12:35 this afternoon, a robbery happened in montgomery county. check cashing location. on georgia avenue. the 911 call comes in and description of the get-away vehicle goes out, white van. the montgomery county police spot the van and they give chase. it ends up on the beltway. they cross to p.g. county. as soon as they hit route 1 the van loses control and crashes. five people inside the car. one suspect bails out and gets run over by an unmarked police car moving in on the chase. four others are taken into custody. now they are investigating the scene and whether the men were involved in other incidents around the area. we asked montgomery county police what the m.o. was, this is what they said. >> the trend was multiple suspects would enter the establishment en masse, take

control -- in masks, take control. one person had a long gun. it would happen quickly and they would leave. i don't know if the proceeds were taken today. sam: inside the getaway car there was a long gun and several high-powered handguns. at this hour, four people are in custody. one suspect is dead. traffic is a nightmare all over prince george's county. if you have someone coming home tonight and they typically use the beltway, they are probably going to be late. reporting live at the maryland state police bar racks in college park, sam sweeney, abc7 news. larry: thank you. fredericksburg police charged a truck driver from georgia with involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving. james lee caused thursday's crash on route 3 that killed a woman and injured three others. there is no indication he used his brakes as he slammed in five other vehicles at a spotlight. alison: we haveso

to discurbing questions about allegation of grade-fixing. brad bell broke the story on twitter and he joins us live from the school headquarters in upper marlboro with the result of the audit. tell us about it. brad: the audit was demanded by school board members who felt there were problems with the graduation rate. the report confirmed it. 211 pages. a lot of numbers but the bottom line is many, many prince george's county high school graduates crossed the stage and got diplomas when they didn't deserve them. the report examined 212 transcripts from graduates. they found that 5% should not have been allowed to graduate. and another 17% did not have the records complete enough to determine if they were eligible or not. the school board members who wrote the governor demanding the audit say it confirmed their claims of grade

students that graduated that did not meet the core state requirements is concerning. >> the study does not address that the grade fixing was ordered by the leadership. the c.e.o. kevin maxwell blamed the individual schools for problem. >> the audit shows too many schools either did not consistently follow policy, did not adhere to or know about the established procedures, or in some cases instituted their own internal process for grade changes and graduation eligibility. this cannot continue. brad: maxwell has been under fire for two years now. the same board members that demanded the study also demanded he be fired. but county executive rushern baker is standing by the man he appointed. >> we have been changing superintendents in prince george's county for 30 years. every time there is an issue that cos up we change superintendent. we still have not improved. brad: so baker sa

stands behind kevin maxwell. governor larry hogan is the one who ordered the study asked for it from the state department of education. a spokesperson from his office issued a statement saying that the school system is actively betraying the community's trust. that is their appraisal of the study. much more to come. the school board members who called for this are not done looking for reform or exposing problems. larry: word of the detailed report spread today. kevin lewis visited two high school where the graduation rates are highly scrutinized. >> duval high school in lanham graduation skyrocketed earning the school a big banner touting a 92% graduation rate. today's

may have been off 27%. it is works at tall oaks vocational high school in bowie where 58% of the graduate samples should not have received diploma. 87% combined. >> the more people that graduate the better they look. >> the alleged grade changing wasn't done for students but was job security. >> the superintendent of the schools, and the individual schools. >> not a good thing. >> the owner winners are private and parochial school. >> a lot of parents, i own a barbershop today and a lot of parents come here. and the kids are private school. you have to pay extra money because of that. >> i asked the feather if he

surprised. his response? "no really." kevin lewis, abc7 news. larry: read the whole report through the abc7 news app. alison: the search for a rapist who attacked a woman in a popular area with restaurant and shops. it happened yesterday in the shirlington area of arlington. stephen tschida has the latest on the investigation. stephen: this intersection very busy. a woman deciding to put something in her vehicle. she went to her car. she turned her back to the sidewalk. this corner between two crowded apartment buildings. the place where a man approached a woman putting packages in her car and graped her. >> it's shock -- grabbed her. >> it's

>> the suspect raped woman and took off on foot. >> this intersection is busy and just around the corner from the vibrant shirlington commercial center filled with restaurants, bars and shops. >> people are walking up and down the street. it's pretty safe. >> back live on 31st street. that is where the suspect took off. witnesses tell us in moments of the woman calling for help, 15 squad cars descended on this intersection. everyone with kit unit -- even with the k9 units and helicopters overhead, the police were unable to track down the suspect.

tschida, abc7 news. larry: thank you. d.c. public school teacher facing charges she assaulted one of her own students. 32-year-old lacey thornton teaching at cleveland elementary school. she turned herself into police and accused of assaulting a female fourth grader on tuesday. the girl kicked the door of the classroom but did not strike the teacher. it was caught on security video. alison: we are covering metro and plans to close the red line later this month. four miles of track work will close the line between silver spring and the fort washington station. the takoma station will be closed. shuttle buses will be provided. it will last until december 5. we have new developments tonight involving bowe bergdahl. trump called a disgrace that the judge said the former army sergeant won't go to prison. he saw his rank reduced to private and he pled gui

desertion and misbehavior before the enemy and held captive by the taliban for five years after leaving the post in afghanistan. larry: eleanor holmes norton is urging the marshalls to make poll -- marshals to make policy changes. we got a tip that the marshals evicted speedy tax service. we found people going through boxes of the sensitive tax records. now they are launching an internal review into what happened. we are talking to the congresswoman right now and we will have her reaction tonight at 11:00. alison: a lovely way to end the week weather wise. but it sounds like this weekend will feel more seasonal. josh knight standing by in the weather center. today was amazing. bill: it was. some place close to 80. seasonal is not bad but going from this to tomorrow is a little bit of an

andrews, 74. quantico is close to 80. the warm air sticking around but the cold front on the way and it will bring different weather for us. a few light showers. i don't think this is much of an issue for us as we get closer to the football game this everything or anything like that. but if you want to track the rain and then even better shot for the heavier showers tomorrow download the stormwatch7 weather app. a useful tool to know when the rain heading your way. cooler tomorrow but there is improving weather for sunday. we talk more about that in a bit. >> just ahead. needles, fabric and a labor of love that have gone on for 15 years. prepare for the warm fuzzies. round of applause after six decades. abc7 celebrates flight attendant who has seen it all. a backlash fo

larry: the next mars rover will be outfitted with serious hardware. it will have 23 colored cameras, some with x-ray capability. cure rossty in

rossty had 17 cameras. spirit and opportunity in 2004 had ten cameras each. alison: all right. volunteers picked up the crochet needles and the fabrics and are continuing to work until late tonight. hand sewing blankets and as many quilts as they can. the long effort is a labor of love for children in the local hospital. >> runs like a well oiled machine. >> all right. just about finished. >> this is the montgomery county association for family and community education. volunteers came out early and some will be here until 9:00 tonight. threading needles and stitches a little love. >> we know that some child is going to be comforted by this. that is the whole idea. >> they are crocheting, knitting and sewing quilts for children in local hospitals. >> a

>> they have done it since 2002. >> helen says she has been sewing her whole life. >> she says it's a lot to use the skills to bring a smile to a child. >> it's so meaningful. i can only imagine children receive these. i can imagine somebody looking at the fabric and thinking how neat. >> one guilt is more beautiful than the next one that comes in. you can't pick a favorite. >> they make between 125-175 blankets just like this one every month. >> this woman drove two hours to volunteer. >> amy aubert, abc7 news. alison: fantastic. larry: awesome. alison: what a great

last night i had an opportunity to emcee the heroines of washington i vent with the march of dimes that has been around for 80 years to help premature babies helping mothers in the hospital. we were celebrating women who do so much to make the communities a better place. we raised money for march of dimes which is the best part of the night. they do wonderful work. >> you told me you were looking forward to the event. >> i think it can still be relevant all the years later is fantastic. larry: they help so many people. a great story, too. ohio waitress says crissy teagan left the largers tip of the lady's wife. she was nervous when the model came in the ohio outback steakhouse but she left her $1,000

she used the money to fix the family car and shared the rest with the coworkers. alison: how nice! that is great. in california, a child who chose to give rather than receive. she leaves outs a bowl of candy while they go trick or treating but she came home and the bowl was empty. she assumed they took as much as they wanted but she got a group of her own. a group of kids takes candy from his bag to refill the bowl. >> there is still good in the world. >> she posted this but so far

child. there will be proud parents out there. once they figure it out. larry: random act of kindness. >> it's nice. larry: bill kelly, the chief meteorologist at the georgetown waterfront today on a fantastic day. back-to-back days. enjoy it while we can. >> absolutely. the rowing team. watergate hotel. >> we have clouds in the area. this is belle haven clowns club. look at the color changes. it's beautiful. hagerstown at 71. the rest of the evening will

the temperatures are in the 70's and it will drop to the 60's. the radar show you green on the map. it's not a big deal. we are not worried about the downpours. let me show you the future cast. run through it on the slow side. we have 60's at 9:00. the rain showers are gone around the area. you head out early for saturday morning. tee time or garage sale, upper 40's to the low 50's. sunshine. it should be good to go. but the middle part of the day and the big difference between today and tomorrow is going to be the temperatures. and the chance for rain in the

we are in the upper 70's today. mid-to-upper 50's tomorrow. a huge cooldown. plus we will watch rain showers in the area from the south north. so late afternoon and the everything the rain will move in. in the afternoon some of the rain showers are moving in. but it should be good to go out there at nationals park. sunday heading out for the 10k. across the bay 10k. drizzle in the morning and maybe lingering showers and dry out by 1:00 in the afternoon. the tail of two weather days this weekend. the extended outlook with the upper 50's tomorrow. sunday is the upper 60's.

monday in the 70's. we could see thunderstorms around the area. i encourage you if you have days like this, get out and fire up the grill. have an evening beverage outside when you might normally have it inside. it can turn just like that. nancy: i'm nancy chen at the "live desk" following breaking news of a teacher arrested accused of having inappropriate relationship with a student. andrew robison teacher is charged charged with two counts of the indecent liberties by the custodian. he is being held without bond.

still ahead at 5:00, why snoop dogg's new single is raising eyebrows. alison: but first. getting on the path to success and the program helping in "spotlight on education." larry: but a look at what is coming up tonight on abc.

alison: in tonight's "spotlight on education" putting underprivilegedded students on the path to career success. kellye lynn tells us about a program that places young people in a corporate internship in high school. >> she has mass tarded the role of daughter, sister and aunt to her young nephew. still the 17-year-old dreams of something more. >> i want to become a lobbyist, because you attend events. you talk. you are with government people and surrounded by important people. >> how is it going? >> the mentor is helping mary reach the goal through a program called genesis works. >> for them to expose the young people to the opportunitieses a well as train them get them ready and get them prepared in workforce is priceless. >> the program targ

school. try to impact their lives by placing them in internship. >> they are paid $8.50 to $15 to work at the job sites in fairfax county and d.c. >> in the senior year, they enup going to school every morning and in the afternoon, they come to workplaces such as here, at&t, caliber, intel, kirkland. kellye: at at&t, mary assists with billing and attends outings. >> it was a good experience. i gained insight on what i want to do when i'm older. >> exposure, experience, preparation for next generation of workers. in oakton, kellye lynn, abc7 news. larry: still ahead at 5:00, 660-year celebration. what the oldest flight attendant says about the j

alison: the cloud over the president's trip to asia. larry: first, four days before the election, abc7 sits down with the candidates in the race for governor and narrator: ed gillespie's false attacks. independent press says they're false. fear mongering. absurd. ralph northam nt to vmi and was an army doctor for eight years. in richmond, dr. northam helped pass longer sentences for gang members and mandatory life sentences for violent sexual predators. ralph northam: i'm ralph northam, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad because i'm a pediatrician, and for ed gillespie to say i would tolerate anyone hurting a child is despicable.

will have power over your health care. adams supports letting insurance companies deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. seniors would be charged more for health care; premiums would go up. and adams supports giving employers the power to block birth control access for female employees. john adams: wrong on health care, wrong on birth control, wrong for virginia. disclaimer: i'm mark herring, candidate for attorney general, and i sponsored this ad. alison: we are updating

all afternoon. this is a live picture from skytrak7 and the scene of a deadly crash on the beltway. police say it started with an armed robbery at a check cashing business in wheaton that led to a chase. the chase ended with the crash on the inner loop. one person is dead. two lanes of the road are still closed right now. this has been happening all afternoon. we will have an update coming up at "abc7 news at 6:00". larry: virginians head to the polls to elect a new governor. last night we brought you an interview with ed gillespie and tonight jonathan elias takes us beyond the podium with democrat ralph northam. jonathan: why do you want to be governor? >> i have had a great life. i grew up on a small farm on the eastern shore of virginia. i have worked very hard all of my life but i have had great opportunities, access to good education, to serve in the united states army for eight years. to take care of children and

neurologist for 25 years. i served in the senate and lieutenant governor for four. i am very passionate. jon it's been a life of service. the 58-year-old democrat dedicated his life to others. serving eight years in the united states army as medical officer. specifically a pediatric neurologist. elected to the statenate for two terms. winning the lieutenant governor seat. all the while still seeing patients. father of two who prides himself on listening and working with people who don't always agree with him. >> a good example of that but the legislation i introduced in 2008. the smoking ban in restaurants. if you think of the influence that tobacco companies have in virginia that was an uphill battle. it was defeated in 2008 but i went back in 2009 and i worked with people from both sides of the aisle. i talked to them about the ill-effects of the secondhand smoke. they said you know what, ralph? you are right. jonathan: the

signed into law. but now he is in a bitter race getting a lot of outside attention and ads running that both sides take issue with. but this one even he said he didn't care for. the last ad you put out with the confederate flag and the gillespie supporter, is that crossing the line? >> i didn't put the ad out there. jonathan: do you support that ad? >> i would haven't chosen to run that ad. that was in response to the hatred and the bigotry that mr. gillespie promoted with his ad. jonathan: the ad was pulled and mr. northam says his campaign is positive. on the issues, abortion he supports a woman's right to choose. he says he does not support sanctuary cities. for tax cuts -- >> in favor of a tax cut for everybody? >> we have to be very careful. a tax cut for the rich on the back -- jonathan: not rich. i'm saying tax cut for everybody. >> we have responsibilities right now in virginia such as k-12

transportation is a large issue up here in northern virginia. we need to support metro. we need to support healthcare. >> he and his opponent see something in common. he sees the opioid epidemic as a priority. >> as a doctor the largest challenge in virginia is the opioid crisis. we lost over 1100 virginians. that is unacceptable. i want to lead the discussion and combat the challenge. larry: download the abc7 news app to get up to the minute updates on election night and see both candidates full interviews. alison: well, before he left on the 12-day trip to asia president trump spoke with "full measure"'s sharyl attkisson. he discussed a number of topics including this week's terrorist attack in manhattan, the republican tax plan and the mueller investigation. president trump: well, i hope he is treating everything fairly. if he

if you talk about the innocents, i'm truly not involved in any form of collusion with russia. believe me. that is the last thing i can be involved in. >> have you been told to be questioned by the special counsel? >> nobody has told me. i haven't been told we're under investigation. i'm not under investigation. alison: watch the full interview sunday morning at 10:00 on "full measure." larry: a federal judge set may 20 trial date for paul manafort. the development come as the ukrainian politician said he gave f.b.i. information about the off-the-books payments made to manafort. >> strong relations with russia officials.

larry: before leaving washington the president said he is disappointed that the justice department is not investigating the democrats. donna brazille claims fundraising agreement is proof the democratic primary was rigged in hillary clinton's favor. >> president trump has his share of critics. now one of them is coming under fire. snoop dogg is raising questions tonight with his new e.p. cover. it features a body on a medical examiner's table. body is wrapped in an american flag. on the tow tag just the word "trump." lindsey mastis has reaction. some say it's a play on ice cube's cover that showed uncle sam on the gurney but this twist is creating an uproar. take a look. people are reacting on our facebook page writing --

lindsey: most of the comments we have gotten do not approve but some do. erica is writing -- others want him to remember what goes around, comes around -- overall a lot of outrage. snoop dogg already took the image down from the instagram account and a different one in its place showing trump standing over the gurney of snoop dogg. back to you. alison: all right. thank you. the days of weekend warriors are over. coming up at 5:00, 7 salutes thousands of guardsman and reservists by going along for the ride. >> after more than a decade of local reporting the website disappears overnight. coming up, details why it went away and the reaction from the local journalis

bill: welcome back. this is a gorgeous everything out. a lot of folks enjoying tonight. let you know what is going on. spotty shower at most. that is all we are looking at. the temperatures in the 60's. a lot of games kick off at 7:00. you have a sweatshirt early and you will sit on it early and then maybe toward the end of the evening. the tale of two weather days. cooler tomorrow, no question about that. the temperatures in the upper 50's. then morning fog and drizzle. the story tomorrow is cooler conditions and the rain

sweet 4k tv, mr. peterson. thanks. i'm pretty psyched. did you get fios too? no, was i supposed to get fios? mr. peterson. fios is a 100% fiber-optic network. it's like it was invented to stream 4k movies and shows. how do you know so much about tv and internet? the internet. right. streaming is only as good as your internet. so get the best internet - with the 100% fiber-optic network - get fios - now just $79.99 per month for fios gigabit connection plus tv and phone.

mark herring: my mom to provide for our family. at one point, she got fired for of all things -- tting married. that was a lifelong lesson for me: when people are hurt, you need to stand up and do something. and i've never forgotten that as your attorney general. whether it's protecting veterans and seniors from shady debt collectors, or cracking down on gangs and drug traffickers, i have one guiding principle: do what's right for people. i'm mark herring, candidate for attorney general, and i sponsored this ad. jonathan: there is thousands of guardsman and reservists. they used to the weekend reservists of military but that is not the case anymore. the missions they fly don't get bigger as we flew along to tell the story. you see them all the time flying over blackhawk

helicopters. perhaps you see the jets screaming by. they are on the front lines protecting you against an outside attack. more than half of those in uniform doing the job are part time. >> my real job is civilian pilot for american airlines. >> but today, jason hawk at the ready. the siren goes off at joint base andrews, he races to his plane to intercept the target of interest. >> you are always prepared for the real thing. it's never practice in your mind. jonathan: he and so many like him only do this job because the employers give them the time to serve. >> without the employer backing and enabling me to come in here as a commander for the unit and support me, there is no way i can function and do the job without support from the employer.

>> most people don't see what we do. >> this pilot is one of the full timers. around her are part timers. >> we try to train as much as we can so if something happens we are ready to go and we can do everything to the best of our ability. the layer of protection is only possible knowing they could get the call to protect and serve. >> this takes a tremendous sacrifice. >> it is. it does. what is the true price of freedom? >> that is a company that will employ guardsman and service. jonathan: i want to thank the air guard. to the employers wh

salute you. this is essential. they train nonstop. so they have a full time job and they will duck out after they are done and then continue training as flying medevacs or manning the jets. alison: wow! i was surprised to hear they are scrambled to something once a day. jonathan: anything from a small plane flying with the old instruments and they don't realize restricted air space so they will get the call and scramble. a lot of times they won't take off but there are times that flew in the air space and got close enough they had to go in front of him to get an attention because he was on a different radio frequency. he had an old map saying you can fly in this air space. that is a no-no. he got the message and turn around. alison: that is a great story. thank you. still ahead at 5:00 -- >> the most senior flight attendant in the world. she lives in manassas. tonight we

that story ahead on abc7 news. >> we are at the high school football game of the bridge. stonebridge and broad run. spartans ready to make some noise. we have a preview of the big game coming up later in sports. debbie: when you work at a children's hospice, people ask you, how can you possibly do this? and we say, how can we not? if these kids go through what they go through, we can support them. dr. ralph northam has been our volunteer medical director for the last eighteen years. he's made such a difference in so many families' lives. ralph northam: these kids have given me more than i could ever give them. and i wanna make sure that every family in virginia can afford good healthcare when they need it.

will have power over your health care. adams supports letting insurance companies deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. seniors would be charged more for health care; premiums would go up. and adams supports giving employers the power to block birth control access for female employees. john adams: wrong on health care, wrong on birth control, wrong for virginia. disclaimer: i'm mark herring, candidate for attorney general, and i sponsored this ad.

alison: oh, man. all smiles and applause today at reagan national airport celebrating betty nash. betty is the oldest flight attendant in the world. the entire world. today she celebrated 60 years at american airlines. larry: amazing. sam sweeney reports she a star in the sky. >> decades before the selfie took off, her career began to soar. >> i was happy. oh, my gosh. i'm the luckiest person in the world. >> 60 years ago today, she reported for training an eastern airlines now american. back when she first earned her wings --

height, a certain weight. it used to be horrible. you put on a few pounds and you had to keep weighing yourself. if you stayed that way, they will take you off the payroll. >> not the golden days of air travel. there we used to pass out cigarettes and matches. >> millions of miles later she still flies her d.c.-boston route several times a week and she welcomed us on board. >> you are on board a special flight. today you are flying with betty nash. most senior flight attention in the world. celebrating 60 years of american airlines. her route is the shuttle. when she started passengers bought life insurance from the vending machine before paying an air fare on board. all the years later the passengers know her well. >> these are my best flights. >> one of the most important parts of

>> eastern airlines spun off the shoulder but a man from new york saved her job. >> he gave us everything he promised us, he gave us. i wouldn't be here today. i hate to put -- i wouldn't be here if trump hadn't bought the shuttle. >> after the trump shuttle failed u.s. air tookover. her friends thought she was crazy for sticking around. >> who wants to go to new york the rest of her life? i said i do. because i knew i was home every night. >> but you see, being home every night isn't about convenience for betdy. she is a single bomb. >> i -- single bomb. >> i have a handicap son and i wanted to be home. it wasn't a choice for me. >> it's more than a job. it is her life, her dream and her passion. >> this morning on american airlines -- >> no

anytime soon. reporting from 30,000 feet, sam sweeney, abc7 news. larry: wow! alison: what a special lady. larry: how do you follow that up? alison: remarkable. larry: great story by sam to tell her story. someone who i think we take life for granted and things. look at what she did for how long. not leaving anytime soon. alison: got to do what she loves but had to make sacrifices for her family. what a story. larry: yeah! alison: all right. let's go outside. this is just beautiful today. it's weird that it is november and so warm. right, bill? bill: that is right. the normal highs in the low 60's this time of the year. we are way north of that. we didn't break the record. the record is 83. coincidently set this day last year when it was set on this day. just last year. that the record was set. that is what i'm trying to talk about. let me show you what is

a gorgeous evening. get outside and it's fairly quiet. we had a couple of sprinkles around the region. this is national harbor. the capitol wheel winning around. comfortable with the temperatures in the 70's if you making your way out. you don't need the coat at all. we are looking at the conditions that will stay mild through the evening hours. we have temperatures that are dropping on the saturday. and then warming up as we go in to sunday. 76 is the temperature outside now. but boy, tomorrow, at this time we are in the 50's. watching rain this time tomorrow night. that is what i want you to be prepared for. clouds on the increase tomorrow. temperatures are from the 70's to the 50's tomorrow. a big change there. by the time we head to sunday it will warm back up with the temperatures to the upper 60's. if you look to spend time outside, do

if you have the ability for sunday afternoon versus tomorrow. it's warmer. in terms of the football, the friday night football games. this is november. scott is out there for the game of the week. how are you, my friend? >> bill, i'm convinced mother nature is a big-time high school football game. football fan. another perfect friday night. we have high school football game for you tonight. look behind me. this is the dog pound. [applause] ready to play broad run in the game of the week. undefeated stone bridge will face undefeated broad run. we are an hour away from opening kickoff. the section is ready to rock and roll. the schools are separated by three miles. this is the battle of the burn. in addition to earning the neighborhood bragging rights

the winner of the slowdown will likely achieve the seed for the playoff. rivalry game with a lot on the line. >> how do you keep the kids level headed? >> i don't know that you can. you want them to play in your system. do what they need to do within the team. that is the biggest thing. i want them to live in the moment. look around and take the moment in. have fun with it. take advantage of it and enjoy it. >> it's not often you see the teams 9-0 in the regular season in the leg season finale playing for the bragging rights. the cheerleaders, we ready? a lot on the line. back to you.

hair. >> you i'm good. larry: tonight there is outrage over the website. larry: why it's s

people ask you, how can ayou possibly do this?e, and we say, how can we not? if these kids go through what they go through, we can support them. dr. ralph northam has been our volunteer medical director for the last eighteen years. he's made such a difference in so many families' lives. ralph northam: these kids have given me more than i could ever give them. and i wanna make sure that every family in virginia can afford good healthcare when they need it.

larry: one of the first local blogs to catch on but dckist is no more. mike carter-conneen looks at what led to the demise. >> after a decade of the local news coverage, it's frozen in time. last post thursday. dckist owned by the billionaire joe rickets who released this statement -- we made progress to building this to a successful business. in the end it's not been sufficient to support the effort and the expense to produce journalism on which the company was founded.

the "new york times" said the decision to unionize is another competitive obstacle to make it harder for the business to be financially successful. former d.c.ars are outraged. cath lin was a founding member. an alum reporter calls the decision terrible and tragedy. >> the d.c. elected officials weighed in and eleanor holmes norton said it was a loss to the local journalism. mayor bowser and the council expressing disappointment. and the mayor of new york raised eyebrows saying joe rickets is a coward. >> there is a lot of resentment and shock. >> there is hope with talk of potential crowd funding efforts to save dckist and the other sites --

other sites. mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: breaking now at 6:00, a man is dead and four others in custody after a robbery, chase and crash that has ruined the friday drive for thousands. jonathan: you have heard of smash and grab but what about ram and feel. the owner is fighting back. >> oh, my god! >> fire bombing at a mayor college campus. what was targeted and how a professor who rushed to the rescue is doing tonight. >> from abc7 news, this is a breaking news alert. >> breaking news as we come on the air from two counties. robbery, police chase and deadly crash that has the beltway backed up for miles. >> two lanes of the inner loop are shut down in college park as we learn more about the robbery at a check cashing store that started all of this. then the crash that killed o

police. let's go to sam sweeney. he joins us live from college park with the latest on this. sam? sam: jonathan, a major investigation underway right now on the beltway that has the two lanes shut down. it could be hours before they reopen. it's creating a traffic nightmare out here. this start around 12:30 this afternoon in montgomery county. the police say there was a burglary at a check cashing location on georgia avenue. the 911 calls in with the description of the white van and the five suspects inside. the police found the van and gave chase. it ended up on the beltway. you are seeing some of the video now. that van crashed near route 1. shutting down the beltway. one of the suspects bailed out of the car and run over by a montgomery county police officer. killed as the officer made his way to the scene. four others are in custody. multiple weapons were found inside the vehicle. now tonight montgomery county police say they believe the same suspects a