wiedefeld will speak at 6:00 tonight to give an update not only on the inspections that have been going on today but possibly on service tomorrow. here is what we know at this point. there are 22 different inspection teams out there checking the rails. service likely continuing, the inspections likely continuing at this hour. rail stations shuttered for emergency inspections. after another fire on the track, damage cable that help power the train. >> i think it is better now that they did it rather than something else happening later. probably a good decision. i ruined people's commute. >> after the disasters, loss of life last year, this is a really smart thing to do. brianne: overnight and throughout the day, 22 team of the engineers and the contractors checked the jumper cables for potentially dangerous conditions. by midday more than half the system had been inspected. problems addressed. >> my understanding they were inspected a year ago.

caused by the same condition as the deadly l'enfant plaza smoke incident. forced metro to get crews back on the rails immediately. this is the damage from monday's fire. this is the damage after last january smoke incident. last year, metro operations manager who since re-signed show problems with the cable also highlight -- since resigned showed the problems highlighted by the ntsb report and said at the time it would take long-term single tracking to address the issue. we know there were plans in place to replace all 600 of those within the system under ground. now again, we have learned that we do expect to get an update from metro on today's inspections. that will be live right here on abc7 news at 6:00. reporting live, brianne carter. alison: thank you. metro closing prompted the federal government and the d.c. schools to offer alternatives to employees and

all over the city. sam? sam: well, we are standing over the overpass of l'enfant plaza. as you can see the traffic coming out of downtown washington is a mess. we will probably find out there are more cars that drove in the city today because of metro. the metro gate open and shut only for employees. >> normally it is 10 to 15 minutes. but now it's twice as much. it all hit a woman by surprise who does business here after driving down from pittsburgh. >> she couldn't find a garage that wasn't already full. >> it's more traffic than i typically see in d.c. i could not find a parking

garage. >> tenant telling us by 9:30 he had no space. you are fuller than you normally are? >> yeah. yeah. >> a lot of people took to bicycles. nice day for a ride. taxis were allowed to pick up multiple riders for the first time in years. for the bus commuters, metro buses were not free today. city circulator buses were. the city had traffic attendants to keep things moving. mayor bowser said the city coped. it wasn't a crisis. >> it's not a crisis but it is something to be avoided. trust me. we want d.c. to be open for business. we want people to have access to all mode of transportation. >> though schools like eastern high the principal told us attendance took a hit. >> attendance was lower than usual. we are at 50% in attendance approximately. >> we are back live here looking at the traffic coming out of downtown d.c.

editorialized today that metro is a national embarrassment. arguing that if you think cables needed to be inspected you would have thought it would have been spected a long time ago. spokes hope this does not become a habit. reporting live, i'm sam fort. >> you got it, sam. the metro cars in the yards means more cars on the road. jamie sullivan standing by on traffic watch. >> we made it through one. now we are halfway through the second. you can see here typical volume we would have on the beltway. that is what we see on the beltway. the heaviest area are in d.c.

from outer loop to 66 is another 23 minutes. so almost an hour there. moving to the waze map in d.c. bumper to bumper traffic. jeff goldberg is in mobiletrack 7 across the 14th street bridge to the national mall. get a live look with him to check in. >> this is bumper to bumper. we are headed to the mall toward the white house. moving slowly in both directions. we have seen officers directing traffic.

a lot of traffic downtown. alison: thank you. so in time for the people to head home there is a chance some of us may have to deal with rain. doug: we are not sure how many showers would pop up from the cold front coming through but not many at all. this is 66 degrees. clouds. brake of sunshine there. the temperatures are mild. 72 in washington and frederick. look at the luray and fredericksburg. 81. the front, most of the rain is over eastern pennsylvania and central new york state. the front moves through. and that is that.

i will tell you what to expect. alison: stay connected through wjla.com. or our facebook and the twitter feeds. or download the storm watch app for the smart phone or tablet for the forecast at your fingertips. leon: developing now. president obama: the one name that came up repeatedly from republicans and democrats a like a merrick garland. leon: he says he should be the next justice on the u.s. supreme court. >> people must be confident that the judge's decision is determined by the law and only the law. >> hi and she must be faithful to the constitution. he or he is must put aside the

personal view and preferences and follow the law. not make it. leon: garland has 18 years of experience as appeals court judge. after graduating from harvard law he served as a federal prosecutor in d.c. for three years before being a partner at arnold and porter. kellye lynn is outside the supreme court speaking with some of the former colleagues today. i assume no disparaging words heard. >> you are right about that. i spoke to several people today. >> merrick garland steps in the spotlight. >> a spectacular lawyer and a terrific person to work with. >> former general counsel of the f.b.i. shapiro worked with garland in the mid-1990's when the judge was the deputy assistant attorney general in criminal department of the department of justice. >> he drills down to m

he understands every aspect and nuance of an issue. >> he calls his supervision of the oklahoma city bombing case notable and inspiring. he also supervisorred the unibomber prosecution. in earlier years the judge worked on the drug case against marion berry. >> i hope that it is will -- he will be confine -- i hope something will happen in this country. >> in the upscale bethesda neighborhood the residents spoke excitedly about the president's announcement. >> i can't imagine a better person for his commitment to public service and the dedication long-term. 18 years of tutoring is a long time. >> principal considers the judge the perfect supme

kellye: when asked what kind of supreme court justice he said garland would make, he said careful, thoughtful, learned and smartful. alison: thank you. president obama has a battle on the hill before garland could be confirmed. it doesn't have anything to do with the nominee. it's all politics with the president in the final year of the final term. >> to suggest someone is qualified and respected as garland doesn't deserve a hearing to join an institution as important as the supreme court. two of of third of americans believe otherwise, that would be unprecedented.

to suggester he will be treated as a political pena the, that can't be right. >> members of the senate took to the floor to maintain the issue is not with the nominee but the process. there is a link to our poll on the home page. leon: no politics now with mr. president and the first lady. the eggs could catch any time. watch the live stream anytime you want for wjla. it will hatch at 3:00 a.m. and

alison: they are waiting. they know we are eager. coming up on the "abc7 news at 5:00" -- the push for a proper burial. the steps taken as families of women who served in world war ii try to get privileges restored in arlington. leon: plus -- >> we were standing at the window watching it when we saw tin fly from the shed roof. we went for the basement. >> wild weather rips through the midwest. >> tragic news about a police friendly fire death. plus a suspect passes out in doubter. that is next.

we need women in congress. if we want to be heard, it was the women who forced republicans to include women's health and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act. in congress, i'll fight for pay equity, family leave and tougher gun safety laws. and, as an environmentalist, i'll work combat climate change. i know as a journalist and as a senior executive in business that when women are at the table, we get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message.

alison: new information in the death of jacai colson. the officer who shot the off-duty detective mistook him outside the courthouse. brad bell has the latest on the story today. brad? brad: this shoot-out started sunday afternoon by 4:30. by 11:00 that night we were reporting this was a case likely

police confirmed that on monday. and now they are telling us that in fact this death of officer jacai colson was not the result of an errant shot or a ricochet. for the first time publicly, prince george's county police are giving a thorough account of the friendly fire shooting death of officer jacai colson. chief hank stawinski revealing that the shot was noter vant but the officer who -- not errant but the officer who aim and fire believed the plain clothes narcotic detective was a threat. >> i believe that a police officer fired at an armed individual who they perceived to be a threat to them. i do not for a second believe that this was a police officer intentionally firing at another police officer. brad: police and prosecutors stressing again that the shot would not have been fired if the man in these pictures allegedly michael ford hadn't opened fire on a police station as

and malik allegedly watched, laughed and recorded video. all three now charged in connection with officer colson's death. elijah and malik appearing for bond reviews today via closed circuit tv. seven family members including their father michael thomas telling the court neither had anything to do with the shooting. malik suddenly appearing to faint. after recovering he like elijah ordered held without bond. their father unwilling to comment. >> did malik and elijah have anything to do with this? >> no comment. >> you told the judge no. >> no comment. no comment, sir. thank you. have a nice day. >> what has it done to your family? >> no comment, sir. no comment. brad: we can tell you that the officer who shot officer colson is struggling. we are told he is emotionally distraught over what happened. we can also tell you that officer colson's own parents, his own mother and father have sent words to

officer they do not blame him for what happened. they blame the ford brothers. in upper marlboro, brad bell, abc7 news. leon: we have to follow that story to the very end. turn to storm watch now as the midwest continues to clean up from the overnight severe weather. at least nine reported twisters left the path of destruction through iowa and illinois. winds in excess of 70 miles per hour destroyed numerous homes and structures. including this barn. severe winds knocked over a semi-trailer and a golf ball sized hail hammered cars. look at that. this is still assessing the damage. the cars will be wrecked. alison: yeah. meanwhile here it is one of the prettiest days we have had in a long time. >> couldn't ask for better. doug: by the weekend it goes to the opposite way. i will get nasty. show you what will happen here. for the moment it is gorgeous around the area. the temperatures are lower

70's. this was sunrise. we will launch up the sun for you here and look at the day. plenty of sunshine. we hit the early afternoon. the clouds roll in. mild. you can see by the current temperature with the clouds around the area. but that is about all we'll deal with tonight. it has been a couple of sprinkles but not much more than that. every now and then check up on the sunrise and the sunset times in the next couple of months as the daylight hours get longer. today we pick because the sunrise this morning was 7:17. the sun set tonight is 7:17. 12 hours at night and 12 a day. ee qua knocks. the moment spring begins isn't early sunday morning. year at the latitude and the area we will see the first indication of thee question knocks early -- equinox. 84 at the airport. 81 in stanton and fredericksburg. cooler north.

national. 66 at annapolis. influence of wind across the water surface causes that. the cold front is coming through. the temperatures drop. 60 in columbus and indianapolis and detroit now. 71 in charleston. 65 in pittsburgh. turns cooler tomorrow. friday before the real chill arrives. we will be lucky to hit 50 degrees i think. 50 to 60. across the viewing area for the day on friday. another cold front approaches. in the day we have been watching the line of showers. most sheered north. we have a couple pop-up along the front. majority of the people will see nothing more than a few clouds and the clearing skies later tonight. we put that in the evening planner. before the sun goes down we will see more sunshine than now. clear skies and the falling temperatures tonight. the range is 43 degrees. outlying to 50 in the city with a lot of sunshine to start thursday. talk about the weekend. we have to deal with another coastal area of the low pressure to make a move ac

the coastal areas on sunday. right now we are talking for the dry weather, partly cloudy, lower 50's. sunday only lower 40's. depending how fast and how deep this storm system develops we could see the highs in the upper 30's. we have been talking about the rain. in the last hour. the thursday forecast is beautiful. ugh not much to

about. leon: pope francis going where no man has gone before. alison: and the clue that is leading to a fresh start in his life. metrorail might not be running but another two wheeled mode of transportation is popular today. i'm mike carter-conneen. look at the impact on the capital bike share. alison: first, a look at what is copping unit ton

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a congressman should have is you and he'll promise to work with anyone if it'll get things done. after all he's spent 30 years working both sides of the aisle. i'm david trone and i approve this message.

leon: we continue our team coverage of metro. many rail riders don't own cars and they couldn't drive to work. that had a lot of them out there look for any alternative from bus to bike share. mike carter-conneen joins us live from metro station in northwest. you have impressive ridership number. i bet bike share did great today? mike: to yeah. comparing today to last wednesday capitol bike share says the number of walk-up users coming to a computers here and selecting one of the free one-day passes has skyrocketed up more than 106% compared to last wednesday. that is a huge increase in demand. increasing supply of bike and the parking spaces. now the rush hour commuters heading home the bike dock are filling up fast. >> beautiful day. nice to get outside

closure the capitol bike share waved $8 charge for single day membership. >> last week we had 83 people purchase casual passes from midnight to 10:00 a.m. today. we had 517. big uptake. but by the mid-morning the riders heading to work struggle to find open bike docks. >> all bikes were filled with bikes. >> so they set up a special parking corral downtown and called in extra staff. twitter year-round users complain offering free day passes was unfair. you are doing an awesome job screwing over the regularly paying customers. crazy move to let the nonmembers have free bikes so none left for members. but bike share says it's participating jurisdiction and d.c. and neighboring counties felt this unprecedented situation required a response. >> everyone needed to step up in absence of metro. we were glad to pay a park. >> many bike share

supported this to hope it created awareness for bike lanes. first-time riders plan to bike again tomorrow. >> i signed up, i did a three day membership. i'm here three days. i'm sure i will ride again. >> as all of those commuters move from downtown uptown to communities like takoma the docks will be hot commodities. meanwhile, capitol bike share says it is an all hands-on the effort. it's asking for patients from the users as they deal with a unique situation. reporting live in takoma northwest, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. leon: good deal. thanks, mike. how did you get where you needed to go today? join the conversation about that on the wjla facebook page. alison: we are also covering metro history tonight. chris: i'm chris papst. when we get back, a look at what brought metro to this point after years of problems. jamie: h.o.v. restrictions lifted. where?

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expect great savings and a whole lot more. glenn:threateningicans: gofederal workers;ns over 60 votes to repeal obamacare. now they're refusing to even consider president obama's nominee for the supreme court. it disrespects the president and all of us -- and we won't put up with it. in congress, i'll protect president obama's legacy, defend obamacare, and stand up for social security and medicare. i'm glenn ivey and i approve this message. i'll take on republicans - for all of us. alison: we are back with an update on metro closure today. the transit agency is scheduled to reopen tomorrow 50:00 a.m.

but today the entire rail system was closed. they fanned out to examine 100 mile of track. they are half finished but no word on what they found. we are standing by for press conference from metro in the next half hour or so. we will bring it to you live once it begins. leon: how did we get here? we are a rail system that is not 50 years old but has to be completely shut down. the i-team and the government reporter has that part of the story. chris: metro's problems stem back years from the lack of proper maintenance but the shutdown has the roots last year. in the fatal smoke incident at l'enfa

it's what happened between then and now that led to today. january 12, 2015. electrical malfunction shuts down l'enfant plaza. an electrical arc filled a tunnel with thick smoke. 61-year-old carol glove of alexandria died. as federal and local investigators rushed to learn what went wrong, more kept going wrong. less than a month after the l'enfant incident on february 11 a track fire closed courthouse station. between february 21 and 22nd, significant smoke was reported at woodly park on l'enfant and twice at foggy bottom. the national transportation safety board recommended immediate action. but the problems didn't slow down.

then there derailed. on september 21, another spoke incident caused delays a it in the stadium armory and it took crews six months to fix the electrical issues. the recent one caused major delays. that convinced metro general manager to shut it down. >> let's get insight on how it looks now. >> a lot of the single digits in d.c. let's look. in d.c., the police or at intersections and they are

istreet helping to direct traffic. the map. travel times now. leon: the current safety concerns are so severe with metro they force to shut down for 24 hours to alleviate things. tomorrow on "good morning washington" we sit down with a lawyer against dozens of lawsuits against the transit agency. leon: hear secrets on how to stay safe

emergency. alison: now we turn to the race for the white house. fox news has canceled the next republican presidential debate. after last night's primary victories. donald trump said he would not participate. john kasich said if trump wasn't taking part well, he wouldn't either. debate scheduled for monday in salt lake city a day before the voters in utah and arizona head to polls. both the democratic and the republican primaries in missouri yet to be called. margins are close enough for the losing candidate in either race to request recount. leon: coming up at 5:00 -- >> i hate so many. it sounds like m-16. when can i learn? how can i

>> how a unique local non-profit is empowering young men's minds behind bars to write chapters of their lives when they return to the street? >> it is not something you typically see at an elementary school. i'm kellye lynn in fairfax where a brand new weather station has been installed. the story coming up in spotlight on education. alison: then at 6:00 tonight how two people fought back after someone snatched a purse. the video you have to see and how you can help

we need women in congress. if we want to be heard, it was the women who forced republicans to include women's health and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act. in congress, i'll fight for pay equity, family leave and tougher gun safety laws. and, as an environmentalist, i'll work combat climate change.

that when women are at the table, we get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message. alison: a homeless man in san francisco is getting $100,000 reward after helping police capture two escaped inmates who escaped from the orange county jail in january. the man says he saw the fugitives at a whole foods parking lot. he learned about the mah

mcdonald's. he plans to use the money to start a new life. and help his adult children. leon: keep the theme start agency new life going. estimated 250,000 youths are tried, sentence and incarcerated as adults every year in the u.s.. statistics show they face daunting odds when they re-enter society. a unique group is changing the odds for hundreds of young men. i want you to week this week's harris' hero. free minds book club. at the shakespeare theater in d.c., a special poetry nice. >> walls to hold me down. i have wijs. leon: less than a year ago doug chambers was in prison serving a seven-year sentence. the poem and other poet ambassadors reading here come from young inmates in the same situation as part of the free minds book club and writing workshop. >> what do you think? thumbs up, thumbs

>> free minds was founded ten years ago believing in the power of books that creative writing could change lives. now integrated in society the poet ambassador's are proof of the transformation. >> it paint a picture and i understood. leon: where would you be if you didn't end up with free minds? >> sitting in jail. leon: think so? >> yeah. >> my friend got killed in front of me when i was 15. leon: for alvin james who spent a decade behind bars free minds is helping him find a job. he wants to go back to school. >> if not for connections to positive groups like the free minds, outcomes would have been different. >> now thanks to free minds the young men home to make a difference in lives of the other teens by sharing their experiences. >> it gives them purpose. in life that is what we are looking for. >> that is all

leon: now they are indeed a new fact. by going back to the old neighborhood they get to show the young peers this is a different path for them. change the peer, change the community, change the city and change the world. the literary journal they put together behind bars is the untold story of the real me. young voices from prison. i encourage you to check it out. we have a link where you can find it on the website wjla.com. since its inception free minds reached over 900 youths through the book club. reentry program. it sounds corny but making them sit down and write changes the world for them. in many cases the reason they were locked up behind bars they weren't able to communicate what is going on with them. alison: express themselves. you do a lot of work in the community but this is one of your favorite groups. leon: this is one-favorites. way to go free minds. love you. keep up the good work. alison: coming up at

>> family members of the first female pilots stood on capitol hill pushing for change to allow them to be buried at arlington national cemetery. coming up hea

alison: new developments tonight in the push to get female pilots who served in world war ii buried at arlington national cemetery. diane cho went to capitol hill today where a fight is shaping up over the plan. diane: backed by members of congress on both sides of the aisle. >> we are calling on them to do the right thing. >> family members of the service pilots stood on capitol hill calling for the army to reinstate laws at the national cemetery to have the ashes at the cemetery. >> these women were pioneers and heroes. >> elaine was one of the first pilots to fly military aircraft in world war ii. wasps have been eligible for inearnable since 2002 but not until she died last year they learned wasps were no longer element after the secretary of the army reversed the decision. >> they came and lobbied and they got v

limited role. 70 years after she served in world war ii and i'm still dealing with the problem. >> representative is the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat in u.s. history. >> these women 1074 stepped up to serve when the nation needed them the most. they flew airplanes and towed target for the ground gunners and they taught men tow oh fly. >> she introduced a bill to restore them with full military honors. >> anybody who listens to this realizes it's wrong and it needs to be fixed. whatever we can do to fix it we would encourage them to do that. diane: on capitol hill, diane cho, abc7 news. leon: a check of the roads now. word of the day is metro shut down. jamie sullivan is watching how it is shaping up for us. >> exactly. metro shut down, well, we

delay. it has. mainly in d.c. you can see with the waze map the traffic at 4 miles per hour, 3 miles per hour. this is near the national mall. this isd where you see the most red. this is to help alleviate the congestion. 66 is clear. it's slow on d.c. southbound. 39515 minutes is good. almost better than normal day. that is a look at

back to you. leon: how does that happen? metro shut down and 66 is clear? never happens. instagrams users. you could notice something different. the photosharing app will share to give the higher priority to the posts that each user is likely to care about the most. use facebook style a gor rhythm to figure it out. one of their biggest changes in three years. alison: how about this change to instagram. the upon touch handle will be franciscan. he is on the mission to be the most tech save i have pope in history -- savvy pope in history. leon: look at what is coming up tonight at 6:00 -- we're monitoring the metro shut down and a look at how

leon: imagine how bad the traffic would be today if the weather wasn't nice today? doug: it's the least i can do. we had showers and i mean that literally. charlottesville is 84. 72 in frederick. and reagan national airport. there will be a heavier downpour picked up. this will go away before it hits t

we will drop in 40's. 50 degrees downtown. tomorrow is partly sunny and breezy. 68. cooler with cool front on friday. getting in the weekend it looks like split decision here. rain on sunday and cold. we could have cold front mixed in with the rain. alison: thank you very much. leon: march madness is about to kick off and get underway big time. alison: robert burton is live for us in raleigh, north carolina for the tournament.

robert: live where yusuf was practicing. but look to my right. this is a homecourt advantage for euna. in rally not far from chapel hill. the blue to my right. when the cavs hit the floor the fans did not disappoint. as the fans looked on we learned there is no age limit when it comes to being die-hard. >> you think virginia will win the whole thing? >> yes. robert: why is is that? >> they are so good. >> who do you like on the team? >> malcolm brogdon. >> he just wants the microphone.

>> since you are married to u.v.a. fan how much do you want them to win the tournament? >> it will be a happier life. >> some came along for the ride. >> you want to see u.v.a. win? >> yes. >> no. >> yes. >> why not? why not? >> you have a pretty dress on and everything. fans say this is the year. >> i watch players improve. >> brogdon's shot is better. to watch anthony gillth the little things to his game more off the dribble action. too much to happen. >> i have been counting this. i'm three for four on kids looking at me like

alison: that is true. leon: it's your special skill. alison: maybe next time. leon: talk about a change in the weather. >> when we come back we have a look at technology. leon: anding by on a news conference from let met where they should -- metro where they should talk about the progress. it's scheduled for 6:00. we'll bring it to you live once it is underway.

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alison: new newly installed device is changing how people learn from the weather. kellye lynn show us the weather stem station at willow spring elementary school. >> if you click on it you can find the weather. kellye: you can hear the excite in the the voices. as they discuss weather. >> wind pressure a

>> i thought it would be cool to get them interested in sciences. >> the station offers live data about rainfall, lightning strike and the wind speed. there is a cloud cam and a device that uses the sensors the measure soil moisture. >> we have a weather unit. we can learn from the live data.

>> there is a whole other side to it. >> that is accessible every school day. >> in fairfax, kellye lynn, abc7 news. >> that will do it for "abc7 news at 5:00". but right now at 6:00 -- a day without metro rail. we're awaiting update for the safety inspections that shut the system down. as the commuters are forced to get creative. >> this is the greatest honor of my life. >> the president's pick for the supreme court calls it life changing. will the resume matter? what happened when a suspect faced a judge? >> now "abc7 news at 6:00". maureen: first at

awaiting update from metro. news conference is expected to begin any moment. a at this hour thousands of d.c. workers are trying to navigate the traffic, bus line and the cab stands to get home. >> we have team coverage. but first get to karetny covering the metro response from the press conference. >> we are awaiting the start of the press conference. paul wiedefeld is entering the room. listen in. >> good evening. with me today is jack evans the chairman of the