son. brad: we reported on the tragic incident yesterday. we saw park jones in grief as her son lay dead feet away. we also showed you the high-caliber assault rifle nathaniel mckinnon seemed to have tucked in his clothing. a gun scene by multiple witnesses. he has a gun! brad: we have learned from official documents a weapon of the same caliber fired the night before in an incident involving the daughter of the man who struck mckinnon. park jones says before the fatal encounter her son admitted something happened the night before involving the girl but claims she was unaware her son had a gun. >> there was no gun out there when i was rights there. i was on top of my child. brad: she says all she knows is the girlfriend of her son's friend and her father were suddenly following them. when she pulled off to find out why the man hit and killed her son. she says there can be no justification. >> i want him to be ind

do life sentence. brad: the police are investigating to find out two things. first, what happened here? was the gun visible to the driver of the car. they are looking at surveillance video from the businesses to determine that. they are also looking at what happened the night before. in the last ten minutes, i have been able to review an incident report from this alleged exchange between the girl that was in the car with her father and nate mckinnon. the allegation is that mckinnon pointed a rifle similar to the one found here at the girl. hit her in the face with it and that there was a shot fired. as we said in the story, the caliber of that shot matches the gun that was found here. much work remains to be done on the investigation. two families are hurting tonight. likely this will go before the state's attorney to decide what if anything happens. the driverof

has been released by police. in upper marlboro, brad bell, abc7 news. larry: thank you. take a look at the scene in frederick. the cab of a tractor trailer going over a bridge crashing to the row below. what is more amazing than the picture itself the driver survived. richard reeve is live in frederick to tell us what happened today. it's a bizarre incident. richard? richard: check this out. this is the slope where the tractor trailer cab slid down like a giant sled. it went across this spot. and out in the road. a miracle no cars were there. it's an unusual crash. tractor trailer in a dead stop on the overpass. the cab sitting upright 20 feet below. >> the tractor trailer and the cab came over the bridge. richard: the state police are investigating that the truck driver 31-year-old matthew black fell asleep b

wheel. >> he was lucky individual. >> investigators say around 9:30 a.m., the northbound rig veered left on the route 15 overpass. the impact sheering off the cab from the chassis. >> i heard a rath e long drawn out -- rather long drawn out noise. >> the cab kept only going. sliding down the embankment like a giant sled. the driver still strapped in. you look at the cab sitting there. the engine. the transmission to one side. the front wheels on top still. it shakes you up. >> the cab finally coming to rest on busy seventh street at the moment no other cars on the road. >> it has to be a miracle. that a car was shot sitting down here or going by. richard: incredibly after the cab sheered off, went airborne, slid down 45-feet embankment. bank seconds later was alert and talking to paramedics. >> he is a lucky man.

richard: we heard black alert and talking to the paramedics. the authorities now trying to determine if he should face charges or not. live in frederick, richard reeve, abc7 news. alison: what a story. now we move to new developments involving white house adviser kellyanne conway. the office of government ethic is recommending the white house investigate and if necessary discipline conway for promoting ivanka trump's product line on tv. the director has given the white house until the 28th to respond to this. the republican chairman of the house oversight committee called conway's remarks on fox news over the line and unacceptable. larry: less than a month in office and president trump's national security adviser is off the job. michael flynn resigning over questions over the conversations with a top russian diplomat. now mitch mcconnell says it is highly likely flynn will be investigated. kenneth moton has the latest. kenneth: the white house on

security adviser michael flynn. >> the evolving eroding trust in this and series of questionable incidents is what led the president to ask for general flynn's resignation. kenneth: flynn forced to leave about the conversations with the russian ambassador as the u.s. was hitting russia with sanctions. we know they were told weeks ago that flynn was lying. press secretary spice space spice wouldn't give de -- press secretary sean spicer wouldn't give details but says he didn't do anything illegal. >> it's not if he did anything illegal but whether he could be trusted further. trump tweeted the real question is what is coming out of washington? >> it's not that they discovered the falsehood but that it became public.

>> democrats demanding investigation. >> there are potential violation of law by flynn and others. >> republicans with mixed reaction. >> i won't judge this until we have all the information. >> there is an administration that is in significant disarray as far as national security is concerned. they need to fix that. >> russian lawmakers call flynns resignation anti-russian paranoia. keith kellogg will serve as the acting national security advisers but there are contendersers for a permanent replacement, including retired general david petraeus. kenneth moton, abc7 news. alison: there is now an added layer of protection for virginians at risk from the president's travel ban. >> this ban was conceived out of religious bigotry. and then it was actually making americans and our armed

forces less safe and less security. alison: it halts a ban until a final outcome is reached in the court. it provides to not just virginia residents and green card holders but to students and employees at colleges and universities in the commonwealth as well. a court ruling in washington state put the travel ban on hold nationwide. larry: normal february day around the area today but the roller coaster temperatures are about to return. let's get to chief meteorologist doug hill. doug: it's on the cool side today. we had cloudiness today but late in the afternoon we have areas of clearing. a few hours of partly cloudy skies. after midnight it will roll back in. it's 45 in reagan. it's 43 in annapolis. fredericksburg at 47. the temperatures will drop in the evening but only to the mid-to-upper 30's. that is good news if you are heading

day. the temperatures will slowly fall to the 40's with partly cloudy skies. the clouds are coming back. from a system approaching from the west. the rain stays south. clouds in the morning. cold fronted will get through and clear and breezy, chilly weather late tomorrow afternoon and thursday. we will lay out those numbers coming up in ten minutes. alison: thank you. the case of a missing teen in fairfax county is now connected to another missing girl who was found dead over the weekend. stephen tschida attended a news conference about an hour ago, and he is live in fairfax with the details he has learned about this. stephen: we have learned that the fairfax police believe this missing 17-year-old venus romero iraheta is in danger tonight. this is after talking with family and friends of iraheta and those of the missing 15-year-old who wound up dead. her body discovered this past weekend.

individuals who are in custody on gang-related charges. this is what one of the police officers had to say about the relationship between the homicide victim, the 15-year-old and venus romero iraheta. >> you know that the 15 -year-old and the victim is known to each other in one way or another. more will come out when we conclude the investigation in the case. stephen: fairfax county police saying they believe that there are many overlapping incidents nexus between the cases. and possibly between that and the missing 15-year-old who was missing for several weeks. but then showed up within the past few days with her baby. she returned safely. but under mysterious circumstances. tonight a plea for help to find the missing 17-year-old. that is the latest

larry: thank you. lessons learned from the deadly silver spring apartment explosion. the county explains what they need to change to prevent it happening again. alison: plus, the first lady announced when white house tours will start up again. >> you do not represent anything they stand for. larry: remember that scene from last week? coming up, hear from d.c. schools chancellor about what happened inside when betsy devos was blocked outside. lisa: i'm lisa fletcher with an important consumer alert. we show you the latest scam that has the attorney general issuing a strong warning to pepco customers. seniors and small businesses are the tar why are you checking i want to see if it changed. credit scores don't change that much do they? really?

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alison: three thieves are on the run in prince george's county after officers thwarted the plans to steal two a.t.m.'s. the suspects were caught on video trying to use a white van and chain to basically yank an a.t.m. from a gas station in new carrollton. they were unsuccessful. they took off in a van after police arrived and then they threw another stolen a.t.m. at the officers. the suspects made it to suitland road in southern avenue before they abandoned the van and ran away. larr

consumer alert tonight. criminals are impersonating pepco trying to scam district and maryland residents. alison: our senior investigative reporter lisa fletcher is here with a strong warning about this one. lisa: sometimes it's obvious when it's a scam. but when the caller i.d. looks legit and in this case it comes up as pepco it's harder to know the truth of who is calling you. recent wave of fraudulent calls of people claing to be pepco billing employees prompted the attorney general to issue a consumer alert today. he says small businesses and retirees are in the sights of the criminals. >> we see enhanced targeting of senior citizens, particularly here when you talk about power and heat in the winter. finding and apprehending the scammers is very difficult. that is why the best protection is to not get scammed in the first place. lisa: the way to

know two things. first, pepco does not call and demand payment. they send letters and they work with you. second, anytime you are told to immediately pay with a wire transfer, cashier's check or money order it's probably a scam. if you pate it the money is gone for good. hang up, call the office immediately if it happens to you. we have special numbers on our website at wjla.com. so you can check that out as well. alison: when it's so specific to a bill that you pay every month you can see why people would be nervous. lisa: very confusing. larry: thanks. appreciate that. take a look at this. crews working nonstop to fill the damaged spillway in california. oroville dam. new today, they are reporting progress and lifting evacuation orders. it was after concerns that the spillway could collapse and send a watch of water sending gushing downstream. sean spicer says the president is keeping a close eye on what is happening. the area is expecting more

officials say that dam can now handle. alison: okay. so promising update for that. good news. we have a little bit of a warmup headed our way again. doug: a specific one. it will get chillier tomorrow and colder thursday and friday and then warm up through the weekend and next week. the trends are we will keep above average temperatures by and large through the end of february. start with the time lapse. it's a beautiful sunrise in many areas this morning with an orange glow above the horizon. plenty of cloud cover. this view from northwest washington along idaho avenue. 43 degrees there now. take a look at the cloud cover finally begin to break late afternoon. i stayed cloudy. the temperatures are down a bit. we got sunshine and patches of blue. partly cloudy skies for a while. then the clouds roll back in again. as far as the numbers go, mid-40's in the entire region. 46 at joint base andrews now. 48 in wa

47 in martinsburg. 45 in college park and washington dulles. through this evening, outdoor activities will be fine. chilly. winds will be light. skies will be partly cloudy. comfortable evening for february 14. as far as what is coming our way, we have our eyes on the cloud cover that will come back in. it's just south now. lift back in overnight tonight. this area of rain i think will stay ahead of a cold front and stay south. perhaps southern maryland, northern neck might get a brief shower. we will wake up to cloud cover. through the day tomorrow that should clear out. here is how the stormwatch7 future cast sees things. 1:30 in the morning. fairly clear with the cloudiness to the south. it overspreads the area. by 6:30, 7:30, 8:00 in the morning we could see rain over the northern maryland, northern neck. we should see skies clear once the cold front comes through. it will be in good shape for the afternoon. cloudy first part of the day. then partly sunny and breezy in

highs could reach 50. then the temperatures will start falling later. look at the future wind gusts. nothing like yesterday morning. wind gusts tomorrow, around 10 to 15 miles per hour at 10:00 in the morning. they will pick up to 15, 20, 23 miles per hour in afternoon and stay breezy in the nighttime hours. nothing on the magnitude yesterday morning and late sunday night with the winds. showers south for day planner tomorrow early in the morning. 38 degrees. 44 with the sun breaking through at 11:00. then we see the temperatures fall off in afternoon. breezy and plenty of sunshine for the afternoon. the next few days this is what we have number wise. 50, 40, 45. mild and then it will start to turn cooler. then start to warm you up as we start off the presidents' day weekend forecast. 60 on saturday. a lot of sunshine. nshine but period of cloudiness on sunday. 63. 65 on presidents' day. plenty of sunshine. so for the middle of february a great three-day weekend weather forecast. the forecast nd

ups, downs and ups again for the weekend. 65 on monday. next week, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday temperatures in the 60's. cooling to upper 50's by thursday and friday next week >> we have been spoiled by the winter. doug: the craziest temperature pattern weekend i have seen. larry: wow! doug: that is a lot of winters i have seen. bizarre. alison: okay. thank you. larry: thank you. well, on this valentine's day, one local court clerk is marking a big milestone. alison: why a wedding today may have meant as much to him as it did to the couple tying the knot. >> i am glad she came. >> hear from the d.c. schools chancellor on the visit from betsy devos. alison: this is what you can watch tonight -- and now autria godfrey with what the "good morning washington" team is working on tomorrow. atria: t

tomorrow on "good morning washington," new moms unable to breastfeed turning to strangers. but at what cost to their baby's health? >> plus founding member of the supremes mary wilson back on the scene here live. >> stay with us for traffic and weather every ten minutes tomorrow morning starting at 4:25 on "good morning washington." z29kuz zstz y29kuy ysty

larry: after

prevented from entering a school in d.c., secretary of education betsy devos received words from support at the president at a white house event this morning. i want to congratulate you on going through a tough trial and an unfair trial. and you won. there is something nice about that. larry: the president joined devos at a meeting with parents and teachers that focused heavily on school choice. devos is a long-time advocate for vouchers and charter schools. alison: the new education secretary met with the new d.c. school chancellor. larry: d.c. bureau chief sam ford sat down with antwan wilson to talk about the meeting and how the job is going now that he is a few months in. sam: when protesters prevented jection secretary betsy devos entering the academy. one of the person she was going to visit was the new d.c. chancellors antwan wilson. she september

and today described the visit. >> the secretary expressed interest learning first-hand about the work in d.c. and then she expressed her desire to support public schools and the belief in choice to provide families options. sam: chancellor said he does not agree with the education secretary about everything but he is glad she came. public schools is where she should be. d.c. takes over with the charter schools almost caught up with enrollment. he doesn't see himself in competition but -- >> we want to make sure that the families know you don't have to go across town and across state lines to get a great education, you can get it right here in dcps. sam: the good relationship he says benefits the dcps and he supports the right of people to protest. >> i don't think it is ever good for people to cross the lain in any way infringe upon

the secretary of education. she is not in a position to since how best to support us if she never comes and visits our school. sam: in northeast washington, i'm sam ford, abc7 news. larry: health insurance giants aetna and humana are abandoning a merger after a judge refused approval. humana gets a $1 million breakup fee. last week we told you about another merger that was blocked. cigna wants $2 billion for that breakup fee. alison:m coming up next at 5:00 -- it is a smaller, a lesser-known museum but it is tacked full of history. the trip you need to take if you can't get in the national museum of african american history and culture. scott: i'm scott thuman live on capitol hill. new information regarding the controversial travel ban, especially about the seven

that fight is far from over. update coming up next. >> a father in mourning searches for answers as we speak. so is the prince george's police department. i'm q mccray with the latest on the search for the killer

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00". "7 on your side." alison: a father wants answers to who would kill his son. larry: timothy sherod but found dead and today sherod's father had a tearful request. >> i will try my best. lord help me, please. >> it look a lot for him to talk to us but he found strength to keep timothy in mind. >> i want to know who did this to my boy. q: he was found dead in accokeek. his father is searching for answers. >> he never bothered anybody. he helped everybody. everybody. >> from the nephew an

part-time lyft driver and worked full-time at amtrak. excelling in his position following in father's footsteps. >> he would go to work. come home. take care of himself. >> he had four dogs he loved. he was an aspiring chef. a brother anded from and a heart broken father's loving son. >> he was there for me. no matter what. i got sick. he could take me upstairs. if you know anything please say something to the police. q: i asked the police. they say when he was found dead he was not working at a lyft driver. we also found out he was going to be a dad. his daughter was due yesterday, the day he was killed. also according to detectives now, they are s

as far as they know he does not have a criminal past. he was a good man. if you have any information, give them a call. reporting from the prince george's police department, q mccray. larry: so tragic. thank you. they have compiled a list of 14 things to do after the deadly explosion of the flower branch apartments in august. some includes full-fledged emergency drills and wi-fi at shelters and portable white boards to visualize a clear command structure. seven people were killed in the august explosion. 160 people were displaced. >> there are several conversations about why the seven countries for the travel ban was chosen. now one group says there have been dozen of terror arrest to back

scott thuman takes a look. scott: true, trump chose the seven countries from a list explored originally by the obama administration. any information examines the scope of the threat. the study of immigration study since 9/11, 5780 people have been charge -- 580 people were charged with terror-related crimes. 72 were from the seven countries of the ban struck down in court. >> i can not explain why the judges in the ninth circuit did not know or try to find out the situation. this calm from open sources. scott: but not all was made public so it could be born. they cite a person who plowed his car in a group of pedestrians at ohio state university and then began

stabbing them. the crude oilics say it's in -- the critics say the statistics are inflated. >> you can trace evidence of terrorism for the seven countries but are these the right seven countries? >> there are no fatal attacks for the seven countries and there are from other countries. >> we should look at the harder look at the individuals coming from the locations because we can't get good paperwork often. the white house is pushing the study as a case and handling why they believe the courts need to change their mind. will it happen? the white house saying we are still expecting to see some sort of development on the front soon. we don't know if it will be a revision of the current executive order or a new one. we are waiting to see what the white house rolls out in the next co

alison: thank you. the senate has confirmed trump's pick to run small business administration. linda mcmahon will be sworn in tonight. she served for the w.w.e. before stepping down to run for the senate. she helped w.w.e. grow from a dozen employees to an enterprise with more than 800. larry: mazda is recalling 174,000 small cars in the u.s. seats can change angles suddenly to make the cars hard to drive. i covers 2011 mazda 2 sub compact and 2010-2011 mazda 3 and the mazda speed 3 compact. dealers will inspect the seat and install reinforcement brackets or they may replace the entire seat. alison: coming up next at 5:00 -- the stand still stands. the reason the inauguration platform is still there in front of the white

>> a rising tide lifts all boats. the museum on the mall stirred the imagination of the nation. larry: the area museum you might not know about. and why you might want to go to this one if you can't get into the national museum of african american history and culture. alison: ahead at 6:00 -- it caused a town's evacuation. up close look at what it took to get rid of a world war ii bomb found underneath a gas station.

steve: almost the middle of the week. cold front on the way tomorrow. highs will become to 50 and it will become breezy in the afternoon and the early everything hours. the coldest day of the next ten comes thursday. 40 for a daytime high. 45 on friday. let's talk about the weekend. saturday. a lot of sunshine. added clouds on sunday.

folks have the day off and it looks fantastic around 65 degrees. moving to the rest of next week the temperatures stay well above average for this time of year. lower 60s for tuesday and wednesday. back to upper 50's by thursday and friday of next week. stay with us. "abc7 news at 5:00" continues after this. i've spent my life planting a size-six, non-slip shoe into that door. on this side, i want my customers to relax and enjoy themselves.

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larry: as we honor black history month we focus on the african-american who fought in the war. for the past six years the stories told at a museum in the northwest and tales that were amplified in recent months. business is booming at the african-american civil war museum. >> we started it was to find a way to do two things. create a great wronger in history -- great wrong in history that ignored the contributions the soldiers made and the other was to use cultural tourism to contribute to the revitalization of this community. larry: frank smith's passion overflows with his every word. five months after the smithsonian gave african-american heritage the largest voice to date on the national mall he says his attendance at his museum is up. >> rising tide lifts all bo

we are happy to see increased attendance of all museum. we have 5,000 square feet. we can get people through here in an hour. you walk out and you can see a community that shows what people deal with, for the new found freedom. you can't do that on a mall or other places. larry: expansion is underway to double the space and add exhibits. including a spotlight on the voting rights for african-americans in 1870. >> after the african-americans get the right to vote, eventually women get the right to vote. that is a loud coalition in the united states that propelled president obama to office. larry: smith once marched with dr. king and thinks he would be proud of his own monument of the smithsonian and the work done here every day. >> he knows that if the guys joined the union army and fought for freedom, fought

get the amendments pass there wouldn't have been a civil rights movement. there wouldn't have been laws to push for. larry: amazing they fought on the battlefield but they are resonating over the past 150 queers. they have a passport for freedom in the d.c. public schools to encourage them to attend museums and they hope it will be implemented nationwide. alison: our director said i didn't know it existed so thank you for bringing awareness. >> it's a need place. you can go through in a couple of hours. need to check it out. alison: good work. larry: thanks. next at:00, a big announcement from the first lady. when she says white house tours will start back up. >> roses are ready. the clerk of the circuit court officiates his 8,000 wedding on valentine's day. i'm cheryl conner. coming up, we will introduce you t

the couple he married.

alison: look at this front yard. they are sending a love display including among other things naked barbies. this changes throughout the year for holidays and other artistic express. they are encouraging people to post messages about who or what they love. one way to do it. performing marriage ceremonies a small part of the job description but the clerk of the circuit court in anne arundel county has been busy. larry: and then some. cheryl conner witnessed a milestone on this valentine's day. which he recalls the most magical -- cheryl: the most magical day is now the most historic one for the man responsible to marry them. >> this is the 8,000th wedding i have d

after six years of dating. little did they know when they showed up to the anne arundel circuit courthouse in annapolis they would be clerk robert p. duckworth's 8,000 wedding ceremony. >> a nice surprise when we got here today. cheryl: duckworth is in his sixth term as clerk of the court, a job carrying more responsibilities than eofficiating marriages but one he takes to heart. >> it is a total commitment to each other. >> so says the man who has been married for 50 years. >> when the courthouse was renovated in the 1990's, mr. duckworth was part of the decision to keep the chaple in the historic part so couples would feel the romance of annapolis. >> from the chapels they can often hear the bells from the st. ann episcopal church and the statehouse. the secret to love -- >> you try to make them happy every day, how can you go wrong. >> this valentine's day is his final

because he doesn't man to run for office again. >> i'd like to think it's a lot of happiness. cheryl: sure it is after seeing 8,000 kisses. cheryl conner, knew -- abc7 news. alison: 8,000! incredible. he should write a book. larry: yes. alison: i bet he has interesting stories. larry: then some. alison: let's get a check of the roadways on the valentine's day. trenice bishop is on traffic watch. trenice: hi there, alison. we are seeing a lot of red in terms of brake lights and delays on the maps as well. slow on the beltway, inner and the outer loop. a lot of folks in a rush to get home to celebrate the evening. inner loop delays from old georgetown road to an earlier crash near university boulevard on the top side. outer loop jam now due to a new accident that is within the volume. it's near georgia avenue. the police are there on the scene

for folks on 50 in virginia we have report of one eastbound. that is arlington boulevard. between 495 and fairview drive. that is to the right side. 50 in maryland outbound to 202 through cheverly. slowing the ride for the split merge on the b.w. parkway. i will send it back to you both at the desk. larry: thank you. all new at 2:00, the lessons learned six months after a devastating apartment fire. plus, fighting the snow with sweets. what is sprayed on the rock salt up north that they say will save money and help stop roads icing over. student caught with a machete at a local elementary school still ahead at "abc7 news at 6:00". alison: all right. let's go ahead and check the weather forecast. i'm ready for the warmup headed our way. larry: get back up on top of the roller coaster. >> it's nice. doug: we will turn colder first for the next few days, by the weekend we are in good shape. watching the cloudiness. the clouds build back in the night. rain will pass to

clearing skies in the morning. beautiful this evening with the sunset now a couple minutes behind us. a few clouds. clearing for a few hours. if you have plans outdoors tonight it will be fine. temperatures holding steady for the mid-40's for the next few hours. light winds. partly cloudy skies. we look ahead to tomorrow morning and the temperatures aren't going to fall off tonight. by early in the morning in the upper 30's to 40 threes. there will be clouds. way south of the metro area, southern maryland, northern neck there could be rain associated with the system passing south. what is more effecting our weather tomorrow is a cold front passing through late morning. that will switch the winds from the southwest to the northwest. they will get gusty. temperatures get close to 50 early afternoon and fall in the afternoon hours. cold stuff in here briefly thursday and friday before the big warm-up. the story for the pickup time for kids in the morning. most of the air is cloudy. 40 degrees. 49 in recess. 49 at

fall off a bit. get extended forecast to the next seven days, colder breezy weather and the colder condition thursday and friday. look at the warmup saturday and sunday. lower 60's. presidents' day, 65 and partly sunny skies. upper 50's and lower 60's through the end of the february. that is latest. back to you. alison: thank you. larry: we are gushing for the numbers. erin: i can't wait. every week it gets better and better. today is -- today's rising star making moves on the mat and doing it with just one leg. scott abraham introduces us to the freedom high school senior who still is standing tall. scott: trevor le master is different. >> if i get stairs and things like that but i don't let it get to me. scott: he has one leg. >> i was born with a birth

born with a short leg. >> as a 10-year-old he had the short leg amputated. giving himself more mobility for everyday life and sports. >> i didn't let it hold me back at all. at recessives tearing up the playground. even though my teachers didn't appreciate it very much. scott: today trevor is tearing it up in the 106-pound weight class. a serious contender for the 4a individual state championship. >> there is nothing i want more this year than to see that happen. see him up on top of the podium. for him to get his shot at all the glory in the world he deserves. scott: trevor competed in a multitude of sports including lacrosse where he is the goalie at freedom. despite having only one leg he acts and performs like your everyday high school student athlete. >> i want to inspire those, you know, those young

kids who just, who are told they can't do something. because they can. >> living roof that anything is possible with a little hard work. >> i'm scott abraham with our rising star. erin: he is inspiring people. it's awesome to see nothing will get him down. larry: his attitude. erin: if you know someone in the d.m.v. overcoming adversity to star and excel in the athletic arena, give us an e-mail. you could be featured in upcoming story like the one you saw. larry: thanks. really good story here. a local lab is looking to make mining for diamonds a thing of the past. growing diamonds a thing of the future. check this out. they just unveiled a new diamond grown in a lab in beltsville. the 6.28-carat st

similar to earth mined diamonds but a cost of 30 to 40% less. this is the largest diamond grown in a laboratory. alison: so they are still expensive but not as expensive. larry: yeah! alison: wow! larry: thing of the future. alison: it sounds like it. coming up next at 5:00 -- >> they say it has been standing longer than other inaugural stands. i'm stephen tschida. i will tell you

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alison: new today the white house visitor office announces when it will open the doors again to public tours. first lady melania trump made the announcement earlier today. saying the tours will start up march 2. they are self-guided tours and they operate from 7:30 to 11:30 in the morning tuesday through thursday. and then 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 on friday and saturdays. if you would like to check out a tour for yourself you can commit a request through a member of congress. now it is still standing

you can see right here at the bottom of the live picture of the white house. a lot of people want to know why? we are talking about the inaugural stand in front of the white house. stephen tschida went looking for answers. stephen: they prayed for our democracy in the shadow of the presidential reviewing stand and they wondered why is it still standing. >> it's odd. stephen: we spotted a handful of workers who appeared to be removing pieces of the stand but slowly. >> they don't want it taken down. the people in the white house don't want to take it down because they feel safer or something. stephen: those who have worked in this part of the city saying after other inaugurations the stands come down sooner. >> i see it still up. it would seem to me that you would take it down in a couple of days. this has been weeks. almost a month. stephen: we checked with the national park service and it responded for the permitted of the reviewing stand is good

it's the same as the other inaugurations. no confirmation on whether the dismantling is going more slowly than after prior inaugurations. >> why is still up? could it be the hiring freeze? don't have enough workers? stephen: in a city overwhelming blue, a similar of the ascent of the current president might seem like it has been up too long. simply because of what it represents. >> they like what it signifies that they have the power. i don't know. stephen: the workers may have to pick up the pace if they want the stand taken down and pennsylvania avenue in front of the white house reopened on time. stephen tschida, abc7 news. michelle: right now at 6:00, using a disaster to prevent another catastrophe. lessons learned from the devastating silver spring apartment fire. jonathan: one wild ride. frightening aftermath and a

wait until you hear the story behind this. >> he never bothered anybody. >> a fathers plea for help and justice after his son, a soon-to-be father is murdered. announcer: now, abc7 at 6:00. on your said. jonathan: it was a devastating fire that cost lives at home. seven people killed in the august explosion at the flower branch apartments. kevin lewis shows us how the disaster could be saving lives in the future. kevin: the cracked concrete foundation is the only physical reminder of the carnage. from that fateful august night which left seven dead. 39 injured. more than 160 displaced. >> we have lessons to

>> today, the montgomery county council was given a list of 14 learning lessons that will strengthen future mass casualty response. that list includes purchasing portable white boards to better visualize the command structure. plus improving wi-fi and cell service at all frontline shelters. another suggestion. a more visible triage station with clear signage in english and spanish. the county also spans -- plans to conduct full-fledged emergency drills and wants to better control the flow of news media and southernists message. it's not to overshadow recognition of the individuals who went the extra mile to help the neighbors neighbors nee of crisis and need. kevin: counselman hucker was more critical with the county response saying the flow of public information wasn't