NBC 10 - Philadelphia Local News

Amazon Finalizes Bensalem Lease, Eyes Other Building in Northeast Philly

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:21:14 GMT

Amazon Inc. has wrapped up a lease on a 235,240-square-foot warehouse in Bensalem that it had been working on for several months and is hashing out another deal to occupy a building in Northeast Philadelphia, sources tell the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The lease in Bensalem and prospective lease on a 207,500-square-foot building at 3025 Meetinghouse Rd. in Philadelphia continues Amazon’s strategy of locking in last-mile delivery locations and creating a ring of distribution sites around the region.

The deals are also both at buildings that were developed on speculation — with no tenants lined up — underscoring the demand for warehouse-distribution centers and the calculated risk some real estate companies are taking that demand will continue.

Get all your business news at the Philadelphia Business Journal.

NJ Child Sex Abuse Convictions Reversed Over Disputed Theory

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:03:10 GMT

New Jersey’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the reversal of several child sex abuse convictions in which experts testified about a now-disputed theory, in a ruling that could affect dozens of other similar cases.

The justices concluded 7-0 that a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of a theory known as child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome can be applied retroactively to other cases currently being appealed.

The court reversed three of the four convictions on appeal Wednesday; in the fourth, they ruled the admission of the expert testimony didn’t deny the defendant a fair trial, and let his conviction stand.

Last year, an appeals court had thrown out the convictions in all four cases. At that time, the state had estimated as many as 40 other cases on appeal could be affected by the 2018 ruling if it was applied retroactively.

Child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome, a theory developed in the 1980s, seeks to explain behaviors among alleged victims, including feelings of helplessness, keeping the abuse secret and recanting allegations about abuse after they’re made.

The Supreme Court in 2018 concluded that not all aspects of the theory are well-defined or scientifically proven, and that expert testimony about those aspects should not be introduced as evidence. The court wrote that prosecutors could still present expert testimony on delayed disclosure of abuse, which it considered an accepted theory, providing a jury was given specific instructions about the testimony.

In arguments before the court in March, the state argued that the 2018 ruling should only apply to future cases because it amounted to a “seismic” shift in the law.

While noting that its earlier ruling “represents a fundamental and unexpected shift in the law,” the court wrote Wednesday that ensuring proceedings are fair to both the accused and the victim guided its decision.

“We are mindful of and find compelling the survivors’ interests here, but we cannot place their well-founded concerns about having to testify again above a defendant’s right to a fair trial,” the justices wrote.

The state attorney general’s office declined comment on the ruling Wednesday.

1.2 Million Seek Jobless Aid After $600 Federal Check Ends

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 11:51:28 GMT

Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired.

The government’s report Thursday did offer a smidgen of hopeful news: The number of jobless claims declined by 249,000 from the previous week, after rising for two straight weeks, and it was the lowest total since mid-March.

Still, claims remain at alarmingly high levels: It is the 20th straight week that at least 1 million people have sought jobless aid. Before the pandemic hit hard in March, the number of Americans seeking unemployment checks had never surpassed 700,000 in a week, not even during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, called the drop in weekly claims “a move in the right direction.” But in a research note, she added:

“Repeated shutdowns for virus containment remain a threat to the labor market, which is already weak. The possibility of mounting layoffs that could become permanent is high. Without effective virus containment, the recovery remains at risk from ongoing job losses that could further restrain incomes and spending.”

The pandemic, the lockdowns meant to contain it and the wariness of many Americans to venture back out to eat, shop or travel have delivered a devastating blow to the economy despite the government’s emergency rescue efforts. The nation’s gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, shrank at an annual rate of nearly 33% from April through June. It was by far the worst quarterly fall on record, though the economy has rebounded somewhat since then.

On Friday, the government is expected to report a sizable job gain for July — 1.6 million. Yet so deeply did employers slash payrolls after the pandemic paralyzed the economy in March that even July’s expected gain would mean that barely 40% of the jobs lost to the coronavirus have been recovered.

And the pace of hiring is clearly slowing. A resurgence of cases in the South and the West has spread elsewhere and upended hopes for a speedy economic recovery as bars, restaurants and other businesses have had to delay or reverse plans to reopen and rehire staff.

All told, 16.1 million people are collecting traditional unemployment benefits from their state. For months, the unemployed had also been receiving the $600 a week in federal jobless aid on top of their state benefit. But the federal payment expired last week. Congress is engaged in prolonged negotiations over renewing the federal benefit, which would likely be extended at a reduced level.

In the meantime, millions of the unemployed suddenly have less money to pay for essentials. Many of them are among the 23 million people nationwide who are at risk of being evicted from their homes, according to The Aspen Institute, as moratoriums enacted because of the coronavirus expire.

Last week, an additional 656,000 people applied for jobless aid under a program that has extended eligibility for the first time to self-employed and gig workers. That figure isn’t adjusted for seasonal trends, so it’s reported separately.

The Labor Department said Thursday that a total of 31.3 million people are now receiving some form of unemployment benefits, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by some states.

A study released Monday by Cornell University found that 31% of those laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic had been laid off a second time. An additional 26% of people who were called back to work reported being told that they might lose their jobs again.

After the springtime lockdowns, restaurants and bars had begun to reopen. Yet many soon had to re-close as viral cases surged, especially in the Sun Belt. In Texas, for instance, just 26% of bars were closed on June 21. Two weeks later, the figure had shut up to 74%, though it has since come down slightly, according to the data firm Womply.

In Florida, whose tourism industry has been pummeled by the pandemic, John Brenner has lost his position as a hotel manager. A 38-year-old from Plantation, Florida, Brenner has now been out of work for four months.

Florida’s weekly unemployment aid is capped at $275 a week, so “I’m quite reliant on that extra $600,” Brenner said.

“That extra $600 put me at just about what I was making when I was working,” he said. “And I’d much rather be working. I’m going very stir-crazy.”

The stress, fear and sadness over prolonged unemployment, Brenner said, have diminished everything from his diet to his ability to sleep. He said he’s angry that the U.S. Senate has balked at extending the extra unemployment aid at its current level.

“The anxiety the Senate is giving me isn’t helping much,’’ Brenner said.

Clover Williams, a teacher in Gallup, New Mexico, said she was laid off “right when the thing runs out — the extra $600 runs out.’’

She received one unemployment check that included the $600 payment. Without it, Williams, 63, worries that she won’t be able to pay her utility bills or medical expenses.

____

AP writers Christopher Rugaber and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.

Ex-West Philly Rep. Ordered to Begin House-Arrest Sentence

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 11:42:00 GMT

A former Pennsylvania state representative has been ordered to begin serving the house-arrest portion of her sentence in the theft of money from a nonprofit she established for the needy.

A judge said during a hearing Wednesday that probation officials weren’t able to set up house arrest for 54-year-old Movita Johnson-Harrell when she was released from jail in April because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Johnson-Harrell told the judge that she contracted COVID-19 in jail and recovered while self-quarantining at home.

Johnson-Harrell, a Democrat who represented part of West Philadelphia, was accused of taking money from the nonprofit and spending it on vacations, clothing and other personal needs. She pleaded guilty to felony theft and perjury and no contest to misdemeanor charges related to campaign and state financial reports.

She served two months in jail and was ordered to spend 8 1/2 months on house arrest and repay the nonprofit.

FIRST ALERT: Showers, Storms Bring More Flooding Threats to Philly Region

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 10:37:59 GMT

What to Know

More rounds of rain and storms are causing flash flooding threats in the Philadelphia region Thursday into Friday night.
A First Alert for localized flash flooding due to already saturated ground is in effect for Philadelphia, the immediate Pennsylvania suburbs, all of Delaware and all of South Jersey.
This threat isn’t expected to be as widespread as the flooding left by Tropical Storm Isaias earlier in the week.

With more showers and scattered storms expected, flooding is a threat again the next couple days.

A First Alert for flash flooding and gusty winds is in effect for Thursday morning through at least Friday night for Philadelphia, the immediate Pennsylvania suburbs, all of Delaware and all of South Jersey.

A First Alert for localized flash flooding is in effect into Friday evening.

The flooding threat and intense winds from storms — especially to the south — are expected to be more isolated than earlier in the week. One neighborhood could get a heavy downpour, while another place nearby get far less rain.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Isaias on Tuesday left the ground saturated in much of the region so it won’t take much to cause flooding. Just an inch of rain could cause flash flooding in some places. Any flooding that occurs on Thursday into Friday isn’t expected to be as widespread, however.

Thursday morning, a line of severe thunderstorms moved through Delaware and into South Jersey. Those storms reportedly packed wind gusts up to 70 mph and hail. Flash flooding warnings were also in effect Thursday morning as inches of rain fell in those areas in a short period of time.

Showers and thunderstorms also moved through Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs Thursday morning. Leading to damp roads, thunder and soaking already waterlogged areas during the morning commute.

By 10 a.m., neighborhoods were already drying out. Don’t be fooled. Another round of showers and storms is expected later on Thursday.

The greatest chance for showers and storms comes Thursday night and overnight into Friday, but the threat remains throughout each day.

If you see flooded roads turn around and don’t drown.

Highs on Thursday won’t get past the low 80s. On Friday, the forecast high is in the upper 70s.

Stick with the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team on air throughout the day and download the app to stay ahead of the storm even if you lose power.

NJ Woman, Granddaughter Sickened By Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Running Generator

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 05:17:00 GMT

A grandmother and a young girl were hospitalized in New Jersey after getting sickened from carbon monoxide poisoning stemming from a generator used after losing power, police said.

The 61-year-old woman called police Tuesday after she found herself having difficulty breathing and was fatigued, according to Patch. She told them she was at her home in South Brunswick, and believed she may be having a heart attack, Patch reported.

When police arrived at the Robin Road residence, they found a generator was running right outside the home’s backdoor, and fumes were able to come in through an open window. The officers got the woman and child out of the house, and notified the fire department.

Kendall Park Fire Chief Chris Perez told Patch that when crews arrived, they found that the generator had been running — and pouring the noxious gas into the home — for eight hours. He said the carbon monoxide levels were 350 parts per million, calling it a “lethal amount.”

“You will start to feel disoriented and sick right away. The problem is most people think they are just tired. It will kill you,” Perez told Patch. A police official also said that had officers waiting inside the home, they would’ve been overcome by the carbon monoxide as well.

The woman and child were hospitalized and kept overnight. Their conditions Wednesday were not clear.

Perez stressed that generators need to be at least 10-15 away from homes, and not in an enclosed space in order to prevent poisoning accidents.

NJ Man Dead After Possible Electrocution While Cleaning Up Debris in Lawn From Isaias

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 04:45:00 GMT

A New Jersey man died in what is believed to be an electrocution as he was cleaning up his lawn of the debris that came as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias, police said.

River Vale police said that the 60-year-old man was cleaning up in his backyard around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when he apparently came in contact with some downed wires.

Initial reports said the man was found unresponsive and not breathing when police arrived at the Demarest Avenue home.

Police are looking into whether the man was electrocuted, but said it was still too early in the investigation to determine a cause of death. Chopper footage from earlier in the day showed law enforcement going in and out of the home.

Authorities are advising residents to stay away from downed power lines or tree limbs that may have come in contact with live wires, as post-storm cleanup continues all over the tri-state. As of Wednesday night, there were still nearly two million customers throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who were without power due to the powerful winds of Isaias, which brought down more trees and electrical poles than Superstorm Sandy did in 2012.

Girl, 6, Shot in the Chest During Shootout in West Philadelphia

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 01:38:26 GMT

What to Know

A 6-year-old girl is in stable condition after she was shot in the chest during a shootout in West Philadelphia Wednesday night.
The girl was outside on 42nd Street and Mantua Avenue around 9:20 p.m. when gunshots rang out.
No arrests have been made in the shooting.

A 6-year-old girl is recovering after she was shot in the chest during a gun battle in West Philadelphia Wednesday night.

The girl was outside her home on 42nd Street and Mantua Avenue around 9:20 p.m. when at least two gunmen started firing at each other, police said. The girl was shot at least once in the chest and taken to Temple University Hospital where she is currently in stable condition.

Annie Small, who was working near the scene of the shooting, heard the shots being fired and at first thought they were firecrackers. She still grabbed her co-worker and took cover however. Small said she wasn’t very surprised when she found out it was actually a shooting.

“It’s crazy today. These kids. They’re young and dumb,” Small said. “They got the guns. They need to put the guns down. About ‘Black Lives Matter.’ If it matters, make it matter. You know? Stop saying it and then shooting each other. For what?”

Philadelphia Aug 3

7-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Struck by Stray Bullet During Philadelphia Shootout

gun violence Aug 3

Kids Getting Caught in Crossfire as US Gun Violence Surges

Philadelphia Aug 4

Names of 2 More Suspects in Boy's Shooting Death Announced

No arrests have been made and police have not revealed information on any suspects. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw also arrived at the scene and said they need witnesses to come forward.

“A beautiful six-year-old girl was shot while enjoying a warm summer evening in her neighborhood,” Outlaw wrote in a statement.

“This is not acceptable, this is not normal and this is not something that we should ever tolerate or being immune to as a society. Our children are our future, and we all have a duty and an obligation to keep our children safe from harm.”

If you have any information on the shooting, please call Philadelphia police.

Earlier this week, a 7-year-old boy died from his injuries after being struck by a stray bullet during a shootout in West Philadelphia over the weekend.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

Gunman Shoots Woman on SEPTA Platform in West Philadelphia

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:38:29 GMT

What to Know

A woman was shot multiple times by a gunman while waiting at the SEPTA station on 46th and Market streets.
The woman was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
No arrests have been made.

A gunman shot a woman who was standing on a SEPTA platform in West Philadelphia.

The 33-year-old woman was waiting at the SEPTA station on 46th and Market streets shortly after 3 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire.

The woman was shot multiple times in the stomach and once in the left leg. She was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Police have not yet revealed her condition.

A weapon has not been recovered and no arrests have been made. Police have not released a description of any suspects.

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

Anne Hathaway, Cissy Houston, Eli Manning Headed for NJ Hall of Fame

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:48:30 GMT

Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, Grammy Award-winning singer Cissy Houston and “Good Times” actor John Amos are among this year’s inductees into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

The winners for the Hall’s 12th class were announced Wednesday morning.

Others known as the state’s best and brightest include Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, author Fran Lebowitz and Fairleigh Dickinson, benefactor of the university named after him.

Poet and journalist Joyce Kilmer, who has had a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop plaza named after her for years, will also be inducted into the new class. She lived in New Brunswick.

“These Garden State heroes perfectly represent what makes our state great,” says Jon Hanson, chairman of the Hall of Fame.

In the category of arts and entertainment, inductees also include film star Danny Aiello, who appears in “Do The Right Thing,” The Godfather Part II” and “The Last Don.” He lived in Ramsey and Saddle River.

Others are singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, of Princeton; actor Ed Harris, of Tenafly; comedian Ernie Kovacs, of Trenton; TV stars Ozzie, Harriet and Ricky Nelson, of Jersey City; and comedian Flip Wilson, of Jersey City.

Houston and Amos are from Newark, and Hathaway is from Millburn.

In addition to Manning, who lives in Summit, sports inductees include: NBA star Rick Barry, of Roselle Park; boxer Gerry Cooney, of Fanwood; former Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy III, of Mendham; and head Rutgers women’s basketball coach Vivian Stringer, of Piscataway.

Inductees in the category of public service include: Apgar score inventor Dr. Virginia Apgar, of Westfield; former CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Sister Jane Brady, of Paterson; former Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, of Jersey City; former Gov. Alfred Driscoll, of Haddonfield; and Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, of Rahway.

In the arts and letters category: Addams Family creator Charles Addams, of Westfield; “The Red Badge of Courage” author Stephen Crane, of Newark; longtime Star-Ledger editor Mort Pye, of Tewksbury; Lebowitz, of Morristown; and Kilmer.

Inductees in the enterprise category include: The Borg Family, of Hackensack, publishers of The Record; regional PNC Bank president Linda Bowden, of East Brunswick; car and truck company chairman Steve Kalafer; former chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority Joseph Simunovich, of West New York; and Dickinson, of Rutherford.

Several of the honors are awarded posthumously.

This year’s induction ceremony will be Oct. 18. Because of the pandemic, it will be a virtual, prerecorded event broadcast on television, radio and social media.

NJ Reports Youngest COVID-19 Death; Gov. Focusing on Slowing Spread

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:48:46 GMT

After lowering the capacity of indoor events earlier in the week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is keeping a close eye on the the spread of coronavirus in the Garden State. The state is also reporting the death of a 7-month-old who tested positive for COVID-19 after death.

A troubling recent rise in the rate of transmission has Murphy alarmed and taking action to stop gatherings being blamed for the spread of COVID-19. He fears more deaths could come as the virus spreads.

A 7-month-old child who tested positive for COVID-19 after death was among the eight new deaths reported in New Jersey Wednesday. The child is the youngest COVID-19 death reported in New Jersey, Murphy said.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said that child tested positive for coronavirus after death. Health officials don’t know the child’s primary cause of death and didn’t reveal any further details.

As of Wednesday, more than 183,000 people in New Jersey had tested positive for COVID -19. The state has reported at least 13,989 confirmed deaths with another nearly 1,900 suspected coronavirus-related deaths.

On Monday, Murphy lowered the capacity on many indoor gatherings from 100 to 25 or 25% a room’s capacity in an attempt to stop house parties that are being blamed for spreading the virus.

New Jersey Aug 3

With Concerning Coronavirus Spread, NJ Lowers Capacity for Indoor Gatherings

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The rate of transmission — the number of people infected by a person with the virus — was down to 1.32 Wednesday. Murphy noted the number is going down but still above 1, which is concerning.

“Our Rt is still too high, meaning coronavirus continues to spread too quickly and too widely across New Jersey,” the-first term Democrat said. “We need to get this number back below 1.”

On Wednesday, Murphy continued his push for people to wear masks in public and stay distant from one another to slow the spread of the virus.

Get the latest news on COVID-19 delivered to you. Click here to sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Police Launch Air, Ground Search for 5-Year-Old With Autism Missing During Storm

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 15:09:29 GMT

Police in Montgomery County on Wednesday continued a ground and air search for a 5-year-old girl with autism who went missing during a day of dangerous conditions caused by Tropical Storm Isaia s.

Eliza Talal, who is nonverbal, disappeared around noon Tuesday from her home on the 2000 block of Spring Valley Road in Lansdale, Towamencin Township Police Department Chief Paul Dickinson said. Dickinson and other sources told NBC10 the girl wandered outside at the height of the storm.

Talal is described at 3 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing around 40 pounds. She has brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white onesie t-shirt with short sleeves and no shoes, Dickinson said.

Eliza Talal

Anyone with information about Tala’s possible whereabouts is asked to immediately call 911 or Towamencin Township Police at 215-368-7606.

The girl disappeared at the height of a damaging day caused by the effects of Tropical Storm Isaias. The storm pounded the region, causing widespread flooding and at least five confirmed tornadoes across Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

At least two women died as a result.

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Tropical Storm Isaias 18 hours ago

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Delaware Aug 4

At Least 5 Confirmed Tornadoes From Isaias Damaged Our Region

In Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, police said a 44-year-old woman died when her vehicle was swept away by floodwaters on the 6300 block of N. Main Street in Upper Saucon Township.

A second unidentified woman was found dead in her home on North Shore Drive in Milford, Delaware, around 11:45 a.m. Police have not revealed many details about her death but believe it was storm-related.

Tyson Foods Will Test Employees at All US Plants for Coronavirus Weekly

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 12:50:33 GMT

It was clear, early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, that meatpacking plants were particularly susceptible to the disease, given that workers often stand shoulder to shoulder on production lines. With workers contracting the virus in record numbers, many meatpacking companies had to temporarily shut down operations and implement new safety measures to protect their employees.

On July 30, Tyson Foods announced its plans to administer several thousand coronavirus tests each week in all 140 of its U.S. production facilities.

With the help of its medical team, the Springdale, Arkansas-based company plans to test random employees who are exhibiting symptoms and anyone who has been exposed to someone who tested positive or exhibited symptoms.

Earlier this year, Tyson Foods introduced daily health screenings, workstation dividers, face masks and social distance monitors into its facilities. Adding weekly testing into the mix is a move that Tyson Foods group President and Chief Administrative Officer Donnie King hopes is enough to stay ahead of the virus.

“We believe launching a new, strategic approach to monitoring and adding the health staff to support it will help further our efforts to go on the offensive against the virus,” King wrote in a press release obtained by TODAY Food.

Back in the spring, Tyson Foods had to temporarily close several facilities due to coronavirus outbreaks. Operations at a plant in Nebraska were put on hold in April after a surge of coronavirus cases in the area. In May, a Tyson Foods meat factory in Iowa was temporarily shut down after more than 700 employees (58%) tested positive for the virus, as was a factory in Indiana when more than 900 workers caught the virus.

TODAY asked Crystal Watson, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, if weekly testing is enough to keep meatpacking employees safe during the pandemic. She said it’s an important first step.

“I do think that testing more frequently will generally help catch cases earlier and prevent large outbreaks,” she said. “Particular focus should be on making sure symptomatic individuals are tested and their contacts are tested.”

Watson also urged the company to create a contingency plan for dealing with infected employees.

“It is very important that Tyson take the next step and enable anyone who tests positive to isolate with pay, and enable anyone with a significant exposure to a case to quarantine for 14 days with pay,” Watson continued. “If these policies are enacted in conjunction with testing, I think Tyson will make their company safer for their workers and the communities in which they live.”

A Tyson Foods spokesperson confirmed to TODAY that team members who test positive are covered by short-term disability pay and may return to work only once they have met criteria established by both the CDC and Tyson.

With workers in meatpacking facilities standing so close to each other, the virus spread a lot easier before social distancing measures were put in place. The Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN), a non-profit news organization, recently reported that 38,403 meatpacking workers have tested positive for coronavirus as of July 30. Of that number, at least 171 have died.

When FERN compared Tyson Foods to other companies, it found that the company of 120,000 workers had 10,104 cases (one in 10 employees).

A Tyson Foods spokesperson gave the following response to TODAY when asked about FERN’s study: “About one-third of our workforce – or 40,000 team members – have been tested for COVID and we believe we were the only food company to publicly disclose the results of facility-wide tests. Our testing efforts have helped find team members who have the virus but have no symptoms and would have not otherwise been identified. (For example, in June at one plant 199 people tested positive for the virus and 198 had no symptoms, and otherwise would not have been identified).”

The company declined to disclose the total number of employees who have tested positive or have died from the virus, but estimated that less than 1% of its U.S. workforce currently has active COVID-19.

Tyson has faced backlash over the past few months over concerns of unsafe working conditions, and in April, The Washington Post launched an investigation that found that and two of its competitors “failed to provide employees with protective equipment, instead telling them to keep working even as the spread of the coronavirus across the country turned crowded plants into infection hot spots.”

When asked about The Washington Post’s investigation, a Tyson Foods spokesperson said the company was one of the first to take team member’s temperatures and offered the following statement: “Our top priority is the health and safety of our workers and we’ve implemented a host of protective measures at our facilities that meet or exceed CDC and OSHA guidance for preventing COVID-19. Our company formed a coronavirus task force in January and began educating our team members – in multiple languages – about the virus, including the importance of staying home from work they don’t feel well.”

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) — America’s largest meatpacking union — applauded Tyson Foods for its testing initiative, but has also been vocal about the industry’s unsafe working conditions in the age of coronavirus. Just last week, the group filed a federal lawsuit opposing the USDA’s waivers that allow poultry plants to increase production line speeds during the pandemic.

So far, Tyson Food’s coronavirus testing program has been piloted at several facilities and a Tyson spokesperson confirmed to TODAY that the testing will be limited to U.S. locations for the time being. Tyson also has plants in China, Thailand, Australia, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

Biden Campaign Plans New $280M Ad Push in Pa., 14 Other States

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 12:42:10 GMT

With three months before the presidential election, Joe Biden’s campaign is planning a new advertising push in Pennsylvania and more than a dozen other states as it pursues what it says is a strategy to create “multiple pathways” to get enough electoral votes to win the White House.

The effort includes $280 million in TV and digital adverting in states President Trump won in 2016 but where Democrats have had success in previous elections – including Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan – but also Georgia and Texas where voters have chosen Republicans in presidential contests for decades. Georgia last voted for a Democrat by choosing Bill Clinton in 1992 and Texas last chose Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Other states in which the Biden campaign is planning a new advertising push are Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters Monday evening that the former vice president’s campaign is aiming to keep as many states on the map as possible.

In 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes – less than 1%.

The Trump campaign is also planning a new round of ads, planning to air them in the early voting states of Arizona, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

The President’s re-election campaign said this week that it had paused ads for several days “while undertaking a review of advertising tactics and has resumed with a smarter, more strategic approach that recognizes the staggered calendar presented in the 2020 election.”

Districts Go Round and Round on School Bus Reopening Plans

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 11:56:05 GMT

School districts nationwide puzzling over how to safely educate children during a pandemic have a more immediate challenge — getting 26 million bus-riding students there in the first place.

Few challenges are proving to be more daunting than figuring out how to maintain social distance on school buses. A wide array of strategies have emerged to reduce the health risks but nobody has found a silver bullet.

Should students with COVID-19 symptoms be isolated at the front of the school bus? Should bus seats be assigned? Should buses be loaded from the back? Should buses only carry a few students at a time?

“The transportation professionals are left with the issue of, OK, you’ve got little Billy at the bus stop. Mom’s not there and he’s got a temperature. That’s a dilemma,” said Steve Simmons, a bus safety expert who used to head pupil transportation for Columbus, Ohio, public schools. “We can’t answer those kinds of questions. I don’t think anybody can.”

Simmons, president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, was part of team of industry and school officials who produced a 70-page report on ways to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Many schools have been surveying parents to determine how many students will take the bus and how many will be privately driven to school. Others are making decisions about bus capacity that involve a trade-off between safety and affordability.

The task force report warned that a 6-foot (2-meter) social distancing regulation “is not financially nor operationally feasible,” and that “current thinking” is that a 72-student capacity bus can accommodate 24 students, or more if family members sit together.

Some large districts will nonetheless “jam ’em in” the school bus, Simmons said, while other districts plan to stagger school start times or teach half the students in the morning and the rest in the afternoon, with two sets of bus runs.

School transportation plans are “just one of the many ways we’re seeing inequities playing out in this pandemic,” said Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center in Philadelphia.

“Some districts are saying that they will cut back on the number of students offered transportation, or expect more parents to drive their students to school,” she said. “Students and families with fewer resources are going to be the ones hurt by this.”

Kim Blodgett quit her job as a fourth-grade teacher this year in order to drive her 5-year-old son to the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, concerned the twice-daily, 45-minute bus ride from their home in Norman was too risky.

“So many parents feel like they have no control over any of this that’s happened,” Blodgett said. “They have to work, they have to send their kids to school. They have to put their kids on that bus. It’s a horrible situation all the way around.”

Simmons said most bus drivers are old enough to put them at heightened risk for severe illness if they catch the virus. They will have to decide whether to continue driving — a job that typically does not pay much — or to stay home and prioritize their own safety, which could worsen a yearslong national school bus driver shortage.

Schools will have to decide what cleaning standards they want to set and whether to add sneeze guards or similar barriers among students and between students and bus drivers.

In Pennsylvania, the Transportation Department shot down a proposal to install plastic barriers around bus drivers, telling a school bus contractor there is not evidence it would make students or drivers safer. In New York, hand sanitizer isn’t even allowed on buses “due to its combustible composition and potential liability to the carrier or district,” according to guidance from the state’s school reopening task force.

The task force report said a survey of bus contractors found they were unanimously opposed to taking students’ temperatures, as some districts have considered. The contractors said drivers and bus monitors do not want to have to interpret health data, among other objections.

Getting on and off the bus is considered a time of heightened risk. Pennsylvania districts are considering assigned bus seating, making students fill empty buses from the back and emptying them from the front.

A suburban Philadelphia school district’s reopening plan states that students with symptoms should be placed in the front seat of the bus and brought to the school nurse. Another mandates that no students with symptoms will be sent on a bus or brought to school. Districts are designating rooms where sick or potentially sick children can be isolated until their parents can retrieve them.

Pottstown, Pennsylvania, schools have proposed keeping windows on its few buses open, a plan that will be difficult to carry out in winter. New York’s statewide recommendation is for windows to remain cracked if the outside temperature is at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Public schools in Providence, Rhode Island, had considered making all students attend the schools that are located closest to their homes as a way to limit ridership, but officials withdrew that proposal after parents objected.

The Kentucky Education Department suggests schools institute “walking school buses,” a system used in at least two other states in which adults chaperone groups of students walking to and from school together, with designated bus stops and pickup times. Kentucky Education Department spokesperson Toni Konz Tatman said there has been no word yet of any districts giving the walking school buses a try.

Bus plans are expected to be tweaked over the first weeks and months of school, but if a major outbreak is linked to bus transportation, parents will have to decide whether to vote with their feet and go another route.

I-676 Closed Because of Barge Pushing Against Bridge; Some SEPTA Service Resumes

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 10:28:06 GMT

What to Know

Drivers who use Interstate 676 to access Center City Philadelphia should plan on using alternate routes.
An unsecured barge struck the Vine Street Expressway Bridge as the Schuylkill River rose from water dropped by Tropical Storm Isaias Tuesday.
Crews need to remove the barge and examine the bridge before traffic can get moving again on I-676.

Drivers heading into and out of Center City Philadelphia had to find another way Wednesday morning after Tropical Storm Isaias raised the Schuylkill River and likely sent an unsecured construction barge into a bridge.

And, the closure of the Vine Street Expressway (Interstate 676) is expected to last into Thursday at the earliest.

The barge came to rest against the Vine Street Expressway Bridge. Inspectors were checking for damage, but the barge would need to be removed first.

Interstate 676, which crosses the bridge, was closed in both directions from Broad Street to 30th Street. Drivers should plan to use surface streets to cross Center City.

If you are on the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) you can get off at South Street to access Center City, NBC10 First Alert Traffic reporter Sheila Watko said. Drivers coming from Interstate 95 will need to get off the Vine Street at Broad Street.

PennDOT told NBC10 that the barge isn’t expected to be towed until noon Thursday at the earliest, as they wait for the river to recede more. The crane on the barge is pushing against the bridge and any possible damage must be examined.

The Army Corps of Engineer is assisting PennDOT crews. The barge was being used by the Army Corps. for a dredging project.

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All Regional Rail service was at one point suspended for the Wednesday morning commute in Philadelphia after Tropical Storm Isaias raised the Schuylkill River and sent an unsecured construction barge into a bridge.

The bridge is upstream from a SEPTA rail bridge at 30th Street. The commuter bus and rail agency said it originally suspended all Regional Rail service out of an abundance of caution until the barge was secured or crossed under the bridge.

By 11 a.m. Wednesday, some rail lines were running again, SEPTA said. The lines that still weren’t operating were the Chestnut Hill East, Glenside Combined, Manayunk/Norristown, Trenton, Warminster and Wilmington/Newark lines.

Isaias produced heavy rain and strong winds over the Philadelphia region leading to flooding on Tuesday.

The Schuylkill River crested overnight in Philadelphia around 13.5 feet.

NJ Woman Arrested for Assaulting Transplant Patient Who Asked Her to Wear Mask

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 05:18:48 GMT

A woman who was asked to wear a mask has been arrested after she assaulted a 54-year-old liver transplant patient inside a New Jersey Staples last week.

Hackensack police say 25-year-old Terri Thomas was the woman shown on security camera pulling the victim to the ground, leaving one of her legs fractured at the office supply and technology chain store. It’s the latest in an ongoing trend of violent public confrontations over mask use.

The woman was using the copier machine on July 29 when she told Thomas, also a customer, to pull her face mask over her mouth and nose, police said. The 54-year-old then held up her walking cane and “pointed it directly at” Thomas, “coming within inches” of her chest.

Thomas became angry and yelled at the woman before pulling her to the ground, police said. She then left the store.

Thomas was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault. She was released and is expected in court later this month.

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COVID-19 Takes Big Toll on New Jersey Highway Revenues

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 04:55:00 GMT

The coronavirus pandemic’s far-reaching effects on New Jersey’s finances have begun taking a toll on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which oversees both roadways, posted the latest financial data for the first half of the year recently, painting a bleak picture: Traffic on the Turnpike was down 30% through June, with revenues down 27%; for the Parkway, toll transactions fell 26%, and revenue was down about 27%.

“Traffic and toll revenue decreased entirely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authority’s financial statement said.

Despite the downturn, the authority and transportation experts sounded an optimistic note about the remainder of the year.

That’s because the authority’s expenses so far this year are $53 million below budget, and snow removal, salary, benefits and toll processing are also under budget, authority spokesperson Tom Feeney said. The authority also refinanced debt, resulting in savings from debt service payments of about $180 million.

“Not only have they minimized the hit, they prepared for the future,” said Anthony Attanasio, a former assistant transportation commissioner who now runs a consulting firm.

Attanasio alluded to toll hikes approved earlier this year and signed off on by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

The tolls were earmarked for a $24 billion capital plan, including $16 billion to widen sections of the Turnpike and Parkway, permanently implement cashless toll payment and replace a bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The authority has said tolls would rise by 36% on the New Jersey Turnpike, meaning the average trip which now costs $3.50 would rise to $4.80. Tolls on the Garden State Parkway would rise by 27% on the Garden State Parkway, meaning the average trip which now costs $1.11 would increase by 30 cents.

Opponents of the hikes were outraged because meetings to vet the tolls would normally have been held in person but were done over video instead because of the pandemic. It looked as if they were being approved while the public was distracted, the opponents said.

But now that the state’s economy has shed more than 1 million jobs, with unemployment at more than 16%, the timing of higher tolls rates is even more dire, some opponents say.

The financial downturn facing the Turnpike Authority hasn’t changed the calculus for the hike’s opponents.

“The timing of them just seems terribly wrong in light of everything that’s going on,” said Jack Ciattarelli, a former GOP Assembly member, who is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Murphy next year.

The New Jersey Sierra Club opposed the toll hikes over concerns that the $24 billion capital plan included highway widening, which could damage the environment, the group says. Typically, though, the organization gets behind toll hikes because they could spur people to use public transit.

“Their plan to widen roads is the wrong plan and the wrong time and the wrong place, and it’s not necessary,” state Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel said.

Tolls are set to go up Sept. 13 on the two main toll roads.

‘American Ninja Warrior' Winner Accused of Having Sex With Teen Girl

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 23:47:40 GMT

The winner of last year’s “American Ninja Warrior” competition has been charged by federal prosecutors with luring a teen girl for sex and possessing child pornography.

Andrew Drechsel, 31, of Saint Cloud, Florida, was arrested Tuesday. He is charged with manufacture of child pornography, enticement of a minor to travel for illicit sexual conduct, travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and use of interstate commerce to entice a minor.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey confirmed that Dreschel is the winner of last year’s “American Ninja Warrior” competition.

Drechsel met the victim in 2014 after an “American Ninja Warrior” event, according to the criminal complaint. The two then began a sexual relationship in 2015 when Drechsel was 26 and the girl was 15, investigators said.

In June 2015, the girl visited Drechsel at his gym in Hamden, Connecticut, for her “15th birthday present,” according to the criminal complaint. After the two had sex, the girl told her mother about it the next day, investigators said.

When the girl’s mother confronted Drechsel, he didn’t deny having sex with her but claimed he didn’t know her age, according to the criminal complaint.

Drechsel then continued to have sex with the girl at various locations over a two-year period, including a restaurant parking lot in Marlton, New Jersey, as well as outside a gym in Hainesport, police said. The two also sent each other sexually explicit messages and Drechsel repeatedly told the girl to speak to him via Skype while she was naked, according to the criminal complaint.

The girl and her mother reported Drechsel to Cherry Hill police in 2019 and investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Hamden, Connecticut, in November. Police found Drechsel’s phone which contained several sexually explicit pictures of the teen dating back to when she was 14, according to the criminal complaint.

Drechsel appeared at a Florida court on Tuesday before being transferred to New Jersey.

Girl and Teen Missing, 2 Women Dead After Isaias Rips Through Region

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 23:31:02 GMT

A young Montgomery County girl with autism and a Delaware County teenager are missing while two women from Lehigh County and Delaware are dead after Tropical Storm Isaias ripped through the region on Tuesday, causing widespread flooding, damage and power outages.

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Eliza Talal, 5, was last seen at noon on Tuesday at her home on Spring Valley Road in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, when she went missing. Sources told NBC10 the girl wandered outside at the height of the storm.

Eliza is autistic and non-verbal, according to police. She is described as an Asian girl standing 3-foot-6 and weighing 40 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white onesie t-shirt with short sleeves and no shoes.

Eliza Talal

If you have any information on Eliza’s whereabouts, please call 911 or Towamencin Township Police at 215-368-7606.

Pennsylvania State Police also reported a teenager between the ages of 18 and 19 went missing at Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County. The teen was last seen around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Ridley Creek Park area near W. Bishop Hollow and Chapel Hill roads.

The teen is described as a white male between the ages of 18 and 19 who was last seen wearing a black shirt with the number 19 on the back black knee-high socks and sneakers.

If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Pennsylvania State Police at 484-840-1000.

Police also reported two storm-related deaths in our area.

A 44-year-old woman was driving in a flooded area on the 6300 block of North Main Street in Upper Saucon Township when her vehicle was swept downstream. The woman, who has not yet been identified, was later pronounced dead. A cause of death has not yet been determined.