tying in philadelphia of 74 degrees, trenton 75, tying in reading at 77, smashing the old record by more than 8 degrees or so in mount pocono of 67 and allentown that 77 is the all-time highest temperature in february. it has never been that warm in the lehigh valley in the month of february. and you're kind of robbed at the shore this time of year with the wind off the water only 58 degrees. and this is our third day in a row with temperatures in the 70's for philadelphia in february. this is only happened once before back in 1930 and we've never had three consecutive days in the 70's and this will likely happen as we'll have one more day tomorrow. in fact you can see still 78 in cincinnati, 78 in atlanta. but you look to the north and west and you can see that chill omaha bismarck below freezing at the present time. so, there will be a stormy end with this line approaching the ohio valley to end the warmth. we'll have the timing of those thunderstorms in just that harsh reality for sunday

sharrie in full accuweather forecast. >> we'll focus on friday first. all right, adam, thank you. "action news" reporter gray hall live now in washington square and gray, you caught up with a lot of people taking full advantage of the springlike day and the what's that you have draped on you? [laughter] >> reporter: i did, sharrie. many people super excited because they don't need the gloves, they don't need the coat and they certainly don't need a scarf. >> spending as much time outside as we can today because who is not going to enjoy a 70-degree day in the middle of february. >> reporter: the calendar says winter but outside temperatures are screaming spring and everyone is noticing including these temple university students we caught blogging about the unusually warm weatherly. >> are you confused. >> it's blowing my mind. i'm actually about to go put some shorts on. >> yes, humans are confused and appears flowers are, too. 70's in february, the spring lovers dream come true. no cold, to snow, just a whole lot of sunshine to soak in and

yes even ice skating. it is still winter after all. >> and i mean this is strange weather for february but i love it. so, this is great. i mean, when can you ice skate in february in 70-degree wetterich employed at rothman ice rink say the warmer weather doesn't really impact business and chilling machines under the rink keep it cold enough for skaters to still have that winter experience despite a touch of spring. >> i think it is the perfect day actually. it's nice to be able to skate without all those layers on. >> reporter: across the area you will find images that certainly are not what you expect in winter. dining outside, football in the park, and your own outdoor office space. >> now i kind of like how february is becoming -- it's almost like the south has been creeping up. pa is sort of getting that weather from florida. >> reporter: despite this love fest with springlike temperatures, winter lovers are still holding out hope. >> as nice as it is outside today, i actually plan on going skiing on sunday because the weather is supposed to drop to 42 degrees so i want to get in as much skiing as i

can before we're out of snow. >> reporter: all right. so, back out live winter lovers you still have some hope, there's still about 24 days left in the season. live from that washington square, gray hall channel6 "action news." sharrie. >> keep the winter gear packed away. gray, we'll see you later. we invite you to stay with 6abc.com/weather through the weekend. you'll be able to see the approach of that expected rain and any changes by checking storm tracker6 live radar. and our team of meteorologists will work to keep you informed as well. stay connected by following each of them on facebook and twitter. >> ♪ >> other news this afternoon and we are now getting a better idea of exactly when president trump plans to start building his proposed border wall. this afternoon the u.s. customs and border protection announced it's aiming to start awarding construction contracts by mid april. now, the agency's web site is asking forbids in early march. companies would have to submit design ideas and build proto types. president trump said today construction on that 2000-mile wall will start "very soon"

and his words is ahead of schedule. >> meanwhile president donald trump is taking aim at what he calls excessive regulation. he was surrounded by business executives today as he signed a new executive order. it requires federal agencies to evaluate their rules and to get rid of the ones deemed unnecessary. now during a speech to the conservative political action conference mr. trump said regulation is killing jobs and driving companies out of the united states. >> we don't need 75 percent of the repetitive horrible regulations that hurt companies, hurt jobs, make us noncompetitive overseas with other -- >> now, during that same speech, the president repeated his criticism of the media and just two hours ago several news organizations including cnn and the new york times were denied entry to an off camera news conference at the white house but the white house is responding saying

they were not denied entry but, rather, they were just not invited. >> police in south jersey respect looking for man who has exposed himself to women more than half a dozen times. evesham police released this sketch of the suspect. they say he was seen hiding in bushes while committing lewd acts. the most recent incident happened late yesterday afternoon near kings grant and week lakwood lake drive. investigators believe the same man was involved in six other similar incidents in same area. >> a pivotal ruling issued today in connection to bill cosby's sexual assault case and it could be major blow to prosecutors. 12 of the 13 women the state had hoped to call as witnesses against cosby will not be allowed to testify. that ruling made today by montgomery county judge. well, this means only one other accuser will appear to bolster charges that the comedian is facing. cosby is accused of drugging

and sexually assaulting andrea constand a former temple employee back in 2004. the trial is scheduled to begin in june. >> this was the scene early this morning as flames shot out of a hotel in vineland cumberland county. "action news" reporter john rawlins talked to several people who ran to safety. he is live now outside that ramada on landis avenue. john. >> reporter: brian, it's hard to believe they had a major fire here. it was contained to one section of the hotel and there's been significant cleanup but the hotel t-the rest of the hotel is up and operating in fact they're going to have a big wedding here tomorrow. however, it was a big difference between now and about 12 and 14 hours ago. >> the vineland police get out the building so the first thing i do is just grab what i could grab, threw some clothes on and grabbed my bag and got out of there. >> reporter: the two alarm blaze lit up the sky. flames raced along the back wing of the 102 ramada inn in

that vineland. as firefighters arrived occupants closest to where the fire started struggled to get out. >> they were hanging out the window, throwing their belongings out the window. initial arriving crews threw ground ladders to the second floor window and helped them over and down to the ground. >> reporter: others reported it was police and firefighters pounding on their doors that alerted them, not a fire alar alarm. >> mr. in the dark get out, got the call, i didn't hear the fire alarm. that was the amazing thing. there was no fire alarm. >> reporter: the local alarm issue is part of an investigation. early indications are that it did function at the site for at least seven to eight minutes. by that time first responders were on scene. two people were injured, one a police officer who alerted the occupants treated for smoke inhalation he's being held overnight. the other a female occupant of room 248 where it is believed the fire started. >> you had one occupant of the

fire unit that self evacuated and reported to ems with smoke inhalation and burn injuries. >> reporter: well, room 248 was a smoking room. it's not clear if smoking played a role in this fire. investigators say they want to speak to the occupant of the room first before they make a final determination and given her injuries and the extent of her injuries that could take days before they'll be able to talk with her. live in vineland john rawlins channel6 "action news." >> time for a first check of the "action news" traffic report. >> let's go matt pelman. hi, matt. >> hi, guys. how can you not be feeling great this afternoon? it's friday as well as such nice weather. i have a couple things that might get you down. unfortunately a broken down vehicle along 295 southbound side right by route 30 the white horse pike. you can see the tow truck is on the scene now but the left lanleftlane is still out of commission. early jam southbound 295 away from route 73. there's also a broken down vehicle on the ramp from 73

northbound to go northbound on 295. and on the big picture, we had a broken down vehicle on 95 as well, northbound side near allegheny, that's now cleared out of the way. but still just 6 miles per hour as you come northbound on 95 away from penn's landing. then farther north there's this, a broken down truck just north of cottman avenue. the good news with this one is it's off to the side so the traffic zipping right along heading up toward academy and woodhaven on this friday afternoon. we haven't been zipping. we've been moving slowly on the blue route 476 southbound side from past the schuylkill through this points near villanova on down the baltimore pike and getting word of a crash on 422 westbound in the pottstown area but so far speeds don't look too bad. let's grab the ipad do the commuter report on this friday afternoon. watch out there's a crash, reports of this coming in and it is causing delays speeds in the 20's coming away fromly valley forge. we'll check it again though brian and sharrie coming up in

the next half hour. >> okay, matt, thank you. still ahead on "action news," all hopes are dashed after plenty of speculation the sixers confirm one of their star players will not be on the court at all this season. >> plus, the countsdown to oscars weekend. "action news" takes you behind the scene where the red carpet is already bustling with activity. we'll take a look at the final preparations next. >> and a look at today's closing numbers from that wall street as the dow hits an 11th straight record close. all arrows green today. >> ♪

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the longhorn salmon, or the parmesan crusted chicken. and for lunch, try our steakhouse burger, or any steakhouse lunch combo. you can't fake steak. >> the red carpet is down, the guilded golden statues have been buffed and shined up and the stars are arriving in tinsletown for hollywood's biggest night. marci gonzalez is there as oscar preps are under way for

the 89th annual academy awards and she's got a peak at what we can expect. >> reporter: the red carpet rolled out and ready for hollywood's biggest night. at the 89th annual academy awards in los angeles the movie that that pays tribute to this city. >> ♪ >> reporter: is the one to beat. "la-la land" tied with titanic for the all time record. >> what? >> reporter: 14 nominations including best picture. >> to be part of something like that. >> reporter: in the best actress category star emma stone faces off against some heavy hitters including natalie portman and meryl streep. >> ♪ >> reporter: and ryan gosling is up for best actor against stars including manchester by sea's casey affleck who was seen as a favorite to win. >> best actor seemed like it was a lock for casey affleck. now maybe it's more of denzel washington's award. >> reporter: washington one of a record setting six black actors nominated this year part of the academy's promised progress after there was know

racial diversity in the acting categories the past two years. prompting controversy and the #oscars so white. >> we had an ababundance of films that that represented inclusion. >> reporter: and while the nominees work on their acceptance speeches,. >> james jimmy kimmel. >> reporter: host jimmy kimmel is managing expectations. >> my pants could fall down. any number of horrible things could happen and my parents would think it was the greatest performance they've ever seen. whatever people think i hope it's the same as my mom. >> reporter: i'm sure his mom won't be alone in cheering him on. a lot of excitement about seeing jimmy host and a lot of excitement about all of the fashion we'll see right here but they have had to install this plastic roof over the red carpet to try to keep the stars warm and dry with sunday forecasted to be chilly and rainy. in hollywood, marci gonzalez channel6 "action news." >> and you got to make sure the hair still looks good. hey, you know what, denzel

washington and emma stone, take some notes here. philadelphia's pint sized stars have this red carpet thing down pat. check out the cuties at kiddie prep academy in west philadelphia. they got dolled up and strutted their toddler stuff this morning on the way in to school. >> do you feel like a star? >> yes. >> a princess. >> and there she goes from gorgeous gals in full regalia to, check him out, dapper dons with the poses ready to roll. the kids even received their golden trophies with awards like fantastic smile wonderful friend and spectacular speaker being bestowed upon the best and brightest. >> we decided to let the children know that they're stars, that they're special and we just want to celebrate them in a fun jazzy stylish way. >> and i'll tell you they definitely got dressed up for preschool. watch the oscars right here on 6abc. "action news" will be on one hour earlier this sunday at 5 o'clock, then a live preshow from the red carpet begins at

6:00 and the 89th annual academy awards start at 8:30. we have expanded oscars coverage right now on 6abc.com. a a behind the scenes look at the big preparations for the big show and on oscar night live video from the red carpet plus the most talked about moments as they happen. "action news" and 6abc.com your home for that oscar are night coverage. now, if only the stars could get down some of those possess those kids were rocking today they'll be all right. >> i know, that one little guy had the head and hand thing going on. >> oh, yeah. >> thank you alicia. $1 million in scholarships was up for grabs in bucks county today. the action cam was in warminster as 12 teams of high school seniors from across the area put their automotive skills to the test. they competed in a time technician skills challenge at 10 different workstations. now the winning pair from north montco technical career center took first place and will head to the national competition in new york. a simple dna test might give you the tools to get in better shape.

here's health reporter and registered nurse ali gorman with a preview of her special report coming up tonight at 11:00. >> scientists have a gene testing company say with just a bit of saliva in this test tube they can read your dna and determine the best diet and exercise plan for your body. >> hard to broadcast how much rest, how much work out. >> a weekly basis they should follow. >> and how certain carbs and fats affect you. we have "action news" viewers try it. >> please tell me that i can eat more carbs. >> plus what skeptics have to say tonight on "action news" at 11:00. >> pretty impressive. >> yeah. >> interesting. >> more sugar, more carbs. time to talk about our wonderful forecast. >> my gosh, everybody smiling everywhere today. meteorologist adam joseph standing by with word on what the weekend has in store adam. >> yeah, you can burn off many of those calories today by going for a walk, a jog, a run, no matter where you are, this was the image when you looked out that beautiful blue

sky. some cumulus clouds at times. again, you have to remind yourself it is february by just looking at the trees and the ground, everything is still brown. this sent into my facebook page from kim in palmyra new jersey right there along the delaware river. this weekend there are changes coming but it will stay warm for another 24 hours or so. 75 in allentown right now down from the all time record high of 77. 73 in reading. 66 wilmington and again right along the shore you know the drill, late winter into the spring, it is always so much colder down there with that wind off the water, temperatures only in the 50's. as we look at satellite and radar you can see some of those clouds to our north and west, a few clouds coming from the. but as we zoom out and we can see a definitive line between chicago, cincinnati there was a severe thunderstorm watch box now up. this is the line of storms that will pass through this time tomorrow from the west to the east and you can seem snow behind this system so there is a lot of cold air waiting in

the wings. so for tonight 54 in allentown, 56 in reading, same for philadelphia, even 50's at the shore, so very mild with some of that patchy fog developing there are late. associatioso here's that day pl. we start with a little fog. but a good amount of sunshine early morning. afternoon is fine. temperatures back into the mid 70's but it's after that 3, 4 o'clock hour we'll be tracking those storms. in fact, future tracker at 3 o'clock there they are entering lancaster reading and allentown so it's pretty late in the day. then it approaches wilmington philadelphia trenton, southern areas by 5 o'clock to 6 o'clock in the evening and again some embedded thunderstorms with gusty winds and then they're off the coast by saturday 8:30 we'll start the drying out process. that four day at 4:00 forecast will show 74 tomorrow and again the afternoon rain and gusty thunderstorms to bring in that change. so, if you're out and enjoying the afternoon and you see the dark clouds, you hear thunder get indoors. then on sunday, wind chills only in the 30's with a high

of 46 despite sunshine, clouds, quickly increase monday, 57 degrees and we're back up to 60 on tuesday, a warm day with a wet day with periods of rain so sunday is one of those days it is going to really play with your head when you step outdoors and realize just how cold it's going to feel. >> i know it's going to be crushing. >> getting back to normal. >> yeah, back to normal. >> adam, thank you. >> all righty. >> okay. he won't play this season. that's the major announcement the sixers made this morning regarding star player ben simmons. general manager brian colangelo held a press conference at the team's practice facility where he broke the news that simmons will miss the entire season. the rookie has been out all year nursing a broken bone in his foot. but the team had hoped that he would return at some point for his first season in the league. but scans taken on the foot yesterday revealed that the injury has not fully healed. >> he's heart broken. he wants to play. he wants to be out there.

it's eating him alive i'm sure but unfortunately that's not going to happen this season. >> the 6-foot 10 standout was philadelphia's first number one overall pick since allen iverson back in 1996 so a lot of people waiting to see this young man hit the court. >> that's right. >> have to wait a little bit longer now. all right. coming up on "action news" at 4:00 today new calls for federal investigation into the deadly prison takeover in smyrna. >> and genius or too hands off? we'll show you some of the new technology and apps allowing parents to outsource some of their duties coming uply in big talkers. >> ♪

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>> ♪ >> the american civil liberties union in delaware is calling for a federal investigation into the hostage situation at the james t. vaughn correctional center. the aclu aren't the delaware coalition of prison reform and justice announced today that they've sent a letter to the justice department. the groups say the officers

deserve a wage increase but they also add there needs to be more funding for programs to help the prisoners. it was february 1st there when an uprising happened at the correctional center. officer steven floyd -- lieutenant steven floyd was killed during that incident. since his death as many as 17 officers have quit or retired. a school bus truck -- a school bus and a truck collided this morning in bala cynwyd montgomery county. this happened around 9:00 a.m. near the intersection of saint aseph and conshohocken state road. into students were on board at the time and no injuries have been reported. the crash closed down saint as7. ph's road while the investigation was under way. >> pennsylvania schools are ode hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes from delinquent property owners and today there's a new effort to collect that. republican congressman pat meehan and senator tom mcgarrigle announced legislation to help the districts recover the money. section eight public housing

landlords who owe. the payments will be diverted to the schools. meehan and mcgarrigle. perfect day for habitat for humanity volunteers to work on this new home in delaware. congresswoman rochester was among the volunteers lending a hand. this is being built in the 1400 block in wilmington. project set to be wrapped up on march tenth. >> there's so much more ahead in the next half hour of "action news" at 4:00. including new details about a hit-and-run that that critically injured a beloved kensington bartender last night. why police believe they're close to finding the driver. >> and it's the experiment that's got the science world buzzing today. what this video of bumble bees playing ball proves about intelligence.

>> ♪ >> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, alicia vitarelli, sharrie williams and brian taff. >> ♪ >> it's 4:30 and "action news" continues with spa treatments slurps and max that are 100 percent off. yes, today is freebie friday. >> ongoing debate over transgender policies in schools has moved from the bathroom to the wrestling mat after a student transitioning from female to male is forced to keep competing against girls.

>> plus from soothing a fussy baby to teaching kids how to brush their teeth, there are a host of new apps and gadgets designed to make raising a child practically hands free. but is it a good idea to outsource parenting? we'll explore in big talkers. >> but we're going to begin now with new details about both the victim of a hit-and-run and the driver. one is on the mend today, the other is on the loose and for more on the man run over near his nome kensington last night we turn now to "action news" reporter vernon odom live in brewerytown where police are investigating. vern. >> reporter: well, they're moving very quickly tonight, brian. tonight police respect hot on the trail of that hit-and-run driver who fled the scene last night leaving the victim badly injured out in the street. tonight this man, 43-year-old krelli plaza alice. he's a local merchant

bartender and bodega employee, a very popular man in this neighborhood. >> i've known him for over 10 years and he's such a great guy. i mean, he's hard working, he love the children. like he was just really, really sweet all the time. he was always working and cooking and just saying hi to everybody who would come by. >> i am so shook up. i can't believe it. because i was in a hit-and-run accident right up there on k and a myself last year. >> reporter: did they ever catch him. >> nope. >> reporter: police believe they have the hit-and-run car a bmw like this one. it was recovered around 1:00 a.m. several blocks weigh. it's being examined for evidence at this hour. there's extensive damage to the driver side of the front windshield. when he was hit he landed on the top of the windshield. police know who the owner of this bmw is but they're unsure who the driver was last night

so they're beginning to close in on a possible suspect. >> time to come forward now to let us know his side of the story fill in some of the blanks. come forward and put their narrative on paper. right now it's a hit-and-run accident crime. are they trying to hide something? >> reporter: so, at this hour, brian, police are telling the driver of that hit-and-run car to come in and talk about it to give his or her side of the story. they believe again that they are about to close in on the driver whoever he or she is. live in brewerytown, i'm vernon odom channel6 "action news." >> all right, vernon, thank you. a 13-year-old boy survived after being hit by a car, dragged and then pinned under the vehicle. crews say it happened about 7:15 this morning near devereaux and rising sun avenues in northeast philadelphia. they say two vehicles crashed and one of those then went onto the sidewalk where the boy was walking. several people were injured as

a result of this crash including the boy who was tine an area hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. >> the fbi is trying to track down a man who tried but failed to rob a center city bank. some grainy images of his face were captured on a security camera during the incident yesterday afternoon. just before 4:30 he walked into the citizens back branch on the 1200 block out of market street. investigators say he demand money from the teller but soon left empty handed and fled into the septa building next door. emergency crews from both bucks and montgomery counties are keeping a close eye on a brush fire that is burning in telford. several acres are burning near county line and ridge roads. officials know the fire sparked just before noon but they aren't sure how yet. one person was treated for breathing difficulties due to all the smoke that's rising in that area. >> well, pretty much everywhere today permanent

smiles, just a lot of joy in the air because of the sun. >> it's a mood booster. >> contagious, yeah. >> it really is. i just fear what people are going to feel when we actually go back to normal, you know what i mean. >> yeah. >> but let's not think about it. >> not yet. >> take in what we have right now. as we take a look at sky6 live over center city a lot of blue just a few cumulus clouds, yes, we tied the record so far in center city of 74 degrees. we're down to 71 right now with a southerly wind very light at 9 miles an hour. areas that not only broke but kind of and smashed some numbers, in allentown at 77, it's their all-time warmest february temperature in history. they have never gotten that warm during the month of february and it was tied for reading at 77 degrees, so impressive warmth even in those northwestern suburbs. spring mountain though you can see the holes are developing in that snow pack with the grass starting to peek through. 73 degrees there right now, winds out of the south at

10 miles an hour or so. the warmth is going to stick around tomorrow. we are tracking storms late in the day tomorrow. if you're planning to go to spring mountain or any resort even in the poconos maybe call ahead and just make sure everything is a-okay where they are before you head up this weekend. >> yeah, hate to get up there and not have. >> exactly. >> local church leaders learning new ways to support people with cancer. representatives from 35 churches learned how to build a cancer care ministry in their congregations. the goal is to be there for patients and help them with their needs after that life altering diagnosis. cancer treatment centers of america hosted this journey of hope training program at its location in juniata park. about 35,000 voters in delaware have the chance to create a power shift in the delaware state senate. "action news" anchor monica malpass now live in the news room with more on tomorrow's special election. monica. >> hi, brian, that's right. three candidates are running to replace democrat bethany hall-long who of course became delaware's lieutenant governor in january.

now the state stands to have its senate 10 democrats, 10 republicans with one empty seat and new at 5:00 we will break down these three candidates who are hoping to come out on top in tomorrow's special election. plus. septa buses are getting a brand new look. tonight the new sets of wheels the agency will debut this year and the improved features on board for all commuters. we'll have those stories and more coming your way in just a little bit on "action news" at 5:00 and we'll see you guys then. >> sounds good. see you in a bit, monica. students in chester upland went head to head in the fifth annual heritage bowl. the parks and recs department hosted the jeopardy style game that many focuses on highlighting african-american history. fifth and sixth grade students from five different schools faced off in council chambers and in the end, main street elementary was the big winner today. >> a new jersey family got the chance to thank everyone who played a role in saving their dog and two cats from a fire. john and kathy of fleming and

two out on new year's eve when adt detected smoke inside their how many times the company quickly called firefighters. it also alerted firefighters that there were three pets inside. once crews found the animals, they gave them oxygen using special pet masks. adt honored the raritan fair company for its work by donating $5,000 to that department. the family also made donations to the fire department and to the rescue squad. one happy family there. >> yeah, big thank you today for them. still ahead if you're sick of the cat fights on keeping up with the kardashian we've got an adorable alternative real cats. we'll show you keeping up with the kartashians straight ahead. >> if you would rather not get up to soothe a baby, there's an a for that now. actually there are dozens of them inside the rise of what many are calling hands free parenting straight ahead. >> and it turns out you can teach an old bee new tricks.

why researchers turned insects into athletes. >> and meteorologist adam joseph standing by with the full accuweather forecast. a bit of an up and down weekend coming here. "action news" at 4:00 continues next.

>> the half brother of north korean dictator kim jong un was killed by a poison so toxic it's considered a weapon of mass destruction. the toxicology report revealed that traces of the deadly nerve agent vx were found on kim jong nam's face. police say two women attacked him at an airport in malaysia last week. kim jong nam died while on the way to the hospital. police are still searching for additional suspects. >> a new app is promising to tackle the issue of fake news even as you read it. authenticated reality is the brainchild of two developers in texas. they say it works like a browser that depends on user generated feedback to verify the information in any given article. now users who are required to

submit photo i.d. can rate each article and comment on it all of which is then visible to anyone else who clicks on that a the service claims it will be more thoreau than current fact checking web sites because its user base can check more than one article at the time. when it launches authenticated reality plans to charge subscribers $20 a year. >> on health check today at 4:00 researchers in london want the world to know that tiny brains can do big things and they're proving in it a rather adorable way. this is video ofa bumble plea playing soccer. scientists in london trained the insects to roll a tiny ball towards a goal by rewarding them with sugar water. well, if a bee couldn't figure out how to get the treat, a researcher would demonstrate this by using a plastic insect on a sting much to the team's surprise the bees caught on within minutes and some even improvised picking the closest

of the three balls even if it wasn't the one that the researchers showed them. >> that's pretty awesome. big talkers now and we start in texas where an undefeated transgender wrestler is trapped in a tricky spot that's become the center of a legal battle. 17-year-old mac banks transitioned from female to male. he wanted to compete against other boys in high school matches but was shot down because texas law requires athletes to compete under the gender listed on their birth certificates. as a result he's not only going up against girls but also qualified for the girls' state tournament. that caused some female athletes to forfeit saying that banks has an unfair advantage because of the testosterone treatments being used during his transition. an attorney tried to keep him from competing and parents say they're also torn but for now banks will wrestle with the girls as this case unfolds. and now to this story.

parent. it's not for the faint of heart as you know fortunately of especially those first few sleepless months but in this techie age of apps and smart everythings moms and dads now have a host of hands free helpers to outsource some of their duties except, of course, those diaper changes, they haven't figured that one out yet but the new crop of graduates is also raising some eyebrows. are thee genius or two hands off? you decide. first dr. harvey carp of the happiest baby fame says he knows what babies need to sleep through the night and now he's selling a bassinet to do the work for you. for about 1100 bucks the snu activates sounds and motions to soothe a fussy baby, leaving mom and dad cozy in their b it just doesn't feed or diaper. octopus by joy is a smart watch that that teaches kids how to do basic things like brush their teeth. it also tells them when to wake up when to have breakfast get dressed do chores pretty much everything they usually need to be reminded or some

might say nagged to do. there's a blue furry thing there named wubo sort of does the same thing. its texting parents when kids complete their tasks and finally, mattel is about to launch a new monitor called aristotle a digital assistant that you control with an app. all of the companies insist the devices are secure but this new age of text parenting has sparked an interesting dep debate. finally the kardashians have that competition. a new family of reality stars perched and ready to pounce. they call themselves keeping up with the katarshians emphasis on cat. this reality web series from our friends in iceland follows four feline siblings who live together in a doll house, yes, that's the whole show. here's a live look at the streaming show which follows the four fuzzy friends who are all rescues. they sleep on their fluffy

cute beds, they eat get in kitty trouble and all of their antics are pretty much breaking the ic icelandic internet. the showily is sponsored bis s. keeping up with the kartas hm ians. >> that was a live look. >> really a live look and you can watch iter to 24/7. >> lots of sleeping. >> nighttime there. >> alicia, thank you. [laughter] >> let's get another check on the roads right now. >> matt standing by with the update for us. hey, matt. >> we wish that the traffic was purring along. we would be feeling warm fuzzies about that. but instead it's the tail of police activity. on the schuylkill expressway westbound between city avenue and belmont. we're not sure exactly what's going on but what we do know is there have been ton of police cruisers on the scene here and we also know that now things are extra jammed on the westbound side of the

schuylkill coming out of center city, the jam really starts right around south street with 5 miles per hour and then it's a long slow crawl out past that police activity again westbound between city avenue and belmont where it's mostly on the side but it's been attracting a lot of attention. stick with the river drives that will save you a little time but speeds are not looking good on the westbound side of the schuylkill right now. in north philadelphia by all-star pizza, we're watching a crash and vehicle fire along 28th at dauphin. also still have that broken down truck on 95 northbound past cottman but luckily that's off to the side and this crash on the pennsylvania turnpike is now off to the side but still just 8 miles per hour coming eastbound away from valley forge through norristown. schuylkill eastbound going to be a little better but not a whole lot. have a crash in limerick township along ridge pike, one on 422 west noun pottstown that's not causing huge delays but we've got an overturned propane truck in chester county blocking pratts dam road. it's a busy friday we'll check

it again brian and sharrie coming up in the 5 o'clock hour. >> matt sounds good. >> meteorologist adam joseph with the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast coming up next. >> ♪ >> are you ready, do you believe? >> rachael: we believe! "no fails monday", kicks off with three baking fails and fixes you need right now! plus, no fail gnocchi next rachael! ♪

>> beautiful day. >> uh-huh. >> out here today. we're heading into the weekend with a little bit of mixed bag this weekend. >> most of the day tomorrow is okay. it's just very late in the afternoon we'll watch for some thunderstorms and then sunday is one of those days you'll step out and go, whoa, whoa. >> where did this come from. >> oh, this is february, yes. as we take a live look right now if you're at the shore today, we've been talking about all this warmth and record setting temperatures inland. live on sky6 at the shore, it is just as beautiful when you take a look at this vantage point but if you took a stroll along a promenade or boardwalk you definitely needed a jacket 'cause temperatures there today only in the 50's. as we look at storm tracker6 live double scan, no

precipitation. that sunshine in control. just a few clouds at times but again, this time tomorrow that radar will be lighting up. as we take a look at the record high temperatures tying in philadelphia of 74 degrees. the all-time highest temperature for the month of february in allentown of 77, tide that same number in reading. trenton 75 degrees and mount pocono smashing their old record, it hit 67 degrees in the mountains today and we're still not far off of that number in mount pocono of 65 degrees. still low to mid 70's to the north and west. you've got that wind out of the southeast, cape may beach haven just 54, 53 degrees but then you don't go far inland and then you jump to 67 at the atlantic city airport. a lot of sun right now. we've got those winds coming in out of the south. that will continue into the first part of the day tomorrow. you can see this line of at times severe thunderstorms now between cincinnati and west of cleveland. not a lot of moisture with it and it's not together to rain for very long tomorrow but as

it pushes through, it will mean some business for a very brief period of time. so, for tomorrow, partly sunny and we'll watch for those afternoon thunderstorms developing, 74 philadelphia, 69 millville. another cool day at the shore and really warm also in the lehigh valley. future tracker 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon there's that line of thunderstorms and gusty thunderstorms entering western lancaster county as well as berks county lehigh valley. then pushes in around the city, trenton, dover, wilmington, 5 o'clock tomorrow early afternoon -- late afternoon early evening and again there will be some embedded thunderstorms. some could be isolated severe tomorrow but then it quickly escapes the coast by 8 o'clock on saturday evening. so, the key time frame 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. from west to east, dangerous lightning, winds gusting over 45 briefly with these storms and the a quick quarter to a half an inch of rain likely. the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast, 74 warm tomorrow but again, stormy late in the day. sunday 46, sun and clouds but

those winds will be whipping when you wake up in the morning, it's going to feel 23 in reading, 28 in allentown, 26 in millville. then the winds will start to die down, temperatures jump back up to 57 monday as the clouds come in. a wet day tuesday at times but warm of 60. same thing for wednesday 65 but not a day to be outdoors and then we start to cool back off at the end of next week as a colder wind comes in by friday brisk and chilly, a high of just 48 degrees. but again, that is normal and that also is going into the month of march, guys. >> yup. all right, adam thank you. >> yeah. >> freebie friday it's coming up next. fios in the house!

dave this fios party is da bomb! fo shizzle! it's tv totally ahead of its time. yo, let me check that. oh snap. that x1 voice remote is crunk! and it lets me search with the sound of my voice. what should i watch? things have come a long way since you got fios. [nervously laughs] what's fios? fios has fallen behind. don't fall with it. xfinity x1 will change the way you experience tv.

this race is consequential. it's all about being able to look your kid in the eye... and say, honey, it's gonna be okay. and this woman understands it in her gut. she gets it. stephanie hansen understands what people need. this election is very, very important to middle class people to live the life they deserve. don't ask yourself the morning after the election "why didn't i vote?" the morning after the election >> it is freebie friday. let's start with snacks and treats. you'll love this. at reading terminal market they are now hosting something really fun and yummy called tasting thursdays free samples

and tastes every thursday from noon to 1:00 and you know there's a lot of delicious stuff going on there. heads up tomorrow is the last saturday to isn't ago free slurpee at 7-eleven. download their app on your phone and head into your local store. with spring on the horizon european wax center helping you get ready for the warmer weather. first time guests can get any kind of complimentary wax. they have a whole long list of the free services that they're offering for women and men and they have about 20 different locations all across our area. so that's a good one. barnes and noble has something fun for book lovers called free fridays. weekend reading is on them. they have a whole list of free ebooks you can download and read right now and into this weekend. and finally for the kids tomorrow usa hockey and over 300 local programs across the country hosting free youth hockey events. kids from the ages four to nine can try youth hockey for free as part of the nhl's come play hockey month. we have the lick when you can

find the location nearest you and details on all the freebies on 6abc.com. >> good stuff alicia. have a good weekend. finally at 4:00 today if the weather isn't giving you that friday feeling then this should do the trick. >> ♪ yes, that's shuffling shimmying stomping grandfather has become the toast of italy after his impromptu performance spread across social media. guy is getting down. a passerby spotted the joyful senior busting a move on the streets of bologna earlier this week. it is simply shared more than 500,000 times. >> he hasn't lost a step. >> everybody's dad right that the. >> it is. >> that's going to do it for "action news" at 4:00 for brian taff alicia vitarelli and adam joseph i'm sharrie williams. join me along with brian adam and ducis rodgers tonight and every night for a full hour of "action news" at 10:00 on phl17. >> we'll see you tonight. in the meantime here are rick and monica with a look at what's up next at 5:00. >> hi there.

thanks guys. coming up next on "action news" at 5:00 tonight new details on the serial exposer on the run in south jersey. the lewd act he's accused of committing and where police are in their search for that suspect. >> plus, health check the startling new numbers from the cdc about drug overdose deaths in the u.s. >> also another check that of accuweather forecast and the changes heading our way this weekend. all that and much more coming up next at 5:00. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with jaime apody, meteorologist cecily tynan, rick williams and monica malpass. >> ♪ >> the search is on for a man who police say is performing lewd acts in public. so far he's been spotted seven times. now officials are hoping this sketch can help get him off the street before he can strike again. friday night and the big story on "action news" is the hunt for that suspect in up. >> new jersey correspondent nora muchanic spoke to a witness to the lewd act. she's live in marlton where police are now stepping up their patrols. good evening, nora. >> reporter: hi there monica, rick. police are in marked cars right now, they're on bicycles, they're undercover all in an effort to catch this guy after an incident yesterday afternoon that took place right in that stand of trees you see behind me.

this morning a chance sighting of the suspect in the woods nearby but the witness says once he called out the man took off. >> and he was wearing all black but i noticed he was like inn like a hunched over position. >> reporter: greg reagan was walking in the woods at kings grant in evesham's marlton section with his three-year-old son this morning when he surprised a man dressed in a black hoodie and cargo pants. >> i yelled to my son get over here and i'm guessing that he thought you a somebody trying to come and get him. he just -- he just took off running as fast as he possibly could. >> reporter: police suspect it may be this man who is wanted for a series of lewd acts in the kings grant area. police say there have been at least seven incidents since june typically in the afternoon during warm weather. >> he's been approaching females that have been walking or jogging and this subject has proceeded to pull down his pants and masturbate in front of the females. >> reporter: thursday afternoon he did it near these trees at the intersection of kings grant and wood lake drive and then ran into the woods. pleased used