the people were not moving. i saw two people. i yelled at them. i got no response. brad: back live, you see the people there. including the state troopers the queen ann county sheriffs and investigators from the f.a.a. all on scene trying to figure out what happened. the bottom line here the two people on board confirm dead by the maryland state police. they have not been publicly identified. we'll stay here on the story. when we come back at 5:00 we'll hear what some of the people at the airport are saying. they believe they knew at least one person on board and they believe the aircraft was operating out of the bay bridge airport. we'll be back at 5:00 with that part of the story. in stephensville, brad bell, abc7 news. michelle: thank you.

michelle: police are search, for a missing woman whose car was found in madison county. they are holding out hope they will find sign of nicole mittendorf who was last seen wednesday, we are live outside the fire station where mittendorf worked with the latest on the developing story. >> we heard an emotional news conference where milt mittendorf served since joining the fire department. they are urging the public to help with the search but voicing a direct message to nicole mittendorf in hopes that she is somewhere out there listening to what is being said. now stephen mittendorf spoke first in the news conference. he is a sergeant with the virginia state police. he fought through tears to deliver that statement. chief bowers with fairfax county fire also speaking calling this the department's 911 call to the public to help find nicole. mittendorf w

was last heard from in text messages last wednesday and was reported missing last friday after failing to show up for work here at station 32 over the weekend. her mini cooper was found in a remote section of shenandoah national park. that's where the virginia state search crews have been looking for nicole in the past few days including today. at this point the state police say there is no evidence or anything suspicious about mittendorf's disappearance. >> i love you. i am praying for you. i'm not sure where you are but know we are all looking for you. i look forward to your safe return. >> nicole, if you can hear us, please get a message to us by any means right away. >> that was chief bowers saying that nicole mittendorf is a very dedicated, a very motivated firefighter who

now coming up at 5:00, we will be on the ground with the search happening in the shenandoah national park and have more on what is going on there as well as something from inside the fire station that belongs to nicole mittendorf. we will show you what that is coming up at 5:00. until then live at fairfax station, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. jonathan: let's hope she is found safely. thanks. failure to provide working fire eng tinge wishers -- extinguishers and failure to find escape routes for the fires. these are two concerns for metro. transportation reporter brianne carter is covering metro live for us at the l'enfant station. brianne: the problems highlighted in this letter that was sent to paul wiedefeld the general manager of metro from the f.t.a. outlining the issues. among them as you mentioned some of those. but others include the fact they were not even having clean signs f the safety and the emergency signs that are inside of metro. the expired or

extinguishers as well as blocked off emergency commit ways there. something they have been talking about in terms of getting people out and keeping workers and employees safe in case of an emergency. the f.t.a. says the train operators did not speed restrictions either when approaching work crews. all of the discoveries made in the f.t.a. safety blitz. they were looking at metro after the shut down that happened last month. this is after the cable fire that happened at mcpherson square station. the shutdown happened for 29 hours. then the safety blitz happened. this is the result of that. the final report from the f.t.a. expected out this summer. the f.t.a. say the problems now putting employees and riders at risk. >> hope to go in the right direction. i recognize things take time. hopefully we will see what happens in the next six months or

brianne: the f.t.a. is including safety briefings to all that work on the train. they said the employee safety briefing will be conducted this week and the items that require track outages are being incorporated in the general manager's track plan. we understand in talking to the general manager in recent days that plan is expected to be out in the coming weeks. now we also talk to the board chairman jack evans today. hear what we had to say tonight at 5:00. brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: thank you. while talking about transportation, right now d.c. circulator drivers are holding a rally calling for safer buses. this comes after a damning report of the maintenance of the system. we have more on the protest coming up at 4:30. michelle: greenbelt police are investigating what led a man to fire a gun at them causing them to fire back and kill him. it happened last night at the spring hill apartment complex. police responded to report of gunshot at the complex. when they got there the 28-year-old they

gunman began firing at them. that led to a two-hour standoff that led to the gunman's death. no officers were hurt in the standoff. jonathan: so time is running out to file for an absentee ballot ahead of maryland primary. you need to submit an application to get one of the ballots in the mail today. so if you want to get one electronically you have until friday to do that. you can take part in the early voting until 8:00 tonight or between 10:00 in the morning and 8:00 in the evening tomorrow and thursday. maryland primary are april 26. those going to the polls next tuesday will be going back to basics. the state board of elections is going to use pen and paper ballots for the presidential primary. the administrator says despite advances in the digital technology nothing safeguards a ballot that marking a piece of paper. michelle: two of the five candidates still in the running for president cast their ballot in new york's primary this morning. donald trump and hillary clinton headed to the polls in

342 delegates are up for grabs. 247 for the democrats. 95 for the republicans. chief political correspondent scott thuman is here with a look at the race. start with the democrats, scott. bernie sanders has already taken off for erie, pennsylvania, for the campaign stop there, not sticking financial for the results. is that a sign he is not optimistic about the outcome of the primary? scott: the numbers in the polling are not necessarily in his favor. he is probably looking ahead to what is next. he would never say he doesn't think he has a shot in new york because he is doing well when it comes to some of the areas of new york. however, hillary clinton built up a strong base. that is going to continue. what is interesting, though, he is looking forward to the other states. five states a week from now. maryland and pennsylvania the two biggest prizes there. a lot of the attention from the candidates not named trump or clinton is now headed to those states. michelle: speaking of trump, he is expected to win big in new york. let's talk about the exact percentage that he needs to really win that

jackpot. scott: right, so confusing in so many ways when you break down how the states work. what is interesting with new york if you want a large chunk of the delegates. those assigned to the state result. you have to win 50% plus one to get the big batch. then there are a bunch of congressional districts across the state. those have three delegates each. if you want those three delegates you have to win 50% plus one in that particular congressional district. it is very possible that donald trump comes out of this with somewhere 85 to 95 of the delegates in that state. if he does that you will hear him say everyone else should get out. michelle: the road ahead includes maryland. scott: maryland will be interesting watch. the polling data show trump and clinton in the lead. we will see a lot of appearances by the candidates. hillary clinton trying to stop the bleeding. she has lost seven states. donald trump has had a rough couple of weeks publicly for him so they both want a big win. michelle: we'll b

back to you, jonathan. jonathan: thank you. virginia school policy banning a transgender student from using the bathroom from the sex he identifies as was ruled as discriminatory. a three-judge panel agreed with the federal judge's ruling and overturned the glouser county, school board policy. it affects every state, including maryland, west virginia, south carolina and north south carolina. coming up later in this hour we have a look at the impact of a similar ban in north carolina. michelle: we are monitoring a developing story this afternoon after amtrak suspended service along the northeast corridor due to a brush fire near new york city. service was just restored about 45 minutes ago. thick smoke were sent across the tracks. no injuries. jonathan: same worry here, too. it's been dry. loudoun co

fire warning after the dry weather. check in with chief meteorologist doug hill if there is rain in the forecast. i would come in handy. doug: it would but it's not coming in until late thursday and friday morning. i will show you a red flag warning extended for the metro area. first things first, a brand new weather bug camera from mclean at hyattsville regency tysons corner. if you look to the blue ridge, smoke ridge from the fires. more on that in a few minutes. another warm day. 81 degrees in leesburg. 82 in manassas. 83 at reagan national. a quiet night. breezes are a problem. gusty wind and dry air. the national weather service extended the red flag warning. means the brush fires can happen like that. a misthrown cigarette butt out a car window, a spark from a train wheel or a truck. just about anything can cause a fire. that is what we keep an eye on in the evening, mild. partly cloudy s

chance of rain and talk about the fires not far from washington. jonathan: thank you very much. ahead for us, feeling like the chip cards are slowing you down? michelle: coming up, find out a company's plan to speed things up. jonathan: making a plan. what the national park service wants to do to rehabilitate the memorial bridge. michelle: first from rescue to recovery, the race to put off the transition after a massive earthquake in ecuador. jonathan: also, join us tomorrow night for a town hall on free speech. michelle and i will be at the university of the district of columbia for this one. you can watch it tomorrow at 7:00. only on our sister station, newschannel8. it should be a lively discussion. so many issues about free speech recently.

but jamie raskin is the only abdemocrat for congress who led the fight for tougher gun laws. only raskin took on the nra to ban military-style assault weapons. raskin: i'm jamie raskin, and i approve this message.

jonathan: we are keeping a close eye on a developing story in two parts of the world. alison starling joining us with the earthquakes in ecuador and japan. they have been devastating. alison: absolutely! more aftershocks shook southern japan today after two earthquakes in the last week. more than 100,000 people are still evacuated from their homes. some of them sleeping in their cars. others in makeshift shelters. now so far the death toll from the twin earthquakes is up to

pulled a man out of the rubble of a collapsed building late monday night. the hotel manager was able to call a relative from under the debris, if you can believe that. crews are fanning out all around the country to find anyone who is still trapped. the army is helping survivors find clean water and food. at least 443 people died saturday. thousands of others were injured. i was a 7.8 quake, the strongeths to hit that country in decades. the government estimates another 231 people are still missing. we will keep you posted on the latest. back to you. michelle: all right. thank you. trouble with an used tunnel is causing major traffic problems in new orleans. officials closed part of canal street after finding a bulging wall and leaking water in the tunnel that runs right underneath the busy thoroughfare. they are assessing the situation and additional street closures may be needed. the tunnel was built

exchange for river project. jonathan: the national park service made the deadline to apply for funding to rehabilitate the memorial bridge. it's in need of it. we are learning more about the multimillion request. what it would pay for. sam sweeney has the details for us. sam: the bridge is deteriorating by the day. we all know that. the national park service has given it less than five years before they have to close it if something weren't done. well, now it looks like they have a focus plan. take a look at the slides just released by the national capital planning committee. it gives you an idea of how bad things have gotten. severe rust and core rose have called the bridge to crumble. the worst part is the center of the bridge. that is the old drawbridge portion. the national park service wants to get that fixed. this is what they want it to look like once it's all finished. they should be able to get it complete without extensive bridge closures. but there are s

this one we talked about is the most practical. $30 million cheaper and easier to maintain over the years. right now it's unclear when this project may start. but should cost upward of $250 million. i'm sam sweeney, abc7 news. michelle: thank you, sam. time for a check on traffic. let's head over to jamie sullivan. jamie: we are starting off with a live look theer the springfield interchange. you can see activity here taking out the left lane. everybody is passing by this without an issue. again, this is work they are doing right now. right near the springfield interchange. go ahead and stick with virginia as we move to the map. i want to show you what we are experiencing 395. the heaviest volume past the pentagon continuing outbound to seminary road. northwest corner same thing. that heavy volume from tysons toward 270. we don't have any crashes to report. just the volume and slowing. there was a valve leak they are repairing i

on university boulevard. heading eastbound. only the right lane getting by. you can go ahead and stay to the right to get by because the two left lanes are what we have blocked. as we move to the waze map i want to talk d.c. we are seeing the heavy volume right here on the southeast/southwest freeway. near the third street tunnel. 8 miles per hour typical. i pull out a little bit. you can see heavy volume in both directions. if you are heading south on 395 like we said passing by the pentagon is the heaviest stretch. we are okay on 395 heading in crossing the 14th street bridge. that is a look at traffic. back to you. jonathan: toasty out there. michelle: very warm. we have enjoyed warmth but it comes with a price. doug: we have been so dry for so long the winds are up. red flag warning for the entire area. show you the map. it is shaded in red until 8:00 tonight. enhanced fire situation in the mountainous area through

tonight. update from the national park service at the shenandoah national park. the rocky mountain fire that started saturday has grown rapidly. now it has grown to 3,000 acres. they are working on it. the winds and the dry water make it a problem. trying to suppress the fire. but it is hard to do it because it just, there is no water available in those locations. limited access from the air. we have showers thursday and friday. if the winds keep up, it means the additional acres could burn up before they have a chance to put a don't in. we will keep an eye on it. you will see smoke in the air because of the northwesterly winds. looking live now, a lot of the spotting you see is not smoke related but a cold front that is a very wimpy cold front. it is only going to change the wind direction. not drop the temperatures in the next few hours. 83 at reagan national. northwesterly winds at 15 miles per hour. humidity is only

with that again a fire threat from mulch to dry grass, weeds. anything along the median of the roadways or the backyard. you have to be careful. very warm across the board. 8s. look north. already dropping in the 70's with a weak front coming through. cooler air tonight and tomorrow, the next couple of days. warm up to the mid-70's by the middle of the week. here is front through. that will punch through the area in the couple of days. the next cold front is coming our way thursday and friday. it will provide an opportunity for more showers. isolated rumble of thunder on friday. in the weekend it improved nicely with the temperatures rebounding. close to average. then good shape and warming up on sunday and monday. jonathan: thanks. coming up here at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- still coming down. look at what is next for part of texas' already swamped by flooded. look at the pictures. michelle: april is national donate live month. we are helping you getting all of your questions answered

about a local favor who made a big sacrifice to

kids: he came here from rocky married 27 years. raised 6 kids. including 5 boys. he had grandpa move in with us. glenn: we loved having him as part of the family. it's what you do. kids: in congress, dad will protect president obama's legacy. he'll fight for jobs and protect social security and medicare. glenn ivey will never quit on you; and we should know, we're his kids. glenn: i'm glenn ivey and i approve this message. i'll take on the republicans for all of us. michelle: back now with a boston marathon bombing survivor that took to the course this year. yesterday the professional ballroom dancer finished

race in 10-1/2 hours. she says finishing the course was a giant leap forward in reclaiming her life. jonathan: good for her. michelle: great determination. deciding to donate an organ can be a life-saving decision. jonathan: for a local father it wasn't a question. he found out about his own son's needs. jummy olabanji is in the abc7 help center with more on the life-saving decision. jummy: imagine you are a first-time parent and doctors say your brand newborn baby needs a life saving kidney transplant. for a local father it was a no-brainer. he told the doctors, "he can have one of mine." little logan might not know it yet but his father chris gave him the gift of life twice. >> i knew the second he needed a kidney i would be the first one to get tested. jummy: that was four years ago. logan had a rare genetic kidney disorder. finding a new kidney was the only fix.

>> he did dialysis and had the kidney removed and he was big enough to receive a kidney and it was mine. jummy: the transplant happened when logan was 20 months old when the little body was big enough to accept an adult kidney. chris hopes his story will encourage others to be living donors. >> i had no problem whatsoever. i had a harder time recovering from my wisdom teeth being removed than from an organ. >> he says he was back at work three weeks after the surgery. and his son now has his life back because of his father's special gift. if you are interested in being a living donor like chris, we are on your side this afternoon. we have a full team here of representatives from the national kidney foundation, donate life america and the "shington regional transplant community here to answer all of your questions about organ donation. living organ donation. you can call into the phone bank right now.

we will be here until 6:30 to answer all of your questions. in the newsroom, jummy olabanji, abc7 news. jonathan: what a great resource. thanks. coming up for us here at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- opting out. why a major insurer is pulling

i'm chris van hollen, and i approve this message. narrator: an attack ad from the campaign for donna edwards. so untrue. so outrageous that president obama said, "pull it down." the obama white house called the ad on chris van hollen and the nra "misleading." the sun says van hollen and president obama have the exact same position. the post praised van hollen as a "leading champion on gun safety," and condemned the edwards ads that "mislead" voters. donna edwards. will she say anything to win an election?

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. jonathan: today the d.c. department of transportation announced a record number of people riding the circulator buses in this year's cherry blossom festival. good thing, right? this comes as they are raising concerns about the safety of the buses. mike carter-conneen is outside where some of the drivers wrapped up a protest. mike: they call this a rally for fair wages and safe buses outside union station. the drivers gathered this afternoon saying that they are seeking pay comparable to met metrobus employees. they claim they are forced to operate unsafe vehicles pointing to a minutes audit that shows 95% of the buses inspected by an independent firm had a significant safety problem including driver controls, suspension, steering, brakes.

according to the local 1764, the ddot contractor first transit is making the drivers use buss with major safety defects, threatening to send them home without pay if they refuse. in response, ddot issued a statement today saying it's working with wmata to ensure all the vehicles in service meet the industry safety standards and those in need of repair are immediately pulled off the street as evidence by ddot decision to order independent audit of the vehicles. safety is the highest priority. reporting outside union station, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: all right, mike. thank you. cloudy and breezy this afternoon. but still warm outside. doug: below 80's around the area. peeks of sunshine. a little sunshine getting through. check this out. 83 degrees. show you the map to tell you the weather story on tuesday. this is the last day. at the summer levels. we will get closer to the seasonal averages in the next few days. 4:00 number,

83 at fredericksburg and washington. cooler north, cool front coming through the area. a weak front shifting the winds. allowing slightly cooler air in through the east. still be comfortable outside through 7:00 or 8:00. then it will turn cooler overnight. we are expecting the overnight lows between 40 and 50 degrees with a wind out of the north. all the while it is staying dry. because of the pattern, the fact we have gone nine days now without a drop of rain things are dry and the fire threat is real. that is why a red flag advisory has been posted for the area through 8:00 tonight. tomorrow we are looking at sunshine. 70. partly sunny. 72 on thursday. warming up. cold front friday give us a chance of showers and the isolated thunderstorms through the day as well. right now the timing suggests the weekend is fine. seasonal temperatures 70. monday and tuesday look great. saturday good news, too, for the weather. for the d.c. united versus new england. see it live on abc7. we have been talking about the flooding in texas. there is rain in the houston area again. incredible amount of rain. still floo

abc7 meteorologist brian van de graaff has the latest. >> the water is rushing by them now. brian: severe weather hammering houston. >> i live on the third floor. by the time i got downstairs i was like already at my waist. brian: texaning escaping the 20 inches of the rising water any way they can. neighbors coming together at this apartment complex helping carry babies to safety. some using refrigerators as rafts. overnight families reuniting. this woman coming off a boat with her walker, into her daughter's arms. even several horses in the area were saved from drowning. >> eventually we both started fighting for the shores. we figured it out together. brian: the rain that fell on monday was historic. the devastation could be seen for miles. in 12 hours a foot and a half of rain fell, forcing creeks and bayous to burst over the banks. the water soaking nearby towns. leaving people trapped in the floodwaters. the governor declared a state of emergency in nine

been well over a thousand. brian: but not everyone was able to make it out okay. many people who became trapped in their cars drowned like this man's wife who drowned in the rising waters on her way to work. >> she mentioned she was in trouble. she has water all around her. brian: brian van de graaff, storm watch 7 weather. michelle: today is 21 years since the deadly oklahoma city bombing. memorial service was held this morning. 168 people were killed when antigovernment militant timothy mcveigh detonated a truck bomb outside the murah building. he was executed for his crime and his coconspirator received life. the case was important career moment for merrick garland. he said

jonathan: president obama heading to saudi arabia to discuss combating the islamic state a federal judge is considering whether the families of 9/11 victims can sue the country. bill pushed by chuck schumer and john cornyn would prevent saudi arabia and other countries with alleged terrorist ties claiming sovereign immunity in the u.s. this is a move that president obama says would backfire. president obama: if we open up the possibility that individuals in the united states can routinely start suing other governments, then we are opening up the united states to being continually sued by individuals in other countries. jonathan: the families of the victims also want the white house to release 28 classified pages in the 9/11 report. that may prove that the saudis were involved in the attacks. michelle: coming up on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- add pearl jam to the list of jams can

carolina. find out what protests over the so-called bathroom bill are starting to cost the state. >> who gets to go on an airplane when you're old? jonathan: at least not one like this. the adventure of a lifetime. at a later age. wait until you find out how old she was when she climbed in the seat. michelle: as we head to break, a quick reminder that the phone lines are open in today's organ donation phone bank. we have a panel of experts in the abc7 help center to answer your questions. just call 703-236-9220. kathleen matthews: in the race for congress, i don't believe that big money can buy votes -- not in our district. and i won't claim to have single handily passed just about every bill in annapolis. we can't settle for the same old politics, not when our basic rights are being threatened by trump and cruz. i'll stand up to their bigotry and be a passionate voice for maryland women and families. in tv and in business, i built relationships. as a woman in the house, i'll do the same to get things done.

and i approve this message.

jonathan: breaking news out of northwest d.c. police are on the scene of a suspicious package. this investigation has the black of mass avenue blocked. this is down from union station. police suggest if you need to be in the area use north capital street or h street. stay away from this area. we have a crew on the scene. we will bring you any information as soon as we get in there. this is all because of a suspicious package that police now are investigating. michelle: nasa caught a glimpse of the northern lights than you have

jonathan: wow! michelle: this was shot from the spar space station. the -- international space station. the five-minute time lapse clim show the aurora borealis in high definition. jonathan: this is cool. you are told to take chances in life when you are young. how about when you get older? >> i'm not dead yet. that is for sure. no you are not dead yet. that thrill seeker a hundred years old. that is marie smith. she is the oldest senior from the country village center that got to ride in the cockpit of a world war ii training plane. 1600 seniors given over the years have taken the trip. smith who is a month away from turning 101 is the second oldest to take this flight. >> were you frightened at all? >> why would i be -- no, of course

[laughter] jonathan: what would she be afraid of? dying? not so much. the record for the oldest flyer is 102. it would have been shattered by a 108-year-old but she at the last minute decided you know what? i'm going to keep my feet on the ground. she is all kind of fun. adventurous. michelle: living on the age. she has the right attitude. what does she have to lose? go for it. jonathan: take chances in life. good for her. michelle: good for her. love to be that way. love to get to that age. the cape may ferry getting upgrades thanks to a $6 million grant. according to the news journal they will get two engines more efficient and should reduce emissions by 40%. the money is coming from the central transit administration ferry grant program. jonathan: coming up for us at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- picking up the pace. the change that is coming to try to make your experience with the chipped credit cards just

>> gunfire that people say sounded like a war. bullet holes here, there. other cars down there. the latest in an outburst of violence in maryland state capital which now includes a homicide. i'm brad bell.

yeah. we love low prices. no bones about it. [ laughter ] thousands of blue tags. thousands of low prices. my giant. i'm chris van hollen, and i approve this message. narrator: an attack ad from the campaign for donna edwards. so untrue. so outrageous that president obama said, "pull it down." the obama white house called the ad on chris van hollen and the nra "misleading." the sun says van hollen and president obama have the exact same position. the post praised van hollen as a "leading champion on gun safety," and condemned the edwards ads that "mislead" voters. donna edwards. will she say anything to win an election?

trying to make me eat my greens?low. no, just trying to save you some green. whaaat?! thousands of blue tags. thousands of low prices. my giant.

jonathan: annapolis city police sounding crime alert after shots rang out and hit houses and cars. maryland bureau chief brad bell reports the latest in a string of violence in the state capital. brad: they say they and their neighbors are scared. >> i fear for my kids. brad: scared of escalating violence. sounds of gunfire captured on a cell phone. >> i heard 30 gunshots. brad: look at the bullet hole. as big as any index finger. the car hit there, the house under fire.

>> luckily it didn't make it all the way through. brad: he has four bullet holes in his home. >> this is the laths straw. >> that was sunday morning. now annapolis police investigating a murder in this group home for developmentally disabled results. the house counselor found dead. this is the 27-year-old facebook profile. a colleague recalling his smile and devotion to clients. >> one of the family. >> tonight people demanding something be done. >> police promising increased patrol. >> there is a larger problem that needs to be addressed. michelle: in virginia, prince william county police are investigating 13 cases of the houses being shot in nine different locations since the beginning of the year. fortunately, no one was

injured. most of the shootings were in woodbridge area. one was in manassas. we will let you know if anything breaks. jonathan: actress doris roberts died. she was marie barrone on "everybody loves raymond." she won four emmys for the role on the show and won a fifth one on the work on the drama "st. elsewhere." her son says she died of natural causes. she was 90. michelle: changes to the morning tv. former football star michael strahan is leaving "live with kelly and michael" to work full-time on "good morning america." a search for his replacement will begin in the fall. he was selected to replace reege -- regis. he has worked a couple days of week at g.m.a. for a couple years but the schedule conflicted. jonathan: now four jobs instead of five. a couple of weeks in baseball season. former chicago white sox and

laroche says he has no regrets retiring. he walked away from the game last month when the white sox general manager asked him to stop bringing his son drake to the clubhouse. drake had been shadowing his dad for five seasons. he was in the:house a lot. adam had no problem walking away as long as it wouldn't burden his son. >> what i thought the longest on is making sure that if i did this he would never feel like this was on his shoulders. jonathan: for now he is enjoying his retirement. when he was asked about it he says he is. he wants to help victims of sex trafficking in the future. michelle: good work. pearl jam and boston are the latest bands to bow out of concert in north carolina. they are protesting the state house bill two, the so-called, "bathroom law" that mandates people can only use bathrooms that corpsed

with the gender on their birth certificate. the city has lost $3 million in the protests over the law. the biggest cancellation was the community transportation center of america. it was scheduled to bring a thousand people to north carolina for a conference in june of 2018. but now it plans to hold that conference in baltimore instead. jonathan: "7 on your side" with a consumer alert. visa now trying to make it easier to use the new chip reading cards. the company says it is upgrading the software in the cards to try to make the transactions quicker. visa says the goal is to have you insert your card in a chip reader and remove it in two seconds or less. keep in mind the chips are supposed to protect your identity. michelle: a developing story now involving the affordable care act. united health, the biggest health insurer will only be available in a handful of states after being in 34 this year. the insurer c.e.o. says they cannot continue to serve the market created. the a.c.a. coverage expansion because it crat

the united health group is expected to lose $475 million this year in the exchange. jonathan: "7 on your side" now with a health matters. right now our jummy olabanji is in the abc7 help center to a look at how you can make a life-saving decision. it doesn't require a lot. jummy: you are exactly right. april is national donate life month. did you know that 123,000 men, women, children all waiting in this country for a life saving organ transplant. you can help out. because another name is added to the list every ten minutes. we have representatives here from several organizations here to answer your questions about organ donation. right now i want to bring in kathy mccallum. she donated a kidney to her boss, the c.e.o. of eagle bank. tell me what the experience was like. >> i was awesome and easy. i highly recommend it. jummy: short and simple. she is with us today. answering the questions. give her a ca

national kidney foundation. donate life america. as well as the washington regional transplant community. the number you can call this afternoon is 703-236-9220. we will be here until 6:30 answering all of your questions about organ donation. we have more stories about local people two received organ donations in the next hour. back to you. jonathan: all right, thanks. michelle: right now voting is open to give the two eaglets at the national arboretum names. since they were born they have been called dc2 and dc3. we have all you need to know to vote at wjla.com. if you want to know here are the choices. stars and stripes. freedom and liberty. acostia and potomac. honoring, glory and cherry and blossom. i like cherry and blossom. jonathan: i'm going with honor and glory. >> freedom and liberty. jonathan: it's all covered. we are always looking -- it's tuesday but we look to

weekend. steve: changes are fortunate. it's not so good for the brush fires but it has been beautiful out. sunshine now. tiny cold front moving through overnight. not a big deal. outside we go looking to the national harbor. you can see the clouds rolled in. 83 degrees at the reagan national airport. temperatures across the board in the low ill 0's in culpeper and manassas. north and west the temperatures have fallen in the 70's. the satellite and the radar. clouds across the midatlantic. all the rain is still a ways off. around chicago. milwaukee. not going to be a problem for us. not anytime soon. night time lows are 40 to 50 degrees. milder temperatures inside the capital beltway. tomorrow is a good looking day. talking about the daytime highs around 70 degrees. a lot of sunshine. winds from the northeast at 5 miles per hour. the next seven days will show rain. finally in the forecast. now period of rain not a wash-out on friday. around 76 degrees.

weekend, a lot is going on. d.c. united versus new england looking at the temperatures in the afternoon and the evening hours that will fall through the 60's to around 60 degrees. by sunday, looking fantastic. a few clouds here and there with the highs around 70. check on the rush hour commute on tuesday afternoon. here is jamie sullivan. jamie: we are seeing rush hour traffic. we have had crashes pop up here and there. mostly everything is quickly cleared away. run through the slowest spot. starting in virginia, southbound 95. 17 miles per hour. as you get closer to the occoquan. and you still continue with a slow pace through dale city and woodbridge and stop and go toward triangle. 395, heavy leaving the pentagon. 16 miles per hour. continuing south toward edsall road. bottom side of the beltway outer loop to alexandria approaching the wilson bridge. as you get through tysons north to the g.w. in the single digits. now l

maryland. 95 on maryland heading north to route 32. 20 minutes right now. slow as well on the b.w. parkway. once you get to route 32, continuing to the baltimore beltway 20 minutes is the average. 270 northbound from the beltway to clarksburg 30 minutes. take a live look in gaithersburg. a lot of volume like i said. no crashes, though. back to you. jonathan: thank you. coming up for us at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- >> from the dime to construction, i'm kellye lynn where high school students are learning how to build a house. that's coming up. michelle: cool. new at 5:00, a state declares pornography to be public health crisis. and leaders there say science not religion is driving their reasoning. jonathan: coming up tonight at 6:00 -- the district's plan to slow gun violence this summer. the high level meeting that took place and the steps it

in annapolis, she battled republicans joseline peña-melnyk for congress... yes! and the nra to pass the toughest gun safety legislation in the country. i'll take on the tough fights to expand social security and keep the doors open to planned parenthood. my mom is so tough she's willing to fight anyone who's going to pay him more than us for doing the same job. i'm joseline peña-melnyk, and i approve this message.

alison: -- michelle: construction employment on the rise after a labor shortage. kellye lynn shows us how substitutes in frederick county get valuable work experience that qualifies them to step in the construction jobs. >> the cape cod under construction wouldn't here were it not for the workers. >> it's just cool to be able to build something, somebody will live in one day. >> 150 high school students from across frederick county participate in the students construction trade house project. >> they are here to install electrical h-back system. carpentry students installing the insulation on the outside. >> you are looking at a view at the backyard from what will be a kitchen window. and once this room is complete

cabinets created by high school woodworking students. >> i really enjoy making things with my hands. to be out here and get a chance to the this is amazing. >> the students broke ground last fall. when it's completed by next fall 80% of the work will have been done by them. experience to prepare them for paid construction jobs if there are 100% placement rated for kids graduating from here. reporter: 17-year-old amanda farmer is studying landscaping . >> the proceeds will fund the next student house proect j. kellye lynn, abc7 news. leon: an emotional plea in the search for a missing firefighter. >> i'm not sure where you are. but know we areal

leon: missing for almost a week. where crews are now searching for nicole mittendorf. plus, what we are learning tonight about a plane that crashed maryland killing both people inside. air traffic control for drones. testing going on in the area and what it could mean for thousands of new drone owners. >> now, "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. leon: new developments but no real answers in the search for a missing fairfax county firefighter. tomorrow marks one week since nicole mittendorf was last seen. the search for the 31-year-old now focused in the shenandoah national forest where her car was found over the weekend. the concern stretches across the commonwealth. jeff goldberg live in fairfax station with the emotional plea for help going up tonight. jeff? jeff: that is the case. this is station 32 here in fairfax station where nicole mittendorf served as a firefighter for three years since joining the department. this mor

conference with family members and colleagues. pleading with the public to help for the search calling this their 911 call and speaking directly to nicole in hopes she is listening. >> as you can imagine the pain of not knowing where a loved one is can be unbearable. jeff: at times stephen mittendorf a virginia state police sergeant could not hold back tears when reading a statement about his missing wife nicole. >> sweetheart, i love you. i am praying for you. i'm not sure where you are. but know we are all looking for you. i look forward to your safe return. jeff: 31-year-old nicole mittendorf was last heard from through text messages last wednesday. she was reported missing on friday after not showing up for work at station 32 in fairfax station. over the weekend, her mini cooper was discovered in the white oak canyon section of shenandoah national park where today teams from the virgin