Category Archives: NBC10 Clips

Boys Banned From Allentown School Field Hockey Teams

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No boys allowed. A school board in Lehigh County confirmed a committee’s decision to ban boys from its field hockey team after concerns they caused injuries to girl players.

The Allentown School Board ruled 8-1 that boys would be prohibited from playing on school-sponsored teams that are usually all-female in the United States.  The vote upheld a decision made by a school committee in the Pennsylvania county Sept. 4.

“We had an injury where there was an incidental collision between a boy and a girl,” Russell Mayo, Allentown School Board president, told NBC10 earlier this month. “Upon legal counsel, we decided that we would err on the side of safety.”

The PIAA – the state’s governing body of high school sports — decided earlier this summer that boys who do play on girls’ teams are not allowed to participate in post-season games.

But not everyone in the Allentown School District, which includes William Allen High School and Louis E. Dieruff High School, is in agreement with the decision.

“The girls were disappointed because [the boys] were a great part of the team,” Inez Seyler, Dieruff’s field hockey coach, told LehighValleyLive.com. “I’m disappointed because they don’t really have a sport that is comparable to field hockey for boys.”

“It’s going to be heartbreaking to them,” added Karen Nilson, William Allen’s coach.

Mixed gender teams are allowed under the PIAA’s rules, but only under special circumstances that protect girls on the team from injury or disqualification for size differences from potential male teammates.

Other standards for Pennsylvania schools, under the Pennsylvania Department of Education, support the right to a “physical environment for safety.” This includes physical standards along with social, emotional and intellectual. These policies are intended to protect students’ wellness and physical health.

Originally published on NBC10.com

Severely Burned Cat Rescued From Car in East Falls

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A small orange cat suffered burns over 25 percent of his body after getting trapped inside the engine of a car as a driver traveled to work in Philadelphia earlier this week.

“The fact that he survived … the drive is pretty incredible,” said Amanda Cox, founder and executive director of The Grannie Project, a Chester County animal shelter. “The steering wasn’t working quite right, and [the driver] looked under the hood and found Mr. Biscuits!”

Once the driver discovered the feline — after he arrived at work in East Falls — he contacted animal control, who took roughly two hours to free Mr. Biscuits from the dangerously hot spot in the car, she said.

The Grannie Project rushed the cat to Metropolitan Veterinary Associates, where a veterinarian with experience dealing with burned animals rushed from her home — arriving in pajamas with a baby in tow, she added.

Cox said the treating veterinarians told her Mr. Biscuits, who was initially named Engy, was burned so severely — he had a gaping hole in his back — that he may have caught fire during the drive.

As the injured cat began his recovery, shelter workers decided to rename the animal because his moniker reminded them of his time stuck in the car engine.

“Upon hearing that when he arrived at the vet, he was kneading, popularly known as making biscuits, with his paws,  he became Mr. Biscuits,” Cox explained. “We think it really fits him.”

It is common for cats to crawl under car hoods to stay warm, but Cox said this is the first time they treated an animal that got caught in an engine.

“It’s hard to say how many cats are injured or killed each year in car engines,” she said. “Most cats that seek shelter in engines and are unfortunate enough to still be there when the car is turned on aren’t as lucky as Mr. Biscuits. Most of them are killed.”

She emphasized the importance of honking and knocking on the hood of your car before ignition to allow any animals to escape.

Shelter staff thoroughly cleaned the cat’s wounds, but Mr. Biscuits will need continued care and additional surgeries, Cox said.

The cost to treat Mr. Biscuits is mounting for The Grannie Project, leading the organization to start a fundraiser to help pay for his treatment.

“Every dime goes directly to paying the vet bill for Mr. Biscuits care,” said Cox. “[…] His initial assessment and stabilization was over $1,500 and his costs right now are running about $750/day.”

Mr. Biscuits still needs time to recover before he can be placed for permanent adoption, but one kind person has committed to fostering Mr. Biscuits while he heals.

Originally published on NBC10.com

Six Men Charged in Scheme to Defraud South Philadelphia Woman’s Estate

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An intricate plot to steal property from a deceased woman in South Philadelphia fell through — now six men are each facing multiple charges.

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Task Force charged six men on Thursday with various offenses, ranging from forgery to theft by deception. The men charged were allegedly trying to steal the estate of Dorothy Kennedy, a recently deceased woman from South Philadelphia.

An attorney, a real estate agent, two funeral home workers and two others face charges.

“The facts in this case are disturbing and extremely sad” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “It’s hard to believe that these people would steal a dead woman’s house and personal property.”

Andrew Kaufman, the lawyer facing charges, used his position to organize the scheme while Vincent Marciano, a real estate agent, put together a “sham sale” of the woman’s home, according to prosecutors.

The Public Corruption Task Force started investigating the scheme in 2013 after receiving an anonymous tip. They uncovered a complex attempt to exploit the woman who had no heirs or will, according to investigators.

The scheme would have taken over the woman’s estate, thus defrauding the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Romanoff Quarles, one of the six men charged, lived around the corner from Kennedy. He decided to acquire her home after her 2010 passing and recruited friends for help, said investigators.

Antoine Turay and Marvin Kimble each face charges of tampering with public records and deceptive or fraudulent business practices for false alleged creation of a funeral bill.

Damion Rivers faces the nine charges for his alleged involvement in trying to take control of Kennedy’s vehicle with the assistance of Quarles.

The deceased woman did not have a will or any surviving heirs. Per Pennsylvania law, her estate should have been directed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Originally published on NBC10.com

Fitness Program Offers Solution To Disadvantaged Teens in Camden

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A Crossfit guru is using fitness to change Camden’s outlook. What started as a small-operation gym in a borrowed space has turned into a growing national chain that aims specifically at impoverished youth.

Steve’s Club has served as a crossfit hub and community empowerment center in Camden for five years.

For gym founder Steve Liberati, the club was his mission to bring out motivation in kids with few resources. Living in Camden — one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. — was an opportunity to give back to a place that remains poverty-stricken.

“I got to meet a lot of kids and got to learn they have a lot of similar backgrounds, motivation, goals and dreams,” said Liberati. “They just didn’t have the means or the support they needed to succeed.”

Established in 2007, Steve’s Club provides low-cost and free fitness programs, like Crossfit training, for teens coming from tough neighborhoods and family situations. According to the Steve’s Club’s website, the club allows students to train alongside community members, like firefighters, lawyers, doctors and businessmen.

Those with income less than $15,000 are three times more likely to live sedentary lifestyles, reports Bristol-Myers Squibb. The same report suggests cites lack of access to recreation sites along with a general perception of an unsafe neighborhood as large factors in reduced physical activity for people with low-income. The use of exercise in low-income areas could be a solution to disproportionate health problems among low-income people.

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition reports that 45 percent of children living in poverty are overweight or obese compared to 22 percent of children in households earning four times the poverty level.

The growing concerns for children’s health seems amplified in areas without as many resources, so Steve’s Club opened another 16 locations nationwide in cities with unique socio-economic disadvantages. Liberati hopes to see improvement in those communities.

“Hopefully what they learn here they can apply to other aspects in life,” Liberati said.

Originally posted on NBC10.com