right stuff, john glenn. next. nope. what is this thing? sir, have you looked in the basement? huh. oh, yeah. no wonder. it was hidden behind all of my free weights. if you're not an expert, peco can help. we have lots of ways to help you save energy and money. peco. the future is on. action news. delaware valley's leading news program. with jim gardner. he was a fighter pilot in world war ii and korea. a u.s. senator. and a candidate for president. but, of course, it was his blastoff into space and his place in history as the first american to orbit the earth that

made him a true american hero. he was john glenn. and he died today in his native ohio. it is thursday night and the big story on action news tonight is john glenn. his lifelong mission finally ended today. and tonight america is remembering his exploits and remembering what a special place he held over a period of decades. let's look back at the life and time of john glenn. >> ten, nine. >> he was a pioneer and a patriot. launched into a history with this iconic sendoff from mission control. >> you've got speed, john glenn. >> later john glenn confessed he actually didn't hear that phrase as friendship 7 lifted off. >> zero g and i feel fine. capsule is turning around. the view tremendous. >> at the height of the space race john glenn was the first american to orbit the earth.

>> reading you loud and clear. >> glenn was the most famous of the original seven astronauts with the right stuff. a decorated marine corp. pilot. his wingman in korea was baseball legend ted williams. world held its breath for his mission. when he safely splashed down after three orbits he was a true american hero. >> welcome to washington. welcome back to this planet. >> colonel glenn later quit the space program for a career in politics. during 24 years in the senate he distinguished himself on nuclear arms control issues in particular. he was still a sitting senator when in 1998 at age 77 he returned to space aboard the shuttle discovery. >> and lift off of discovery with six heros and one american legend. >> the mission, to study weightlessness on the elderly.

john glenn then the oldest astronaut ever to orbit. >> one thing i promised annie when we were married, in addition to our wedding vows, of course, was to keep life from being boring. >> boring his life is not. he is survived by annie, his wife of 72 years and two children. in his later years john glenn liked to joke that science had yet to come up with a cure for the common birthday. he had 95 of them. and nightline will have more on the life of john glenn. that is at 12:35 right after jimmy kimmel live. other news at this hour police in lower mayfield, bucks county, have take an 30-year-old man into custody for allegedly killing his mother. action news reporter jeff chirico is life at police headquarters. jeff, what are the details here? >> reporter: jim, police charged zachary cope. they say he brutally attacked and stabbed his mother inside their home.

and according to police admitted to the crime when officers found him roaming the neighborhood. zachary, what happened? zachary cope being led off to jail, charged with the inimaginable. killing his own mother in a brutal attack in his own home. >> it was apparent she suffered from blunt trauma to the head and also stab and cut wounds to her body. >> reporter: officers found the body of 52-year-old rebecca cope in the kitchen after 3 p.m. police say they were tipped off after her son, zachary, partially dressed, stopped a passing car on tailorsville road. >> they located a man wearing shorts, flip-flops and acting suspicious. they approached the male. as soon as they approached the male he said to police, i kill mid mother. >> reporter: the police chief says cope was taken in for questioning questioning and arranged this evening. detectives processed the crime scene, trying to figure out what caused the suspect to attack his

mother. >> i'm just shocked. didn't think anything like this would happen. he seemed like a nice guy. >> reporter: neighbors say the mother and son lived her alone. no one reported any previous arguments in the home. tyler was familiar with the son. >> just kind of had this expression, this look sometimes. i don't know. but he seemed friendly. i didn't think he was capable of something like this. >> reporter: and the chief says the investigation is far from over. cope is charged with a count of criminal homicide and possession of an instrument of crime. he is being held at bucks county jail without bail. reporting live in, jeff chirico, channel 6 action news. jim. >> thank you, jeff. whiteout conditions and slick roads are to blame for a 40-car pileup on a michigan interstate. the crash was on i-96 in fowlerville near lansing. three people were killed. 11 others hurt in the crash. and it was a similar scene near erie, pennsylvania, this

afternoon. this snowy crash involved 13 vehicles including five tractor-trailers on interstate 90 in girard. 15 people to the hospital with various injuries. for our area, get ready for the coldest temperatures of the season so far. this is the way it looked tonight. folks had their heavy coats on and their hoods up. meteorologist cecily tynan is live at the big board with the latest on this big chill from accuweather. >> they have the right idea. bundling up. you want to cover everything. the current wind chill, 21 degrees in philadelphia. in pittsburgh it's 14 degrees. we've got lowering temperatures, increasing winds, so the bus stop forecast, you definitely want to bundle up the kids. bright sunshine. it will be deceiving. 28 degrees at 6:00. 8:00, 30. however, factoring in the winds, wind chill, 15 to 20 degrees. the coldest air mass since february. it's going to be a bit of a

shock to the system. and future tracker showing wind gusts tomorrow around 10:30, wind gusts 25 to 30 miles per hour combining with temperatures that will struggle to make it up into the upper 30s. so tomorrow increasing clouds as we head through the day. 39 in philadelphia, allentown, 38. cape may, 42. the wind chills only climbing into the 20s as we head through the day. so it's definitely going to feel like winter. and we keep this cold air locked in place for the next three days. right through the weekend, temperatures only in the 30s. harsh wind chills especially on friday. and then as we climb out of this deep freeze, monday looking at the possibility of rain and snow. could be a very messy monday morning commute. i'll talk about that coming up in the full accuweather forecast. jim. >> thank you, cecily. you can canton 6abc.com/weather to keep you up to date on the chilly temperatures.

and rain and possible snow? you don't know what's coming this time of year. you can see the seven day forecast as well as storm tracker 6 radar. and be sure to interact with our team of meteorologists on twitter and facebook. philadelphia city council is putting the brakes on renegade towing operations. today tow truck operators parked their trucks in bike lanes outside of city hall in protest. in a 15-1 vote city council approved new rules that make tow drivers wait for police to verify that a car is parked illegally and issue a ticket before that car can be hooked. council members say the regulations are designed to crack down on operators who essentially steal cars. the regulations take effect in 30 days. this was a night of tribute for new jersey state trooper frankie williams. but, of course, it was also a night of grief. action news reporter dann cuellar was there. ♪ whose broad stripes and bright

stars ♪ >> reporter: braving the cold we chilly air, over 200 in front of the fire department to pay their respects to new jersey state trooper frankie williams. >> we grieve as new jersey for a young man that represented the best of the best. >> reporter: trooper williams mom, victoria, and her fiance were attending the candle light vigil to honor his memory. >> hero is a courageous act or nobility of character. >> reporter: monday night he was responding to calls of a man driving erratically. that was 61-year-old dr. lloyd rudley. his toyota veered from the southbound lanes of route 55, crossed over a median into the northbound and went head on into the patrol car. both were killed. williams was 31 years old and recently married.

his mother said that one day he said he was going to have lots of brothers. she had no idea it was going to be new jersey state troopers. >> i love the way you care and appreciate my son. i appreciate what you have done for my every time i fall down you pick me back up. thank you. ♪ how great thou art. how great thou art ♪ >> reporter: one of the more tearful moments came when one of the fire fighters sang how great thou art, a song his mom says he use to the sing to her as a little girl. >> my son is showing me that he's still giving me the best of his love. >> reporter: we are learning the funeral will be monday morning at board walk hall in atlantic city. visitation at 8 a.m. in morris river township, cumberland county new jersey, i'm dann cuellar, channel 6

action news. a wilmington city councilman proposed a name change for three city fire stations. robert wilson wants to rename them in honor of the fire fighters killed fighting this blaze in september. the last succumbed to her injuries last week. fickees and leach died the day of the fire. and asking for $300,000 to keep fire station 6 open when staffing is short. still to come on action news tonight, a family in ocean county on a special wheel of fortune champion tonight. it means much more than his winnings on the show. and santa's helpers got to work tonight building dozens of bikes for deserving children. >> we are not alone. that cold air is plunging all the way to the deep south. i'm tracking another blast of arctic air next week. and not just one, but two

opportunities for that rain and snow. all the details in the accuweather seven day forecast. >> president-elect donald trump says he is keeping the title of television producer when action news continues tonight.

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the second georgia police officer has died following a shootout yesterday. the two officers were shot after responding to a domestic dispute near georgia southwestern state university. a s.w.a.t. team found the fugitive dead today. authorities say lembrick died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the home where he was hiding. >> donald trump will be the first president we know of that is also an executive producer. he will maintain his connects to the celebrity apprentice show. he will continue to be one of the executive producers of the show and get a paycheck for that. meanwhile trump announced he will nominate andy pusder to be

his labor secretary. he's a fast food executive. a ceo of cke restaurants, the parent company of hardees and other chains. he posed raising the minimum wage saying that would force employers to cut jobs. harry reid praised during his final speech today. he's retiring after 30 years in the senate. the minority leader encouraged his colleagues to protect the senate as an institution. hillary clinton returned to washington to honor reid. she joined fellow democrats and republicans for a tribute of reid and the unveiling of his portrait. another record breaking day today. the dough gained 65 points, closing at a new high of 19614. almost 15. the s&p was up 4 points and the nasdaq tacked on another 23 points. hundreds of students received a surprise holiday gift tonight in south philadelphia. volunteers from the children's

scholarship fund of philadelphia called eager families to let them know that they won an academic scholarship. 2,000 students were randomly selected from a pool of more than 6500 applicants. the scholarships will be for the 2017-2018 school year. some chester elementary students have become published authors. the kids hosted a book signing and health fair for the community tonight. the group recently published the group "talking health accounts. achieves through the partnership with the education and nursing schools. whale watchers in ocean county were cheering on a specific player. the family of tom gathered to watch his appearance on the wheel of fortune. the emt from summers point won more than $45,000 in wash and

prizes. he says his appearance was a dream come true. but bittersweet. >> my grandmother and i were watching it grow up. when i was old, drive over and watch it with her. she passed away last year. but i know she's watching. >> tom's mother gave him a wheel of fortune watch tonight. the grandmother had given it to her as a present years ago. she realizes she now -- she says she now realizes that the grandma was just the keeper of the gift for this night. or that she was. >> i think tom got a little help from above. >> a poignant night. absolutely. it's going to be a cold day tomorrow and sets off a period of three or four days. >> three days and then another shot of arctic air next week. could be colder than this one. be prepared. find that heavy winter coat. storm tracker 6 live double scan.

showing we have a dry and cold night out there. don't have to worry about any rain or snow tonight. that'll be different by sunday fight, monday morning. but live sky 6, really tells the story. look at camera. see how it's doing a little bit of a dance. that's because the winds are picking up. winds right now sustained out of the west 22 miles per hour in philadelphia. the same in beach haven. 14 miles an hour in allentown, and 14 in wilmington. you combine that with the temperature. the wind chill 21 in philadelphia. allentown, wilmington, 19 in lancaster. 24 in trenton. the poconos, the wind chill currently 10 degrees. satellite 6 along with action radar, the front blew through without fanfare, shifting the winds out of the of the west/northwest. creating lake effect snow causing problems up to the north and west. tomorrow, a bright start to the day. loads of sunshine, but cold and

breezy. temperature at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, below freezing. factor in the winds, though, wind chills in the teens to about 20 degrees. so you definitely want to put on the layers if you're spending any time outdoors. really during the entire day tomorrow we will be seeing more clouds as we head into the afternoon. maybe even a flurry or a sprinkle. and the wind chills not climbing out of the 20s. by 2:00, still holding at 28 degrees and dropping back down to 25 degrees by 8:00. and saturday the winds will diminish somewhat. but future tracking showing still saturday afternoon the wind chill, philadelphia, just touching 30 degrees. so it will be cold right to the weekend. and sunday if you're heading to the link as the eagles take on the red skins, winds not a factor. light out of the south, 5 to 10 miles per hour. cloudy and cold. kickoff temperature, 39 degrees. the fourth quarter, also 39. and all these clouds in advance of a storm system that likely

will bring us a messy monday morning commute. this is the setup. the cold dome of high pressure right over us. this will begin to retreat. that low pressure, that storm, will be tracking to the west. the big question is, how long does the cold air stay? at this point looks like philadelphia, areas to the south, likely a rain event. the problem, though, the northwest suburbs begins as snow sunday night. sleet, perhaps freezing rain before an event will change to rain sometime on monday morning. this is a developing situation. i'll keep you posted. so the exclusive accuweather seven day forecast, tomorrow, dry, blustery and cold, including clouds. high of 31 degrees. saturday, not much better, 38 degrees, wind chill of 30 degrees. sunday, cloudy and cold. the potential for a few flurries. 39 degrees. and monday morning, we get that messy scenario. especially the first half of the day. looks like the best chance of snow will be north of the

pennsylvania turnpike sunday night into early monday morning, through the day on monday. pretty wet. 46 degrees. tuesday we get a break in the action. we dry out, 42. our next arctic front moves through on wednesday. and this could have some moisture along with it. unlike today's front. means rain and snow showers possible, 41 degrees. and thursday, arctic blast, could be even colder than tomorrow with a high of 34 degrees. and, of course, david murphy will have the facts and figures beginning at 4:30, how cold it's going to be and the latest on monday's storm. >> thank you. dozens of bikes being built in west chester for kids in need. this is pine street's ninth annual 100 wheels project. over the years the project has built over 630 bikes for deserving children in the community. this year pine street is working with ten non-profit agencies throughout the region to complete this task. we want to see your holiday lights. on social media use hashtag 6abc

lights. or post to our family member page facebook.com/6abc news. or email to join the action at 6ab c.com. some of them might show up on television. a packed room for the if not me, then who gala tonight at the union league in center city, philadelphia. the foundation is the largest veterans service organization in the region. the black tie event is a recognition of the honoree's character and leadership. a week's long competition culminated tonight in the chinatown section of philadelphia. from august 15th to september 30th local musicians uploaded videos performs original pieces of music for the phl live center stage 2016. winners in each genre received cash prizes of a thousand dollars.

judges were comprised of some of philadelphia's top leaders in the music industry. jimmy kimmel live after action news. and here is jimmy with a preview of tonight's show. >> thanks, jim, hello, philadelphia. tonight, a lot of spidermen. who, jennifer aniston, do you think will be our final, let's say, four bachelorettes. >> okay. do we walk up to this wonderful? >> if you want to get a closer look. do you want to get a closer look?

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>> the most exciting game of the year. thus far. in my opinion, yes. wild does to the begin to describe the flyers game tonight. 11 goals between them and the oilers. including three, bang, bang, bang. pick it up, 2-0 edmonton in the second period. the flyers score three in 72 seconds. mark streit, pierre pierre edwae mare, and claude giroux. he leaves his skates. and 5-4, giroux, ties the game at five. second of the night. ninth of the year. still tied, less than two minutes left. check out the effort by michael raffi. hard work. the flyers win 6-5, seventh victory in a row. >> stuck with it. we came back from 2-0. we got down 2-0 in the third again. and power play wasn't very good. but, again, came back when we needed to. and that got us back in the

game. and we just stuck with it and won the game. so it's a quality sign as well. >> the sixers, eight is enough, right? they enter the night on another lengthy losing streak. eight in a row, hoped it would end in new orleans. nerlens noel, talked about not making the season debut sunday. joel embiid, 27 minutes, makes the most on the defensive end. 4 blocks tonight. fourth quarter, embiid, trouble on the block, sticks with it. 14 points on just 5 of 15 shooting. the sixers lead by eight. later, under 90 seconds to go. puts the game out of reach. 23 for him. the sixers win to snap the eight game skid and end a 23-game road losing streak. still ahead, the eagles get good news on the injury front. plus a local high school team tries to make it back to back state titles.

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eagles and redskins this sunday. the birds try to recapture that long lost winning feeling. after jordan matthews was limited yesterday with an ankle injury, full participant today. the eagles defense, it's been ten quarters, two and a half games since they recorded a sack. the pass rush is nonexistent. that's prizing because the defensive line was seen as an area of strength when the season began. >> it gets frustrating. we got to area the bash lash when they don't show up on sunday. just one way out of the week

that they don't show up, that's on sunday. we get paid to do a job and we got to do it well. >> high school football, last year imotep won the first state crown. the two met tonight with another title on the line. hershey, both are 13-0. and up eight, and boykin hits off by roberts. he takes it back 35 yards for the pick six. they fall 27-20. archbishop wood in action tomorrow and st. joe's prep in action for a state title on saturday. >> all right. jimmy kimmel live followed by nightline. tonight, jennifer aniston, tom ford and music from friendship. action news continues at 4:30 with pamela edwards, matt o'donnell, meteorologist karen murphy and tam with traffic. for the entire action news team, i'm jim gardner. good night.

>> sponsored by... >> dicky: from hollywood - it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight, jennifer aniston, director tom ford, this week in and the trailer of spiderman home front. this week in unnecessary censorship, and music from frenship. and now, get it together, here's jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> jimmy: hi, i'm jim jimmy, i'm host of the show. thank you for watching. glad to have you. it's all happening.