54-year-old kathy wilson. she lived here in this well kept row home here in the 1300 block of earl street. those who knew her are stunned anyone would want her dead. as crime scene investigators did their work inside 1347 earl street word began to spread through fishtown that the homeowner 54-year-old kathy wilson had been murdered. wilson was very well known in this neighborhood and those who knew her were shocked to learn of her death. >> she's a wonderful lady to get along with but i didn't know she was killed until just now. she's my friend. >> reporter: investigator say a woman walked into the police district and told officers she thought wilson might be dead. officers went to the home and entered through a second floor window. they found all the gas burners had been left on on the stove and then they discovered wills body on the so much f she had been brutally beaten her hair pulled out.

there was blood everywhere. >> this is horrifying. i have known her for a very long time and for something like this to happen is unbelievable. >> reporter:. >> reporter: pgw workers were called in to turn off the gas as homicide detectives looked for clues. investigators believe wilson may have been killed on friday the last day she was seen alive. there were no signs of forced entry. her two dogs were inside the row home one in a cage. friends said wilson worked the polls every election. she was the block captain. she was very petite had a big sense of humor loved to dance and wore her heart shaped glasses. >> she was a joy. >> incredible person. >> incredible person she was. >> i'm just really in complete shock. she knew everybody in the neighborhood and i don't -- i don't understand. it's just crazy everything that happened to her. >> reporter: now, we're told the woman who went to the police district this morning among those being questioned right now. as for the motive, a source tells "action news" it was pretty well known that wilson

had inherited money and may be keeping cash in the house. we're told she had recently been in the hospital and police say it's possible someone may have been after her pain medication but they're working to pin that down now. again, they're questioning a handful of people but so far no one has been charged. live in fishtown, i'm sarah bloomquist, channel6 "action news." >> all right, sarah, thank you. police were called to radnor high school today after a student found a sing good bullet in hallway there. chopper6 hd over the scene earlier this afternoon as officers and k-9s arrived to sweep the building. students were put on lockdown but were dismissed at normal time today. investigators say they have not found any threat and all students and staff are safe. philadelphia police have two teenagers in custody for the assault avenue george washington high school teacher. investigators say the ninth and tenth grade students pushed their way into a classroom about 10 o'clock this morning reportedly to retrieve a cell phone much that's when one teen punched a male teach are in the face

while the other teen pushed him two times. the teacher was taken to a hospital. the teens in custody are 16 and 17 years old. >> a private club worker is being questioned by police following a shooting in south philadelphia. philadelphia police say a group of men tried to enter the lobster club on the 1300 block of porter street but were turned away by a club employee because it was a private party. investigators say the men then waited for the employee to get off work and a fight ensued. the club worker fired one shot striking a 41-year-old man in the stomach. >> they followed him home and they confronted him. the male that fired the gun was here on location when police arrived and he had a license to carry the gun. >> the man who was shot was taken to the hospital in stable condition. no charges have been filed. >> there are new details this afternoon in the ongoing terror investigation in san bernadino, california.

just about one hour ago the fbi announced that both the husband and wife who killed 14 people had been radicalized for "some time." agents say both went to target practice the day before that mass shooting. abc's lauren lived is in san lin bernadino with the latest. >> we are strong. we are a family. >> reporter: county workers emotional today. >> we held each other and we protected each other through this horrific event. >> reporter: many are trying to row assume a normal workday after the horror their colleagues suffered. the fbi revealing new details today about the shooters. >> both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time. >> reporter: counted among the survivors the six month old daughter of shooting suspect farook and sayyad. farook's sister seen walking out of juvenile court this morning is trying to get custody. >> i think for the time being we want her to enjoy her

innocence. we don't want her no know. >> reporter: now u.s. agents around the world are trying to track the background and contacts of the killers. farook's voice heard in this recorded message the pair seen here in this photo obtained by abc news arriving for the first time in the u.s. as a newly married couple in july 2014. the investigation leading to the home of enrique marquez who grew next to farook as they grew up. >> they were very close friends. if anybody in this neighborhood enrique was the close toast sayyad. >> reporter: in 2011 and 20's 12 marquez bought the two high powered assault rifles that ended up in the hands of the shooters used in the attack. abc news learned marquez was questioned by the fbi today in connection with the terror attacks. he was unavailable while being evaluated for an unspecified health issue. lauren lister abc news, san

bernadino. >> homeland security will be announceing a new terror alert system. there are no details. this system would be the third since the 9/11 attacks back in 2001. jeh johnson says the changes to the alert system reflect the nature of new threats and will keep the public better informed. find more details about the san bernadino shooting and the investigation on 6abc.com. we are constantly updating articles and video as the latest information comes in you'll also find photos from the scene and remembrances of the 14 victims. >> a lot of sunshine as we started this work week. it's time for a check of the accuweather forecast. >> let's see if we can stretch this out. meteorologist adam joseph standing by and the sun setting earlier and earlier, adam. >> that it is and the clouds quickly racing in from the south. we had a decent amount of sun through the front end of the day and now the second half of the day a coastal storm is kind of graying things over. it's 55 in philadelphia, so still warm for december standards. 50 in the lehigh valley.

50 in wilmington and just 40's dover, millville and sea isle city where the clouds moved in first. there's the sunshine we saw during the morning and early afternoon hours and then ever since around one, 2 o'clock this afternoon clouds have that pushed in from the south now working into the lehigh valley and they're thicker. the farther south are you from atlantic city to dover but pretty overcast here in philadelphia. storm tracker6 live double scan we have a coastal storm just off the coast of north carolina but it is moving to the north and east and out to sea, so most of this precipitation will stay over the open waters of the atlantic and maybe only a couple of showers during the overnight hours in the far southern parts of delaware or cape may county. so, ahead in that accuweather forecast the sun will return tomorrow. we'll move from the 50's to the 60's and could be talking about weekend record-high temperatures. we'll show you these pretty amazing numbers as we go into the second week of december coming up in that full accuweather forecast when i come back inside, guys. >> it is just incredible.

>> it is,. >> thanks very much. >> the eagles are still celebrating a huge win yesterday over the new england patriots. you heard me right. heading into the game of course many predicted they would loss in a landslide. >> but sunday's victory has eagles fans and players feeling a lot more optimistic. ducis rodgers live in the sports center now with reaction from chip kelly today. ducis. >> hey there, guys. yeahing we thought this team was left for dead but with yesterday's victory over the super bowl champs and if the redskins lose to the cowboys tonight we could have a three way tie with the eagles in first place in the nfc east. eagles got two touchdowns from the special teams unit late nest first half. chris blocked a punt. good returned it for a touchdown. that tied the game. sproles also had a punt return for a touchdown. malcolm jenkins returned this interception 99 yards for a td. the eagles intercepted tom brady twice. they scored 35 straight points in this win as improbable of a victory as this is, chip told

us today he always believed in his players. >> that's what i told those guys. i said sometimes they don't see in themselves what we see in them and that is why i believe we have a good football team. we proved yesterday we're a good football team but you know what, that doesn't matter this week 'cause it's a whole brand new week and it's got to start back over again so they'll come back in to work tomorrow and we got to get our eyes focused on the road to buffalo. >> also today temple has given football coach matt rhule a six year contract. he's signed through the 2021 season. rhule was flirting with the university of missouri about their coaching vacancy. rhule went from two wins in 2013 to 10 wins this season. rhule and the owls will meet toledo in the boca rat tone bowl. more eagles talk at 5 o'clock. brian and sharrie back to you. >> definitely a big weekend. ducis thank you. time to get a check of the "action news" traffic report. >> let's do it. matt pelman standing by in the "action news" traffic center kicking off the ride home on a monday afternoon matt.

>> eagles green and we're giving you the green light on many of the highways brian and sharrie. as we look live at the schuylkill expressway this is the scene in west conshohocken east of the blue route 476. this is where we had the big problems this morning with the broken plate over the expansion joint. cut us down to one lane for pretty much the entire morning rush which was not a pleasant experience. this afternoon both lanes are opened but the traffic in those eastbound lanes is moving slow headed toward the conshohocken curve. a bad crash in concordeville that's shutting down route 10 limestone road between 926 and newport gap pike. use hulmeville or 796. crossing the state line into wilmington a wreck in the southbound lanes of 95 by mlk boulevard taking out the center lane costing you a couple extra minutes on the southbound travel time. live look at the tacony palmyra bridge. i would expect one at the burlington bristol bridge before 5 o'clock this afternoon. we had a crash in camden county in the southbound lanes of 295 by the black horse

pike. cleared out a few minutes ago but still looking at nasty speeds. let's grab the ipad do the commuter report on this monday afternoon. hope you enjoyed your weekend. speaking of those slow speeds alon295, 23 miles per hour. down toward the 42 freeway on this monday afternoon slow speeds. we'll check it again brian and sharrie coming up in the next half. >> all right my friend. thank you. much more to come on "action news" this afternoon. prosecutors release new video of a second deadly officer-involved shooting in chicago. and with it comes news the feds are investigating the entire police department. details up next. >> plus, the haze you see right here it isn't fog. it's pollution. we have more on the situation that's forcing changes in china when "action news" at 4:00 and continues. >> ♪ plus 1,000 dollars holiday bonus cash

on 2015 focus and 2016 fusion and escape. it's the best gift ever. now during the ford holiday sales event get 0% financing for 60 months plus 1,000 dollars holiday bonus cash on select vehicles. see your local ford dealer. it's the holidays. which means a house full of people -- who all want to get online. so it's the perfect time for verizon fios. it has the fastest internet and wifi available. with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, you'll get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for 79.99 a month online for your first year. and with a 2 year agreement, we'll give you all the premium movie channels for a year. plus, 400 dollars back. so go online or call now.

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>> ♪ >> today illinois prosecutors released dashcam video of a different incident involving a white chicago police officer

shooting and killing a young black man. the state's attorney says she will not be charging the officer who fired at 25-year-old ronald johnson back in 2014. johnson's family has been asking for the video to be made public because they say he was running away as he was shot. police say johnson pointed a gun at them. meanwhile attorney general loretta lynch announced a civil rights investigation into the chicago police department. >> we will examine a number of issues related to the chicago police department's use of force including its use of deadly force, racial ethnic and other disparities in its use of force and its accountability mechanisms. >> calls for the federal probe intensified two weeks ago when police released this video of laquan mcdonald being shot to death. o of officer jason van dyk shot him 16 times and is now charged with first degree murder. >> a third person has now been arrested in connection with a

new jersey native who was set on fire in massachusetts. prosecutors say ovie cruise misled police. they accuse him of lying about how well he knew fernando owen. 29-year-old border intergrew up in paulsboro gloucester county. investigators say owens gagged and burned her because he believed she was somehow involved in his son's shooting death. owens is still on the run today, a husband and wife are also under arrest accused of being accessories after the fact. >> a proposal that could end pennsylvania's budget impasse made it through the senate today and it's headed to the house. the $30.8 billion plan includes $350 million in additional funding for public schools. senate majority leader jake korman said the budget package is one that governor tom wolf has agreed to sign if lawmakers approve it. pennsylvania has been without a state budget since july. pennsylvania senator pat toomey visited a chester

county food pantry this morning. the lourdes pantry in downingtown has been serving the less fortunate in the community for more than 50 years. toomey talked to officials there about their efforts to help more than 700 families on a regular basis but the facility helps out anyone who has fallen on hard times. >> just about a thousand jobs were up for grabs this afternoon in philadelphia. more than 20 area employers were at the coast to coast career fair here at the crown plaza in wynnefield heights. the event gave job seekers a chance to meet hiring managers face to face. applicants were told to bring 40 copies of their resumes in anticipation of a busy few hours and busy it was. a look at the closing numbers on wall street today. red arrows across-the-board there, the dow down 117 points, the nasdaq off 40 points, the s & p down just about 15 points on the day. now, stocks were pulled down partially by a drop in the price of crude oil.

today it dipped under $38 a barrel closing at $37.65. that's the lowest it's been in almost seven years and to put things into perspective a barrel was $108 a year and a half ago. the diving price is welcome news for drivers who will likely see gas prices couldn't to drop. >> pollution is so bad in beijing china that the government urged schools to close today. officials issued their first ever red alert for the smog covering the city. as part of that alert which is the most serious warning, half of the cars have been ordered off the roads. the heavy smog is not expected to improve until thursday. most of the police station is blamed on coal fired power plants and factory work. >> it is time now once again for the accuweather forecast as we string together another series of beautiful days. >> words that i love to hear. let's check back in with meteorologist adam joe's seven. hi, adam. >> you have to keep reminding ourselves that it is december right now. we did see some sunshine earlier today but the clouds have taken back over across

much of the area as we're looking live on sky6 at the philadelphia international airport but no rain locally across the delaware or lehigh valley. and again rather mild. take a look at the temperatures over the weekend. 51 degrees on saturday, 53 sunday, 56 today. the normal high this time of year at 48 degrees. and as you take a look at these numbers, this is going to seem cool when you look at that seven-day forecast. in fact, let's take a look at some of statistics here for philadelphia. this is the latest that we've been before reaching 32 degrees. this deep into the year. in fact it ranks second only on december 11th in 1939, that was the latest ever philadelphia hit 32 during the late fall or early winter season. it happened yesterday on december 6th in the morning and before that 1931 it was on december 5th. that was the third. in fact, another more impressive record is the city of buffalo. they have still yet to see any snowfall off the great lakes,

which is pretty impressive. in fact a 116 year record that they broke that their ground is still brown but in fact, their grass is still green in buffalo, so no snow pretty much area wide in the northeast or even the lower part of the eastern part of canada. temperature-wise right now 50 degrees in allentown, 51 reading, 50 in wilmington. a little 40's down to the south where we had that cloud cover increase first and as we look at satellite and radar there is some energy over west virginia that is being injected into a storm that is just off the coast of the outer banks of north carolina but it continues to push out to sea, so most of us won't see any precipitation from that particular storm. but there could be maybe one or two showers in cape may county a little later tonight but overall 20's in the northwest suburbs, around 36 in philadelphia, 28 in millville with the clouds hanging around most of the night. then tomorrow the sunshine is back and looking pretty good here at 10 o'clock in the morning, full sun at 43. a few high clouds in the

afternoon and once again temperatures going to around 50 degrees. and in fact that four day at 4:00 forecast 51 with will plenty of sun tomorrow. partly sunny with a few clouds wednesday afternoon at 56 degrees and then as we get into thursday, clouds, some sun with a temperature of 60. and then it's still a lot of clouds the end of the week but sun breaks thursday and friday but very warm at 61 degrees and even warmer air in that seven day in the next half hour. i saw on twitter that brian -- have you mode your lawn. >> i ran my lawnmower over the lawn to suck ups leaves because i hate raking that much. >> i was just shocked that you actually did yard work not that you were doing it in december. >> every weekend. this is my life. >> who nye. >> adam, thank you. >> we learned the lift of nominees today for the 2016 grammys and kendrick lamar is the top contend he were. the rapper got more nominations than other artist.

he's up for 11 awards including album of the year. taylor swift also won top nominations. the grammys are live from los angeles in february. >> a firefighter is injured battling an early morning blaze in south philadelphia. >> and remembering those who lost their lives during the attacks on pearl harbor. the action cam at a moving ceremony coming up next. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> a firefighter received minor injuries while responding to a house fire in south philadelphia. it broke out around 1:00 this morning in the 2300 block of moore street. flames were shooting out of the second floor when crews arrived and you can see that's where a lot of the damage is. the three people who lived in the home are looking for a new place to stay tonight. >> it was on this day in 1941 that the japanese attacked american war ships in pearl harbor, hawaii. this morning in camden world

two veterans their families elected officials and members of that community gathered on the battleship new jersey. they took time to honor the thousands of lives lost 74 years ago a commemorative wreath was tossed in the delaware river after the ceremony as taps played in the background. >> 12 veterans are posthumously honored with the camden county military service medal in cherry hill today. the freeholder board recognized the men and women for serving their country with honor and valor. the medals were presented to their families during a ceremony at the cadbury continuing care retirement community. >> this weather is great for golfing but not so much for skiing. we'll check in with area resorts to see how the unseasonably warm weather is impacting their business. >> plus a new jersey councilwoman is back on the job after temporarily resigning over a word. why she said she would rather quit than go along with the mayor's decision to change the name of the town's annual

holiday tree lighting ceremony to a christmas tree lighting ceremony. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, alicia vitarelli, sharrie williams and brian taff. >> ♪ >> it's 4:30 and "action news" continues with a brand new look for an iconic brand. how weight watchers is using science to battle the obesity epidemic.

>> and the owner of a delaware county landscaping company getting a whole lot of attention for what he did with a bucket of paint and a few posters. what made him stop his truck and start covering up graffiti on an overpass this weekend. plus, a dramatic day in up today. "action news" was there as police rushed a home to rescue a woman being held hostage by a man she just met. how she's doing. the store coming up ahead. >> but we begin here at 4:30 with something lots of you are likely not complaining about the unseasonably warm weather. sky6 hd looking live over center city tonight where we reached a high of 56 degrees today and that mild trend is not ending any time soon. how about that? let's get right over to meteorologist adam joseph for a look at the december so far that's felt more like, i don't know, october adam. >> but i did just hear a lot of boos coming from the skiers and snowboarders. >> that's true. >> that's about it. the rest of us we're enjoying it. as we take a look at the mild temperatures, today's high

56 degrees as you mentioned in philadelphia. making december so far in the city 6.3 degrees above average and this comes off of the second warmest november in philadelphia's history, so we're spilling it into the new month and in fact the next week in december as we go through this week and the upcoming weekend even warmer than what we felt so far this first week of the month. right now it's 55 in philadelphia, 57 in raleigh but do you see some cooler air chicago and cincinnati, 30's and 40's, the same for saint louis. however, the heat is building once again into the middle section of the country in the northern plains and even 60's down in atlanta. so, as we tack a look at the temperatures verse normal, tomorrow going to be 4 degrees above normal, wednesday 9 degrees above normal and an impressive 14 degrees above normal come thursday. however, we're going to even hit it well above that as we get into the upcoming weekend, even near record-high temperatures.

sharrie will show you those pretty rare numbers as we get into this upcoming weekend in that seven-day forecast. >> all right, we look forward to it. adam, thank you. >> yes. >> the mild weather, it may be great for those weary of winter but it's bad for those in the business of snow. "action news" reporter walter perez he is is live outside one of those places, the bear creek mountain ski resort in berks county. hi, walter. >> reporter: hi, sharrie. i'm going to show you an absolutely beautiful sight that makes skiers and snow borders absolutely sick to their symptom max. ideally bear creek mountain resort opens to slopes by december 15th but as you can see there is no snow, the ski lifts are idle and more warm weather is on the way. for people in the business of making and praying for snow, wintry weather can't come soon enough. >> it's definitely a cause for concern for us. >> reporter: the public relations director for bear creek mountain resort in macungie is talking about there lingering mild conditions we're experiencing well into december. as many of us enjoy the

relatively balmy conditions the lack of freezing temperatures as rendered bear creek snow guns useless. while the resorts' prime money making season doesn't begin until the end of december having snow on the mountain by the beginning of december goes a long way in getting skiers and snowboarders behind up. >> it has a lot of marketing value for people. when the weather is snow and there's snow on the ground there's not a heck of a lot else to do outside. for us it builds up for us. this time of year really has a lot of value in terms of building the excitement, the anticipation. mild conditions in early december in berks county isn't terribly unusual its a different story up in the poconos where it tends to be significantly colder. and while it is about 10 degrees colder today here in lake harmony it doesn't really matter. as you can see here at jack frost ski resort there is not a flake of snow. jack frost officials say this time last year jack frost and big boulder were already opened for business. >> last year we started making

snow in november and we -- we -- we ran like 36 million gallons of water through here and we turned it into snow. we had snow everywhere prechristmas. >> reporter: general manager mark dahl bert says all he's waiting for is that first snow cap and his snow guns are ready to go. >> we have some fire power and we'll hit it hard and try and get something ready for the holiday. >> reporter: now, if you're just hank erring to go snowing or snowboarding big boulder will have one slope opened this weekend. in other words, it is slim pickings. reporting live from bear creek mountain resort walter perez channel6 "action news." sharrie. >> pretty dry out there. walter thank you. as the work week gets under way make it part of your routine to check in at 6abc.com/weather. hourly forecasts and storm tracker6 live radar will keep you up to date. >> it was a dramatic afternoon in delaware county today after a man allegedly took a woman he just met hostage. the action cam was there as

police and swat teams swarmed a home on cloverdale avenue. police say they received a call from a woman inside saying she had been badly beaten by a man she met the night before. the woman told officers that the suspect said he would not be taken alive and was armed with a long gun rifle. the neighborhood and two schools were locked down as a precaution. one neighbor tells "action news" she realized just how serious it was when she saw the upper darby police superintendent taking part in the rescue. >> i saw mr. chitwood here so that made me think it was something out of the ordinary but it was -- these things do not happen on cloverdale. >> now, the suspect surrendered when police threatened to send a k-9 officer into the basement. the victim suffered multiple injuries including a broken jaw. >> philadelphia police need your help solving a violent robbery he that happened in the city's glenwood section early this morning. you can see the victim standing outside the china hut restaurant on north 22nd street just before 2:00 a.m.

but before he can get in, two armed men rush him and demand his phone. well, when he resists they knocked him to the ground and started to punch him. another suspect then joins in pistol whipping the victim and stealing his phone and his laptop. but the incident was far from over. when a second victim inside the restaurant opened the door to help, the suspects stormed in and stole cash and another cell phone. the first victim was taken to temple hospital with ahead wound. detectives have also released surveillance video of an alleged mail thief. cameras captured the man walking into an apartment building at 20th and walnut back on october 30th. he is then seen forcing the mailboxes opened and rummaging through people's mail. investigators believe the suspect got away with a credit card which he later used. if you recognize him or the suspects in the glenwood robbery, give philadelphia police a call. >> local first responders who survived the 9/11 terror

attacks are calling on congress now to renew critical health benefits. more than 1,000 pennsylvania residents currently suffer from a 9/11 related illness. some of them joined congressman mike fitzpatrick at the 9/11 memorial in yardley today to urge support for the james zidroga 9/11 health reorganization act. it was named for one of the first nypd officers to die of cancer and it would continue to provide life saving treatment for those who were exposed to toxins at ground zero including former new york firefighter brian mcguire. >> without the reauthorization bill not being passed by congress, over 70,000 responders and survivors will lose necessary treatment and medical monitoring needed to survive. >> the program that currently pays for that treatment expired in september and it will run out of funding next year if not renewed. >> weeding is key when it comes to a child's development and now there's a new local

program to help young ones who are a bit behind. "action news" anchor rick williams live in the news room for us with details on this. hi, rick. >> hi, sharrie, thank you. that's right, it's happening at the university of pennsylvania and it's geared towards children who were born premature or kids who are living in poverty. now, experts say it's very important to get these kids the help they need so that they can catch up to their peers. well, coming up at 5 o'clock in health check, ali gorman will tell us about the program and what parents with infants can do right now to prevent reading and language delays in the future. just some of the stories we are working on for you when we see you on "action news" at 5 o'clock. until then let's go back to the studio and brian we'll see you later. >> see you in about 22 minutes. >> 22, okay. >> very precise. >> thank you. two generations joined together to celebrate hanukkah today. the action cam was there as they lit a large hanukkah menorah. senior members of the kline life community center in the northeast did the honors with help from the preschoolers over at the ann kidd day care.

the eight day jewish festival of lights officially began at sunset yesterday and of course happy hanukkah to everyone who celebrates. >> absolutely. >> still ahead inside the new weight watchers. we'll tell you how the system plans to change the way people shed pounds. >> and he makes a living about the if i gbeautifying people's . he traded in the garden tools for that paintbrush. what made him stop his truck and start covering up graffiti on an overpat pass this weekend. >> meteorologist adam joseph he'll be back with the full forecast from accuweather when "action news" at 4:00 continues next.

it's the holidays. which means a house full of people -- who all want to get online. so it's the perfect time for verizon fios. it has the fastest internet and wifi available. with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, you'll get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for 79.99 a month online for your first year. and with a 2 year agreement, we'll give you all the premium movie channels for a year. plus, 400 dollars back. so go online or call now. get out of the past. get fios.

flus next >> ♪ >> a swat team rescued two college students after they were abducted and held hostage. the university of rochester seniors were reported missing on saturday. police located both victims about 4 miles away from campus last night. one of them had been shot in the leg. investigators aren't releasing many details but they say the

students were targeted by their attackers. four people were taken into custody. a violent carjacking was brought to a screeching halt by an unlikely hero. take a look at this surveillance video. it shows two men trying to carjack a woman over the weekend at a gas station in memphis, tennessee. but just as the men tried to make their move, a city bus driver named rita higgs was passing bily she hit her horn and the loud son scared the would be robbers off. now those who ride higgs's bus are calling her a hero. >> it is special that she was there at the right place at the right time then she reacted as well as she did. >> a big thank you to that alert bus driver. witnesses say the men struggled to steal the car in the first place because it was a manual and they didn't know thousand drive a stick shift. police are now looking for the two men. >> ♪ >> all right, over to the big

board with the big talkers today and we're going to begin in new jersey where one town has become the latest battleground in the so-called war on christmas. it's all about that tree right there. a city council woman wants to call it a holiday tree. the mayor says, uh-uh, it's a christmas tree. and that's what it should be called. it's all playing out in the borough of roselle park up in union county in north jersey. councilwoman charlene story resigned after council voted to change the name of the holiday tree lighting to the christmas tree lighting. the mayor who pushed for that change says it's a no-brainer. story doesn't quite see it that way. >> this time in our country and in our world, it's important to be inclusive. >> it's not a holiday tree. it's not a pair tree. it's a christmas tree. >> not a pair tree clearly. meanwhile students at the university of tennessee knoxville expressing some outrage after the school sent this memo urging students to "ensure that your holiday party is not a christmas party

in disguise. students say if they want to have a christmas party then darn it, that's what they're going to have. all right now to delaware county where the owner of a landscaping company has a lot of new facebook friends thanks to a few strokes of white paint. this is pat and his family. he runs garnet valley farms the design lawn and landscaping business in garnet valley. over the weekend he posted some video of graph fee graffit. he spotted the words cop killing season twice in one week. on saturday he decided to act. he not only stopped his truck to paint over that graffiti he added his own playful twist to the hateful message. >> 'tis the season. >> he stopped off -- topped off his makeover by putting an american flag sticker next to the two posters of smiling snow men.

the father of two his video has been seen more than 112,000 times now including by the city of chester police department who called his actions "truly amazing." now as for mckusker said he felt like he had to fix it as a thank you to all the officers and their families so obviously a much appreciated move. >> he took action no doubt. >> you got it. >> brian thank you. it is time to get another can check on the roads tonight. to do that of course we head over to the man, matt pelman in the "action news" traffic center. >> the man. >> hey, matt. >> thanks sharrie. good evening to you. we have some action on the roads unfortunately some things we don't really like but have popped up since last we spoke including a vehicle fire near bellmawr in the northbound lanes of two approaching 676 as you head towards camden. things are okay. you're getting by on the northbound side getting by the vehicle if i remember it's just blocking a lane or two. the slower speeds are on the southbound side of 42 as is so often the case coming off the walt whitman bridge into new

jersey on a monday afternoon. it's always a little bit slow in that neck of the woods. elsewhere in the great garden state in cherry hill getting word of a water main break along coles avenue at dell wood road. watch out for restrictions there. as of late last week in mount laurel hartford shut down at marne highway through december 10. you can use marne highway and westfield road as an fault around hartford road. coming out of center city this afternoon slow going as always on 95. northbound side from just north of the vine up to the work zone at cottman avenue but what a nice shot with the sun setting over center city on this monday. here in center city this is the vine street expressway itself close to the schuylkill. it's busy now and the vine will close again each night this week at 11:00 for construction. in jenkintown close to the library watch for a fire location along 611 at hillside avenue. in upper merion having a drainage problem. they've had to mostly block off croton road near sharon drive. we'll check it again brian and sharrie in the 5 o'clock hour. >> all right. you are the man. >> too kind and thank you.

>> you got it. >> let's step outside. he showed us one lovely look at the sunset tonight. here's another sky6 hd looking live over philadelphia international airport. such a beautiful sky out there tonight it. meteorologist adam joseph will be back with the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast next.

>> ♪ >> all right, meteorologist adam joseph joining us and it is in fact december. >> it is. >> i know. >> despite how it looks and feels. >> who knew. >> wait until you see the seven day. you're going to go okay, what's going on here. >> what's going on. >> el nino maybe. >> that's right. >> maybe. as we take a look right now at the action cam which was down in wilmington, delaware, along the brandywine river that flows right into the christina river. you can see on the left-hand side a little park there, a little trail a-walkway where some folks enjoying a really spectacular december day.

that's when we had the sun. the clouds have moved in now as we look at double scan live radar no precipitation or moisturenity in that cloud cover presently. there was a storm just off to the south and east and it will remain there as we go through the overnight hours. but today we hit 57 in philadelphia, well above that normal of 48 degrees but well shy of that record in 1998 when we were 73 degrees and we're getting to one of the earliest sun sets of the year at 4:36. give it another week and half or so and we'll start to flip that and start moving in the opposite direction. as we look at the numbers, 51 reading, 50 in allentown, 50 in wilmington. 40's to the south where the clouds raced in early enough to kind of cap off those temperatures this afternoon. we have energy to the south and west over charleston, west virginia, roanoke. that energy is pushing into a storm developing it off the carolinas but that storm will continue to head out to sea despite that again it's throwing a lot of its cloud cover away and there could be a brief shower or two especially in southern parts of delaware, maybe cape may

county a little later on tonight but overall the bulk of the rain stays over the open waters of the atlantic. so, for tonight a lot of clouds upstairs, maybe that shower for our south and east of the city. 28 in the suburbs. that's up towards the lehigh valley. 36 degrees for center city. the storm's east and south of cape cod during the day tomorrow so we're wedged with sunshine and high pressure in the deep south so mostly sunny. a light northerly wind four to 8 miles per hour with a high a bit cooler than today at 51 degrees. then the high rides through here on wednesday, partly sunny with a south-southeasterly wind as we move the temperatures back up to 56 degrees and this system, this low will stay into canada but as the cold front slowly pushes through thursday and friday it will bring more in the way of clouds but really no precipitation. don't be shocked. this is a correct seven-day forecast for you exclusively here. partly sunny on tuesday, 51 degrees. partly sunny wednesday at 56. a lot of clouds both thursday

and friday with some pops of sun at times but those temperatures are warm, into the lower 60's and then on saturday it's much brighter with some high clouds and warmer at 63 degrees and we could see a record tying high with the eagles in town on sunday with a high temperature of 65 degrees and it's still mild on monday but rainy with a temperature at 65 and most of those overnight lows as we get into the end of the week and the weekend are above our normal high temperatures for this time of year. so, this is really going to put december pretty high on the list as a warm one for philadelphia, guys. >> i read today there we're for the first time in 116 years buffalo new york has yet to see one flake of snow. >> unbelievable. >> really is. >> adam thanks. >> what's the deal with the new weight watchers program? we'll tell you next. >> ♪

>> time for what's the deal and today we're talking about the return of weight watchers with two-thirds of americans struggling with their weight, the company is hoping that a superstar endorsement and a high tech makeover will help change the way people shed pounds. abc's deborah roberts has the story. >> reporter: for many women new year's eve ball drops the battle of the bulge begins. and in a world of fitness and apps the company that helps millions shed pounds is waging an updated war against obesity. with its new logo and jazzy fitness app this is not your grandmother's weight watchers. >> if you had to sum it up what's different now. >> people with this new program are really shifting their mind-set a lot. >> reporter: shifting by focusing more on good health and less on counting calories as a way to squeeze in that extra treat. >> people really spend a lot of time figuring out how do i get my doritos in. i can do it if i adjust this and adjust that.

now it's not as important for them to make sure how they're getting their doritos in. its much more porn to say what. i putting in my body, how is that going to make me feel. >> reporter: the new campaign beyond scale comes at an important time for the 53-year-old weight watchers. >> ♪ >> weight watchers, this is living. >> reporter: with membership and revenue on the decline they brought oprah on board way 10 percent stake in the company. she's also a member writing in next month's o magazine i've wish she washed with diets and exercise my whole life. for me this is not a diet. so, yes, i'm a bona fide conk vert. new ideas were in play the company says long before oprah joined. >> we still produce weight loss. now we're enhancing our program based on the latest science like healthy eating being more fit and making time to take care of yourself. >> i had to have a piece of pumpkin pie because you have to have it. >> of course you do. >> so. >> reporter: these three women part of a test group in new jersey says a new focus on

their physical and emotional health made losing weight more fun. >> i feel like it's more of a mental break through that you have to have in order to lose the weight. >> it's more about the positive things, things that you can have that you can do. >> reporter: some even finding the plan easier than before. >> you had to literally look up the points and it was really tedious. >> reporter: will you stick with it. >> yes. >> absolutely. >> reporter: weight watchers says 38 of the 40 trial participants lost weight on the plan. >> i'm down 50 pounds. >> i'm down 30 pounds. >> and i'm down 18 in the last six months. >> reporter: but not everything has changed. >> still going to do the weighs in. >> we are going to do the weigh ins because it's an important metric but not the only metric. >> that was abc's debra roberts reporting. weight watchers says the bottom line is that they're beyond the scale program is not just about points anymore, it's more about the kinds of food participants are eating. of course as well as exercising. those are the keys. >> somebody mentioned doritos and now that's all i can think

of. >> that's all i can think of. chips. >> that will do it for "action news at 4:00. for sharrie williams alicia vitarelli and adam joseph i'm brian taff. i hope you'll join me along with sharrie adam and ducis rodgers tonight and every night for a full hour of "action news" at 10:00 on phl17. >> "action news" at 5:00 is coming up next. >> see you tonight. puffs knows winter... ...is hard on your nose there's the endless runny noses.

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>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with jaime apody, meteorologist cecily tynan, rick williams and monica malpass. >> ♪ >> an elderly man thought he was getting some work done on his drive way but what he got was robbed. one family in northeast philadelphia speaking out tonight about the contractors they're calling crooks. monday night, monica malpass is off, sharrie williams is joining us and the big story on "action news" is how one city resident was taken advantage of by the same people he hired. >> "action news" reporter trish hartman is live outside northeast detectives with the full story tonight. trish. >> reporter: well, sharrie, rick, police say the men who did this not only took advantage that of elderly man they knew that there was a lot of cash in that house. now police are asking for the public's help before they strike again. >> he's my father-in-law.

it's hard. very hard. >> reporter: john kill bride was brought to tears talking about what happened to his 81-year-old father-in-law saturday. police are looking for the men posing as contractors who stole $90,000 from the man's safe inside his home on normandy drive. kill bride said the men driving a red pickup truck with paving equipment in the back did work on his father-in-law's drive way a few weeks ago. >> apparently my father-in-law recognized them and they had a child with them and they basically used the child as a decoy. >> reporter: police are calling this a distraction robbery. in this case, the men asked to use the bathroom leaving the victim with the child. instead, police say they went straight to the open safe. >> sometimes they will bring kids with them. i think that's part of the scam. they drive around, that he see an older person outside the house, they he knock on the door telling them their drive way or roof looks like it needs work. >> reporter: police say the men were also inside the victim's car. some neighbors saw the red