic, channel6 "action news." >> all right, thank you, nora. now to accuweather and the damp end to the week for our region. taking a live look right now outside, sky 6hd showing you a very dreary looking atlantic city very gray day out there. after a taste of above average temperatures, we have a chance of severe weather and a cooldown headed our way. >> meteorologist melissa magee in for adam today. she's along now with more thon. hi melissa. >> hi brian and shirleen. the risk tonight looks very, very low as far as finding that severe weather threat but we'll talk about the details and see what's going on with storm tracker six live double scan radar 3-d you can see across our region, across the midatlantic region we've got some scattered light showers across the area but we'll widen out the picture and what we are tracking, an area of low pressure that's going to cut up to our west. you could see we've got severe thunderstorms and even tornado

watches posted for kentucky and tennessee. this moisture heads in our direction later on this evening but a lot of it will start to bypass us to our west. nonetheless we talk about the severe weather threats and the criteria here. a low probability in philadelphia, points to the north of finding winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. so, this is the biggest threat today, a moderate probability of finding winds gusting as high as 60 if you're in south jersey and delaware. severe weather threat, hail up to an inch very low across our region. the only spot where you might find that down across south jersey and delaware and as far as an isolated tornado is concerned probably not going to find it but it is low as far as the probability is concerned across our region. so the biggest threat this evening, guys, as we're tracking that moisture will be those winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. so, it is mild today. the moisture moves out and just in time for the holiday weekend. >> yes. >> we're looking dry with plenty of sun guys. >> not bad at all. >> thank you very much. >> thank you melissa.

as today's wet weather moves through we want you to join the action, be part of "action news" by e-mailing your photos and videos to join the action at 6abc.com. you can also use the #6abc action on social media. >> investigators in france say the co-pilot of germanwings flight 9525 repeatedly accelerated that plane as it careened toward the alps. this one day after a second black box recorder was found. according to officials the co-pilot used auto pilot to speed up the plane as it made its final scent. investigators say this shows the crash was in fact intentional but the co-pilot's motive still remains unclear. >> there's new backlash against anti-muslim ads that appear on dozens of septa buses. the images began running this week. they feature a 1941 photo adolf hitler talking to a palestinian leader. the text reads islamic-jew hatred it's in the koran.

today state representative dwight evans joined other state leaders and people from diverse religious backgrounds to voice their opposition. but they also call this a chance to enlighten the philadelphia community. >> the ad presents an opportunity, an opportunity to inform philadelphians about the true nature of islam the faith a quarter of the people on this planet with a teaching at its heart that pro claims a message of pluralism and peace. >> septa tried to ban the ads but lost the fight in federal court. the american freedom defense initiative paid $30,000 for the ad space. >> two people are recovering in the hospital right now after an early morning crash in southwest philadelphia. around 4:00 this morning a car hit two utility poles trapping two people inside for about an hour. the impact snapped a wood pole in half and bent a metal pole right there. well, the driver and the passenger were cut out of the car. they are expected to be okay. no word just yet on what

caused that crash. >> fans headed to today's phillies game might notice something different about citizens bank park. beginning today every fan must pass through a metal detector. fans will be asked to remove their cameras, keys and cell phones from pockets. officials say it shouldn't take too much longer to get into the park but fans should leave extra time just in case. jeff skversky is at today's exhibition game against the pirates. he'll have more coming up at 5:00. >> speaking of getting in the park an eight-year-old with a strong arm and quite a story will be throwing out one of the ceremonial first pitches at the phillies home opener monday. "action news" anchor sharrie williams joining us live in the news room with details on this one. hi sharrieism hi, brian. his name is kyle shannahan. he was born with spina above today. he has not let that get in your way. see for yourself it's a birth defect where the spinal column does not form properly. kyle has had multiple surgeries and needs braces to support his legs. coming up at 5:00 o'clock, ali

gorman talks with kyle about his big phillies moment and how he's been preparing for it. and certain supermarkets earned top ratings for having the freshest foods. consumer reporter nydia han tells us which local grocer earned the highest score and why. we'll have those stories at 5:00 o'clock shirleen. >> great. see you soon. eating healthy when you are on the go can be a real challenge but a new restaurant in chadds ford delaware county is putting a farm fresh spin on fast food. here's alicia vitarelli with an fyi for you. >> reporter: farmer's road in delaware county serves a fresh take on fast food. >> i want it to be a healthy fast food environment. >> reporter: garnet valley native courtney rosa has already seen success with her eatery lotus. now she dishes it out even faster with this farm fresh drive through. >> what i really wanted to do is to offer local organic

options and let customers know it wouldn't put a noelle their wallet and our menu caters to everybody. everything can be gotten free, we have tons of vegan vegetarian options. >> reporter: to a traditional hot dog everything is made fresh to order from natural locally sourced ingredients. something different about this burger than a burger you would get at any other fast foot place. >> the beef is grass fed. instead of regular bacon we have turkey bacon. >> reporter: without a side of fries. >> correct. we don't have a fryer in the restaurant at all. >> reporter: wash it down with a soda made with raw sugar or even a healthy birthday cake shake. wow. amazing you snuck that some healthy things in here. >> yes cottage cheese, vanilla pudding made with almond milk. >> reporter: farm fresh and fast. i'm going to try this burger. oh yeah. >> that cake shake looks amazing.

fyi philly airs tomorrow at 7:00 and again on sunday at midnight. admit it, that looked good to you, too. >> it did look really good. even though it said cottage cheese i'm in. >> i'm sure it's a good combination. >> i'm sure it tastes delicious. still to come on "action news" at 4:00 easter could mean thousands of extra calories in chocolates and treats for kids. coming up on health check we'll show you how to keep your easter basket healthy and your kids happy. >> plus the story of passover told in two minutes flat but it doesn't involve any reading. >> melissa magee back with that full accuweather easter and passover forecast coming up next.

>> ♪♪ >> a town hall meeting in maine erupted in chaos when a democrat began screaming at republican governor paul la page.

she threw a jar of vaseline in his direction. the governor security ended of event early. in health check at 4:00 one web site estimates the average american child will eat 5,000 calories worth of junk food over the holiday but nutritionists say there are ways to cut back. swank out milk chocolate in favor of dark chocolate which has antioxidants and iron. if milk chocolate is a must pair it with something healthy like fruit or nuts. you can also get away with filling plastic eggs with healthy snacks adding carrot sticks from the easter bunny maybe. or even stack the easter basket with toys and games. >> today marks the somber reflection of good friday but as shirleen mentions that leads to their joyful celebration of easter sunday. for many that celebration wouldn't be complete without the appropriate accessories. here at the that's hats boutique in chadds ford,

pennsylvania customers were busy browsing what many consider an essential part of the easter wardrobe. now one shopper told us that an easter hat isn't about fashion, it's about formality. >> back in the day you didn't go to church or anyplace special if you didn't wear a hat and gloves. so, i'm from back in the day. and i haven't lost that. >> now debbie bradley who owns the boutique says lots of other people haven't lost that either. she says both men and women are buying hats today and in case you're wondering pinks and astles are pastels are the most popular colors. >> we have five months weigh from the start of the nfl season but this woman here could already be making waves across the league. sara thomas will reportedly be the first woman ever hired as an nfl referee. thomas got her start in refereeing in 1996 after she went to a meeting on a whim with her brother.

she was the first woman to officiate a college football bowl game in 2009. thomas took a break in 2012 to have a child and entered the envelope's referee training program in 2013. the nfl would not confirm thomas' hiring saying they are still working on the referee roster for 2015 but nonetheless pretty groundbreaking stuff. now a story creating a whole lot of buzz on social media. this is trey moses a 6-foot nine high school basketball star whose heart is as big as his size. these photos were taken after trey asked his best friend elly meredith to prom. elly has down's syndrome. the two met through a program that cultivates friendships between students with and without developmental disabilities. elly's mom says her daughter is thrilled and they are excited about shopping for a dress. now in the effort of full

disclosure trey does have a girlfriend but we hope she doesn't mind. finally passover begins tonight at sundown and one group of science students at a university in israel found a unique way to celebrate. >> ♪♪ normally the story of passover is read out loud over dinner but these students made a goldberg machine to tell the story. it uses dominos weights wheels books and even matzah to create a chain of motionly. it covers the entire tail of baby moses floating down the river in a basket to the splitting of the red sea. at the end the machine unveils a seder dinner front of the group. nothing like the seder dinner i'll be attending later on but okay. the machine tells the story from start to finish in two minutes but the students say it took them about a week to put everything together. how cool is that, brian.

>> so cool and so creative and those kids are geniuses no doubt. thank you very much, shirleen. >> let's get a check on the roads. matt pelman in the "action news" traffic center with an update as people head off to grandma's house for the weekend. hey, matt. >> exactly, no plague of frogs out there this evening but we are being plagued by some traffic. wish we could kind of part the sea of traffic here by montgomery driver on the schuylkill expressway but no can do. you're going to have to sit through some heavy volume as you travel eastbound in towards s-westbound the travel time even slower at 42 minutes as you get from the vine through this point out to the blue route. on the big picture you can see 95 has equally slow speeds. 19 miles per hour traveling southbound by girard avenue. we're watching a couple of new crashes now. there's one in south philadelphia at 28th and passyunk. also have one on the boulevard southbound at adams avenue in the inner drive there by the old navy. and we still have the situation in montgomeryville. 309 shut down in both directions because of a crash that brought down a pole.

you can see it right here. the closures at the five points intersection by the lowes home improvement store so horsham road is taking the brunt of the traffic. maybe stay over on 202 or dekalb pike as possible alternates depending on where you're going. here in wilmington there's a crash to avoid along philadelphia pike, business 13. still speeds in the teens coming off the delaware memorial bridge the whole way down toward newark and vice versa if you're headed northbound and in franklin township gloucester county we still have some downed wires along forest grove road near blue bell road. i'd stay up on weymouth road by the vineland airport as an holt alternate. we'll check it again in the 5:00 o'clock hour. >> thank you matt. we've got freebie friday coming up next. stick around for that one.

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>> ♪♪ >> all right, melissa magee delivering an easter treat a little bit early. >> yes. >> in the form of the forecast. >> it's very mild today. the problem is we have this moisture overhead and as we get into our holiday weekend guys much improved. the sun is coming back, too. we'll show you what's going on

with storm tracker six live double scan radar. you can see that we've got some scattered activity pretty light in nature across areas in south jersey, also pocket there across lancaster and berks counties. we're going in tighter on street level with storm tracker six you can see if you're traveling along the garden state parkway we've got some light precipitation even from surf city on westward into lower bank egg harbor and mays landing and the moisture will continue as we go throughout the rest of the evening and nighttime hours as we track another wave of energy a secondary wave that moves in later on today. it's 62 outside in philadelphia. despite that moisture temperatures are pretty mild. upper 60's there in dover. 68 degrees, 67 in reading. 56 up in the poconos but much cooler along the coast from beach haven down to sea isle city with that south facing wind and moisture coming in offer the atlantic today temperatures there cool only in the 40's. satellite6 along with action radar shows you some scattered activity peppered across much

of the midatlantic region but you look off to the west and we're tracking an area of low pressure that's currently over indiana and this moisture is going to cut up to our west but you notice some severe weather starting to break out across areas into kentucky and tennessee where we have a tornado watch in effect. we'll track this line of precipitation that works its way eastward. future tracker six has you covered. it's one of those evenings tonight where you may not find a lot of activity all at once but make sure you have the wet weather gear and the umbrella on stand by just in case. 9:30 tonight you notice those showers starting to approach areas in south jersey and delaware and there could also be an embedded thunderstorm with this. as we go throughout the overnight hours, however at 4:00 o'clock in the morning on saturday you could see the actual frontal boundary that wants to work its way in our region so with the passage of the front wheel get some clearing on the backside but a lot of that precipitation and the area of low pressure cuts up to our north and that's where it's going to stay for the majority of our holiday weekend. 7:30 in the morning on saturday clouds breaking for

some sunshine. the winds, however are going to pick up on the backside. so what to expect this evening? we're tracking showers, even a rumble of thunder later on tonight possibly severe. winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. that looks to be the major threat with a possibly severe outbreak here. i shouldn't even say outbreak because it won't be that. isolated tornado is likely. the chance is pretty small however across our region. so here's the setup for us on saturday for the taft of the weekend area of low pressure to the north and east much high pressure wants to work its way eastward. turning sunny tomorrow but winds gusting anywhere from 40 to 45 miles per hour with a high temperature of 55 degrees in philadelphia. easter sunday mostly sunny cool early. sunrise services 39 degrees. 45 at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. that temperature around 50. here's the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast. much better tomorrow. the problem winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour and at 55 degrees. on sunday breezy and nice, a high temperature of 62 for easter. that bunny is hopping because

it's happy, it's nice and dry across the region by then. on monday it's warm for the phils. that temperature coming in at 67 degrees for that home opener and temperatures look to be in the 50's next week but showers move in unsettled tuesday and beyond, guys, but overall the weekend shapes up to be pretty nice. >> very good. >> all right. freebies coming up next.

>> ♪♪ >> all right, let's do it. we are springing into the holiday weekend with some great deals on this the first freebie friday in april. check it out. on easter sunday, south street headhouse district hosting its 84th annual easter promenade. it kicks off at 12:30 with a parade down south street from passyunk avenue to second street followed by a day of full -- well, free family friendly fun. that's a lot of f's to say full fun free family friendly

stuff. okay. got it. how about this one? if you're in the mood for some frozen yogurt free stuff for you. yogurtland offering three free ounces of frozen yogurt when you enroll for reward cards on line. this one you'll like. fire side camps supply south street offering up free s'mores around campfire from 6:00 to 8:00 cool way to spend your friday night. for a healthier snack starbucks about to roll out two new kind bar flavors salted caramel and dark chocolate and almond coconut cash shoe chai. samples free in all their american stores on monday. you can find more information on all these freebies and one more on our web site 6abc.com. shirleen. >> you sure sold it. i want it all. >> good, all right. >> thank you brian. the class of 2015 at rutgers university in camden got rocking addition to their upcoming commencement

ceremony. >> ♪♪ singer and new jersey native jon bon jovi will be among the commencement speakers in may. jon bon jovi has done charity work in camden. come next month he'll be getting an honorary degree for his speech. graduates at rutgers university new brunswick will see a familiar face on stage as well. their commencement speaker is bill nye the science guy. >> love bill nye. i'll have that song in my head. that will do it for "action news" at 4:00 today. i'm brian taff. shirleen and i back tonight with adam and ducis rodgers for a full hour of "action news" at 10:00 on phl17. >> we'll see you guys later. "action news" at 5:00 is coming up next. >> see you tonight.

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the rain showers came warm air. >> and looking live now at sky 6hd on penn's landing it's a soggy sight along the delaware river but there is a slight risk for the storm system to turn severe. >> uh-huh. friday night, monica is off sharrie williams joining us and the big story on "action news" is the rainy and windy start to the weekend. many people are hoping for a change by easter sunday. >> that is true. meteorologist cecily tynan is at the "action news" big board with the latest from accuweather. hi, cecily. >> hi, sharrie and rick. the good news is we'll clear this all out in time for easter weekend. it's just tonight that we have to worry about it. storm tracker six live double scan showing scattered areas of showers. kept county in delaware one of those days when we've been seeing on and off showers pretty much all day long. it has been warm, though, with the winds generally out of the southwest temperatures again in the 60's, made it into the 60's yesterday with the sunshine, today clouds and showers, 62 degrees in philadelphia. al