against a backdrop of a dead heat election, this from our new cnn orc pole. clinton has lost her substantial lead in pennsylvania with 45 percent of the voters for clinton, 44 percent for trump. 6 percent for gary johnson and 3 percent for jill stein. sharrie williams and brian taff are live outside the debate law -- hall tonight. sharrie let's begin with you. >> reporter: good evening, jim. hofstra has become in many ways like a small city with the additional thousands of people who have converged here additional people here to protest, people here trying to get their message out and we know that safety is paramount. >> perhaps you can hear the helicopters overhead right now. they're taking extraordinary steps to ensure that safety. in fact one of the people that jim mentioned in introducing us tonight jill stein the green party presidential candidate was on campus tonight and actually was

escorted off by police when her rally here was determined to be a dangerous distraction. >> of course hofstra has hosted two presidential debates in the past but those who were here for those both say that the security level for this presidential debate is exponentially greater. here's what we are talking about, a view of what we have seen all day long here as the security here has ramped up. there is a secure zone an perimeter set up outside surrounding the campus and once you are on the campus there are still restrictions as to how you can come in and how you can go out. these entrances are being manned around the clock and i'm told more than 1,000 law enforcement members are here to do their jobs. local police from hempstead and nassau county are also here. they have police officers that were also brought in from new york city, state police are here on the scene and of course federal agents including the secret service also here. i spoke with the commissioner for nassau county police and he specifically told me that

these two candidates hillary clinton and donald trump are so divisive that law enforcement had to ramp up their security measures. >> the level of rhetoric is unprecedented. take into that the mix of the number of terrorist events that we've had in the country over the last several months. on top of that you add in the direct assaults on police officers throughout this country and this has become the most significant security event in my career of the nassau county police department. >> and having been here four years ago for the last presidential debate at hofstra i can tell you it is exponentially greater. it takes a whole lot longer to get inside the secure perimeter. part of the reason for the security detailed here is the importance of this singular event in determining who will be the next president of the united states and we learned today by way of that poll that jim mentioned that pennsylvania will also play a unique role in that decision. and if you wonder why the candidates have spent so much time and money in our area well here's why.

>> there's a very good chance that the suburbs of philadelphia will decide this election. >> mary levy studies political trends across the country for hofstra university and says it's increasingly apparent to him that the philadelphia suburbs hold some serious sway. for hillary clinton it could be the fire wall that either stops donald trump or propels him on to victory. >> the suburbs are becoming much more diverse. you have more latinos, more blacks, many more asian people and they are taking their democratic voting tendencies with them. >> meaning what was once a depend plea republican strong hold is now very much in play and the polls are bearing that out. that means we could be the potential presidential tipping point. >> if somebody does well in the philadelphia suburbs, they're going to do well in the cleveland suburbs, they're going to do well in the denver suburbs, they're going to do well outside of washington, d.c. which is another really crucial swing state. so how pennsylvania goes, particularly the suburbs,

outside of philadelphia, that's the way the nation is going to go. >> and so what does that mean exactly? well, basically no matter what happens here tonight you can bank on seeing a whole lot more of hillary clinton and donald trump at home in our neck of the woods sharrie. >> we expect that to happen. for brian taff i'm sharrie williams of course live on hofstra's campus. jim we'll send it back in to you. >> we'll see you on "action news at 11:00 guys. thank you. you can watch the debate right here on channel six beginning at 9 o'clock tonight. that will be followed by "action news" at 11:00 and while you watch the debate tonight please join our panel and the "action news" team for conversation and commentary right on twitter. we will share highlights as they happen, begin conversations and ask your opinion in a series of polls and so make sure you are following @6abc on twitter tonight. then join us tonight after "action news" for a special presidential debate edition of inside story.

our panel of local experts will break down the debate and talk about how what is said tonight can impact the election. "action news" anchor monica malpass will host. that's tonight after "action news" at 11:00. there is other news tonight, of course. they continue to mourn two firefighters in wilmington, delaware tonight. this was the scene as the bodies of lieutenant christopher leach and senior firefighter jerry fickes were transported from the medical examiner's office to their respective funeral homes. both were killed fighting a blaze on saturday morning. live outside wilmington fire headquarters is "action news" reporter bob brooks. bob, what is the latest on the investigation here? >> jim, good evening. nothing is being ruled out at this point. that includes arson. this is a wilmington community that is hurting pretty bad right now and like that flag behind me that you see that's at half-staff so many in the city are at half-staff over this tragedy. as a small memorial grows, a search for the cause of a deadly fire intensifies.

delaware state fire marshals atf k-9 units, it's been three days since two wilmington firefighters were killed in this blaze. around 3 o'clock this afternoon wilmington fire chief anthony good took the podium to give us an update. he tells us a case of arson has any other been ruled out. >> we're in the process of interviewing any witness or anyone there may have information involved. >> reporter: today firefighters law enforcement and dozens of others lined the streets to salute the fallen heroes on their way to the funeral home. their lieutenant chris leach and senior firefighter jerry fickes. it was a quiet ceremony. you can visibly see. this communities is hurt. >> trapped on the first floor. >> reporter: we hear from radio transmission the moment the first floor of this home collapsed. lieutenant leach was trapped inside. jerry fickes passed away from his injuries. on top of their tragic deaths, firefighters hard death hope and brad speakman were also

badly hurt and are still in the hospital. jim back out here live chief good wouldn't specifically comment if they're looking for a person that might have been behind this arson. he also did say this saturday they are holding a ceremony for the two men but they'll release more details on that to come later this week. for now floral wilmington, bob brooks channel6 "action news. jim. >> thank you, bob. the search continues for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man in the rhawnhurst section of philadelphia. it happened early yesterday morning at the intersection of caster and bleigh. police say the victim was crossing the intersection when he was hit. the impact threw the 51-year-old man 50 feet. police found the car two blocks away but the driver was gone. a key government witness continued testifying today in the trial surrounding the bridgegate scandal. david wildstein worked for the port authority and pleaded guilty last year to causing traffic gridlock near the george washington bridge in

2013. today he testified that governor chris christie's former campaign manager was aware of the lane closures. the motive, allegedly to punish the democratic mayor of fort lee for not endorsing chris christie. so are the three and o eagles for real? if you're looking for a resounding yes, just ask the members of the pittsburgh steelers. jaime apody everybody is talking about carson wentz but it obviously he's a big difference maker but this team seems to be playing with more confidence and competence. >> the defense has given up two touchdowns in three and a half games. not enough credit is being given to the coach whose team has yet to make a mistake. the only team in the nfl without a turnover, the openings. absolutely for real after handing the super bowl contender their first loss.

carson wentz had the fires of likely many 300 passing games. he's set a record for starting a career without an interception. pederson compared him to peyton manning. the key is not to get the success get to their heads. >> number one challenge for all of us and i speak for myself too when i say we've got to stay humble through this whole thing and the season is very young, only three games in. a lot of football left as you know and we just take them one at a time and, you know, that's just things that -- that i've learned over my career. >> the proof is in the numbers. the eagles have the most points in the nfl and they've given up the fewest. now they've beaten a team that had been ranked in the top two in the league by most experts. they're excited. you're allowed. okay. >> thanks for the permission. >> you're welcome. >> jaime apody. coming up on "action news" tonight much more on the eagles plus "action news" was there in gloucester township

as some of the top police dogs in the country competed against each other today. some students in philadelphia just began their school year today. we'll tell you about the reason behind the delay. cecily. >> well, we need the rain and i'm tracking some rain that be moving in overnight. more on the way later this week. i'll have both the timing, when you'll need your umbrellas coming up in the accuweather forecast. >> and the flyers are already getting ready for the preseason. jaime apody with that story and more when "action news" continues tonight. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> new at 6:00 tonight call it the k-9 olympics if you like. 150 police dogs are in south

jersey tonight demonstrating their extraordinary skills. new jersey correspondent nora muchanic has the story. >> reporter: they're the sharpest most talented police dogs in north america. more than 150 of these agile k-9s are in gloucester township this week competing to be the top dog in the u.s. police k-9 association national patrol dog trials. >> what i like to equator to it is the k-9 olympics. you have the top dogs from all over the country coming in. they're not coming here unless they're really on their game. >> reporter: patrolman chris' dog arrow placed 11th in the country last year. they're gunning for the top 10. the k-9's compete in categories that include obedience agility suspect and evidence recovery. that happens in a field where the dogs must find small objects like a key chain. >> they heat that object up with human odor and dog has to search within a 30 by 30 square and locate that odor. >> we're looking to know that the dog is capable of finding the human odor and letting the hammer know the presence that

of odor. >> reporter: how he did he do. >> did very well. 57 seconds he located both products. >> it's one of those things every little mistake is costing you. >> reporter: the police k-9 association says these highly drained dogs are on important tool for fighterring crime. >> they make officers safer and the communities they serve safer by doing jobs that human beings can't do as effectively. >> reporter: the dogs compete apprehending a suspect when there's gunfire going on. >> when we start doing gunfire they get excited. >> reporter: the competition is free and open to the public thursday evening at 6:00 there will be a grand finale at timber creek high school with demonstrations food a parade and fireworks. in gloucester township i'm nora muchanic channel6 "action news". >> west philadelphia school finally welcomed its students today. opening its doors this morning after a big renovation. "action news" was there at global leader slip academy --

leadership academy southwest. they painted the building fixed open doors and gave the school a more open feeling. >> we had challenge trying to get the building ready. we started late but we are here and we're changing and creating future leaders of the world. >> kids in kindergarten through second grade began classes today. tomorrow the students in the next grade levels will have their first day of school.

>> so i have been hearing a lot of talk about this lucky green dress that you have been wearing for all three eagles victories. >> i have and i haven't washed it either. same dress, smells now. got a chicken finger stain on it but i promise the viewers i'm not going to wash it i'm going to keep wearing it. it's sleeveless. starting to get a little cold. >> okay. look forward to that. >> i'm a team player. you're going have to smell me soon. at one point in the off season eagles odds to win the super bowl were one lunn to one.

after the one on monday night they improved to 35 to one. yesterday they crushed the steelers whose odds are eight to one. wonder what the eagles odds will be now. handed steelers their worst loss in years. do you go pederson said it's a test tam to his preparation. he's in the building at 5:30 in the morning photographic memory is coming in handy. in that regard the coach is already comparing him to a future hall of famer. >> i hear him just even in the building talking to guys about plays and routes and protections and, you know, that's -- it's peyton manningish. i mean, you hate to label -- i don't want to put labels on guys but that's how peyton prepared and that's how these top quarterbacks prepare each week and you know he has that now as a young quarterback and that will just carry him throughout his career. >> few people are talking about the fact they did what they did yesterday without

both their starting tight end and starting corner both sac ertz and leodis mckelvin expected back after the bye. you almost don't want a bye the eagles are on such a roll. >> i want to continue to play with these guys. we have a by bye week. for the guys that's injured to come back healthy. once we come back it's a long haul so this bye week is well needed and i can't wait to come back next monday and get to work. >> exciting time fob a philadelphia sports fans. all these young teams teams with potential superstars like the sixers who had their media day. they have the flub one draft pick and two potential rookies of the year in joel embiid. they have the brand new facility an bit too much talent up front. nerlens noel thinks all these big men might pose a problem and he's not afraid to say it. >> i don't see it working. >> why not. >> i mean, it's just -- you

know, it's just a log jam. you have three talented centers that, you know, can play 30 plus minutes a night and not three centers can play 30 minutes a night and that's that. obviously things going to get situated. you know, i think maybe things -- obviously things need to be moved around someone needs to be moved around and, um, it's a tough situation. >> strong words there. you know what's the best part of the sixers new practice facility a seconds floor observation deck that you can use for trick shots. ben simmons nothing but net today and we like that a whole lot. flyers also opened their preseason today on the road. >> jaime thank you. >> okay. >> cecily tynan with the accuweather forecast when we continue in just a moment. katie mcginty: franny, johnny, mikey, maureen, jimmy, joey, ricky, eileen, me, and colleen...

all 10 of us raised on a policeman's salary and a mom working as a restaurant hostess. imagine trying to do that today, with washington looking out for the favored few. i'll bring a different point of view to the u.s. senate - working class roots and the mother of three, i'll put middle class families ahead of wall street. i'm katie mcginty and i approve this message because it's your turn to get ahead. hey how's it going, hotcakes? hotcakes. this place has hotcakes.

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>> it looks like the 80's are history. fall forecast cecily tynan. >> it's cool and we have some much needed rain on the way jim. nice to have you back. it's dry out there but the clouds are rolled in ahead of the wet weather. sky6 taking a look at the center city skyline. we have blue skies and sunshine earlier today. but now shades of gray and the rain will be moving in overnight. we could use a lot more rain than this. future tracker showing generally we're looking at about a quarter to a half inch of rain tonight. however, this is not our only bout of rain this week. looks like the first full week of fall will be relatively unsettled. the best chance of rain will come on thursday but it lingers into friday perhaps even into the weekend and wednesday night.

so, we're going to be get something waves of rain. temperature-wise, it feels like fall. 70 in philadelphia, down from a high of 73 which felt cool but that's only actually 1 degree below normal. so, pretty seasonable. just so warm last week. allentown 68. trenton 69. cape may 71 and wilmington currently 70 degrees. satellite6 along with action radar showing you see this big comma shape. that's a sign of a pretty powerful storm. there's low pressure up across the great lakes and there's a trailing cold front. the cold front itself is what will be pushing in overnight and that will bring us the rain. so, future tracker timing it out. around midnight plenty of thick clouds a few scattered showers. the steadiest rain west of our evening but it will be rolling through in the wee hours of morning around 3:30 in the morning some heavy rain. kind of good timing with this but most of it is falling when we're sleeping. by the morning commute 7:30 just some clouds, scattered showers. then as we head through the afternoon the skies will be clearing from the northwest to the southeast.

the sunshine back in full force by late tomorrow afternoon. so the morning commute lots of clouds, perhaps a little bit of lingering drizzle. there will be some wet roads especially across south jersey and delaware. at 6 o'clock, 62. by 8 o'clock, 63. so, not quite as cool as the past few nights thanks to the blanket of clouds and then the problem with the latter part of week we have an upper level low. it's cut off from the main jet stream with this trough so what this will do is just meander our way wednesday night through thursday, through friday and perhaps even into the weekend so what this means, very unsettled with lots of clouds, cooler temperatures and a occasional rain, not rain the entire time but it looks like we will get about one to perhaps even 2-inches of rain depending on the track of that low pressure. so i'll keep you posted. the so the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast rain overnight. some very early morning showers then clearing. sunshine by the afternoon and actually upright nice afternoon. 75 degrees. on wednesday it's the opposite. we start with some sunshine

then the clouds roll in, some showers breaking out. by wednesday evening 77 degrees. thursday and friday is when you'll definitely want your umbrella on hand. periods of rain on and off through both days. temperatures will be on the cool side. thursday 71. friday 72 degrees. and heading into the weekend looks like we could see some lingering showers into saturday depending on how quickly that upper level low moves out. 73 degrees. sunday clouds with some sunshine, 75 degrees. rosh hashana begins sunday evening and then monday partly sunny. we dry things out finally and temperatures actually for this time of the year not bad, 75 degrees so overnight rain tonight while most of us are sleeping but thursday and friday at this point look pretty wet which is a good thing. we need the explain thanks cecily. finally tonight a special graduation ceremony took place in wilmington this afternoon. for the young man who was just too sick to attend his own high school graduation. christian caba received his diploma in front of family

friends and doctors at a.i. dupont hospital for children. he has muscular dystrophy and a weakened heart. but despite that his teacher said that he has worked hard to achieve his diploma. congratulations. abc news with david muir is next on channel six. "action news" continues at 10:00 upon phl17 with brian taff sharrie williams and ducis rodgers. please join us for "action news at 11:00 on channel6. for cecily tynan jaime apody ducis rodgers and the entire "action news" team, i'm jim gardner. we hope you'll join us for "action news at 11:00. >> ♪

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tonight, breaking news. hillary clinton and donald trump, the head to head match-up finally here. the first time for donald trump on a debate stage against just one other candidate. the stakes enormous for hillary clinton, too. trying to earn back trust. the race, a dead heat. we have inside reporting, what each candidate has in their arsenal, ready for tonight. also this evening, the rush hour shooting rampage. the suspect taking aim at drivers. nine people wounded. what was discovered inside his car. the flood emergency at this hour. thousands urged to evacuate. rivers rising. flash floods from texas to iowa. the system now moving east. the tragic death of a major league player and his friends. authorities tonight investigating. and we celebrate an american giant. arnold palmer. and what he