Delaware commits $4M on water filters in schools to combat concerning levels of lead

PHILADELPHIA - The Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia says he is ready to launch his 5-year strategic plan and believes safety for students and staff is his top priority.In an interview with FOX 29's Jeff Cole, Watlington, who arrived in the city nearly one year ago, said "we must win this war on gun violence in our city, and it’s a shared responsibility between the school district, the city, police department and parents."Watlington will present his Strategic Plan to the School Board Thursday. It was drawn up after months of meetings around the city, with the help of a consulting firm that was paid $450,000.The board will find that improving student achievement places third in the Superintendent’s list of priorities. Watlington believes schools need to be safe havens for students and staff to make the most of their educational opportunities, but the onus for safety isn't only on the school district.MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"For teachers to do their jobs schools have to be safe, students and staff must be safe," Watlington, 54, said.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities are searching for a hit-and-run driver who they say is accused of three crashes on the same night in Philadelphia, including one that claimed the life of a young man. Neera Nicolas-Hudson, 32, is alleged to have been behind the wheel of a 2005 Ford Mustang on Dec. 26 when she struck a man riding a scooter on the 100 block of North Delaware Avenue.Nicolas-Hudson fled the scene of the crash, according to police, and hit a bicyclist near the intersection of Broad and Spring Garden streets. The victims of both crashes were taken to Philadelphia hospitals and placed in stable condition.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is facing federal charges for the first time after being indicted on 22 financial fraud charges over allegations that the disgraced former attorney schemed to steal settlement money from clients.The indictments unsealed Wednesday don't appear to reveal any new allegations against Murdaugh, a once prominent attorney in South Carolina who is serving a life sentence without parole for killing his wife and younger son. He is also awaiting trial on around 100 other state charges including insurance fraud, tax evasion and theft.But Murdaugh's lawyers indicated he is talking with federal prosecutors and added this part of his legal difficulties may be resolved soon.READ MORE: Murdaugh Moselle estate items sell for big bucks as buyers descend on South Carolina auction"Alex has been cooperating with the United States Attorneys’ Office and federal agencies in their investigation of a broad range of activities.

PHILADELPHIA - As several Philadelphia schools continue to struggle with asbestos, at least one is already likely to stay closed to students and staff all of next year as well.Frankford High School first closed its door last month after asbestos was discovered on school grounds, including on the first floor where the cafeteria is. In a letter to the school community, the district announced that "unexpected" damage could also force the school to stay shut the next academic year for "necessary environmental and other work, including HVAC, and repairs needed throughout the facility."Officials say they are currently working on an in-person learning location for Frankford students.RELATED COVERAGE: Frankford High School to be closed for rest of school year after asbestos discoveryDamaged pipe wrap in the first-floor hallway and cafeteria above existing ductwork and drop ceilings is what ultimately led to the decision to shut the school, according to the district.Asbestos damage was also found on the third and fourth floors, throughout the structure and in floor tiles.The district also addressed questions regarding potential exposure for students and staff."There is no way to accurately calculate potential exposure in a school, given the number of people, movement in the building, areas of damage, and the invisible nature of potential fibers. The presence of asbestos materials itself is not a risk.

ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. - A woman will serve time behind bars for putting the lives of two young children entrusted to her care at risk.Stephanie Gregory, of Galloway, pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.The 58-year-old admitted to not properly feeding a 9-year-old girl, causing her to be hospitalized for severe malnutrition.She also admitted that another child, a 6-year-old, witnessed her striking the older child.MORE HEADLINES:Both children were in Gregory's legal care in 2020, according to officials.Gregory is now ordered to serve five years concurrent in New Jersey State Prison, as well as having no contact with the victims or their biological mother. 

WASHINGTON - Like the blue and yellow flags that popped up around the U.S. when Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months ago, U.S. popular support for Washington's backing of Ukraine has faded a little but remains widespread, a survey by the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and NORC shows.It found that half of the people in the U.S.

suspected case in New Jersey have piqued interest in an age-old summer question for beachgoers — is it safe to go in the water?Scientists and researchers who study sharks said the overwhelming answer to that question is yes, it is safe. Potentially dangerous interactions between humans and sharks are uncommon, and serious injuries and deaths from the bites are vanishingly rare, scientists said.Nonetheless, the dramatic nature of shark bites and the stories of survivors, such as Hawaii surfer Mike Morita's tale of fighting off a shark in April, capture the imagination.

Governor of Delaware John C Carney Jr. speaks at the Delaware Memorial Day Ceremony, in New Castle, DE on May 30, 2019.

video. He says watching the video doesn't make him afraid of boating but proves how his safety checks saved him and convinced him to be the spokesperson for the 2023 Safe Boating Week Campaign.Hunter Bland was 21 and said he felt invincible on a January morning during a college bass fishing tournament. He and his partner completed all the safety checks and were heading across the water, going 50 to 55 mph.

PHILADELPHIA - The School District of Philadelphia argues, in the wake of recent closures of city schools due to asbestos, it’s focused on the problem and inspecting school buildings.School officials called reporters to district headquarters Tuesday to hear from Victoria Flemming, one of the officials leading the effort to inspect for asbestos and do repairs. School officials said they are spending tens of millions of dollars to pay private firms to inspect school buildings with a goal of 50 per month. Six schools have been recently closed when asbestos was found disturbed in the buildings. Vare Middle School, Frankford High School and Mitchell Elementary School remain closed.MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe district was noncommittal when asked if they're bracing for more closures from the upcoming inspections that Flemming called "a step in the right direction."Most of Philadelphia’s more than 300 school buildings, with an average age of 73-years, have asbestos around pipes, in floor tiles, and in plaster. The substance becomes a health hazard when disturbed.

CONCORD TWP, Pa. - Thousands of Delaware County water customers were told to boil their water until further notice after a water main was accidentally ruptured by a construction company Tuesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Veolia Water Company said a contractor that isn't associated with the company accidentally struck a water main on Naamans Creek Road near Route 202. The break initially impacted water service for approximately 2,100 customers, according to the company, but that number was quickly whittled down to just 200. "The process of sampling water, taking it to a lab for testing, could take several days for drinking water to be safe again," a spokesperson said. The rupture caused traffic back-ups and detours on surrounding roadways.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska woman pleaded guilty Monday to burning and concealing a fetus after she took medication to end her pregnancy, while prosecutors move forward with a criminal case accusing her mother of illegally helping with the abortion.Prosecutors said Celeste Burgess gave birth to the stillborn fetus about 29 weeks and five days into her pregnancy. She was 17 at the time, but prosecutors charged her as an adult.Burgess, now 18, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of concealing or abandoning a dead body and prosecutors dropped two misdemeanor charges.

Search and rescue teams had looked for the two brothers since Friday. (Clackamas County Sheriff's Office) Two brothers are presumed to have drowned in Oregon after their raft flipped over on a swift-moving river on Friday, authorities said after a multi-day search.The brothers, ages 66 and 67, and a 61-year-old man were trying to cross the Clackamas River to access Austin Hot Springs when their raft overturned and sent all three men down river, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.The 61-year-old man searched the area for the brothers but was unsuccessful.Another group found the 61-year-old and offered to take him into town, officials said.BODY OF MISSING VIRGINIA MAN BELIEVED FOUND IN SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARKWhen the missing brothers’ vehicle was found parked on a forest service road later that day, officials determined they were still missing and deployed a search and rescue team.With diminishing daylight, searchers faced difficult conditions from the high and swift-moving river water.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A 20-year-old spearfisherman detailed his encounter with a bull shark in the Florida Keys last week as he recovers in a hospital from bite wounds to his leg.WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC PHOTOSThe bull shark, as much as 10 feet long and weighing 500 pounds, "came out of nowhere" and chomped down on his leg twice while he was diving about 70 feet underwater, Kevin Blanco told WSVN-TV from his bed at Jackson South Medical Center in Miami."I’ve been in that same situation a lot of times, and they are usually afraid of us," Blanco said. "That one was not afraid of us. He wanted me.

Peopel gather at a makeshift memorial for victims of a shooting at the Covenant School campus, in Nashville, Tennessee, March 29, 2023. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) A Nashville judge heard arguments Monday on the potential release of the writings of The Covenant School shooter in preparation for a public hearing on the matter next month.

STONE HARBOR, N.J. - A local girl is recovering from what officials believe to be a shark bite she suffered while surfing along the Jersey coast days before beachgoers head to the water for the unofficial start of summer.Maggie Drozdowski, 15, said she was surfing with a friend off the beach near 109th Street in Stone Harbor when she felt something wrap around her foot and try to tug her under. "I felt something around my foot, and it pulled me down a little bit," Maggie said. "I shook my leg as hard as I could to get it off, but it just wouldn't." Maggie credits her 3 millimeter wetsuit for giving her enough protection to keep the suspected shark from inflicting much more serious injuries. "I went over the wave and she went under it, she screamed and I turned around because I thought she was drowning or something, but she got up and she said ‘I think something bit me," said Sarah O’Donnell, a friend who was with Maggie during the attack. Medics were called to the beach and rushed Maggie to Cape May Regional Medical Center for treatment that included six stitches.

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) is calling on a Quebec politician to step down after his “contemptuous and disgraceful” remarks during a city council meeting.

CANADA - A photographer, based in Canada, managed to capture a mesmerizing green glow of an aurora borealis Sunday after smoke from recent wildfires dissipated. The footage, captured by RJ Roldan, shows the aurora borealis over South Indian Lake in the early hours of May 21. The video showcases the vivid green northern lights flowing across the clear Manitoba sky.Roldan told Storyful that recent days have posed challenges for aurora viewing due to the smoke blanketing the skies from an outbreak of wildfires."The smoke was finally pushed in giving us a clear view of the night sky and gave us an opportunity to watch the night spectacle – the beautiful northern lights show," he said.(Credit: ) According to the latest update by the Manitoba Wildfire Services, wildfire danger across southern Manitoba is moderate to high throughout the province.

COLLINGWOOD, N.J. - A New Jersey high school opened a wellness center to help students navigate mental and emotional struggles felt by teens in their formative years. Backed by a federal grant, the wellness center at Collingswood High School is staffed by licensed counselors ready to assist "overwhelmed" and "stressed out" students. "Almost every student who walks in the space has been overwhelmed by something, stressed out by something," Wellness Center Director Kristin O'Lexy told FOX 29. The center is a cell phone-free space with welcoming pastel-colored walls and soft background music.

SANGER, Calif. (AP) - The Fresno County's Sheriff Office said the body of a 4-year-old boy has been recovered after he got swept away in a river. Authorities said an 8-year-old girl died and the boy went missing Sunday after the two children were swept away in a central California river swollen from rapidly melting mountain snows.Deputies responded around 2 p.m.

STONE HARBOR, N.J. - A teenage girl suffered several injuries after she became the victim of a possible shark attack at a South Jersey beach this weekend.The 15-year-old from Pennsylvania was surfing off 109th Street beach in Stone Harbor Sunday afternoon when she was reportedly bitten, according to authorities."After careful examination, it has been ascertained by the New Jersey State Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office that the injuries sustained by the surfer are consistent with those typically associated with a shark of unknown size and type," Stone Harbor officials said.Several emergency teams responded to rescue the girl from the water, and transport her to a local hospital.MORE HEADLINES:She sustained several lacerations to her foot and calf, which required six stitches.

NEWARK, Del. - A woman has been arrested and another is being sought after what could have ended in a $2,300 Target theft in Newark, Delaware.Police say both women were caught filling up a cart with merchandise inside the Target at Christiana Mall over the weekend.One suspect left the store to scan the parking, while the other attempted to leave the store with the cart, according to authorities.Officials say she tried to make a run for it when an employee stopped her, but she was quickly apprehended by mall security.

Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat from Delaware and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Norfolk Southern Corp.s leader plans to tell US lawmakers hes s DOVER, Del. - Democratic Sen.

DELAWARE COUNY - "Please lock your vehicles!"Police are urging residents to be vigilant after a string of unlocked vehicles were broken into or stolen in Delaware County over the weekend.Two vehicles were stolen Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to Springfield Police who say both were later recovered.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 21: Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on May 21, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/ PHILADELPHIA - Bryson Stott hit his first career pinch home run, a two-run drive in the seventh inning that led the Philadelphia Phillies over the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Sunday.After extending their losing streak to five in the series opener, the defending NL champions won the final two games of the set."That's what these guys do," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

A Lanarkshire charity organised a range of activities to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

Taylor Swift concert, after the ones he bought on StubHub last year for his daughter as a Christmas present never arrived, according to a report. Anthony Silva told WCVB-TV he originally spent around $1,800 for the four tickets last November on StubHub, a ticket reseller site, but the ducats were never delivered, and the company told him replacement seats weren’t available. "That’s just not right," Silva told the station, adding that he decided to shell out $21,000 on another reseller site for the "Look What You Made Me Do" singer’s Saturday show that his daughter and her friends had their hearts set on at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. He said while StubHub plans to refund his original purchase, he doesn’t think resellers should wait "until the day before for the tickets to be sent out." TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETMASTER CRISIS SPARKS SENATE JUDICIARY HEARING, LIVE NATION AND SEATGEEK CALLED AS WITNESSESTaylor Swift performing at Gillette Stadium on Friday. (Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management / Getty Images) Fox News Digital has reached out to StubHub for comment. The dad, who even got a limousine for the special occasion, added that he played a joke on his daughter and friends this week after he secured tickets, telling them he couldn't get new ones, "and the look on their faces I never want to see again.

Missouri man is thanking a cow for helping him catch his state fishing record.The Missouri Department of Conservation has announced that John Goad of Jefferson City, Missouri, has tied the current state record for longear sunfish. The previous sole record holder caught their fish on a private pond in Franklin County on July 3, 2021.Goad said he used a throw-line on Frieda Lake in Crawford County on May 8 when he caught the 5-ounce fish. "I’ve been fishing this lake for around 10 years, and I’ve caught crappie, bass, bluegill – all pretty good sizes," Goad said.

GULFPORT, Miss. - A federal judge says he will not block a Mississippi school district from requiring a transgender girl to dress as boy for high school graduation.U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel filed his order late Friday after holding a hearing on a lawsuit that the American Civil Liberties Union filed on behalf of the 17-year-old girl against the Harrison County School District.The girl, listed in court papers by her initials L.B., had chosen a dress to wear with her cap and gown Saturday at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, a coastal town about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Jackson.

world – the Bermuda Triangle.The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an area of the Atlantic Ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda that is best known for its stories of ships and airplanes that seemed to have disappeared without a trace.Conspiracy theories on their disappearance include everything from magnetic forces to aliens to methane bubbles to even the Lost City of Atlantis.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHERAustralian scientist and author Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki explained this week that perhaps the legends aren’t as mysterious as they seem."Well, if you go to the facts, they come from both the United States Coast Guard and the massive insurance company, Lloyd’s of London," he told FOX Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze.

HADDON, N.J. - An amateur performance of School of Rock sparked some controversy at two New Jersey elementary schools after teachers made their students leave the theater due to coarse language. Over 150 fifth grade and third grade students, and accompanying staff and chaperons, from Hartford Upper Elementary School and Kellman Brown Academy left a midday performance at the Ritz Theater in Haddon Township.Kelly Hill chaperoned the field trip for her fifth grade daughter, and said while there was some language that may have been inappropriate, she was caught off-guard by the teachers decision. "I really didn't understand what was going on, I just saw one of the teachers get the kids in the front row and have them all stand up and walk out," Hill said. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"It was enough where I thought to myself like ‘the school is going to get some phone calls later' but I didn't think we would leave because of it."The Ritz Theater Company claims it spoke with both schools before the Wednesday performance and explained that the show contains occasional strong language. The theater posted about the incident on their Facebook page and called the walk-out "a disservice to the cast and crew who all took the time to perform the show."Hill returned to the Ritz Theater with her daughter on Friday night to watch the performance in-full.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia music teacher is keeping her students on beat, despite losing all of her instruments in devastating fire that gutted the entire school building.The Mother of Consolation Parish School in Chestnut Hill went up in flames on Mar. 12, and took with it Elise Malizia's 30-year collection of instruments, CDs and music books. "I lost everything in my classroom – everything," Maliia told FOX 29's Joyce Evans. Despite the loss, she continued to help her students get ready for their spring concert at a chapel on the campus of Chestnut Hill College. "It's such a beautiful thing to be in music education and see the growth and development still happening after a fire, and happening so beautifully," Malizia said. Two months after the fire, there is still no timetable for when the school will be rebuilt.

FILE - (L to R) European Council President Charles Michel, Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Frances President Emmanuel Macron, Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, Germanys Chancello HIROSHIMA, Japan - Leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies vowed Friday to tighten punishments on Russia for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine, days before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins the Group of Seven summit in person on Sunday."Our support for Ukraine will not waver," the G7 leaders said in a statement released after closed-door meetings, vowing "to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.""Russia started this war and can end this war," they said.Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, confirmed on national television that Zelenskyy would attend the summit."We were sure that our president would be where Ukraine needed him, in any part of the world, to solve the issue of stability of our country," Danilov said Friday. "There will be very important matters decided there, so physical presence is a crucial thing to defend our interests."Zelenskyy on Friday opened a visit to Saudi Arabia, where Arab leaders were holding a separate summit, he announced.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats against Ukraine, along with North Korea's months-long barrage of missile tests and China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, have resonated with Japan’s push to make nuclear disarmament a major part of the summit.

FILE - A girl is seen drinking ice coffee in a Starbucks coffee shop. (Photo by Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images) There is a growing debate over Starbucks' most recent change: its ice cubes. The Seattle-based coffee giant is introducing new machines to select locations this year that make nugget ice instead of cubed ice, and Reddit users felt inclined to weigh in. The change — albeit very small — is apparently infuriating some customers who claim the new nugget ice melts faster and can even dilute drinks, according to a Reddit thread.

CHESTER, Pa. - Two teenagers are facing charges after police say they carjacked someone in Delaware and sped away from officers during an attempted traffic stop before being arrested in Pennsylvania. Officers from the Wilmington Police Department were called to the 600 block of Geddes Street around 7 p.m. Tuesday for reports of a carjacking, according to investigators. Police located the stolen vehicle a short time later, but it sped away from officers when they tried to conduct a vehicle stop. The car was recovered later that night in Chester, Pennsylvania – about a 20-minute drive from Wilmington. Police say a 14-year-old and 17-year-old were both taken into custody after first trying to run away from City of Chester police officers. Both teens are being charged with first-degree robbery, among other charges, according to authorities.

FILE - US President Joe Biden (L) and Fumio Kishida, Japans prime minister, shake hands prior to a bilateral meeting ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit on May 18, 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan. The G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima from 19- HIROSHIMA, Japan - World leaders landed Thursday for a Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack, with Russia’s war in Ukraine expected to be high on the agenda.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his summit diplomacy by meeting with U.S.

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. - Police in a Delaware County neighborhood are cracking down on underage drinking after a reported spike in vandalism and litter is leaving residents fed up. Springfield police say underage drinking is nothing new, but recently it's gotten so bad that Twisted Tea cans can be found scattered in the woods and local parks are being sprayed with graffiti. Samantha Scott lives right next to Walsh Park in Springfield. She says it is quiet most days, but then weekend parties disrupt any amount of peace. "Spring break recently, it was pretty bad.