UPDATE: Amtrak service resumes after temporary suspension due to broken gas pipe (2024)

ON. WGAL NEWS EIGHT AT NOON STARTS NOW. TODAY IS AN IMPACT DAY. I’LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND THE STRONGEST WINDS ARRIVE. FIRE TEARS THROUGH ROW HOMES IN HARRISBURG. HOW ONE RESIDENT ESCAPED THE FLAMES. BREAKING NEWS FORMER NFL STAR O.J. SIMPSON HAS DIED. GOOD AFTERNOON. I’M SUSAN SHAPIRO. THE STORM TEAM HAS MADE TODAY AN IMPACT DAY. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRISTINE FERREIRA IS HERE WITH MORE. THAT’S BECAUSE OF THE WINDS AND RAIN HEADED OUR WAY. YOU GOT IT? NOTHING REALLY BREWING RIGHT NOW, BUT IT WILL COME INTO OUR PICTURE LATER TODAY. SO LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT WE HAVE OUTSIDE. WE HAVE HAVE THIS WARM FRONT UP TO OUR NORTH. BOY, IT’S WARM OUT THERE. TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES. BUT YOU SEE THAT COLD FRONT BACK IN THE MIDWEST. AND THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO SPARK SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS, SOME HEAVY RAIN, MAYBE RUMBLES OF THUNDER AND GUSTY WINDS AS WE HEAD INTO TONIGHT. RIGHT NOW, PRETTY QUIET. JUST A LITTLE SHOWER NEAR SOUTH MOUNTAIN IN FRANKLIN COUNTY. THERE’S YOUR TEMPERATURES. LOTS OF 60S ON THE MAP, EVEN A FEW 70S WINDS ARE STARTING TO PICK UP, BUT THEY’RE NOT STRONG JUST YET. WE WILL SEE THE STRONGEST WINDS COME INTO OUR AREA LATE THIS EVENING, AND TONIGHT WE COULD SEE SOME GUSTS OF 45MPH. SO TODAY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE DEVELOPING A LITTLE BIT LATER ON. COULD HAVE SOME RUMBLES OF THUNDER THROWN IN THE MIX. ESPECIALLY TONIGHT WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING OUT FOR GUSTS TO 45MPH ENDING AROUND SUNRISE ON FRIDAY, AND THEN SOME ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES, PERHAPS SOME MINOR FLOODING CONCERNS AND PONDING ON THE ROADS. IF YOU DO SEE SOME OF THAT HEAVIER RAIN. BUT WE ARE SEEING INCREASING RAIN CHANCES, INCREASING WINDS AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU CHRISTINE. BREAKING NEWS. THE FAMILY OF OJ SIMPSON SAYS THE FORMER NFL STAR HAS DIED. NEWS EIGHT’S BARBARA BARR IS HERE WITH MORE ON THE LEGEND, WHO WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR BEING ACQUITTED OF MURDERING HIS WIFE AND HER FRIEND SUSAN. A MESSAGE POSTED ON OJ SIMPSON’S OFFICIAL EX ACCOUNT FROM THE SIMPSON FAMILY STATED HE DIED IN LAS VEGAS LAST NIGHT AFTER BATTLING CANCER. SIMPSON WAS 76. IN WHAT WAS CALLED THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY. A JURY ACQUITTED THE FORMER FOOTBALL STAR OF CHARGES HE MURDERED HIS FORMER WIFE, NICOLE, AND HER FRIEND RONALD GOLDMAN IN 1995. THEY WERE FOUND STABBED TO DEATH THE PRIOR YEAR PRIOR TO HIS ARREST, HE WAS IN A WHITE FORD BRONCO, LEADING POLICE ON A CHASE THROUGH LOS ANGELES. IT WAS FOLLOWED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AFTER THE MURDER TRIAL, ANOTHER JURY FOUND SIMPSON LIABLE IN A CIVIL CASE, FORCING HIM TO PAY MORE THAN $33 MILLION TO THE FAMILIES HE WAS LATER CONVICTED AND SPENT NINE YEARS IN PRISON. IN AN UNRELATED ARMED ROBBERY CHARGE. THE CRIMINAL CASES OVERSHADOWED AN ILLUSTRIOUS FOOTBALL CAREER. SIMPSON STARRED FOR THE BUFFALO BILLS, BECOMING THE FIRST RUNNING BACK TO RUSH FOR MORE THAN 2000 YARDS IN A SEASON. HE WON THE HEISMAN TROPHY WHILE AT USC. NOW THESE CRIMINAL CASES OVERSHADOWED THAT CAREER. HE ALSO BECAME AN ACTOR, A PITCHMAN AND A COMMENTATOR. WE’LL BE FOLLOWING THIS STORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. BARBARA BARR NEWS 8 A ROWHOME FIRE THIS MORNING IN HARRISBURG LEFT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HOMELESS. NEWS EIGHT’S GABRIELLE THOMAS HAS MORE FROM THE FIRE CHIEF AND RESIDENTS WHO WITNESSED THE FIRE. MULTIPLE HOMES HERE ON WATER STREET BETWEEN SIXTH STREET AND SEVENTH STREET CAUGHT FIRE EARLY THIS MORNING. CREWS ARRIVED ON SCENE AROUND 6 A.M. AND WERE HERE FOR NEARLY THREE HOURS FIGHTING THIS FIRE. TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN. THIS IS VIDEO WE GOT FROM A RESIDENT’S RING DOOR CAMERA. YOU CAN SEE THE FLAMES AS THEY EXPAND AT THE FRONT OF THAT HOME, AND EVEN NEIGHBORS TRYING TO ALERT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INSIDE. THE CHIEF TELLS ME. ONE PERSON THAT LIVED INSIDE THE HOME THAT CAUGHT FIRE TRIED TO JUMP FROM THE SECOND FLOOR AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION. AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE, FIVE HOMES IN TOTAL ARE DAMAGED, BUT ONLY THREE WERE OCCUPIED. YOU CAN SEE THE DAMAGE ON THE FRONT OF THE HOME, WHERE WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE COMPLETELY GUTTED OUT. WE SPOKE WITH THE FIRE CHIEF AND HE SAYS THANKFULLY EVERYONE MADE IT OUT SAFE. WE WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN IT TO JUST REALLY TWO AND A HALF OF THE HOMES ARE BURNT FAIRLY DECENTLY. IT WAS THAT EXTREME WORK THAT THOSE GUYS DO RIGHT OUT THE GATE. GETTING HERE THAT FAST, RESPONSE TIME. A LOT OF GUYS ON THE STREET RIGHT AWAY AND REALLY SAVED THE LIVES AND SAVED THE PROPERTY. THE FLAMES ARE SO BAD. THEY HAD ALREADY STARTED INTO THE SECOND FLOOR PORCH UP ABOVE THE ROOF PART, AND THEN THE WOOD CHIPPINGS WERE FALLING DOWN AND STUFF AND IT WAS MAN, THAT WAS SO SCARY. NOW RED CROSS WILL BE ASSISTING THE DISPLACED IN HARRISBURG, GABRIEL THOMAS WGAL NEWS EIGHT. ANOTHER FIRE. THIS MORNING DAMAGED TWO CONDOMINIUMS IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY. THE FIRE STARTED JUST BEFORE 6 A.M. ON CHARLOTTE WAY IN EAST PENNSBORO TOWNSHIP, NEAR ENOLA. FOUR ADULTS AND TWO CHILDREN WERE IN THE TWO CONDOS, BUT NO ONE WAS HURT. FIREFIGHTERS FROM PERRY, DAUPHIN AND CUMBERLAND COUNTIES WERE AT THE SCENE. THE CAUSE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. IN ONE OF THE TWO BROTHERS WANTED FOR A BOMB THREAT YESTERDAY AT THE FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE IS NOW IN CUSTODY. 34 YEAR-OLD CHAD WYNN ROGERS IS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY PRISON CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY AND TERRORISTIC THREATS. THERE IS ALSO AN ARREST WARRANT FOR HIS BROTHER, JASON ROGERS. JASON ROGERS IS STILL WANTED AND A SHOOTING AT A RAMADAN EVENT YESTERDAY IN PHILADELPHIA LEFT THREE PEOPLE WOUNDED. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AROUND 230 AT THE EID AL-FITR EVENT AT CLARA MUHAMMAD SQUARE, ACROSS THE STREET FROM A MOSQUE. POLICE SAY AT LEAST 30 SHOTS WERE FIRED INTO THE CROWD. THE PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER SAYS OFFICERS WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO THE EVENT WERE WRITING TICKETS FOR PARKED CARS NEARBY WHEN THEY HEARD THE SHOTS. KIDS WERE PLAYING AND JUST GUNSHOTS JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE WERE JUST GRABBING THE KIDS, PUTTING THEM UNDERNEATH THE TABLES, PUTTING THEM UNDER THE, YOU KNOW, PICK UP TRUCKS UNDERNEATH THE CARS, JUST GETTING THEM TO SAFETY. IT WAS UNEXPECTED, LIKE PEOPLE WERE JUMPING TABLES GOING UP ON THEIR TRUCKS AND STUFF LIKE PEOPLE JUST SHOOTING FOR NO REASON. POLICE SHOT A 15 YEAR-OLD SUSPECT IN THE ARM AND LEG. WHO THEY SAY HAD A GUN FOR MINORS AND AN ADULT WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. POLICE SAY THEY DO NOT BELIEVE. ANYONE WAS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AND EXPECT ALL OF THE SHOOTING VICTIMS TO SURVIVE. NEW AT NOON, THE TSA SAYS IT SEIZED 1503 FIREARMS IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS. THE TSA SAYS 93% OF THOSE WEAPONS WERE LOADED. THE FIGURE IS ROUGHLY THE SAME AS THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2023. HAPPENING TODAY, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS IMPLEMENTING NEW RULES. THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS WILL MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR GUNS TO GET INTO THE WRONG HANDS. AS NEWS EIGHT’S AMY LU REPORTS, THE NEW RULES CHANGE. WHO QUALIFIES AS A DEALER? ONE RULE BROADENS THE DEFINITION OF WHO IS A GUN DEALER. THAT IN TURN REQUIRES MORE PEOPLE TO PERFORM BACKGROUND CHECKS. THE RULE TARGETS PEOPLE WHO SELL GUNS AT GUN SHOWS OR ONLINE MARKETPLACES, WHICH THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS HAS CREATED A CRITICAL GAP IN BACKGROUND CHECKS. THE REGULATIONS ALSO SAY IF A PERSON IS REPETITIVELY SELLING THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF A GUN, OR SELLS GUNS WITHIN A 30 DAY PERIOD OF BUYING THEM, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO BECOME A LICENSED DEALER. IT CLARIFIES THAT EVEN A SINGLE FIREARM TRANSACTION MAY REQUIRE A LICENSE. OTHER RULES GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT BETTER TOOLS TO CRACK DOWN ON PEOPLE WHO ILLEGALLY SELL GUNS WITHOUT BACKGROUND CHECKS. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES. THE NEW RULES APPLY TO OVER 20,000 UNLICENSED SELLERS. THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION WEIGHED IN WHEN THE RULES WERE FIRST INTRODUCED, SAYING THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS ATTACKING LAW ABIDING GUN OWNERS AND THEIR RIGHTS. IN WASHINGTON, I’M AMY LU. SOME PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS WANT TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO PREVENT PARTIZAN REDISTRICTING, THE PRACTICE WIDELY KNOWN AS REDLINING OR GERRYMANDERING. DEMOCRAT STEVE SAMUELSON AND REPUBLICAN MARK GILLEN ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY A NEW CO-SPONSOR MEMO. HOUSE BILL 1776, WOULD PROVIDE A NONPARTISAN PROCESS FOR REDRAWING THE LINES FOR STATE SENATE, STATE HOUSE AND CONGRESS DISTRICTS. IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE IN PENNSYLVANIA. WE KNOW LEADERS DON’T LIKE TO GIVE UP POWER, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT VOTERS ARE TIRED OF THE STATUS QUO AND EAGER TO RECLAIM THE RIGHT TO ALTER AND REFORM OUR GOVERNMENT AND INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP TOWARD A STRONGER GOVERNMENT OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA. THE NEXT READING PROCESS STARTS IN 2031. LAWMAKERS HOPE TO PASS SOME KIND OF REFORM BEFORE THEN. VOLUNTEERS FROM THE ROTARY CLUB OF YORK ARE HELPING THE CITY SPRUCE UP CONTINENTAL SQUARE. AS NEWS EIGHT’S JAKE REYES REPORTS, IT’S PART OF A MONTHS LONG PROJECT THAT I’M PLANNING A JUNIPER, ONE OF THE MANY PLANTS THAT ARE PART OF AN EFFORT TO BEAUTIFY THE YORK CONTINENTAL SQUARE. AND IT’S A PROJECT THAT’S BEEN DECADES OVERDUE. EVERYONE IS GETTING THEIR HANDS DIRTY. WE’RE PLANTING SOME REALLY COOL PLANTS FOR THE GREATEST BLOW UP, THE CONTINENTAL SQUARE OF DOWNTOWN YORK HAS HAD. I THOUGHT IT’D BE COOL TO COME OUT HERE BECAUSE I USED TO GARDEN WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER IN OVER 60 YEARS WITH SHRUBS, PERENNIALS AND TREES. LATER ON, WE’RE GOING TO BE PUTTING IN LANDSCAPE LIGHTINGS AND SIGNS TO REALLY REJUVENATE THE CENTER CITY OF DOWNTOWN NEW YORK. AND IT’S NO ORDINARY CITY PROJECT. THESE IMPROVEMENTS ARE FUNDED BY DONORS SUCH AS THE ROTARY CLUB OF YORK, WHO HAS HAD A MAJOR HAND IN THE PROCESS, SAVING THE CITY 29,000 TAXPAYER DOLLARS. WE FEEL THAT BEING VOCAL AND AVAILABLE IN THE HEART OF YORK CITY IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR CLUB, WITH WHAT WE BELIEVE IN AND WHAT WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT, BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE. THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SQUARE THAT’S COVERED FOR YEARS TO COME WITH AN ENDOWMENT CREATED BY THE CITY AND THE YORK COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, THESE PLANNERS STILL NEED TO BE WATERED. THEY STILL NEED TO BE MULCHED. ENDOWMENT WILL COVER ALL THOSE COSTS. A TEAM EFFORT FOR AN OVERDUE EXPERIENCE THAT WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON THE YORK COMMUNITY FOR DECADES TO COME. I GREW UP IN YORK, SO TO SEE LIKE, UM, LIKE MAKING HISTORY IS LIKE REALLY COOL. OTHER THAN THE LIGHTING, THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE LAST DAY FOR THIS BEAUTIFICATION PROCESS, AND THE GRAND OPENING OF THE SQUARE WILL BE IN MAY. BEAUTIFYING YORK I’M JAKE REYES FOR WGAL NEWS EIGHT. BREAKING NEWS FROM LANCASTER HAMILTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND ELIZABETH MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE ON LOCKDOWN DUE TO A POLICE INCIDENT ON WALBANK ROAD NEARBY. NEWS 8 IS FOLLOWIN