i can tell you, today, the representative ron waters and vanessa brown's office will not comment.e d.a. says both personally told the grand jury they knew they were selling the influence of their office. >> fully admitted that they knowingly took illegal cash payments. >> state representatives ron waters and vanessa brown are among the five representatives that were accused of selling their office in an undercover sting investigation. an investigation state attorney general kathleen kane said she could not prosecute. today, district attorney seth williams said the grand jury found much of the evidence against these two representatives as simple as hitting the play button. on undercover video. the d.a. says waters took an envelope stuffed with $1,000 worth of cash during his first meeting from a confidential informant. >> at the next meeting the informant reiterated he was paying waters to, quote, exercise that god-given right of leave leverage. he passed waters another $500 in cash. all together, representative waters took illegal cash nine separate times. >> reporter: the distric

philadelphia are busted in an undercover sting, seth williams, state representatives waters and vanessa brownhe says that the pair were caught on camera, accepting thoughts of dollars for favors and both admitted to wrongdoing. >> both officials personally appeared before the grand jury and fully, i repeat fully admitted that they knowingly took ill -- illegal cash payments. >> an exphiladelphia traffic court judge was charged back in october. >>> you'll have to look up to see philadelphia's newest tourist attraction, mayor michael nutter announced that an observation deck is coming to one liberty place, the space will give the public a chance to check it out from a height of 57 stories, 56 out of paris operate the facility, is expected to open next summer. >>> eagles have an injury problem so if you can't go that is not good news. and the running back robert griffin iii and the birds have to bounce back after losing to straight game for the first time this season. >> the eagles got back to work vowing to put sunday's debacle behind them. is it hard to let that go? >> it's not easy, but have

seth williams unveiled indictment today against vanessa brown and ronald waters. williams says, that both of these philadelphia democrats took bribes, and, brown allegedly accepting a total of $4,000, waters close to $9,000. >> both officials, personally appeared, before our grand jury. and fully, i repeat, fully admitted, that they neglectly, took illegal, cash payments. >>> this is the same under cover operation, that snared the former traffic judge, who was sentenced earlier this month to two years in prison. >>> the city of philadelphia wants to give visitors a whole new view of the city. mayor michael nutter and tourism officials have announced a creation of the new observation deck at one liberty place in center city. it is scheduled to open sometime in the summer of 2015. the project will be over seen by a paris firm men for managing observation decks all around the world. >> santa got an early start today, thanks to some help from the salvation army. the center in roxborough distributed toys with the help of volunteers. they work with parents to pick out t

additional lawmakers were wls arrested in connection with that operation yesterday, ronald waters and vanessa browne both facing charges of bribery. >>> new life for an historic shop in philadelphia's brewery town neighborhood. council president daryll clark was on hand at 29th street and girard avenue. a hot shop stood here for 70 years. now it's home to apartments and several businesses, including a restaurant, a record store and a barber shop. >>> new at 6:00, good news for new jersey public schools. a new report from the state education department finds public schools became safer last year with fewer instances of violence or drug abuse. the overall reports of crime on campus, down 9% from the year before. >> for decades, the mummers have welcomed the new year with a strut on main street. >> this year they're planning a second parade, good old-fashioned strutting music. ♪ that's what welove to hear as the mummers announced today they'll march down main street in manayunk in february. the parade is set for sunday, february 22nd. we first broke this story last night at 11:00. string bands will pl

state representatives vanessa brown and ronald waters were indicted today.ladelphia da seth williams says both the democrats took bribes. brown allegedly accepted $4,000, waters $9,000. >> both officials personally appeared before our grand jury and fully, i repeat fully admitted that they knowingly took illegal cash payments. >> now these same undercover sting ensnared former traffic judge thomasine tynes. earlier this month she was sentenced to two years in jail. >> radnor police say eight people wanted for crimes walked right into their custody. offers sent them fake letters telling them they had unclaimed money but when the suspects arrived at the store front address to collect that money they were arrested. these people were wanted for outstanding fines, dui's theft or burglary. some didn't realize it was a trick even after the handcuffs went on. >> they were taken into custody, we were walking out then asked the question if they were still going to get the check, could they use that towards their bail in a very serious manner. >> out of the eight peopl

state representative vanessa brown and ronald waters, they are both charge with conspiracy, conflict of interest and bribery. d.a. seth williams says both of the democrats took bribes. brown allegedly accepted $4,000. waters, $9,000. >> both officials personally appeared before our grabbed jury, and fully, i repeat, fully admitted that they neglectly took illegal cash payments. >> same under cover operation a has snared former traffic judge thomassin tynes. earlier this month she was sentenced to two years in prison. >>> president obama has signed $1.1 trillion spending bill that keeps the the government operating over the next nine months. legislation retains cuts, negotiated in previous budget battles and rolls back some banking regulations. however, it keeps spending for the president's health care law, and pace for the administration's fight against ebola. >>> there is much more to come here on "eyewitness news", a new revelation about the gone man who took hostages in an australian cafe. >>> flyers try to avoid the bolt of lightening. we are back in a couple minutes. good mornin

representatives ron wattarers a vanessa brown are set for hearings on bribery and conspiracy charges. philadelphia d.a. seth williams got a grand jury indictment against those five after kathleen kane said the case was. >>> victims for an unsolved murders that happened ten years ago. happened at the big and tall store on kirkland highway on this day in 2004. a robber shot and killed two employees. 18-year-old a friend organized a balloon release ceremony tonight and hopes a decade of guilt will lead someone to come forward in the case. >>> setting fire to a school building forcing the evacuation of 200 students who were taking finals. prosecutors say he set that fire last saturday at rutgers but the fire heavily damaged a hallway and a classroom. >>> this morning, philadelphia can claim its own miraculous birth on christmas. last night two septa police officers got a call about a woman in labor. the officers helped the woman deliver a baby boy, even removing its umbilical cord from around its neck. they spoke with the officers about the amazing delivery. >> got to ask. were you nervou

representatives ron watters and vanessa brown are set for preliminary hearings on bribery and conspiracy charges. authorities say they were among five lawmakers caught in an undercover sting. philadelphia district attorney seth williams got a grand jury indictment after state attorney general kathleen kane said the case was racially targeted and could not be prosecuted. >>> 6:05 now, it may not win many oscars but the movie "the interview" is being seen by a lot of americans who are determined to exercise free speech. hundreds of small theaters across the nation showed the comedy about an assassination plot. sony pictures initially pulled the film after hackers threatened the movie theaters showing it, but no security problems are reported at any of the theaters that premiered "the interview" yesterday. every showing sold out yesterday. they say they came out to make a statement against north korea who the u.s. blames for those threats. >> want to wish a merry christmas, you know, hackers or anything to feel like they can achieve their goals. >> penn cinema will show "the interview" agai

is announcing arrests of two more elected officials, michael waters and vanessa brown is charged with conflict of interest in a sting. d.a. seth williams says that both lawmakers admitted to taking the cash, they took up the case after district attorney kathleen kane failed to take up the case saying the evidence was flawed. a traffic court judge was charged in october and two others were reported as targets of the sting but they have not yet been charged . >>> two people accused of attacking a gay couple in philadelphia are going to court. they are accused of using gay clurs before attacking the couple. they say both parties played a role and sexual orienttation was not an issue. >>> his rap sheet did not stand in the way of landing a job as a santa. norman burbank was sentenced to 12 years in prison to sexually assaulting a boy. now kids are sitting on his lap and reading off their lists and it's not illegal. >> it's unsettling, but it was not a violation of texas law. >> that is because he is not on parole or probation and not prohibited for being with kids under the age of 17. >>>

seth williams unveiled against state representative vanessa brown and ronald waters. williams says both of the philadelphia democrats took bribes, and brown allegedly accepted a total of $4,000, waters, close to 9,000. >> both officials, personally, appeared, before our grand jury, and, fully, i repeat, fully admitted, taking and neglectly took illegal cash payments. >> this is same uncover operation that thomassin tynes. earlier she was sentenced to two years in prison. >>> three young suspects accused in the beating of the same sex couple appeared in the philadelphia courtroom for their preliminary hearing today. one of the victims took the stan. reporter tony hanson from her sister station kyw news radio was there. >>> it was an attack, he and her boyfriend were walking in center city when they were attack. first verbally and then physically. he a says there were cursees, and gay slurs. >> the evidence showed without any doubt this was about sexual orientation. there was no other interaction between these people until somebody decided to start commenting to these t

brown shooting in ferguson. >>> happening today, two state lawmakers from philadelphia will be in court to face corruption charges. representatives ron waters and vanessalarry brown are set for preliminary hears on bribery and conspiracy charges. authorities say they were among five lawmakers caught in an undercover sting. philadelphia d.a. seth williams got a grand jury indictment after kathleen kane said the case was racially targeted and could not be prosecuted. >>> happening today in delaware, a balloon release ceremony will be held in wilmington to remember the victims of an unsolved murder that happened ten years ago today. a robber shot and killed matthew macerato and jessica watson on this day ten years ago. it happened in wilmington. a friend of macerato who organized tonight's vigil hope a decade of guilt will lead someone to come forward in the case. >>> ending a 60-day deployment. the crew has been on patrol to the caribbean straits. they intercepted drug smugglers confiscating nearly $1 million worth of cocaine. >>> and thanks to some local families and the american red cross, coast guard recruits at the jersey shore are feeling more at ho

representatives ron waters and vanessa lowery brown were five snagged in an undercover sting operationn kathleen kane inherited the investigation, she said it was racially targeted and could not be prosecuted. district attorney seth williams took the investigation to a grand jury and said jurors just hit the play button in the case of brown. >> i need a contribution. i'll take cash, the informant, how much? ç brown, 500. is that too much? >> eventually the d.a. says brown introduced the government agent to traffic court judge who was recently indicted. but prosecutors say representative waters was the first to take the bait in exchange for influence with the parking authority. he was also recorded. >> informant, it's the usual amount, it's 500. waters, okay, my man. informant, all right. waters, my man, that's two grand. that's for you. waters, okay. informant, just make sure you vote no on that. waters, okay. >> both representative waters and brown were released on their own recognizance in dauphin county today. if convicted both representatives would leave their political office. li

but charged with corruption tonight state representative ron waters and vanessa lowry brown both of the philadelphia area. wee relying on audio and video taped recorded by a confidential informant city diss da seth williams took the case to a grand jury and got the charges. they're alleged to have taken cash for favors. williams said they admitted it. >> both officials personally appeared before our grand jury, and fully, i repeat, fully admitted that they knowingly took illegal cash payments. >> reporter: now ex traffic court tomasine tynes already charged in this case is expected to plead guilty wednesday. attorney general kane some will argue this is a black eye for her. in a statement says she supports the efforts of all das to get equal justice unthe law in the newsroom, i'm jeff cole. back to you. >> jeff, thank you. >>> it will be a happier holiday for several pennsylvania families. >> yes, it will. a man calling himself santa walked into a wal*mart, did something amazing. we'll explain. >>> and it may sound like a hollywood movie spot but this is real life incredible video as th

. >>> happening today, philadelphia state representatives ron waters and vanessa lowery brown are set for preliminary hears on bribery and conspiracy charges. they were among five lawmakers caught in an undercover sting. indictment after kathleen kane said the case was racially charged and could not be prosecuted. >>> count on nbc 10 to bring you updates on those stories. >>> here are three others we will be following for you today. we'll bring you video from new york city as colleagues and families say good-bye to one of the two police officers killed in that ambush last week. a wake will be held for rafael ramos. services for his partner have not been finalized. >>> here in our area a balloon release ceremony will be held in willemten to remember the victims of an unsolved murder ten years ago. shot and killed matthew macerato and jessica watson in the big & tall store in the basement. >>> african heritage within african-american culture. we'll see how groups in this yare rucelebrating the holiday. >>> on this morning after christmas, philadelphia can proclaim its own birth miracle.

representatives rob waters and vanessa lowry brown turned themselves in on bribery-related charges yesterday. the district attorney says the democrats admitted to taking illegal cash payments. he says a lobbyist turned informant recorded conversations of him giving money to waters and brown in exchange for their influence in harrisburg. >> i need a contribution. i'll take cash. informant -- "how much?" brown -- "$500, is that too much?" >> that's the d.a. reading the transcript of the investigation there. two other state representatives from philadelphia are also accused in this scandal along with tynnes, as we mentioned earlier. charges have not yet been filed against the other two. >>> we have new information this morning in the case of a man accused of kidnapping a philadelphia woman. the federal trial for delvin barnes was moved from next month to may of next year because the defense requested additional time. barnes is accused of abducting carlesha freeland-gaither off of a germantown street on november 2nd. we all remember the surveillance video of her abduction there. investigators tr

representatives ron waters and vanessa lowery brown turned themselves in yesterday on bribery-related charges. philadelphia's d.a. says the democrats admitted to taking illegal cash payments. he says a lobbyist turned informant recorded conversations of him giving money to waters and brown in exchange for their influence in harrisburg. >>> "i need a contribution. i'll take cash." informant -- "how much?" brown -- "$500. is that too much?" >> two other state representatives from philadelphia are also accused in this scandal, though charges have not yet been filed. >>> 5:06 now. the montgomery county teen who was convicted of stabbing his girlfriend to death is set to be sentenced in court today. tristan stahley killed julianne siller in may 2013 and left her body in a wooded area of skippack township. police say he told his mother what he did and she turned him in. because stahley was 16 at the time, he faces 35 years to life in prison, instead of the automatic life sentence. >>> and happening today in berks county, the tractor-trailer driver who is charged in a deadly crash will appea

representatives ron waters and vanessa lowery brown, both of west philadelphia, turned themselves in yesterday. philadelphia's district attorney says a lobbyist-turned-informant recorded conversations of him giving money to waters and brown in exchange for their influence in harrisburg. two other state representatives from philadelphia are also accused in this scandal, though charges against them have not yet been filed. >>> we have new information thi bucks county coin shop robbery. david piergrossi on the left was arraigned last night. daniel leflar is awaiting a preliminary hearing in custody. they are seen in this video at coin and collectibles last week. they say they tied up several people and smashed cases and stole coins. >>> new this morning, a north jersey athletic director is suspended following a high school football team hazing scandal. the sayreville board of education made that decision last night. younger players claim that their teammates held them down, beat them, even sexually assaulted them. the head football coach is suspended from teaching and coaching, and seve

representative ron waters and vanessa lowery brown turned themselves in to state police in harrisburgtheir arrest are the result of a grand jury indictment announced by district attorney seth williams. >> both officials personally appear before our grand jury and fully, i repeat, fully admitted that they knowingly took illegal cash payments. >> state representatives waters and brown are among four state reps and one traffic judge accused of selling their office in an undercover sting investigation and investigation state attorney general kathleen kane said she could not prosecute today. the attorney general said in a statement she supports the efforts of the d.a. >>> in just hours, red light cameras across the state of new jersey will go dark. they've been catching drivers in the act for years. why the money-making spáe ticket program is about to become history. nbc 10 has video that philadelphia police want you to see. it starts as a knock on the door of a bar but quickly turns violent. what the bad guy is accused of doing next. >> and pot by the pound. 100 pounds of the drug were fo

strawberry mansion was organize by philadelphia area state representative and black caucus chair vanessa lowery brown, but she insists that her constituents call for it a as they watched protest percolate across the u.s. following grand jury decision toss not charge the the officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men eric garner a and mike brown. >> people were calling, and saying what are we going to do. >> reporter: at the podium speakers spoke about the closed door nature of grand jury proceedings. >> no achievement that we make is safe when we can be gunned down abe it can be lethal. >> reporter: panel collectively soluted demonstrators. >> what they are doing today and in these protests all over the country, it is not only laying a foundation for change now but also for those yet unborn. >> reporter: meantime state lawmakers say measures addressing police procedures have been drafted and they hope to put them in the pipeline for review and vote in the new year. looking live now at the a view from chopper three they are over the demonstrators making their way from bryn mawr to this die i

state representative vanessa lowry brown just finished speaking saying there is a collective frustrationa result of the shooting in ferguson, the choke hold death in new york, what seems to be a lack of concern for the value of minority citizens' lives. reverend robert shine expressed his frustration also just a couple minutes ago. >> an atmosphere of distrust has escalated. the meaning of the word or the mentioning of the word police and their awrrival in our neighborhoods strikes fear and intimidati intimidation, and the question is who they will -- who will they shoot and kill next? >> the group says whether it's departmental change or cultural change, it must happen. they want to support that. they want to be part of the discussion. live in the strawberry mansion section of philadelphia, lieu a ann cahn. >>> officials are worried about more death and destruction as the typhoon heads to manila. miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: after smashing into the philippines over the weekend, this massive killer storm claimed at least 21 lives, washed out roads, and swept away homes. now it's

representatives ron waters and vanessa lowery brown turned themselves in yesterday. philadelphia's district attorney says an informant recorded conversations of him giving money to waters and brown in exchange for their influence. traffic court judge thomasine tynes is expected to enter a guilty plea later today. two other state representatives from philadelphia are accused in this scandal but have not yet been charged. >>> there is help for parents whose children attend a new castle county charter school. the charter for maurice moyer academic institution in wilmington is being revoked at the end of the school year. so, now families can learn more about enrolling their children elsewhere next year. a meeting is scheduled for 6:00 tonight at the school. >>> and happening today, the nativity scene at philadelphia's love park will be blessed. bishop john mcintyre will preside over the ceremony, starting at 4:00 this afternoon. students from st. francis xavier parish elementary school will also perform traditional christmas carols there. >>> and mayor michael nutter too

the evidence, better philadelphia state representatives ron water and vanessa lou willingly brown, by confident informant, trading cash fosh political favors. da seth williams say the pair admit they did it, this comes from a controversial corruption sting running out of the office of the attorney general. when governor corbett was ag. the new ag, kathleen cane, refuels today prosecute, claiming the sting, which ensnared four and traffic court judge, poorly run, and partially racially tainted. a play-by-play call of what specifically is on tape. >> the office and the capital, informant hasn't dollars the representative an envelope containing $2,000 in cash. brown was related. oh, good, good looking, she said, oh, we, thank you twice. >> representative waters attorney say he may try and cut a deal to save his pension. he in fact turned himself in yesterday as did representative brown. cane said in a statement while she did have concerns about the case, she supports the effort of all district attorneys to win justice under the law. >> new jersey experiments with red light cameras, and t

ron waters and vanessa lowery brown.ot be prosecuted. >>> today starts kwanza the holiday dates back to the 1960s, each day of the seven-day celebration carries a core principle, unity, self-determination and faith. we'll have another update in 25 minutes, you can get the latest news and weather at nbc10.com. have a nice day. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on this friday morning, december 26th, 2014. i'm tamron hall along with sheinelle jones. >> good morning. >> dylan dreyer. >> good morning. >> the crew. the rest of "the take" at home relax relaxing. >> what do you say? >> a lot of people say happy holiday weekend because you have kwanzaa come inging up and new year's. >> happy holiday weekend. >> yesterday how did you spend your christmas? was it a good day? >> it was awesome. you can't get better when you surprise family for christmas eve. i went up. we drove up to boston. n

el de erik garner en nueva york y michael brown, en misuri parecen haber dividido al pas en opiniones sobre si un gran jurado tomo la decisin correcta.. vanessa tiene los detalles---- take pkg 0:01 1:11 las calles de chicago vivieron una nueva jornada protestas este domingo. cientos de los manifestantes marcharon en protesta por lo que ha dividido al pais entero!! la noche antes el jugador de baloncesto derrick rose estrella de los chicago bulls llego a la cancha con una camistea que decia "no puedo respirar" en referencia a la frase que repetia eric garner durante el inicidente en el que fallecio. "nat sound miami" en miami decenas de personas se reunieron hoy a manifestarse en contra de la desicion del gran jurado de no encausar a los policias involucrados en ambos casos. "por que esta aqui hoy?" "que lo trajo aqui?". en nueva york ni la lluvia detuvo a los protestantes que marcharon el sabado en la noche hasta la estacion de trenes grand central en repudio por lo que califican como falta de transparecia de la policia! en seattle washington cientos de personas marcharon pacificamente hasta la central de la policia, las autoridades aseguran

este caso y el de michael brown, se ven en toda la nacion......en dos casos que parecen haber dividido al pas en opiniones sobre si un gran jurado tomo la decisin correcta.. vanessahauc tiene los detalles---- take pkg 0:01 1:11 las calles de chicago vivieron una nueva jornada protestas este domingo. cientos de los manifestantes marcharon en protesta por lo que ha dividido al pais entero!! la noche antes el jugador de baloncesto derrick rose estrella de los chicago bulls llego a la cancha con una camistea que decia "no puedo respirar" en referencia a la frase que repetia eric garner durante el inicidente en el que fallecio. "nat sound miami" en miami decenas de personas se reunieron hoy a manifestarse en contra de la desicion del gran jurado de no encausar a los policias involucrados en ambos casos. "por que esta aqui hoy?" "que lo trajo aqui?". en nueva york ni la lluvia detuvo a los protestantes que marcharon el sabado en la noche hasta la estacion de trenes grand central en repudio por lo que califican como falta de transparecia de la policia! en seattle washington cientos de personas marcharon pacificamente hasta la central de la policia, las autoridades asegu