3 Children Killed In North Philadelphia Hit-Run; $110K Reward Offered

3 Children Killed In North Philadelphia Hit-Run; $110K Reward Offered

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Three siblings, a 7-year-old boy, a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were killed after a stolen car plowed into a crowd in North Philadelphia Friday morning, police said.
The children’s 34-year-old mother was also struck and is listed in extremely critical condition at Temple University Hospital.

Police Homicide Captain James Clark says the incident started around 11 a.m. when a 45-year-old woman, a realtor, was showing a house in the 600 block of Cumberland Street. He says two men approached her at gunpoint, and carjacked her SUV, shoving her in the back seat. Clark says the SUV raced up the street.

Official: Hospital gunman intended to kill others

Official: Hospital gunman intended to kill others 

An officer stands guard near the scene of a shooting Thursday, July 24, 2014, at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa. A doctor grazed by gunfire from a patient who had entered his office in a suburban hospital's psychiatric unit stopped him by returning fire with his own gun and injuring him, authorities said.

MEDIA, Pa. (AP) -- A psychiatrist's patient ranted about a gun ban at a suburban medical complex before opening fire there, killing his caseworker and grazing his psychiatrist before the doctor pulled out his own weapon and fired back, authorities said Friday.

Dr. Lee Silverman emptied his gun's chamber, striking patient Richard Plotts several times, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said. Plotts by then had shot the caseworker in the face and fired several shots at Silverman, including one that grazed his temple and another that struck his thumb, he said.

Plotts had 39 unspent bullets on him when he was wrestled to the ground at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, just southwest of Philadelphia, and police believe he had planned to use them.

"If the doctor did not have a firearm, (and) the doctor did not utilize the firearm, he'd be dead today, and I believe that other people in that facility would also be dead," Whelan said.

Plotts was sedated but in stable condition after surgery Thursday for his gunshot wounds, police said. They expected to arraign him at his Philadelphia hospital bedside on Friday, charging him with murder in the death of caseworker Barbara Hunt and other crimes.

Plotts doesn't have a listed home number, and it was unclear if he has relatives in the area.

Hospital policy bars anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from carrying weapons on campus, said a Mercy Health System spokeswoman, who otherwise declined to discuss the report that Silverman was armed at work.

The hospital said Friday it was thankful for the "brave and difficult action" taken by Silverman and his colleagues. It said he remains a full member of the medical staff and "we look forward to Dr. Silverman's return to serving patients at our hospital."

Plotts had complained to Silverman previously about the gun policy.

Whelan said he believes Silverman, not Hunt, was Plotts' target. He said that when the caseworker was shot, Silverman crouched down behind a desk to avoid being shot also.

"He was able to reach for his weapon, and realizing it was a life-or-death situation, was able to engage the defendant in the exchange of gunfire," Whelan said.

The struggle spilled into the hallway, where another doctor and a caseworker jumped in to help Silverman and secure Plotts' weapon, Whelan said.

Police in Upper Darby, where Plotts lived, were aware of at least three mental health commitments - including once after he cut his wrists and once when he threatened suicide - but said such stays can last just one to three days. Whelan said Plotts had spent time in a mental health facility, but he did not discuss any potential diagnosis.

Plotts also had at least four gun arrests, along with assault and drug charges, according to police and court records. And he has been barred from at least one residential shelter because of his violent history, Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

"The caseworkers and the doctors and the catchment centers - they know who violent individuals are, because they're frequent fliers," Chitwood said. "And the system is not geared toward keeping these people housed somewhere until they start to be better. So you put whole communities at risk."

Cathy Nickel, a neighbor at Plotts' last known address, an apartment complex in Upper Darby, saw a caseworker move him out of the building about a year ago. As he was taken away in a van, she said, he yelled, "You haven't heard the end of me!"

Plotts showed up at the hospital about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, nearly an hour early, for the appointment with Silverman, who had last seen him six weeks ago. Silverman called Hunt to say their patient had arrived.

Colleagues heard arguing during the closed-door session and saw Plotts aiming a gun at Silverman when they peaked inside, authorities said. They quietly backed out and called 911. The shooting soon began, just before 2:30 p.m.

Silverman told police he was at his desk, behind a computer screen, when Plotts pulled a gun from his waistband and killed Hunt. The psychiatrist ducked behind a chair, pulled his gun from his pocket and fired off six or seven shots, authorities said.

Silverman was recuperating at home Friday. His wife said he did not want to discuss the shooting.

14 Charged With Child Porn Crimes In N.J. Sweeps

14 Charged With Child Porn Crimes In N.J. Sweeps

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) — Phase two of a new crackdown on child pornography in New Jersey has resulted in the arrest of 14 more alleged offenders, many from the southern part of the state.

The take from the sweep, dubbed by law enforcement “Predator Alert II,” runs the gamut: two school bus drivers from Mays Landing, a software engineer, a minister in training, a corporate executive from Cherry Hill.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Prosecutor: Doctor fires back at hospital gunman

Prosecutor: Doctor fires back at hospital gunman

A hospital worker views police activity near the scene of a shooting at a wellness center attached to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., on Thursday, July 24, 2014. A doctor grazed by gunfire from a patient who had entered his office in a suburban hospital's psychiatric unit stopped him by returning fire with his own gun and injuring him, authorities said.

DARBY, Pa. (AP) -- A psychiatrist who was grazed by gunfire from a patient at a hospital on Thursday helped stop the patient by apparently using his own weapon to shoot and wound him, but not before a caseworker was killed, authorities said.

The patient opened fire after entering the doctor's office at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital with the caseworker, District Attorney Jack Whelan said. Witnesses reported hearing yelling before the gunshots.

Several hours after the shooting, investigators had only limited information about what happened inside the closed office but believe the psychiatrist, "from all accounts, would have acted in self-defense," Whelan said.

The doctor, who suffered a wound to his head, "faced a situation where his life was in jeopardy," Whelan said. He was expected to be interviewed by detectives late Thursday.

The hospital has a policy barring anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from carrying weapons anywhere on its campus, a spokeswoman for the Mercy Health System said.

But Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said that "without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives."

"Without that firearm, this guy (the patient) could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition," the chief said.

The dead caseworker was identified only as a 53-year-old Philadelphia woman. Police were working to notify her relatives late Thursday.

Two guns were recovered, Whelan said. Authorities said the motive for the shooting was unknown.

The patient, who was critically injured and was being treated, was identified as Richard Plotts, an Upper Darby resident in his mid-30s.

The prosecutor said Plotts had been involved in previous incidents with staff, but he did not know their nature. He also said he did not know if that is why the doctor had a gun or if the doctor would have been required to have a permit.

After the door of the office was closed, staff members heard loud arguing inside, opened the door and noticed the patient had a gun pointed at the doctor, Whelan said. They closed the door and dialed 911. Gunshots were heard a short time later, just before 2:30 p.m.

Plotts emerged from the office, and another doctor and a caseworker helped wrestle him to the floor of the hallway and grabbed his weapon, Whelan said. By that point he had already been severely wounded from several shots, Whelan said.

"They acted vigilantly. They acted bravely," he said.

The exchange of gunfire occurred on the third floor of the Wellness Center at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, a 204-bed community teaching hospital just southwest of Philadelphia.

Authorities said there are no surveillance cameras in the doctor's office or the waiting area outside. They also said the center had no metal detectors.

"Do you evaluate that now ... in light of this incident to make sure people are safe, especially in what can be a dangerous environment?" Whelan asked.

Patients waiting in the first-floor lobby reported a tense scene when police arrived and ordered everyone out. Most of the patients were elderly.

"I dozed off, and I heard the cop shouting, `Come on, come on, get out!'" said Millicent Russell, 73, of Lansdowne, who was waiting for a 3 p.m. appointment. "There were people with walkers and canes and stuff. All these cops were outside running here and there with these guns."

 

Health: Temple University Researchers Successfully Eliminate HIV Virus In Human Cells

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A scientific first from Philadelphia, that could pave the way toward curing HIV. 3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl has more on the breakthrough.

Instead of suppressing and treating HIV and AIDS, which is what currently happens, researchers have for the first time shown they’ve found a way to destroy the virus.

It might not look like a typical operating room, but in a lab at Temple’s Center for Neurovirology researchers are performing surgeries on genes.  Welcome to the front lines of genetic surgery. They’ve found a way to operate on DNA and destroy the AIDS virus.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Cops: Leaders Of Philly Mosque Tried To Cut Off Man’s Hand With Machete

Cops: Leaders Of Philly Mosque Tried To Cut Off Man’s Hand With Machete

Suspect Merv Mitchell, aka Mabul Shoatz.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Two leaders of a mosque tried to cut off the hand of a man they allege stole jars of money from the house of worship, Philadelphia police said.

The bizarre incident happened July 14th at the Masjid located in the 1100 block of North 63rd Street in the city’s Overbrook section.

According to investigators, the 46-year-old arrived at the mosque at about 4:00 a.m. for Morning Prayer services.

At about 5:30 a.m., after the prayer service concluded, police say the victim was approached by the mosque’s Imam and the Amir.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

$5M bond set for teens in homeless beating deaths

$5M bond set for teens in homeless beating deaths 
 

Bedding, clothing and broken glass litter a homeless encampment in Albuquerque, Monday, July 21, 2014, where three teenagers are accused of fatally beating two homeless men. The teens, aged 15, 16 and 18, have been charged with open counts of murder in the Friday night killings.

  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Three teenagers accused of fatally beating two homeless men beyond recognition with cinder blocks, bricks and a metal fence pole may have been terrorizing transients around Albuquerque for months, police said Monday.

The father of two of the boys said they were once homeless themselves and he had no idea what prompted the beatings. One of the boys told police they had attacked about 50 homeless people over the last few months, but had never gone that far. But on Friday night, he was angry about breaking up with his girlfriend, he said.

Alex Rios, 18, and two boys aged 16 and 15 were ordered held on $5 million bond each during initial court appearances Monday. They face murder charges stemming from the brutal attack in an Albuquerque lot where neighbors say transients regularly camped at night.

Following their arrest, the 15-year-old also told police that the trio had been targeting homeless people for the past year, according to a criminal complaint.

Prosecutors requested bonds of just $1 million, but Metropolitan Court Judge Linda Rogers set it higher, citing the gravity of the alleged crimes and the suspects' potential to flee. The district attorney's office said the younger suspects were charged as serious youthful offenders, meaning they could be tried in adult court.

The two younger defendants, one wiping away tears, sat in the courtroom while Rios made his appearance by closed circuit video from the county jail.

Family and attorneys for the three declined comment after the proceeding.

According to the criminal complaint, the 15-year-old told police the attack lasted more than an hour, and that the trio took turns picking up cinder blocks over their heads and smashing them into the faces of the men who had been sleeping in the field across from his home, according to the criminal complaint.

A third transient who escaped led police to the boys, whom he said were known for attacking homeless people. And the father of the two younger defendants told an Albuquerque television station there were rumors his son was violent, but he assumed it was with other kids.

Gilbert Prieto told KOB-TV (http://bit.ly/1p2f1uE ) that he has no idea what prompted the beatings, and that he and his family had once been homeless themselves.

"It's so hard that he could do that to someone where... I mean, like I said, we came from there," said Prieto, the father of the 15- and 16-year-olds accused. "You know what I mean? We're not there now, but that's where we... We got out of there," Prieto said.

A man at the house declined comment on Monday.

According to the criminal complaint, the teens came home from a party and the 15-year-old was "very angry" over a breakup with a girlfriend. So they covered their faces with black T-shirts and went out to look for someone to beat up and possibly rob.

The attack was so brutal it stunned even veteran police officers.

"I personally, after reading that complaint, was sick to my stomach because of the nature of the violence and the age of the offenders," police spokesman Simon Drobik said.

Officers responded Saturday around 8 a.m. to a 911 call reporting the two bodies in a field. They found one victim lying on a mattress and another lying on the ground. Jerome Eskeets, who said he was able to flee, was hospitalized with injuries.

Eskeets told police that he recognized one of the "kids" hitting and kicking him as someone who lived in a house nearby, and police found the trio of suspects there. Prieto said the 15- and 16-year-old were his sons and Rios was a friend who had spent the night.

Rios told investigators he acted as a lookout while the other boys attacked the men with bricks, sticks and a metal fence pole. The younger suspects, however, told police that Rios also took part in the attacks.

Investigators have not confirmed the identities of the victims, although police found an Arizona driver's license at the brothers' home. The victims' transient background and the severity of their injuries have made identification difficult, Drobik said.

In one corner of the lot on Monday, a mattress, dirty pillows, clothing, broken bottles, and cinder block were visible.

William Toyama's house backs up to the lot. He said the homeless regularly sleep there without bothering anyone.

"Everybody here seems to be pretty shocked. They seem to find it deplorable," he said. "Like I said, most people around here have the same opinion I do. They don't cause any trouble."

Toyama, a 29-year-old cook, said he doesn't know the teens but has told them to stop throwing rocks at his dogs.

The department is asking anyone in the homeless community with information about other attacks to get in touch with them.

Local Artists To Host Free Concert Benefiting Victims Of Deadly Southwest Philly Fire

Local Artists To Host Free Concert Benefiting Victims Of Deadly Southwest Philly Fire

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Efforts to help the dozens displaced by the fast-moving fire that killed four young children and gutted eight homes are continuing in Southwest Philadelphia.

Several well-known gospel artists will pay tribute at a fundraiser Monday night at the First Baptist Church of Paschall at 71st and Woodland Avenue.

READ: Vigil Held To Remember 4 Children Killed In Southwest Philadelphia Fire
The gospel fundraiser is aimed to help the victims of the Gesner Street fire rebuild their lives.

“Family members have been affected by this, friends have been affected by this and they need to be rebuilt spiritually,” Gospel veteran Emmanuel Fuller says.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Film, TV legend James Garner, reluctant hero, dies

Film, TV legend James Garner, reluctant hero, dies 

FILE - Actor James Garner, left, smiles as he holds up the Purple Heart medal presented to him in a ceremony in this Monday, Jan. 24, 1983 file photo taken Los Angeles, Calif. Garner was wounded in April 1951 while with U.S. Forces in Korea, but his medal was never presented to him. Actor James Garner, wisecracking star of TV's "Maverick" who went on to a long career on both small and big screen, died Saturday July 19, 2014 according to Los angeles police. He was 86.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Few actors could register disbelief, exasperation or annoyance with more comic subtlety.

James Garner had a way of widening his eyes while the corner of his mouth sagged ever so slightly. Maybe he would swallow once to further make his point.

This portrait of fleeting disquiet could be understood, and identified with, by every member of the audience. Never mind Garner was tall, brawny and, well, movie-star handsome. The persona he perfected was never less than manly, good with his dukes and charming to the ladies, but his heroics were kept human-scale thanks to his gift for the comic turn. He remained one of the people.

He burst on the scene with this disarming style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick," which led to a stellar career in TV and films such as "The Rockford Files" and his Oscar-nominated "Murphy's Romance."

The 86-year-old Garner, who was found dead of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, was adept at drama and action. But he was best known for his low-key, wisecracking style, especially on his hit TV series, "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files."

His quick-witted avoidance of conflict offered a refreshing new take on the American hero, contrasting with the blunt toughness of John Wayne and the laconic trigger-happiness of Clint Eastwood.

There's no better display of Garner's everyman majesty than the NBC series "The Rockford Files" (1974-80). He played an L.A. private eye and wrongly jailed ex-con who seemed to rarely get paid, or even get thanks, for the cases he took, while helplessly getting drawn into trouble to help someone who was neither a client nor maybe even a friend. He lived in a trailer with an answering machine that, in the show's opening titles, always took a message that had nothing to do with a paying job, but more often was a complaining call from a cranky creditor.

Through it all, Jim Rockford, however down on his luck, persevered hopefully. He wore the veneer of a cynic, but led with his heart. Putting all that on screen was Garner's magic.

Well into his 70s, the handsome Oklahoman remained active in both TV and film. In 2002, he was Sandra Bullock's father in the film "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The following year, he joined the cast of "8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter," playing the grandfather on the sitcom - and helping ground it with his reassuring presence - after star John Ritter, who played the father, died during the show's second season.

He even scored in commercials. During the late 1970s, he was paired with actress Mariette Hartley in a popular series of ads for Polaroid cameras. Their on-screen banter felt so authentic that many viewers mistakenly believed they were husband and wife.

When Garner received the Screen Actors Guild's lifetime achievement award in 2005, he quipped, "I'm not at all sure how I got here." But in his 2011 memoir, "The Garner Files," he provided some amusing and enlightening clues, including his penchant for bluntly expressed opinions and a practice for decking people who said something nasty to his face - including an obnoxious fan and an abusive stepmother.

And when he suspected his studio of cheating him on residual payments - a not-unheard-of condition in Hollywood - Garner spoke out loudly and fought back with lawsuits.

They all deserved it, Garner declared in his book.

It was in 1957 when the ABC network, desperate to compete on ratings-rich Sunday night, scheduled "Maverick" against CBS's powerhouse "The Ed Sullivan Show" and NBC's "The Steve Allen Show." To everyone's surprise - except Garner's- "Maverick" soon outpolled them both.

At a time when the networks were awash with hard-eyed, traditional Western heroes, Bret Maverick provided a breath of fresh air. With his sardonic tone and his eagerness to talk his way out of a squabble rather than pull out his six-shooter, the con-artist Westerner seemed to scoff at the genre's values.

After a couple of years, Garner felt the series was losing its creative edge, and he found a legal loophole to escape his contract in 1960.

His first film after "Maverick" established him as a movie actor. It was "The Children's Hour," William Wyler's remake of Lillian Hellman's lesbian drama that co-starred Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.

He followed in a successful comedy with Kim Novak, "Boys Night Out," and then established his box-office appeal with the 1963 blockbuster war drama "The Great Escape" and two smash comedies with Doris Day - "The Thrill of It All" and "Move Over Darling."

Throughout his film career, Garner demonstrated his versatility in comedies ("The Art of Love," `'A Man Could Get Killed," `'Skin Game"), suspense ("36 Hours," `'They Only Kill Their Masters," `'Marlowe"), and Westerns ("Duel at Diablo," `'Hour of the Gun," `'Support Your Local Gunfighter").

In the 1966 racing film "Grand Prix" he starred as an American driver in the Formula One series. Garner, who loved auto racing, formed and owned the American International Racers auto racing team from 1967 through 1969, and drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 in 1975, 1977 and 1985.

In the 1980s and 1990s, when most stars his age were considered over the hill, Garner's career remained strong. He played a supporting role as a marshal in the 1994 "Maverick," a big-screen return to the TV series with Mel Gibson in Garner's old title role. His only Oscar nomination came for the 1985 "Murphy's Romance," a comedy about a small-town love relationship in which he co-starred with Sally Field.

He starred in a musical, "Victor/Victoria" (1982), and a romantic drama, "The Notebook" (2004).

His favorite film, though, was the cynical 1964 war drama "The Americanization of Emily," which co-starred Julie Andrews.

Unlike most film stars, Garner made repeated returns to television. The show he often cited as his favorite, "Nichols" (1971-72), and "Bret Maverick" (1981-82) were short-lived, but "The Rockford Files" proved a solid hit, bringing him an Emmy.

Among his notable TV movies: "Barbarians at the Gate" (as tycoon F. Ross Johnson), "Breathing Lessons," `'The Promise," `'My Name Is Bill W.," `'The Streets of Laredo" and "One Special Night."

He said he learned about acting while playing a non-speaking role as a Navy juror in the 1954 Broadway hit play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial," starring Henry Fonda and Lloyd Nolan.

"I had no lines, and I had trouble staying awake," Garner recalled.

After "Caine Mutiny," Garner found work in Hollywood as a bit player in the "Cheyenne" TV series. Warner Bros. gave him a screen test and signed him to a seven-year contract starting at $200 a week.

The studio cast him in supporting roles in three minor films, followed by the important break as Marlon Brando's sidekick in "Sayonara." When Charlton Heston declined a war movie, "Darby's Rangers," because of a money dispute, Garner assumed the role.

"Maverick," which co-starred Jack Kelly as brother Bart Maverick, made its debut on Sept. 22, 1957, launching him as a star.

Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner (some references say Baumgarner) in Norman, Oklahoma. His mother died when he was 5, and friends and relatives cared for him and his two brothers for a time while his father was in California.

In 1957, Garner married TV actress Lois Clarke, who survives him. She had a daughter Kimberly from a previous marriage, and the Garners had another daughter, Gretta Scott.

In the late 1990s, the Garners built a 12,000-square-foot house on a 400-acre ranch north of Santa Barbara, California.

"My wife and I felt ... we'd just watch the sunset from the front porch," Garner said in 2000. "But then the phone started ringing with all these wonderful offers, and we decided, `Heck, let's stay in the business for a while.'"

 

Homicide Detectives Now Investigating Strawberry Mansion Suspicious Deaths

Homicide Detectives Now Investigating Strawberry Mansion Suspicious Deaths

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Homicide detectives are now investigating the case of an elderly couple discovered dead inside their Strawberry Mansion home.

Sources tell CBS3 Eyewitness News that police are questioning two persons of interest in the case.

This case has turned from tragic, if not mysterious and bizarre, to something that may turn into a criminal investigation. Police collected evidence in full protective gear on Friday at the scene.

Algladis Perry, 66, and Rufus Perry, 79, were found dead in their home in the 2500 block of Spangler Street on Thursday morning.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

A Day at a Philadelphia Museum For Kids Who Really Need Some Fun

A Day at a Philadelphia Museum For Kids Who Really Need Some Fun

Kids play at the Independence Seaport Museum, thanks to the “Casey Cares” Foundation. Photo by Dustin Wingate

 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A few dozen children today were taking a break from their struggles with life-threatening diseases to enjoy a much-needed day out.

Kids climbed on model boats and ran through the exhibits at the Independence Seaport Museum.
It’s a day provided by the Baltimore-based “Casey Cares” Foundation.  Casey Baynes started the foundation fourteen years ago when she volunteered at a hospital and saw a child missing out on a celebrity visit.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

New Philadelphia Market Offers Fresh, Affordable Food

New Philadelphia Market Offers Fresh, Affordable Food

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A new farmers’ market in Philadelphia celebrated its grand opening Sunday.

The market at Broad and Mt. Vernon Streets is a joint project with Congregation Rodelph Shalom and the Food Trust. The goal is to bring affordable, nutritious food to the community.

Allen lives in the neighborhood and stopped by to stock up on the fresh produce:
“Onions, some beets, cubanelle peppers, tomatoes.”

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Seven people killed in Lowell apartment building fire

 LOWELL, Mass. (WHDH) -

Authorities say that four adults and three children have died after a fire Thursday morning, at a Lowell apartment building. 

The fire was in a building at the corner of Queen Street and Branch Street and started at around 4 a.m. According to the Lowell Fire Chief a police officer on patrol saw the flames and ran to help people that were trapped. The fire started on the third floor and the victims are from two of the apartments.

"It's a tragic day for the city of Lowell," Mayor Rodney Elliott said.

Close to 60 people lived in the eight apartments in the building. The state fire marshal said that there was no sprinkler system and that fire crews had been called to the building several times in the past. There was a fire alarm system in the building but there was no word if it was working at the time.

“The second phase of our investigation, which is the forensic review and collection of physical evidence, is part of our origin and cause investigation. That is in the beginning stages now, investigative teams are in the building as best as they can access certain parts of the building, doing their work,” State Fire Marshal Steve Coan said.

Five of the seven fatalities were from the same family, including a mother, a father and three children. Their other two children survived. 

There are reports that people were jumping out of windows because of the intense flames. Some neighbors said that they saw people dropping young children and babies out of windows to be rescued.

"I woke up to screams. To a child saying 'Help me. Help me.' And then I ran to the window. I saw that... I looked outside. I saw that it was a child hanging from the window. And the parents were holding them. And then they dropped the child to save the child. I'm not sure if the child survived the fall," said witness Chandara Chun. 

Firefighters arrived on the scene and rescued five people from some of the top stories of the building. 10 people were rushed to the hospital but  as of 4 p.m. seven had been released and the other three were in good condition at Lowell General Hospital. The most serious injury was a fire captain who broke his leg after some debris fell from one of the walls.

The fire destroyed the building. The roof was entirely burned away, while the outer walls were charred and the siding melted.

Officials are investigating the origin of the blaze, saying it's too early to state if the fire is suspicious.The state fire marshal is promising a full review with the District Attorney's office.

Concerned family and friends looking to connect with residents affected by the fire may call the Red Cross at (800) 564-1234. 

Thursday night the owner of the building released a statement saying that he will cooperate with authorities and mourns for all of the losses. 

"Words cannot begin to express the sadness I feel for everyone affected by the devastating fire this morning. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died and those who were injured. I have met with the authorities today and will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation into this tragedy," he said.

As Community Rallies Around Victims And Their Families, Mayor Nutter Visits Firehouse That Respondedo Gesner Street Blaze
 
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Late Thursday afternoon, Mayor Michael Nutter and Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison visited the neighborhood firehouse less than a block away from where four children died in a fire early Saturday morning on the 6500 block of Gesner Street.

That firehouse was the site of protests Monday night claiming a slow response by fire units; however, city officials produced records showing all units arriving in under five minutes, the first in just 21 seconds.

“Our hearts and prayers are with those children,” Mayor Michael Nutter told CBS3′s Walt Hunter in an interview prior to his firehouse visit.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/.

Memorial Mural Dedicated To Two Fallen Philadelphia Firefighters

Memorial Mural Dedicated To Two Fallen Philadelphia Firefighters

 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new mural honors the memories of two hometown heroes who died fighting a five-alarm warehouse fire in East Kensington in 2012.

The smiling visages of Lt. Robert Neary and firefighter Daniel Sweeney sit on the second-story wall of the “Unsung Heroes” gallery, on East Arizona Street, gazing at the gutted warehouse at Front and York Streets where they gave their lives on a cold Monday morning, the day after Easter.

“Of all people, they understand how precious every living thing is,” said Jesse Gardner of the Unsung Heroes Project, who helped create the painting of the fallen heroes.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/.

Girl hoped to have been cured of HIV has relapsed

Girl hoped to have been cured of HIV has relapsed

FILE - In this March 5, 2014 file photo, Dr. Audra Deveikis, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Calif., poses for a photo at an AIDS conference in Boston. Dr. Deveikis was involved in the treatment of a baby born with the AIDS virus. On Thursday, July 10, 2014, doctors and officials at the National Institutes of Health said new tests last week showed that the Mississippi girl born with the AIDS virus is no longer in remission. The girl is now back on treatment and is responding well, doctors said.

 

A Mississippi girl born with the AIDS virus and in remission for more than two years despite stopping treatment now shows signs that she still harbors HIV - and therefore is not cured. The news is a setback to hopes that very early treatment with powerful HIV drugs might reverse an infection that has seemed permanent once it takes hold.

The girl is now nearly 4. As recently as March, doctors had said that she seemed free of HIV though she was not being treated with AIDS drugs. That was a medical first.

But on Thursday, doctors said they were surprised last week to find the virus in her blood, and there were signs that it was harming her immune system. She is now back on treatment and is responding well, they said.

The news is "obviously disappointing" and will affect a federal study that had been about to start testing early, aggressive treatment in such cases, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Doctors had been considering stopping treatment if no signs of infection could be detected after two years.

"We're going to take a good hard look at the study and see if it needs any modifications," either in terms of length of treatment or because of ethical concerns over raising false hopes about an approach that now has suffered a setback, Fauci said. At a minimum, consent forms to join the study must be revised, he said.

Most HIV-infected moms in the U.S. get AIDS medicines during pregnancy, which greatly cuts the chances they will pass the virus to their babies. The Mississippi baby's mom received no prenatal care and her HIV was discovered during labor. Because of the baby's great risk of infection, doctors started her on unusually powerful treatment 30 hours after birth, even before tests could determine whether she was indeed infected.

The girl was treated until she was 18 months old, when doctors lost contact with her. Ten months later when she returned, they could find no sign of infection even though the mom had stopped giving her AIDS medicines.

Tests repeatedly showed no detectable HIV until last week, when copies of the virus were measured in her blood. Doctors say they don't know why the virus rebounded when it did, and said it raises profound questions about what they know about HIV's hideouts in the body.

"We are still very much in the early discovery phase of trying to achieve a sustained virological remission and perhaps even a cure. There is much, much more to learn and we remain committed to doing so," Fauci said.

The girl's experience still suggests that early, aggressive treatment can limit the size of the reservoir of dormant virus in the body and help control infection, said one specialist involved in the case, Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

"What we've learned from this case is really quite amazing," said Jeffrey Safrit, research chief at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. "They were able to suppress virus for a very long time without therapy. We need to take the positive aspects of this case and learn from them to move forward" with the federal study, he said.

In March, doctors revealed that a second baby born with HIV may have had her infection put into remission by very early treatment - in this case, four hours after her birth in suburban Los Angeles in April 2013. Nearly a year later, very sophisticated tests at multiple times suggested she had completely cleared the virus, but she remains on treatment so there is no way to know for sure.

Only one other person is thought to have been cured of HIV infection - a San Francisco man who had a bone marrow transplant in 2007 from a donor with natural resistance to HIV. He showed no sign of infection more than five years later.

If No Cigarette Tax By Aug. 15, Phila. School District Says Layoffs Will Begin

If No Cigarette Tax By Aug. 15, Phila. School District Says Layoffs Will Begin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia’s schools superintendent says if the state legislature doesn’t authorize a cigarette tax by the middle of next month, he’ll begin sending out pink slips.

The state house reconvenes August 4th to consider an amendment-laden measure authorizing a cigarette tax to help fund Philadelphia schools.  The district is losing an estimated $1.6 million in revenue every week that tax is delayed.  Superintendent William Hite says time is running out.

“If in fact we don’t have a path forward by August 15th, is the latest we could go, we would have to begin sending out layoff notices.  And those layoff notices would be based on whatever we have or do not have at that period of time,” Hite said.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

10 Homeless After 2 Houses Collapse In Cobbs Creek

10 Homeless After 2 Houses Collapse In Cobb 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Ten people are now homeless after two homes collapsed in West Philadelphia on Monday.

Around 11:45 a.m., crews were notified about the collapse of two adjacent properties at 60th and Spruce Streets in the Cobbs Creek section of the city.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Pennsylvania State Police Vehicle Involved in Fatal Crash

ERIE, Pa -- A woman has died after her car hit a Pennsylvania State Police patrol vehicle that ran a stop sign.

The Erie Times-News reports that 57-year-old Donna Platz of Edinboro died early Saturday morning.

State police say Trooper Frederick Schimp was driving a 2013 Ford Explorer at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday when he ran a stop sign, and Platz's vehicle struck the car. Platz was pronounced dead at the scene about an hour later by the Erie County Coroner.

Schimp and Trooper Garrett Padasak, a passenger in the Explorer, were cut from the vehicle and taken to UPMC Hamot with moderate injuries. State police say the two were not responding to a call at the time of the crash. Both men are troopers at the Girard barracks.

Prayers, Donations Pour In For Victims Of Deadly Fire In Southwest Philadelphia

Prayers, Donations Pour In For Victims Of Deadly Fire In Southwest Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — There were heavy hearts at a Sunday morning service in Southwest Philadelphia. It was held in a church on the same block as the deadly house fire that claimed the lives of four young children and displaced dozens of residents.

For worshipers at Christ International Baptist Church at 65th and Gesner Streets, it was not a normal Sunday. Just feet away, there was the heartbreaking reminder of many left homeless and young lives taken away.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Philadelphia fire kills 4 kids, destroys 8 houses

Philadelphia fire kills 4 kids, destroys 8 houses 

A woman cries as she walks past Philadelphia firefighters working on burned row homes on Saturday, July 5, 2014, in Philadelphia. A fast-moving fire in southwest Philadelphia early Saturday left four children dead and burned through a number of adjoining homes.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Fire raced through a row of two-story homes in southwest Philadelphia early Saturday, killing 4-year-old twin girls, a 4-year-old boy and a baby and engulfing at least 10 houses, officials said. A mother and three of her children escaped through a second-floor window.

The blaze began shortly before 3 a.m. and was brought under control in about an hour, fire officials said. At least eight row homes were gutted, leaving behind only charred frames. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but witnesses said it may have begun on a couch on a porch.

The twins' mother, 41-year-old Dewen Bowah, told police she was in the home with seven children and managed to get three of her other daughters out before jumping from second-floor window. But she couldn't save the twins, Maria and Marialla Bowah, or 1-month-old Taj Jacque and 4-year-old Patrick Sanyeah. The boys' mother wasn't in the home at the time.

"We lost four precious lives," Mayor Michael Nutter said at an afternoon news conference. "Four little innocent children, in a horrific tragedy. I can only pray that their pain was not long and they did not truly feel and experience the intensity of this fire and flames."

Bowah and her three surviving daughters were taken to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries was not known.

Jeff Boone told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he saw a couch on fire on the porch of a house about five doors down from his residence and heard children screaming.

The flames spread across porches so fast, he said, that "it looked like someone had a flamethrower and just shot it all across."

The 27-year-old Boone said he called 911 and bolted out of his house to try to save his neighbors.

"I was running, screaming, telling everybody, `Get up! Yo, get yo! Go!'" he said.

Milton Musa told the newspaper his roommate woke him up and said their home was on fire. Once outside, Musa said, he saw two children hanging from a neighbor's window.

"I could see they weren't strong, and I was afraid they'd fall to the cement," Musa said. "So I went underneath them, let them fall on my back and carried them away."

He wiped away tears as he recalled the intense moments as the blaze swept through the neighborhood.

"Everyone was running for their lives," he said. "I've lost everything. My paperwork, my documents, my house. Everything."

"This is a tragic, tragic day for the city of Philadelphia. Tragic," Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said.

The Red Cross said 42 people were displaced by the fire.

First lady bucks GOP on school lunch rules

First lady bucks GOP on school lunch rules

FILE - This May 27, 2014 file photo shows first lady Michelle Obama, with Eric Goldstein, chief executive officer, Office of School Support Services, New York City Department of Education, left, and Donna Martin, School Nutrition Program, Burke County Board of Education, in Georgia, during a discussion with school leaders and experts on school nutrition in an event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Obama stressed the importance of students, parents, school officials, community leaders, and health advocates coming together to protect and advance the progress that has been made in schools across our country. She is in the biggest fight of her tenure as she pushes back against a House Republican effort to soften a key component of the anti-childhood obesity effort at the center of her legacy.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- First ladies typically avoid getting into public scraps, but Michelle Obama has jumped into perhaps her biggest battle yet.

She's fighting a House Republican effort to soften a central part of her prized anti-childhood obesity campaign and says she's ready "to fight until the bitter end."

Mrs. Obama even mocked the GOP effort in an opinion column and argued her case on Twitter.

"Remember a few years ago when Congress declared that the sauce on a slice of pizza should count as a vegetable in school lunches?" she wrote in The New York Times. "You don't have to be a nutritionist to know that this doesn't make much sense. Yet we're seeing the same thing happening again with these new efforts to lower nutrition standards in our schools."

Mrs. Obama lobbied largely behind the scenes four years ago for the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which requires more fruit, vegetables and whole grains in school meals, along with less sodium, sugar and fat. It was a major achievement, the first update to school lunch rules in decades designed to make school meals more nutritious.

The School Nutrition Association, an industry-backed group that represents school cafeteria workers and originally supported the standards, has now turned against them. The association says it fully supports getting kids to eat healthier but says many districts are losing money because students aren't buying the healthier lunches.

More than 1 million fewer students eat lunch at school each day since the first round of standards went into effect in 2012, following decades of steadily increasing participation, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the association, citing federal data. A second round of rules, including standards for school breakfasts, took effect July 1.

"How can we call these standards a success when they are driving students away from the program?" she said.

Her group wants more flexibility for districts that are losing money. A House bill to fund the Agriculture Department next year would give districts a chance to apply to skip the requirements for one year.

Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, the Republican author of that measure, said the lunch rules go too far and came too fast for school districts to handle.

"As well-intended as the people in Washington believe themselves to be, the reality is that from a practical standpoint these regulations are just plain not working out in some individual school districts," he said after a House panel approved the bill. A vote by the full House is expected after its July Fourth break.

The first lady and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, whose department runs the school meals program, oppose changing the law.

Critics of the association say the about-face is motivated not only by overburdened school officials but also by the food industry. Food companies are some of the association's highest-paying members and supply schools with most of their food. The industry largely has kept silent through the debate but will spend millions of dollars to reformulate many products to meet the new standards.

"The last thing that we can afford to do right now is play politics with our kids' health, especially when we're finally starting to see some progress on this issue," Mrs. Obama said at the White House, where she met with a group of school nutrition experts, all of whom were friendly toward the standards.

The association requested a meeting with Mrs. Obama and Vilsack. Instead it was invited to sit down next week with Vilsack and Sam Kass, a White House chef who is executive director of the first lady's anti-obesity initiative, along with representatives from a dozen other organizations that favor the standards.

The first lady's publicly aggressive approach against Congress and the school nutrition association stands in stark contrast to the quiet lobbying she did early on, and to her handling of earlier controversies. Her approach has been to bite her tongue and not comment in the heat of the moment.

"She very, very strongly believes in the anti-obesity initiative, and I think she sees the attempt by Congress to roll back the 2010 legislation as just being anathema after trying very hard to change the culture of what we see going into these institutional lunches," said Myra Gutin, who studies first ladies at Rider University.

Mrs. Obama says the requirements are based on sound science and that 90 percent of schools are meeting 

them. The association says districts are unprepared to meet the newest standards.

"I'm going to fight until the bitter end to make sure that every kid in this country continues to have the best nutrition that they can have in our schools," the first lady said at a White House event where she showcased elementary school students preparing and then eating a salad lunch using vegetables they had planted in her garden on the South Lawn.

The White House has threatened to veto the House bill. The Senate version does not include the one-year waiver.

Scooter, Motorcycle Parking Rules in Philadelphia Getting Overhauled

Scooter, Motorcycle Parking Rules in Philadelphia Getting Overhauled

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Scooters and motorcycles can once again park on the sidewalk in residential Philadelphia neighborhoods, at least for the next four months, now that the Philadelphia Parking Authority has issued new “pilot” regulations.

The new regulations were developed after howls of protest last fall when the Parking Authority began enforcing the old no-sidewalk-parking rule.

There’s still no sidewalk parking allowed in center city, but PPA deputy director Rick Dixon says it will be permitted in residential areas.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

More Than 100 Members Of NJ National Guard’s Engineer Company Receive Hero’s Welcome

More Than 100 Members Of NJ National Guard’s Engineer Company Receive Hero’s Welcome

 

HAMMONTON, N.J. (CBS) – More than 100 members of the New Jersey National Guard’s 150^th Engineer Company received a hero’s welcome Tuesday in Hammonton.

The soldiers spent nine months in Afghanistan deconstructing U.S. military bases used in Operation Enduring Freedom.

“What they did over there is they helped take apart and prepare for shipment home all the things that have been built over there over the last 12 years of the war,” says Brig Gen Michael Cunniff who commands the NJ Air and Army Guard.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Cops: Naked Body Of 83-Year-Old Woman Found In Freezer Of Feltonville Home

Cops: Naked Body Of 83-Year-Old Woman Found In Freezer Of Feltonville Home

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Police are investigating the discovery of an elderly woman’s body that was found inside a freezer in a Philadelphia home Tuesday.

The grim find was made at a home in the 4500 block of Lee Street in the city’s Feltonville section.
According to investigators, police were called to the home by a 911 call.

When they arrived, investigators say they found the nude body of an 83-year-old woman in a freezer that was in the basement of the home and had apparently been there since January.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

HOT NEWS: YEADON BOROUGH MAYOR ROHAN HEPKINS AT WAR WITH WILLIAM PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER UNCONTROLLED RAISING TAXES.

Mayor Nutter: ‘The Children Of Philadelphia Are Being Educationally Abused’

Mayor Nutter: ‘The Children Of Philadelphia Are Being Educationally Abused’

 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The future of Philadelphia schools is getting tangled in state politics.
The mayor says Governor Corbett is using Philadelphia children as pawns to get other state issues approved.

But the question remains, will Philadelphia schools get adequate funding?

As the School Reform Commission meets for the last time this school year, the future lies in the hands of lawmakers in Harrisburg, who have until midnight to decide that fate, as the state Senate votes on a $29.1 billion budget.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

UPDATE: Teen Pulled From Creek In Juniata Park Dies

UPDATE: Teen Pulled From Creek In Juniata Park Dies

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Police say a 15-year-old boy who was pulled from a creek in Juniata Park has died.

The incident was reported around 5:45 p.m. Monday near Romona and Wyoming Avenue.
According to police, a 15-year-old boy was swept underwater.  He was pulled out of the creek by police under the bridge.

Authorities say the teen was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. by medics.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Philadelphia Schools Face More Cuts If State Lawmakers Can’t Agree On Funding

Philadelphia Schools Face More Cuts If State Lawmakers Can’t Agree On Funding

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — As lawmakers facing a midnight budget deadline lock horns, the Philadelphia School District is likely to adopt a budget Monday night without knowing how much revenue it will be getting from the state.

Amid reports that House Republicans are demanding that Philadelphia Democrats vote for state pension reform in return for a cigarette tax authorization to fund Philly schools, Mayor Michael Nutter angrily blasted legislators.

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a constitutional responsibility to fund education efficiently and thoroughly in this state,” Nutter said. “And the children of Philadelphia are being educationally abused by the behavior and activity that we are now seeing in Harrisburg.”

 For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Bodies of missing Israeli teens found in West Bank

Bodies of missing Israeli teens found in West Bank

This undated image released by the Israel Defense Forces shows a combination of three photos of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, who disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late at night on June 12, 2014 and were never heard from again. The Israeli military found the bodies of the three missing teenagers on Monday, June 30, 2014, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants. The grisly discovery culminated a feverish search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.

ERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military found the bodies of three missing teenagers on Monday, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants - a grisly discovery that culminated a feverish search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed tough action as he convened an emergency meeting of his Security Cabinet.

"Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay," the Israeli leader said in a statement, adding the teenagers "were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by human animals." In Washington, President Barack Obama urged restraint.

Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, disappeared June 12 while hitchhiking home from the Jewish seminaries where they were studying near the West Bank city of Hebron. Despite the dangers, hitchhiking is common among Israelis traveling in and out of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the bodies were found "under a pile of rocks" near the village of Halhul, just north of Hebron.

Binyamin Proper, who was among the civilian volunteers who found the bodies, told Channel 2 TV that a member of the search party "saw something suspicious on the ground, plants that looked out of place, moved them and moved some rocks and then found the bodies. We realized it was them and we called the army."

Shortly after the abductions, Israel accused Hamas of being responsible and launched a frantic manhunt throughout the West Bank, arresting nearly 400 Hamas militants. Last week, Israel identified two well-known Hamas operatives as the chief suspects. The two men remained on the run late Monday.

The search for the teens captured the nation's attention. The Israeli media delivered round-the-clock updates, and the mothers of the three teens became high-profile figures as they campaigned for their sons' return. At one point, the women addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva to draw attention to their plight. Israelis held daily prayer vigils, including mass gatherings attended by tens of thousands of people at the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site in Judaism, and in a downtown square in Tel Aviv.

News of their deaths prompted an outpouring of grief among Israelis. Friends and neighbors rushed to the homes of the families in the Israeli towns of Nof Ayalon and Elad, and the West Bank settlement of Talmon, while supporters lit memorial candles and prayed. Large crowds gathered in Tel Aviv's central Rabin Square, and at the West Bank junction where the youths were abducted, singing songs and lighting candles shaped in the names of the youths or the Jewish Star of David.

"All of Israel bows its head today," said President Shimon Peres.

Thousands of Israelis have died in wars and militant attacks over the years, and Israel has grappled with the kidnappings of soldiers by militant groups in the past. But the ages of the victims, and the fact that they were not armed, seemed to strike a raw nerve. With Israeli soldiers ordered not to hitchhike, security officials have long feared that civilians in the West Bank could make easy targets for kidnappers.

Hamas frequently encourages its members to try to kidnap Israelis, believing hostages could be used to win the release of militants detained in Israeli prisons. Tensions had also been high since the shooting deaths in May of two Palestinian teens during a stone-throwing clash with Israeli security forces.

Netanyahu was huddling with his Security Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers, late Monday debating a response. But Israel's options could be limited.

After a two-week crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank, few major targets remain in the West Bank. Hamas had already been weakened by seven years of pressure by Israel and the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli troops seemed to find very little during the latest crackdown.

Israel could turn its attention toward the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is the main power. Israel has already been battling a wave of rocket fire from Gaza that erupted in response to its West Bank operation, and it could step up the intensity of its reprisals.

Israel has not publicly provided much evidence proving Hamas involvement, and it is not clear whether the kidnappers received orders from higher-ups or acted on their own. The group praised the kidnappings, but never claimed responsibility.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned Israel against any broad offensive. Gaza militants possess thousands of rockets, and would almost certainly unleash heavy barrages at Israel if Israel attacks.

"Netanyahu should know that threats don't scare Hamas, and if he wages a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open on him," he said.

Netanyahu's spokesman, Mark Regev, said Israel would step up its calls for Abbas to dissolve the unity government he recently formed with the backing of Hamas.

Abbas has condemned the kidnappings, and his forces coordinated closely with Israel during the search for 

the teens. But he has so far refused Israeli calls to end the unity government, which ended a seven-year rift with Hamas. The Palestinian president called an urgent meeting of the Palestinian leadership on Tuesday to discuss the events, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said.

Abdallah Abdallah, an adviser to Abbas, said the Palestinians regretted the loss of life.

"We want peace to be created in this part of the world so no mother or no family will be bereaved for the loss of their beloved ones, Palestinian or Israeli," he said.

Abbas says his new Cabinet is committed to his political program seeking peace with Israel. Hamas is not part of his government, but has lent its backing from the outside.

The unity deal ostensibly ended seven years of Hamas rule in Gaza. But the militant group remains in firm control of the seaside territory.

In Washington, Obama condemned the killings and sent his "deepest and heartfelt condolences" to the families of the youths. "As a father, I cannot imagine the indescribable pain that the parents of these teenage boys are experiencing," he said. He also urged "all parties" to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation.

Pope Francis, who in May visited the region, shared in the teens' families "unspeakable pain," said the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. In a statement, Lombardi said the "abominable and unacceptable" crime was a grave obstacle to peace and that Francis was praying that God "inspires all thoughts of compassion and peace."

Lifeguards Pull 5-Year-Old To Safety After Near-drowning At Flourtown Pool

Lifeguards Pull 5-Year-Old To Safety After Near-drowning At Flourtown Pool

 

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Managers at the Flourtown Summer Day Camp, adjoining the Flourtown Swim Club in Montgomery County, are praising their lifeguards with taking fast action to help a 5-year-old swimmer who, they say, was “in distress” around 2 p.m. in the camp’s four-foot deep pool.

As police and ambulance units were notified, guards immediately jumped in and pulled the frightened swimmer to safety, pool managers and an eyewitness said.

Eyewitness Susan Keightly says the child was not submerged and was alert and talking as guards removed him from the pool. Managers say he was then taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital to be checked out as a precaution.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Eli Wallach, veteran character actor, dies at 98

Eli Wallach, veteran character actor, dies at 98

FILE - This Feb. 27, 2011 file photo shows actor Eli Wallach at the 83rd Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Wallach, the raspy-voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and Broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career died Monday, June 23, 2014 of natural causes. He was 98.

NEW YORK (AP) -- As a masterful character actor and early product of postwar, Method-style theater, Eli Wallach wore countless faces, disappearing into them all. But he was always propelled - in acting and in life - by a mischievousness and an abiding playfulness that made him a tireless performer, an enduring family man, and, of course, one immortal scoundrel.

"I never lost my appetite for acting," Wallach wrote in his 2005 memoir "The Good, The Bad, and Me," named after his most famous film. "I feel like a magician."

Wallach died Tuesday evening from natural causes after 98 years of life, 66 years of marriage and some 100 films, including several he made in his 90s. His son, Peter Wallach, confirmed his passing Wednesday.

The versatile, raspy-voiced actor was a mainstay of Tennessee Williams' plays (he won a Tony Award for "The Rose Tattoo" in 1951) and an original member of the Actors Studio in the early days of Method acting. 

But the most notable credit in his prolific career was "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," in which he played the rascally Mexican outlaw Tuco.

As the "Ugly" of the title, he stole Sergio Leone's 1966 spaghetti Western from "The Good" (Clint Eastwood) with lines like: "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."

"Everywhere I go, someone will recognize me from `The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' and start whistling the theme song," he said in a 2003 interview, referring to Ennio Morricone's famous score. "I can feel when it's going to happen."

Wallach never won an Oscar, but he was given an honorary Academy Award in 2010, hailed as the "quintessential chameleon."

"I've played more bandits, thieves, killers, warlords, molesters and Mafiosi that you could shake a stick at," Wallach said, accepting the award from Eastwood. Wallach's personal life, he added, was more placid and law-abiding: He loved collecting antique clocks, watching tennis and telling stories.

Upon hearing of Wallach's death, Eastwood remembered the actor as "a wonderful guy and a wonderful actor. I have fond memories of us working together on `The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.'"

Wallach also starred in the steamy "Baby Doll" (1956), "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "The Misfits" (1961) and "The Godfather III" (1990), in which he played a murderous mobster who dies after eating poisoned cannoli.

Wallach and his wife, Anne Jackson, were a formidable duo on the stage, starring in a series of plays, including George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara" in 1956 and a hugely successful run of "Luv" in the mid-1960s. Their partnership was epic by Hollywood acting-couple standards. They played a married couple together as recently as 2003 on the NBC medical drama "ER."

"Although I limp in life as a result of my two hip operations, whenever I go onstage with Anne, the lights give my body a lift and I prance onto the stage and dance off," Wallach wrote in his memoir. "I feel I can play a 16-year-old if the author calls for that. Which is why I prefer live acting to film - I come alive with the lights."

Wallach met Jackson (also an Actors Studio charter member) while they were appearing off-Broadway in Williams' "This Property Is Condemned." They married in 1948 and had three children, Peter, who became a film animator, and two daughters, Roberta and Katherine, both of whom followed their parents into acting.

Wallach was also great uncle to the New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, an ironic relation, in a way, for an actor who once said: "Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you've got a pretty neck."

But his great nephew nevertheless celebrated him, once writing: "With Eli, there is an impish, sly quality, not a self-conscious winking, exactly, but a palpable relish at the sheer fun of acting."

Wallach was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 7, 1915, the son of an immigrant candy store owner. Other family members were doctors, lawyers and teachers, but Wallach instead went into acting (he compared it to joining the Foreign Legion). His drama training was interrupted by World War II service in the Army medical corps, in which he earned the rank of captain.

Wallach's stage career eventually took off, thanks in large part to his success in Williams productions. He appeared in "The Rose Tattoo," then "Camino Real" and later had a long run in "Teahouse of the August Moon."

The Broadway League said Wednesday it would dim its lights Friday for Wallace, "a storyteller in the most specific yet subtle ways."

Wallach didn't slow down in his later years. He played a store owner in 2003's "Mystic River," directed by Eastwood, and had parts in the 2006 romantic comedy "The Holiday" in 2006 and Oliver Stone's "Money Never Sleeps" in 2010.

"I don't act to live," he said accepting his honorary Oscar. "I live to act."