used to seeing signs like this at the washington monument. michelle: today the national park service said the earliest it will reopen is mid-september. but it could actually be closed for much longer than that. jonathan: so many tourists out there want to see that. d.c. bureau chief sam ford live at the monument to explain why. sam? sam: yes, jonathan. well, the bottom line is this. expect the washington monument to be closed well past the labor day holiday. if they are able to reopen it then, expect it to be temporary at best. word here is that the computer systems controlling the monument single elevator are so out of whack they still don't know what is causing repeated break downs. representatives of the national park service came to d.c. delegate eleanor holmes norton's office today at her request to brief her at the status of the monument which has been closed because of elevator issues since last wednesday. >> we had h

it open by the end of next week. we think now it will be longer. at the earliest mid-september. >> that really does bother me. this i regard as an emergency situation. sam: now the monument, of course, is important to d.c. tourism. the national park service officials say the alone elevator is a one elevator at the monument. and basically they are going to have to go into a big overhaul program that means having people bid on contracts. it's going to cost about $2-$3 million and take eight to nine months to complete. we will have more details on that coming up on "abc7 news at 5:00". reporting live from the national mall, i'm sam ford, abc7 news. michelle: thank you. turning now to the developing story in italy where at least 120 people died in an earthquake early this morning. in the last hour, an 8-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble in amt

virtually wiped out. this is what it looked like before the quake hit. you see that image there. as ray raimundi reports now the race is on to find people who could be trapped under the rubble. ray: as the sunsets in central italy, the desperate search for survivors continues into the night. as first responders continue to pull people from underneath tons of rubble. the gut-wrenching images of those who perished, covered in blankets. children among the dead. this image capturing a nun sitting in front of one of the bodies. sister mariana describes her daring escape. >> i tried to hide myself underneath the bed. then i went outside. but no one heard me. ray: the town of amatrice, one of the hardest hit. buildings which towered high above the hilltop town now disintegrated. chunks of rock and concrete

standing. i'm so sorry for so many people that are under the rubble. they are people i love. reporter: the 6.2-magnitude earthquake erupting in the middle of the night. more than 150 aftershocks and tremors felt along the length of the country. pope francis now asking for the world's prayers. this clock tower, the only iconic structure left standing in the town of amatrice. these before and after shots shows just how much this town changed in a matter of seconds. the state department is urging americans in the quake area to call the embassy and to contact family members any way they can. including social media outlets. in new york, ray raimundi, abc7 news. michelle: today we checked with fairfax county urban search and rescue team, task force one. so far it has not been activated to help in italy. jonathan: at least three people killed in another earthquake in myanmar

6.8-magnitude quake. it damaged 100 ancient pagodas at an ancient tourist site. michelle: new developments out of ellicott city as a portion of main street reopens today after last month's devastating flooding. howard county officials say the western end of the area sustained it will to no damage making it safe for businesses to reopen. the county executive is asking people to stay away if they don't have any business in that area. jonathan: we have new information to tell you about this afternoon in a deadly shooting last night in burtonsville. as maryland bureau chief brad bell reports, drugs may have played a role. brad: medics and police rushing to the scene before 11:00 last night. inside this small rental home, a man in his early 20's is fatally shot. the police investigation goes through the night. this is a mixed commercial, residential stretch of route 198. few live nearby. but

the street. >> it was shocking. you have a neighbor. you are told the neighborhood is listed as a homicide neighborhood. i have children. brad: this small house broke on the three dwelling. entrance there and another here. but police find the victim up there at the main entrance. inside two additional people. and enough drugs for those who people to be charged with possession with intent to distribute. >> two different backpacks with a quantity of marijuana in it. brad: nobody answers the door when we knock today. but the alleged discovery of a substantial amount of marijuana raises the possibility that the violence in this ramshackle house was drug-related. >> that would certainly be one of the things that the investigators are looking at. brad: police not ready to say if the men found and arrested in the home had any role in the shooting or if the suspect is on the loose. in burtonsville, brad bell, abc7 news. jonathan: you can track crime when it happens in your neighborhood.

access our spot crime map. michelle? michelle: we are following a developing story out of afghanistan. terrorists attack the american university in kabul with bombs and gunfire. leon harris at the "live desk" for us with what we are learning at this hour. leon? leon: still a fluid situation in kabul. we are following the latest developments. we know one person is dead and 18 so been injured in the attack. as of now no group has come forward to claim responsibility for it. here is what we know. gunman launched an attack on the american university grounds in kabul in evening classes. this began around 7:00 p.m. local time wednesday evening. residents in the area report hearing a loud blast near the university grounds. gunmen entered the building as classes were taking place. afghan special forces responded taking out the attacker or attackers. the exact number is not clear. the u.s. military did make an assist with the afghan forces there who responded to the attack. the advisers from what we are hearing

role in the activities. we will keep an eye on what is happening there. we'll let you know the latest when we get it. leon harris from the "live desk," back to you. jonathan: thanks. this is the scene this morning a firefighters battled a large fire in fairfax. it happened in wrought iron court. the flames were able to burn a hole through the roof. fire crews got there, they contained the fire an everybody got out safely. michelle: let's talk weather. temperatures are creeping up again but nothing like what we saw in the heatwave. chief meteorologist doug hill is here with a check on the forecast. another winner here. doug: three in a row with sunshine, warm temperatures and dry air. a few fair weather clouds. looking live at the vista from the belle haven country club in alexandria. absolutely gorgeous. 84 degrees. that is good. with the sunshine. this time of august. at reagan national airport, southeasterly winds at 10. dew point manageable at 65 degrees. other temperatur

to mid-80's. a couple of exceptions. aspen hill at 87. everybody else in the mid-80's. now the forecast tonight orioles are in town. i'm after two "w"'s tonight and tomorrow. it will be beautiful. perfect weather at the ballpark. the thursday forecast. we are going to start with the clear skies and the wake up temperatures between 62 and 69 degrees. through the day at the bus stop, 68 degrees with the sunshine in the morning. 68 at recess time. it will be 90. the humidity returns. then we have a number of fairly hot and humid days. we will talk about that and the seven-day outlook. the tropical weather, too. interesting stuff to watch in a couple of minutes. jonathan: see you then. update now on the lawsuit against starbucks accusing the company of putting too much ice in the ice drinks. federal judge threw out the claim that starbucks is misleading the customers about the ratio of the ice to the beverage in the cup saying no reasonable customer would be deceived. a similar lawsuit by the way is still being considered in

michelle: new twist in a case that captured the nation's attention. jonathan: yes. still to come for us the new claims that could derail a retrial for adnan syed. michelle: plus, robots making rounds. what the guys will be doing on the streets of d.c. come this fall. jonathan: later for us, outrage over a price spike in medications designed to save lives in a split second situation. wait until you hear this one. >> plus, how far is too

jonathan: you can share your pictures with us by going to burst.com/wjla. cute kids. going back to school. they look excited to go back. michelle: very happy. nine local school systems head back to school this monday. in montgomery county some parents are concerned about the way their kids get to school. they are worried about a

boulevard east. they don't think it's safe. for those students forced to walk to eastern middle school. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis is live in silver spring to explain why. kevin? kevin: well, michelle, montgomery county public school policy states if you live within a mile and a half of school grounds, you don't get bus service. instead students are left to hitch a private ride or use their own two feet to get to class. parents in a silver spring apartment complex say that policy is simple unacceptable. we talk to a man by the name of diap, a father of three students in the mcps system. he says the walk to eastern middle school from his apartment complex takes 20 minutes to pleat. when you factor in rain, bitter cold or oppressive muggy temperatures and up shoveled sidewalks, he contend the trek becomes dangerous, too. in june his 14-year-old son was hit by a car while walking home from

university boulevard east. the driver took off. his son thankfully surprised with bruises and minor back pain. mcps cop tends it -- contends it's inape -- incapable busing all students to and fro class. hence, the 1.5-mile rule. diap filed an appeal with the administrators but it's pending. >> they need to leave the neighborhood at 5:00 in morning. for what? to pay the respect. -- pay the rent. they know they will have an outstanding education. but walking to school in some condition, they are not going to. kevin: we created a twitter poll asking if it's fair for kids to walk

to three miles round trip to and from class. so far 100 people responded. 39% are calling this policy fair. while 61% say it's unfair. jonathan: that is a long walk for some kids. time to check on the traffic situation. jamie is keeping an eye on the roads for us. a mess this an. jamie: we have seen a few issues. 395 inbound crossing the 14th veet bridge. we had accident activity a half hour ago. but it cleared away creptly. that is the good news. we are seeing volume inbound. he are not going to see all outbound traffic this afternoon because we have a nats game later. on the outer loop of the capital beltway in prince george's county we have seen heavy delays. basically getting to branch avenue and continuing past this point. accident activity moved to the right shoulder. so it was blocking a lane, that is what is added to the slowing. right now 30 minut

bridge to route 4, averaging 20 miles per hour. outbound, 11 street brim flowing heading northbound on kenilworth avenue. 10 miles per hour. southbound d.c. 295 is slowing as well. the nats game tonight starts at 7:05. but expect the traffic to really start to build in closer to 5:00. we'll keep an eye on it for you. that is a look at traffic. back to you. michelle: thank you. wisconsin grandfather set a new record for an american in space. space station commander jeffrey williams has now spent 521 days in orbit. he beat retired astronaut scott kelly's record. kelly, by the way, humbled by it. he called him from mission control this morning to congratulate him. williams won't hold the record for long, though. astronaut peggy witson logged 377 days in space as she prepares for a six-month mission to the station later this year.

a thing. like a contest? michelle: who can outdo the next astronaut? jonathan: not the mars rover but a rover giving snail mail help. the national postal service in switzerland is checking out robot in three cities that will deliver mail in a three to a four-mile radius of the station. the company that designs them is beginning a similar test in d.c. could start this fall. doug: i get more of my neighbor's mail than my own. jonathan: that is what keeps you tight with your neighbors. doug: i didn't look at it that way. i love the weather. michelle: gorgeous. warmer today compared to yesterday. doug: a couple degrees. more humid. michelle: nothing to complain about. doug: we have a stretch after tomorrow in the 90's for five or six or seven days. but it's not the 101 degree

this is centreville, virginia. bull run elementary school put the camera in motion since this morning. it has been a lovely day. surface heating and the low-level moisture, popped up more clouds. no rain in the area. temperatures are comfortable now. 84 in kulbir. winchester, 90 -- 84 in culpeper. winchester is 90. 84 in baltimore. i should about say that because we know what happened at the cam den yards two days but it is going to change tonight! when the nats host the o's at the, pa. 84 downtown. should be perfect baseball weather. 83 at andrews. as far as dew point temperatures we show this to measure the moisture. it gives a feel of whether it's comfortably warm or uncomfortably warm. we are still in the comfortably warm 60's. but it will change in the next few days. it will feel uncomfortable. outdoor dining tonight. terrific. some nights we tell you to eat inside. not togh

comfortably warm. 82 by 7:00. drop in the 70's after sunset. all week long it's the alexandria restaurant week. forecast, low temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60's. overnight tonight. fine. we get through the day tomorrow we will warm up to 90. we will stay there near 90 through the afternoon. a stray thunderstorm in the mountains tomorrow. a little more humid. 95 on friday. a chance of the isolated or a stray thunderstorms with a weak cold front. it's weak because behind the front we will hit 91. as we get through saturday, sunday, monday. lower 90's in next week. nighttime lows in the 70's. the rain chances not so much. isolated storm chance with a front on friday. chance of storms possible by wednesday. 91 is fine. we can take that. jonathan: i guarantee we get rain if i wash my truck. doug: whenever we have a stray storm whatever i am, that is where the stray storm is. stayaway from me. michelle: okay. doug: don't follow me. michelle: thank you. still ahead at

[laughter] michelle: find out why this seal was in a hurry to board the boat. jonathan: you would be, too. it's been 24 hours since "7 on your side" told you about the abandoned shopping cats outside the apartment complex and the plans to get rid of them. we have an update for you now. michelle: ahead on wjla.com, log on there to let "7 on your side"'s horace holmes help you be a smart shopper. take the shopping survey before making your next big purchase. we will team up with consumers checkbooks to do the comparison shopping so you don't have to do all the hard work. and then, this fall, we'll share those stories and results. stay with us.

jonathan: new developments to tell you about in a story you first last night at "abc7 news at 5:00". dozen of shopping carts dumped in a southeast d.c. neighborhood. last night, giant told us that the carts would be removed today. that's what they told us. turns out, though, the store can't come and collect them because of some sort of incident nearby that has d.c. police calling the area a part of a crime scene. so once they get that solved hopefully the carts will be bye-bye. school started yesterday in prince george's county. michelle: more than 6,000 students had to do something other than go to class. amy aubert is here to explain.

amy? amy: this morning prince george's county school confirmed there were students that were not immunized and without the immunization they cannot go to class. free clinics started in july and held over the weekend. they say they contacted parents of the students who needed immunizations last cheer. a news release says they sent letters to the student healthcare profileder. on the first day of the students were not immunized were put in alternate activities. they released a statement saying -- according to the release the prince george's county health department cheverly health center is open through september 30. no word on how many students got

jonathan: thank you. coming up here at 4:00, new twist in the case of adnan syed after the man at the center of the "serial" podcast were granted a new trial. reporter: the epipens are amazing devices but the cost is causing outrage from

michelle: "7 on your side" now in health matters. they are made to save lives in seconds. but now there are concerns about a price spike for epipens. the devices are designed to help if you are having an allergic reaction. richard reeve is at the live desk to explain the impact this is having on families. rich? richard: we have a test model here. these are amazing. you take it and you plunge it through your clothes like that. very convenient. but the price is causing outrage from capitol hill to the doctor's office. less than two years ago a two-pack of the injectors cost $57. now it's $736. increase of 400%. now the life-saving devices are used for people including children who have food allergies who may have ingested something. the allergies can be fatal. an

patients can't afford the skyrocketing price. the mother says the price tag is ridiculous. >> it's not something you can say oh, forget it. she can live without it. she might not. it's an epipen. it's a life-saving device. you have to get it. yet, who gets the money and why is there such a big increase? richard: the maker of epipen mylan claims high patient deductibles for the price increase. lawmakers on capitol hill are asking hard questions inincluding why the company's c.e.o. compensation jumped from $5 million to $19 million. coming up at 5:00, we will have money-saving tips if you use an epipen. we are talking about hundreds of dollars. in the newsroom, richard reeve, abc7 news. jonathan: big jump in salary. thanks. epipens were one of issues hillary clinton addressed on the trail. she posted on facebook that

and calling for the company to lower the prices. she also called for a new fund to improve the federal government response to the zika virus. vote 2016 today. michelle: donald trump spent the day in florida. he visited a voter registration bus before holding a rally an hour and a half ago in florida. he asked african-americans in inner cities specifically to give him a chance. jonathan: do keep in mind abc7 wants to connect you to the candidates. we reached out to all the candidates to speak with us and with the 65 stations across the country. tell us what you would ask if given the chance. you get a voice in the race for the white house. e-mail us at yourvoice@wjla.com. michelle? michelle: let's check on weather now. this looks pretty serious here. the tropics getting active. doug: want to get everybody up to date on the tropical weather and i'll take a seat. michelle: we have a high rotation over here. doug: with the

gaston, probably hurricane gaston now. it will stay in the atlantics. this is a tropical blob, tropical area of the thunderstorms. not quite a depression. but conditions are such in the next few days going toward the caribbean and the keys, the bahamas could develop. michelle: if it's named what would it be? doug: hermin. you michelle: i'll start practicing. doug: let's go to the tropical satellite map. we have had a quiet hurricane. we have had a number of named storms not a lot of it made headlines. i don't think gaston will either. though the winds are holding at 70 miles per hour. i should be a hurricane anytime. i may get up to hurricane two status. well east of bermuda but it will stay over the ocean. the blob i showed michelle is a different story. it's interesting that this is a spaghetti model plot. the solutions

all over the place. this morning it was more concentrated moving toward south florida. a lot of questions unanswered. will it turn into a tropical depression, tropical storm. what happens when it goes over the mountains? we don't know yet but it is something that has our attention. we'll monitor it. easy forecast tonight. clear, comfortable. 62 to 69. the day planner tomorrow. a lot of sunshine, touch more humid. 90 for a high temperature. stray thunderstorm especially west. a little better of a few storms as we hit the mid-90's on friday. cool front comes through the area. the weekend. we have that coming up in a couple of minutes. back to you. jonathan: new developments to share with you in a murder case made famous by the "serial" podcast. it turns out a new witness testifying on behalf of convicted killer adnan syed may be wrapped up in her own controversy. ryan smith has more on how that could affect syed's new trial. ryan: it's the murder case that c

the story of adnan syed. convicted for allegedly killing high school ex-girlfriend hae min lee. a crime he insists he didn't commit. thousands rallying to his defense. a baltimore judge ordering a new trial in june. >> the conviction is erased. ryan: this morning syed's star alibi witness' story cast in doubt. >> i was sitting in the library bored to tears. someone walked in that i knew. ryan: she testified at syed's hearing requested a new trial. saying she was in the library with him when lee was being killed. this morning according to documents filed by prosecutors this week, mclane's account is being called a flat-out lie. two of her former classmates say in a high school conversation mclane told them she believes so much in adnan syed's innocence she would make up a lie to prove he codn

testy exchange with mclane on facebook saying, "you know darn well you never saw him at that library. to continue with this story 17 years later is disgusting." mclane relying, "wow! this is crazy. i'm not lying about any of this." the now 34-year-old syed sentenced to life in prison at 19, spending almost half his life in jail. >> i had no reason to kill her. ryan: huh new trial granting on different grounds. the judgment questioning why the defense lawyer never contacted mclane. major plot point in "serial." >> if there were technicalities that would prove his innocence. great. >> but i think asia like you might be that technicality. ryan: mcclain's lawyer saying it's factually untrue. mcclain taking to twitter. "what ca

they say i'm a liar. i say i'm not." michelle: that was ripe smith reporting. cigarettes, they used to be a form of currency in prisons. but apparently they are being replaced by ramen noodles. yes, you heard right. that is what the author of a small study out of the university of arizona school of sociology says. he interviewed 60 inmates and staff at unidentified prison which is a pretty small number but the study is getting attention online. they went on to say portion sizes at prison have gotten smaller so the demand boils down to the may notes feeling hungry. jonathan: all we ate in college. add carrots or eggs and you are good to go. michelle: somewhere out there, there is a guy with a locker full of ramen. jonathan: it's healthier than cigarettes. michelle: there you go. jonathan: you live longer. happy national waffle day. we have done them

here. creme brulee, we had s'mores, chocolate chip cookies. now it's waffle day. people started to serve the breakfast staple in the 14th century. but the first patent for waffle iron wasn't issued until august 24th. 1869. that was in troy, new york. that is in the shape of texas. it should be bigger. if you want to do texas, you do big. >> i could use one now. jonathan: they look delicious. michelle: coming up for us at 4:00 -- >> in one part of northern virginia, construction materials are flying off of sites quickly. i'm jeff goldberg. coming up we tell you where it is happening and what authorities are doing about it. jonathan: but first it's not the titanic. but it's another big one. big ship that hasn't been seen in decade. where it is when we come back.

jonathan: you are looking at an aircraft carrier from world war ii that went down 65 years ago. the uss independence was deliberately sunk in the pacific 30 miles off san francisco in 1951. scientists have been looking at what is left of the ship using remote operated vehicles. the aircraft carrier still has at least one hell cat plane on the deck. isn't that crazy? also an antiaircraft gun left on the deck as

with the planes aboard. michelle: fascinating. check out the next story. this is really mindboggling. a huge pearl was found in the philippines inside a giant clam. when we say "giant," look at that. i could be the largest pearl in the world. they say the pearl weighs 75 pounds. jonathan: how big was the oiser? michelle: bigger than this. it had to be two feet long. that is how big the pearl is. two feet long and one foot wide. gemologist have to verify the weight in value but the new pearl weighs almost five times the current record holder. jonathan: that is on steroids. michelle: do you know how many necklaces you can get from that? eat or be eaten. the law of nature. one seal decided he wasn't going to be lunch. so he hoppedded on a boat. seriously he upped to stay off the menu.

>> he's trying. jonathan: literally. this seal, he just says you know, it's not like i like the boat or the people look friendly. it's because of those guys. the boat was out with a whale watching group. the seal saw they had orcas in the water. you know seals are pretty smart. they know orca, the menu for them, breakfast of champions, seals! seal jumped on the back of the boat and hung on for dear life. >> c'mon! just stay there for a second. jonathan: it wasn't a second. orcas are really smart, too. they hung out for a while. like 30 minutes they were flying around or swimming around the boat waiting for the seal to get tossed in the water. it never did. after a little break the seal, the watcher's named gerald after a "finding dory" character returned safely to the seal. i have to imagine a seal that smart will live pretty long. michelle: he said not today! jonathan: the

there going darn! that was lunch. michelle: good video. still ahead at 4:00 -- >> i can't imagine how to handle $100,000. i have never had that kind of money in my life. michelle: well, after living on the streets for nearly 20 years find out how the woman was able to prove that money was hers. scott: i'm scott abraham live at nats park. the beltway series has the spotlight. nats-o's. but an olympic champion in the house throwing out the

jonathan: neighbors in northwest d.c. area can rest easy tonight. here is why. according to a police report that was filed yesterday regarding a stolen playground fire truck from the walter pierce park. however, this afternoon, the department of general services says no, it wasn't stolen. their crews came in and got rid of it. the department says there were reports of children being injured due to a broken plank on the fire truck. they do plan to put in a new fire truck in the next six to eight weeks so the parents that called in that were upset about that. that's what happened. michelle: for almost 20 years a woman lived on the streets of d.c.,

checks she was getting from social security. but that is because she thought they were wrong. she just needed someone to listen to prove it. jay korff spoke with a woman who was finally able to get the $100,000 she was owed. jay: it's hard for 80-year-old wanda witter to fully comprehend the last few months of her life. a life resurrected. >> living outdoors there is a lot wrong with that. jay: a week ago she moved in this small apartment in northwest d.c. and says the air mattress is so luxurious she has a hard time getting out of it in the morning. before that, she was homeless for 20 years. engaged in a bizarre battle with the government. a battle that she won. >> i can't explain it any other way. you are scared to death. jay: wanda a trained paralegal moved to d.c. in 1996. she couldn't find work and ended up in a shelter. after qualifying for social security she disputed the check amounts. eventually the government stopped sending he

fixed -- her checks because she didn't have a fixed address. she wrote them letters but say they were ignored. >> i'm entitled to this. jay: she used a dolly to haul around three suitcases full of social security documents and research. a few months ago a social worker pored over the papers and realized she was right. >> we got her this huge result in three months which is amazing. it's incredible. jay: daniela with the legal council of government took the case and proved the government owed her $100,000. >> the check for $99,999 was deposited into her bank account. jay: wanda plans to use the money to fix health problems caused by living outside for so long but oddly enough she fears she will waste the money and her second chance at life. the streets that made her so tough, also made her skeptical. >> i can't imagine how to handle $100,000.

my life. jay: wanda says she would after all the years like to renew the driver's license, buy a car and it have family members she hasn't seen in many years. as far as the social security administration goes. we reached out to that agency and they declined to comment about the case. jay korff, abc7 news. michelle: such a relief that all of it worked out for her. you hear the basic things, the basic pleasures she wants to take advantage of like seeing her family. you really feel for her. jonathan: it's so upsetting that she had to go through all of that and ended up on the streets. nonsense. all right. sometimes unexpected checks do come in the mail. but our own john matarese is here to tell you how to tell the real one from the fakes so you don't waste your money or time. john: these days there are so many class action settlements. how do you know if they will real or you could be falling for a scam? everyone with

check in the mail from an african prince wanting to share his fortune with you is fake. but today's scammers are more sophisticated. is this check real? watch for these signs an unexpected check is phony. only for a partial payment. you have to send money to get the rest or it requires you to wire funds by western union. or the company name on the check and the company name on the envelope are different. signs of a real check? it's a settlement from a class action suit. for less than $100. you are not required to do anything but cash it. but from the doesn't that stink file, fake checks fool even savvy people. consumer federation says beware of checks and letter showing legitimate logos like wal-mart, costco, best buy, et cetera. they claim you have been chosen to be be a mystery shopper and they are all fake. fall for it and you'll say doesn't that shtick? -- that stink? no one sends you money in advance to do mystery shopping.

there are no strings attached if you cash it so you don't waste your money. john matarese, abc7 news. jonathan: big night at nats park. >> great weather to enjoy it all. scott abraham is there live to tell us what is happening aside from the big game. scott: i tell you what. this is a game that nats fans circled on the calendar for quite some time. beltway series returned to nationals park. the orioles in town to face the washington nationals. later tonight this should be a tremendous atmosphere inside the ballpark. olympian champion and bethesda native katie ledecky throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. besides, these are two very good teams taking the field. two teams that if the season ended today would be in the playoffs. now switching gears a little bit, it's time to salute the coach of the week. our robert burton has that story. robert: for the last ten years, anthony has coached soccer for special

d.c. but for the last three, he has coached d.c. unified. mix of players with intellectual disabilities and players without. >> it's my passion. >> i want you to move the ball through center. move the ball through the center. >> the idea is they form team chemistry. this is not a mentorship program. it's athletes being great at soccer and speaking the language at soccer and playing against another team. robert: as he teaches he learns. >> not only are they amazing human beings, the ability to meet new people, form bonds with new people and exchange themselves. emotionally and athletically is amazing. to do that with them and guide them on the rules of soccer is not only something that i find passion in doing it's something i learn from every day. robert: ironically, every loss is a win. >> even if they lose, which is the best part of my team, is

generally happy for the other team. they are happy to get out there. do their best. if they win, they are excited. that is what an athlete should be. robert: with their coach of the week i'm robert burton. scott: don't forget to catch the d.c. united game on the sister station newschannel8. coverage begins at 7:00 with a match starting at 7:30. back here at nats park, perfect night for baseball. steve rudin, my friend, you are missing out. steve: it looks wonderful out there. people are getting out there early, enjoying the sunshine. comfortable temperatures. more important low humidity. right now 84 degrees at reagan national airport. 88 at leesburg. 86 at winchester. show you the forecast for the evening, whether you are going to the nationals game or hanging out in the backyard. mostly sunny skies early on. temperatures falling through the 80's. the sun set at 7:50. the daylight hours continue to shrink. lets talk about tomorrow. hot and humid day. 90 degrees for a high. average high for this time of the year is 86. this weekend the crab and the beer

looking at the temperatures that will be around 91 to 93 degrees during the afternoon hours. if that is not your thing maybe the renaissance festival is more up your alley. 91 degrees saturday and sunday. a bit humid. still a lot of sunshine. it stays dry. i will take you out with a look at the beach forecast. maybe getting a head start leaving early on friday. 87 degrees friday afternoon. lots of sun. middle 80's on saturday. 84 degrees on sunday with the surf temperatures around 73 to 77 degrees. let's get a check of the wednesday afternoon rush hour commute. jamie? jamie: slowing on the beltway will begin in the northwest corner. you can see the inner loop, bumper to bumper past old dominion. outer loop moving at a decent pace. switching gears to prince george's county very heavy on the outer loop. it will take you 32 minutes to get from the wilson bridge closer to joint base andrews. we have this slowing. you can see a live look here which shows you in comparison how slow the outer loop is. reminderw

crash heading outbound. this is heavier than usual. northbound kenilworth avenue. it's at eastern avenue. we are in the single digits. the freeway, get ready for the delays earlier than what you are used to. because of the nats game. one more thing to keep in mind, traffic lights not working in chevy chase. jonathan: thank you, jamie. coming up next on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- thieves target construction sites. but what they are taking might surprise you. michelle: coming up all new tonight at 5:00, a little boy's big wish fulfilled. how his determination boosted by help from the heroes and his parents help him check off

but how did we end up here? his mom thought he had the flu and that he was covered by the meningococcal meningitis vaccine he had received. until 2014 there were no vaccines

for meningitis b in the u.s. now there are. while uncommon, meningitis b can lead to death within 24 hours. trumenba is a vaccine for 10 through 25 year olds to help prevent group b meningococcal disease. trumenba should not be given if you had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose. most common side effects were injection-site pain, fatigue... headache, muscle pain, and chills. ask your doctor or pharmacist about all the risks and benefits of trumenba and tell them if you've received any other meningitis b vaccines. meningitis b can be spread by typical sharing like... a drink... a spoon... a kiss. it all started here... it might have been prevented with trumenba. ask your doctor or pharmacist about trumenba.

s leon: people take things from construction sites all the time. but what's taken from a site is getting authority. we show you how authorities are stepping up patrol. >> in certain part of loudoun county it's hard to go anywhere without seeing construction projects like the town home development. these steps have been happening all year long, especially this summer. the thieves are mostly hitting the sites after hours and stealing a wide range

cabinets to wires, mostly residential construction sites in the dulles south section of the county where the building boom is currently happening at the moment. >> if they see something suspicious, afterhours, it doesn't look right. they get a sick feeling that someone is loading material into a truck, taking it away. that's when we ask them to call the sheriff's office. >> some of the thefts happened at the commercial construction site as well as schools while they were under construction. at 6:00 we will talk to a home builder ripped off last night. and why fortunately there is not too much he can do about it. in loudoun, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. leon: tonight. it's from bad to worse at the washington monument. >> we had hoped we might have it open by the end of next week. leon: that hope faded. there are now fresh worries over a long-term shutdown. epipens. they can mean the difference between life and death. but now use

sting of enormous price increases. >> this is a major disaster. not to be able to afford a device. leon: allergist shares his secrets to easing the pain. >> a 3-year-old's fascination takes him on a journey to visit each and every firehouse in d.c. today is mission accomplished. >> now, "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. leon: all right. first at 5:00, closed for the summer. abc7 news learning late this afternoon that the washington monument will be shut down going intoneck month. all because of persistent elevator problems there to shut the iconic obelisk down several times this year. including a current shutdown that was supposed to last just ten days. sam ford is live on the national mall with the latest information this afternoon. what's the latest? sam: well, leon, issues with the elevator have caused the

monument to be shut down a lot lately. including since last wednesday. they have had a problem. we learned after a meeting on capitol hill today that the problems are far from solved. for the past week, visitors to the washington monument has been greeted by the sign closed again. the elevator is out. >> a little disappointed. we will head on to the next, down the road a little bit. sam: today representatives of the national park service came to d.c. delegate eleanor holmes norton's office at her request to say it would be mid-september before the monument with the lone elevator reopens if then. >> so you don't know what is causing the elevator problems? >> they don't know. sam: still don't know. >> i can't say that we know anything more than the entire system needs to be modernized. the failures recently are, they're different each time. there is no specific pattern. sam: the official said the current e