he has lived in the columbia heights house for nine years. harassment started in august. >> i came home one day and someone writing the word [bleep] on my garage door. >> on another occasion he found his car covered in graffiti. but letters prompted him to call police. >> one was written in crayon and the other was typed. stephen: they're specific and threatening. >> said i was in the crosshairs. reporter: they are stunned that this is associated with the 1950's than washington, d.c. in 2015. >> people with stall mind. stephen: while police investigate the homeowner is protecting himself. he installed surveillance cameras. his neighbors find it hard to believe whoever is responsible could live in that community. is there we have a diverse neighborhood -- >> we have a diverse neighborhood in a lot of ways. that has never been a problem or an issue from our perspective.

stephen: the man in this case says he knows of no one in the neighborhood or among his roster of acquaintances who would do this. d.c. police have the two letters in their possession. they are going over them to look for evidence to lead to the suspect. stephen tschida, abc7 news. leon: fear of a different nature in arlington after nine attacks on women in the last two and a half months. suzanne kennedy is live near the scene of the latest incident along scott street in rosslyn. suzanne? suzanne: this similar to the other attacks in the community. this happened after a night out. women stopped here and got out of a taxi cab. one walked across the street to her apartment complex and that's when she was attacked. nine attack since beginning of august. the latest happened when a

resident of a rosslyn heights apartment complex on north scott street was coming home after a night out with friends. she was walking from this 7-eleven when she spotted her alleged attacker. >> she picked up her pace and tried to get to the building quicker and the suspect grabbed her from behind. suzanne: they're possibly two men. one black, one hispanic. >> i don't walk by myself. suzanne: she is being safe after she leaves the job at night. >> after hearing the stories, i have someone walk with me. i don't walk alone. suzanne: adam ses he is self-defense classes for women are filling up. >> they want to know how the attacks happen and how they can prevent becoming a target. if they can't, if they can't avoid it, how can they physically fight back? suzanne: well, here is one of

the ways that the arlington county police say you can prevent being a target. say, first of all, get your head out of your phone. stop looking at your phone if you are walking home in the dark. put it in your pocket and forget about it until you get some place safe. take off the ear buds. that diminishes the ability to hear people around you. if you have been out drinking make sure that even in your group gets home safely. reporting live in arlington, suzanne kennedy, abc7 news. alison: all right. thank you very much. well, happening now, police are on the scene of a shooting in waldorf. abc7 news was overhead in the last hour after a teenage was shot in the leg on the bike path near st. paul's drive. police tell abc7 news it appears to be a robbery. we will keep you updated on the story. it's supposed to be a safe place for disabilities but a man is under arrest in the case of physically assaulting

a deaf woman at a group home. kevin lewis is live with the details that you will see only on 7. kevin? kevin: vermonts say the abuse went on for two years. today for the first time we learned that the suspect coworkers knew about the abuse but kept quiet out of fear. this is a group home for the hearing impaired. this is robertson, the house dad accused of repeatedly assaulting his own residents. in one case, his say robertson shoved a deaf woman down a flight of stairs because she didn't do her laundry. in another incident he pushed the same woman on the ground and began to kick her. that woman had injuries to her leg, chest and forehead. >> that's appalling. that is clearly abuse.

kevin: she is a mother and nanny. >> people working with the mentally ill or the physically challenged, they're supposed to handle the situations better than the rest of us. i hope it gets sorted out. it's not okay. >> multiple employees witness routine abuse and waited until robertson was on the vacation to report it because they, too, were scared. it can be frustration. if you can't communicate effectively or are unable to communicate effectively, you might snap. >> it cannot happen. it can't have a first-time for that. kevin: police arrested and charged robertson with abuse of a vulnerable adult. he has bonded out of jail. live in rockville, kevin lewis, abc7 news.

leon: we are monitoring a story out of the district where the council passed a bill to let the city use private ambulances in a measure to reduce response time. breaking news in the proposed pepco-exelon merger. moments ago d.c. mayor muriel bowser outlined an agreement between the city. >> the $78 million will be used to promote sustainability, increase reliability for the utility customers and create pathways to the middle class for d.c. residents. leon: regulators in other states approve the $6.4 million merger. they -- [inaudible] we'll see how it plays out.

time now to check on the weather. doug hill is now basically looking at the beautiful fall day. doug: sunshine coming out across the area. start with the time lapse. germantown. a sunrise. not much in the way of cloudiness throughout the day. 76 in reagannable. 73 in manassas. all right. so the story for there evening will be the same thing. clear to partly skies. it will drop close to 50 degree mark. it's locally above 50. lower 50's to the suburb. the mid-to-upper 50's in the

city and the southeast. a very comfortable night. pleasant start to the day tomorrow. which will feature sunshine. 77 degrees in the afternoon. there is rain forecasted. we will tell you when that is coming your way. that's coming up shortly. leon: right now the sun is out in south carolina. alison: the governor is warning residents to not be fooled. that the threat from the flooding is far from over. brad bell is live in south carolina tonight and surveying the situation in kingstree, halfway between columbia and the coast. brad: this is the black river. this is not supposed to be here. this is a roadway to a home. the road is submerged. this is normally a brook but this is destroying the town. >> the black river was expected to be in town this morning but the water is

rising. much of double-team is underway. a car part store, i will quore store. rational neighborhoods. marie and her son watched the river roar under a bridge. they had to evacuate. thaw don't have a house to go home to. >> you never know what will happen. my house is flooded. a terrible situation. brad: the town is cut off from the rest of the state all the roads are closed. helicopters are flying low. monitoring the worsening floods. he says the flood claims more than the roads and the housing. it's devastating to the agriculture. he says it will ruin 75% of the cotton crop.

>> pray for next year. we have to keep going. we can't quit. >> this is the last open road in the town. it's still passible but s.u.v. but the water continues to rise. coming up an inch an hour. they have no item when the rise will stop. we hope it's soon. a terrible scene in this part of north carolina. back to you. alison: it is. you talk to the farmers there and the most important thing are that people are okay. is there any way to put a dollar estimate on the damage? brad: we talk to people and they said they are blessed that it's only stuff they lost

but it's beyond that. we are hearing that it's billion of dollars. billions of dollars. not just property loss. it's income loss. the farmer may lose his whole crop. it will be billions. alison: thank you very much. leon: walls of water aren't the only image out of south carolina. coming up we explain what this is that you are seeing here. >> then later. a nursing mother's run-in with a flight attendant that has people talking. leon: people are talking across the nation. this is an example that they set in the district. we will tell you about it. >> there could be one thing you don't want to see in the

future but it could be on the way. i'm jeff goldberg. we'll explain. we have more after the br

leon: back with incredible video from new jersey. a man in his backyard.

it comes barreling through the fence on top of him. as bad as it looks the homeowner did survive with only minor injuries. incredible. that is the last thing you out expect in your backyard. alison: wow! that is scary. around here we may be seeing the impact of the metro problems on the rails. a report shows a dip in ridership. as jeff goldberg reports from arlington, the metro losses could mean the higher fares for you in the future. metro has the fair share of the loyal riders -- >> the only way i go. >> these days you are likely to roven into peter. >> travesty the way they operate.

>> people lose their lives. you don't know when you arrive to the destination. disgraceful. reporter: the bad feelings may only get worse with release of a new report by wmata. the ridership dropped by 40,000 passengers. raising the possibility of fair increases to make up for the deficit. >> my metro the prices went up significantly. it could make a difference with me buying a car. reporter: the drop in the riders is due to many factors, telecommuting and the trust in government jobs but the public frustration is a factor. on twitter, multiple handles are getting in the problem with metro. >> they need to show they can work within the income.

the decision to not raise fares could be the successful response. >> they have to earn the public trust. >> we reached out to metro for a comment. they said they would have something to say when it becomes public. alison: thank you. one of arlington's finest four-legged officers is retiring. he served 11 years as a narcotic sniffing k-9. the 13-year-old lab will enjoy the time off in the care of his partner. they shared in the 2013 law enforcement officer of the year award. the deputy says that his dog plans to spend the days watching "animal planet" and keeping up with owl of his fans on his -- all of his fans

on his facebook page. leon: too bad not a horse and they can put him out to stud. doug: i watch animal planet. for a couple of hours. alison: so funny. it's beautiful. doug: showers possible on friday. this is the valley area of south central frederick county in maryland. beautiful sunrise. we have subtle changes of the color on the trees. you can see it. this is a lower elevation in the valley. a few high clouds. this is an update on the fall foliage report. little to no change seen broad area across metro. you get higher area of north

and western. moderate west of the eastern continental divide. these are all great places. national forest, to see all the great colors. this is the time normally for the peak color around the area. late october, first of november through metro and up to baltimore. we have been dry. that ran us into a deficit with september. 2.15 inches the whole month. another deficit. look at what is happening in the first eight days through october. first six days, we have had 1.39. is of rain. we have a surplus working now so that is good. we might have more rain on

friday. the shower and the thunderstorm. but it's not heavy or widespread. very comfortable to be outside. the temperatures will drop in the 60's. but the overnight hours it's a noticeable drop to the low to mid-50's. there is no precipitation. that is what is left of the storm system that caused the unbelievable rain in south carolina. that will go out to sea. we have batches of clouds here and there tomorrow and again on thursday. we have isolated thunderstorms through that time. but i don't think it's a big deal. 77 tomorrow afternoon with sunshine. a light breeze. the next seven days put it together for you.

77. 75. in the mid-70's on friday. the cold front with a 30% chance of the showers and the thunderstorms. the weekend should clear out. a minor warming trend again. alison: it warms up nicely in the afternoon. doug: the sun is low enough to warm it. leon: but crisp at night. you can feel it. it's a perfect fall week for this week. for sure. but winter will be here before you know it. alison: still to come, we'll tell you how much cow could be paying to keep warm. alison: a look at what is coming up tonight on abc.

okay. so everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" but why? why fios? well fios is a 100 percent fiber optic network, so you can get 100% out of all your devices. whatever speed you need, fiosas it. so if you need more streaming for more devices, fios gives you options with the fastest internet and wi-fi available from 50 to 500 mpbs. and we're not just talking downloads. we're talking equal upload speeds, too. you can upload your favorite videos up to 5x faster than cable. plus with the fios mobile app, you can view your entertainmnmet at home, or on the go. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in cuomer satisfaction.

why fios? ultimately, that's why. right now, get 50 meg fios internet, tv & phone starting at $79.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. plus get $300 back with a two year agreement. get out of the past. get fios. leon: draft king and fan duel issued joint statement to say they have strict policies in place. there is no evidence to suggest there were cheating. this comes after a draft king

employee won on his fan duel site. employee apologized for leaking confidential data last week. alison: tonight the city council is looking to make change to family leave in the nation. it would give those in d.c. and maryland 16 weeks of paid leave after the birth of a baby or to care for an ailing parent. sam ford has details on this. sam: they put out the folders here with a lot of heart and red to talk about family leave. at this point there are seven of the 13 councilmembers who are cosponsors. so with the margiety on their -- majority on their time it looks good. babies crawled on the floor. in the corridor and coupcil chamber as well.

>> it's important to have the chance to bond with the children. >> me and my husband have paid leave. it is important for us. >> d.c. would surpass any other. up to 16 weeks of paid leave. >> we need to move the country toward a place to do this. this is not new. this under the bill there is a list of reason that employees could take family leave, including a new baby, adoption or care for a sick family member. >> ehave an 80-year-old dad and 757-year-old mom. they are in food health but you never know when something will happen. >> the d.c. chamber of commerce says it is a job killer.

>> this will harm the community. >> this is paid for by employers and that is a bad idea. >> not covered under the bill are the d.c. residents who work for the federal government. the federal contractors or those who work outside of the city. bob they could buy into by paying premiums. people working outside the city would get it out matt igly. alison: we will see what happens. thank you. coming up on "abc7 news at 5:00" -- another story new mothers might be interested in. a crowded flight. nursing mother. find out what happened when she tried to be discreet on the plane. >> plus -- >> it's crazy. leon: a new definition for friday night fight. alison: but first --

>> we do not discriminate. alison: we will take you live to south carolina for the latest on the historic

leon: tonight the threat is not over in south carolina. it could take days for the rivers and the streams to crest after the historic flooding. there have been nine dams and

four failed this weekend. 14 people died in the flooding. polo sandoval is live in one of the hardest hate areas. columbia. what is the latest on what you are seeing now? polo: we continue to see widespread damage. instead of telling you about it, i want to show it to you. behind me what is a small creek usually is what left of a business. floodwaters swept through here a few days ago. they took a large portion of the building with it. i want to show you what it look like from above. the shootage is showing what officials have been dealing

with. this is different today compared to previous days. we now have improving weather. but as they pick up the pieces they do so aware of what is a constant flood threat. we know ten dams breached or failed in south carolina. one of them a mar failure here, the overcreek bridge dam prompted a mandatory evacuation. while we were standing on this spot 24 hours ago. they told us we had to pack up and move out. but instead you look behind me and you can see that the water has begun from the side and recede. that is something that the officials want to see. especially families that have been through so much. leon: that is also tricky. weather now looks nicer and the rains stopped. you are seeing the water

receding. there are still curfews in effect. they have to be concerned about the people prematurely going back home. polo: two nights of curfews have worked. they have been listening to the officials and heading home after dark. that is something we expect tonight. police want to make sure it does not happen again. leon: tough days ahead. everyone trying to get to higher ground.

check this out. they are life rafts if you will to brave the flood in charleston. this is science friday early. the most important of them are kept safe in the middle of the pile as they make it to dry land. we want to see what you see in the breaking weather or any other news situation. send it to pics@wjla.com. alison: "7 on your side" with a consumer alert that could save you time. new rules took effect to cut down paperwork that you need to fill out for a mortgage.

now instead of four forms you just fill out two. the form from the lender should detail term of the loan. the new rules make it easier to compare loan and find the best rate and the best term. they are out with the winter heating outlook that is calling for lower bills. you will pay between 18-25% less. bills for using the natural gas should go down 10%. people using electricity should go down 3%. leon: back to a wild and wonderful wjla now. cool weather means the hot temperatures for moose in alaska. not here. mating season up there in full swing. a fare and some happened to catch a moose fight on camera. take a look.

"moose fight club." it started in the driverway of a neighbor's home in south anchorage. this is over a female moose. it spilled out in the street. one of them hit in the subaru. alison: so they were fighting over a girl. >> a lot of people were amazed as i was. i got to watch it for real. leon: one of the bull moose finally got the upper hand. or hoof. whatever. alison: coming up at 5:00, how does your garden grow? a look at the harvest from the white house garden. >> who could be in the house? and how did they get in? leon: a woman finds herself trapped in her h

wow. this place is spectacular. thank you . we worked with a designer from havertys for a complete refresh. you must be happy to get out of that tiny house? yeah you know when we realized how great the furniture could be,

we knew we wanted how much more space? we went from a hundred square feet to... three thousand! (whispers) three thousand! we still have the original structure. she uses it as a yoga studio. it's more like a tool shed. refresh your space during our harvest sale at havertys. plus, enjoy thty-six month, no-interest financing havertys. discover something you.

alison: talk about a hair-raising experience. men gathered for the 2015 beard and mustache championship. three-day event for the facial hair aficionados. men were happy to show off the facial fashions and compete for prizes. leon: they wouldn't do that if there wasn't a woman out there who thought that was hot. alison: no, that can't be. [laughter] wow! we have to go watch that again. it wasn't beards but

vegetables. leon: kellye lynn takes us to harvest day. kellye: students take veggies with mrs. obama today. >> are you ready to harvest? i understand you've been broken up in groups. do you know what your jobs will be? let's move! kellye: the children spent the an at the event. they cut plants and placed ven tables in baskets and then they chopped up the veggy and prepared salads and then sat down with the first lady for lunch. the goal is to understand healthy food choices.

they have been assisting with the white house garden since the first planting in 2009. leon: good deal. coming up at "abc7 news at 5:00" -- quite a scare. find out how the statute of lucille ball is put to good use. alison: first, the new mothers know the sound. how it became a point of convention

alison: "7 on your side" now. cdc has a report card on breastfeeding practices in hospitals. they need to do a bitter job promoting it. barely one in four hospitals in the country have an official policy on breastfeeding. doctors say breastfeeding is great nutrition for the baby but helps protect against childhood infections and chronic disease. in both mom and newborns. american airlines is apologizing to a mother who says the flight attendant asked her to leave the

airplane bathroom while using a breast bump. the mother says she was shamed. the whole ordeal was captured on her ipad. >> i was seen breastfeeding. >> an argument over a breast pump. >> if i don't pump regularly, my breast milk supply goes down. reporter: she was on a night heading home to phoenix to see her daughter. when she started feeling the need to pump. he is went to the -- she went to the airplane bathroom and warned the passengers she would be pumping. >> a tenant knocks on -- atlanta knocks on the -- tenant knocks on the door. are you okay? >> yes, i breastfeed and i'm pumping. >> the flight attendant ordered her to open the door while exposed with the other passengers watching. >> i had pump connected to me.

>> this is not the first time a mother felt shamed while flying. this woman says a delta flight attendant ordered her to cover up. >> american airlines has apologized and said the policy is that women can breastfeed at any of the facilities, seat on the plane. american airlines said the flight attendant number one priority is safety. they will check on anyone in the pathroom for a long period of time. they recommend any mom give them a heads up. leon: another related note. alison: united airlines is apologizing for a similar step tonight. liz cooper, mother of 4-month-old asked a woman at the dulles airport where she could pump and the woman told her she could use the bathroom. but she said the bathroom

wasn't sanitary. and the woman then suggested a pet relief area. spokesman said they don't have dedicated nursing areas but it is working to develop them. united says the airline will reach out to her to apologize. >> saved by lipstick. >> i'm going like this. >> this woman was upstairs in the home when she heard foot prints downstairs. she had no way to call for help. she got the idea to write "call police" on the window in lipstick. it took hours but finally a neighbor noticed and the police arrived and they found the man inside the house. he was on the couch asleep. he was drunk and stumbled in the wrong house. alison: oh, no. we have new information tonight about the statue of lucille ball that caused

uproar in her hometown. we told you about a few months ago. bronze likeness of the actress is in lakewood new york. the residents were upset because they said the statue looks nothing like her. so they will use an actor to portray it in a haunted house. leon: that was an ugly lucille. alison: it was strange. i think the man who did it apologized. i think he realized it. leon: he admitted himself. i missed on this one. alison: we're not missing on the weather. it is so nice outside. leon: there is nothing ugly here. doug: day after day, winds and chilly temperatures. we start with a time lapse from the ashburg and trailside middle school. in the day after a clear morning a few fair weather clouds in the afternoon. it's delightful. watch the clouds move in.

upper 60's to the lower 70's. leaseburg is 73 -- leesburg is 73. 73 in andrews and baltimore and frederick. in the evening hours the temperatures slide to the 60's and the 50's. by the morning with a few high clouds, i think you will wake up to the temperatures in the mid-50's. 54 in college park. 55 in la plata. along the potomac river. 56 degrees early tomorrow morning. through the day tomorrow after the chilly start, a great warmup. clim through the mid-to-the upper 70's with a lot of sunshine. a few fair weather clouds through wednesday afternoon. the same pattern on thursday. we will get to friday and a cold front will come through between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 30% chance of showers and the thunderstorms. mild. skies will clear out over the weekend and turn cooler. upper 60's to the lower 70's. fine weather to start the next

week. that's the latest. back to you. alison: we'll take it. leon: erin talking about the puck today. erin: i was thinking with the weather it's too bad the weather is on the road this week. it's perfect football weather. food for the high school kids. we were out at capitals media today. the players are all fired up about the home opener against the devils. they feel they have the pieces to get past the second round of the playoffs. i got to chat with barry trotz in his second year as the head coach. what do you think the experts pegging the caps to make it to the finals this season? coach trotz: i'm okay with it. expectations are good to have. we talk about it. we can avoid them. the expectations are just, they are like betting on a horse.

erin: how long can oshie go without getting his monkey off his back? >> the stanley cup one? erin: yes. that big monkey. coach trotz: that's really a capitals thing. this is something we need to take care of. the one thing they want is the trophy. you will have a determined athlete the next few years here. erin: he is a gem. i could have talked to him all day long. i had a blast.

>> still ahead tonight -- >> the universities rally to call for extended background checks on the gun sales. coming up, we hear from a student whose mother survived the sandy hook elementary school tragedy and hear from the gunright advocates about what they have to say about it all. that is next.

alison: capitol hill is no stranger to protest. diane cho shows who made their voice known today. diane: they held up signs pushing for expanded background check on gun sales, days after a gunman shot and killed nine people at an oregon community college. >> i just want to say the names of those who are killed. diane: her mother is a teacher at sandy hook elementary school. her mother wasn't injured in the massacre but she has seen the emotional scars that will be there forever. >> we have a new generation of children traumatized in our classrooms who assume that is normal that gunman will come in the class and shoot. diane: that is why she and others issued letters to the outgoing speaker to call on the lawmakers to take action. >> we won't let the classrooms be next. >> eric with the gun owners of america doesn't believe the

legislation is effective in stopping mass shootings. >> doing more background checks is not going to do anything to stop criminally minded from getting the hands on a gun. >> the owners are also facing some heat after more than 2,200 people signed a change.org petition online. upset it's too close to nearby elementary school. gun right activists believe it should be easier to protect themselves in fun free zones. >> the bottom line for stopping the shooting in oregon is to stop the practice of creating gun free zones. that is always what is targeted. diane: i'm diane cho >> allison -- >> "abc7 news at 6:00" starts now. >> from abc7 news this is a breaking news alert.

maureen: breaking news for the more than 850,000 customers who depend on pepco for the power. the utility companies proposed merge with exelon is moving forward again. a major roadblock has been taken away. >> keep in mind in august the public service commission rejected the merger saying it could harm the environment. >> they have been working tirelessly and they drafted an agreement between pepco-exelon and merm to ease most if not all the p.s.e. concerns. under the deal exelon will invest $78 million.

one critic says if you wait a few years and this will be awful for those. >> the deal puts the rate-payers first to deliver public utility that is cost effective, dependable and environmentally sound. today i can say we reached a settlement that does all of those things. >> this is a short-term, feel-good deal that masks the long-term consequences. it's not in the public interest to do the merger even with the little extra money they have thrown in. >> keep in mind this is just a proposal. a proposal that still has to go back to the public service commission for their approval. jay korff, abc7 news. leon: >> thank you. a busy day.