is lu yarbrough and i'm on your side. a hostage situation lasts eight hours before the gunman gives up and a couple can walk free. good evening. i'm wendy rieger. jim and doreen are off tonight. the gunman barged into two homes, after robbing a pawnshop

he spent eight hours in the house with two hostages. jackie benson live. >> the suspect surrendered. he is in police custody at this hour. i am joined now by chief joe price of the leesburg police department. chief, i understand that in addition to the excellent work by dozens of officers and agencies. you credit the couple in their 80s with helping to resolve the situation. >> exactly. elderly residents of the home where the suspect broke into. did a fantastic job, on lowering his stress level. they convinced him, along with many negotiators and many hours of talking that the best way to solve this was a peaceful resolution. my highest credit to that couple. >> thank you, chief. leesburg police department. this was not the only couple who experienced terror. news 4 spoke with a younger

couple. had a terrifying encounter with him. >> he opened the door. i saw the barrel of the gun. >> the 26-year-old woman who asked not to be identified talks about the moment she and her husband walked toward the front door of their leesburg home expecting to be greeted by their 2-year-old son and the babysitter. >> the guy came out from the closet and pointed a gun at me. told me to get on the ground. >> the couple had noticed police activity in the neighborhood but did not know officers were pursuing an armed man who robbed a nearby pawnshop. now he was in their house. demanding money and their car keys. >> he tied her up. then he locked the door and put a wire around the door handle and tide it ed it to the railin. my son was a trouper. >> the suspect made the husband place a false 911 call. >> he made me call 911 and report that he was over near wal-mart so it would throw the

police off so he could get out of the house. >> moments later he was able to text a relative then call his boss. he said -- very quietly -- listen to me carefully. there is a man in my house. and he has a gun. and he's going to kill me. >> what seemed like an eternity later, the suspect left in the couple's jeep grand cherokee. and the police arrived. >> the suspect has been identified tonight as 49-year-old william spencer, of baltimore. wendy back few you. >> jackie benson. thank you. investigators outside chicago say they have found more human remains dumped around an historic cemetery there. the cook county sheriff enclosed the entire burr oak cemetery tonight. while investigators try to determine how many graves were disturbed. also, hampering their investigation. the cemetery records seem to be missing or destroyed or too disorganized to follow. the sheriff wants few give

families answers as soon as possible. >> this is a horribly, horribly difficult. i can't tell you the number of will ion talk to, who can't find their children. who can't find their babies that they buried here. people who can't find their mothers. >> four employees have been arrested. it is believed they made hundreds of thousands of dollars reselling those plots. d.c. council members scald for a probe into that contract that marion barry awarded his ex-girlfriend. this evening, news 4 obtained the arrest report that details just why barry was arrested in the first place on suspicion of stalking that very same woman. for some council members, it is all getting to be a bit too much. michael flynn and the details on this. michael? >> hey, there, wendy. lot of political drama out here tonight. marion barry is confident, the contract probe will prove he did

nothing wrong. councilman barry reacting to the investigation into the contract between him and his ex-girlfriend. wearing pink in the file video with barry. the council chairman, vincent gray announced the probe early this evening. >> i believe an independent review is logical first step. >> news of the investigation came as news 4 was first to obtain barry's arrest report from july 4th when charged with stalking the ex-girlfriend. the report revealed the former mayor was driving erratically on the wrong side of the road. when park police pulled him over in anacostia park. she shouted to the officer that barry was harassing her and continually threatening he would use powers of influence to have

her ex-husband arrested. prosecutors dropped the stalking charge thursday. >> on july 4th. i was illegally arrested. >> barry defended himself during the city probe announcement, council member, walked out, saying, he had had enough. >> there is no rallying behind marion. so when he stepped forward at that press conference and attempted to portray himself as a victim it was more than any of us could talk. >> you look at the documents. >> bob bennett will lead the inquiry into the personal services contract between barry and his ex. and determine if barry complied with city laws and council mules when awarding it. >> i had no doubt in my mind. that we followed all the procedures. paid $15,000 for the leadership development project. and introduce the resolution

this tuesday. calling for the independent probe. back to you. >> michael flynn. thank you. >> police check points, in crime-ridden d.c. neighborhood have now been ruled unconstitutional. d.c. police began stopping cars in the trinidad neighborhood last summer. motorists who couldn't prove that they lived there, were kept out. a group called the partnership for civil justice sued the city and a federal judge upheld the check points in october. but today, a federal appeals court, ruled that the residents constitutional rights were violated and the lower court must rekid that position. december dels councilman, phil mendelson agrees with the appellate court. >> we have a strong liberty interest in this country. people have a right to move about freely. and -- the roadblocks interfere with that ability to move around freely. >> d.c. police chief, kathy ,aa=%9qm9ñported the check she said she believes the stops

were lawful and saved lives. general motorsxd emerged fr bankruptcy today now on the difficult path of trying to rebuild itself under government ownership. this newer streamlined company will shed 13 u.s. plants. 2,000 dealerships. 27,000 jobs. car sales, still a little sluggish. gm executives say they're going to focus on -- making fuel efficient vehicles that americans want to buy. the company wants to quickly repay the $50 billion taxpayer bailout. ce ftzri henderson expects gm to start turning profits by 2011. we are finishing a gorgeous workweek with another lovely night. things could talk a little built of a turn tomorrow. hey, veronica. >> just a little turn, wendy. the skies e filled. few more cloud now. while the radar is quiet this time tomorrow. we're talking storms, strong storms at that. moving through the area. that weather system today that will be headed this way.

produced hail and wind damage across iowa and northern missouri. and while it has been weakening this evening, the idea is -- that as it hits more warm air tomorrow and comes through there, risk of severe weather across western maryland. washington county. frederick. clark, virginia. strong storms here. tomorrow night. we'll talk more about the system in a few. >> all righty. still ahead. a former presidential candidate in the hospital in our area. the obamas meet with the pope inside the vatican during a special afternoon meeting. a bear outside a grocery store. in northern virginia. people retreat and reach for their cameras. one retamer decides it's time for christmas. yes, indeedy in july. hakeem, what have you got? >> veterans lead the way at u.s. open the in baseball, a local kid puts on a show in baltimore. high drama in houston. astros x/ño#2tz

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bob dole is in the hospital tonight. admitted to walter reed army medical center in bethesda. last week his office release aid statement saying he underwent surgery for open sores on his left leg. dole hopes to be out of the hospital by his birthday, 22nd. he'll be turning 85. president barack obama and pope benedict xvi meeti for the da.datoi first lady, michelle obama made an appearance. nd the pope and the president exchanged gifts. the pope giving the president a copy of aan vaticumoc dent on bioethics. it explains the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research. the president gave the pope a stole that had been placed on the remans ins of a american th become a saint. mr. obama's first trip to sub-saharan africa. the first family received a boisterous welcome.

the obamas plan to visit an ocean front fort once used to ship slaves to the americas. still to come, bear sightings not unusual this team of year. except when they appear outside of a grocery store. one man shares his story of losing 400 pounds. he did it in two years. and veronica is back with more on the possibility ofñi strong storms coming in tomorrow evening. 

fios guy! where ya headed? ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) switch to verizon fios tv, phone and internet today and get an ultra-sleek compaq mini netbook. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v

police released surveillance video of a crash between a car and train in detroit. killed all five in the car. the video shows a black car speedi around an suv that stopped at the train trks. that goes right into the path of the train. five people who were killed

ranged i age from 14 to 21. the 21-year-old, harris is from stafford, virginia. the 19-year-old behind the wheel was driving on suspended license. in spain, tragedy, running of the bulls. a man gored together. first fatality there in almost 15 years. the victim, a 27-year-old spaniard. he died almost instantly as he scurried for cover. the bull gored him in the neck. nine runners were injured. ceremonies will continue as scheduled tomorrow. shoppers in northern virginia got a bit of a surprise recently when a hungry bear showed up at a grocery store. people in the parking lot backed up and reached for their cameras. people living nearby think they have seen the same bear as well. i saw what i thought was a rotweiller coming across the parking lot toward us. i thought wow, the weirdest looking rotweiller i have ever seen. when i got closer the sinking feeling came.

i realized it was a bear. >> but she didn't runaw ay that fourth of july evening. she grabbed her camera and snapped the pictures. >> shocked beyond belief there was a bear there. >> black bear. walking ke that. so, you know. i was just like -- what? a bear here? >> she watched as the black bear climbed on top of the shopping cart to peek inside giant store route 17 stafford county. all food was oh, sews close. but couldn't find the door. >> he was purposefully heading towards the giant. he knew where he was going. >> bears are venturing out to suburban areas frequently as habitat continues to shrink. they tend to follow their nose. >> we're in suburbia. don't have blackberries in suburbia. we . ath ailam fyaw shaam tt whey eev boheeed s t brea sn in r thac bard the very next day. >> slamming two of the bird feeders together. it had broken one open and eaten some of the seed. then i cam out.

it ran into the woods. david smith used to be so embarrassed about how he looks. he would wait until dark to go outside. today he burst into the national spotlight. smith from phoenix used to weigh more than 600 pounds. with the help of a trainer and a strict diet and exercise regiment he lost 400 pounds. he did it in just over two years. on the "today" show he showed the shirt he used to wear. he is telling his story in a documentary that premieres on cable this sunday. wow. so we are just getting little rain. going to come -- the pfect time. while we're sleeping. >> just talked to someone upstashu upstairs. >> she has a concert to go to. big concert in town. we are talking storms coming through the area tomorrow night. especially after 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. not this evening though. it was nice out there. you know what? we are going to take a look at

our rainfall. down an inch for the month. nooerly 3 inches up though for the year. because we had a welt period if you recall back. so 64 is how he started the day. 81 the high temperature today. another cool one for the year. right now, degrees. south wind at 7 miles per hour. other temperatures across the area. low and mid 70s. 72, dulles. 66 in manassas. one of our cool spots. culpeper. 73 at quantico. and where the big heat has been, folks, was the screaming heat has been, is down through the south. once again. dallas, texas. 102 degrees today. 100 inwichita. had this for days. the sixth day in fact. over 100 degrees for dallas. they had five last month. so, big heat there. it just won't let up. meanwhile, temperatures down south florida. 75, jacksonville. 84 degrees in miami. look at the moisture dn here. dew point temperatures, low and

mid 70s. the air was juiced up. they did have powerful storms. even around cape kennedy today. tomorrow, the endeavor will be storms. watch it for the launch. 67 in chicago. big storms today. the weather system that will head this way for late tomorrow. probably crossing the area early sunday morning. and while those storms really have died out, they will regenerate tomorrow. the weather front comes on through the area. so the radar is currently quiet here. i do think that after 6:00, 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. through saturday night. 8:00. 9:00. storms rumbling through. the leading edge charleston. roanoke. isolated storms. not very strong. nearly an inch out of the storms. illinois. rockford. d.c. monthly rain, .012. we could use a little wet weather around here. watch the futurecast. blue. those are the showers and the storms.

overnight you will notice clouds increase. and then again, late afternoon. north, western maryland. washington county. some storms will fire. but most of them swinging through here, during the overnight period. so your forecast for tomorrow morning. starting out. it will be partly cloudy. temperatures once again around the mid 60s across the area. southerly wind. more humid tomorrow. pretty hot too. 82, 88 degrees. range in temperatures. most of the storms late. inch of rain west. at least a third out of the storms. 86 degrees sunday. showers, rainshowers heading out of here early. drawing us out. less humid. then the early part of next week. monday, too. looking like a little wet weather as well. still not much in the way of any 90s. even in sight for our area. >> lucky. great. >> thank you. >> coming back. another chance for the crew of the space shuttle "endeavour." can it be, yes, indeed. christmas merchandise on the shelves at one retailer. up next in sports. a hometown kid,

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- eat fresh! - eat fresh! try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak. an updated all-time favorite: juicy steak layered with zesty chipotle sauce... and melted cheese, piled high with only... the toppings you love. subway. eat fresh! we're having a discussion. the nats are not losing as badly as they have been. there was some encouragement in losing well. >> they always put up a fight. nationals third baseman. was out of the lineup tonight. for the first time all season. because of a death in the family. his 82-year-old grandmother passed away wednesday. he expects zimmerman to rejoin the team this weekend. nats-astros. to play with a man on third.

and it goes off the wall. and second and third. johnson rolls into second. rbi double. see that. that was good. >> they sent him home. a perfect throw. and johnson didn't have a chance. he is out of the plate. bad decision to send him. top nine. game tied at 5. niger he will test his arm. harris out at the plate. that was close. i will give you that. it is respectable.

mike mcdougal. and an exquisite hitter. walkoff single to right. that's it. the nats lose it 6-5. the final. go to baltimore. orioles manager. trembley, two game suspension. home town kid. brett cecil, blue jays. strikes out nolan ryan. swinging. good things to come for the maryland grad. wish he was playing for the nats. raul chavez. lines one past the outstretched melvin moore. rios. and an rbi double. more than enough for mr. brett cecil. bottom sixth. former terp is cruising. lets luke scott swinging. that is nasty. cecil's family was cheering him on. struck out five. allowed four hits. third career win. as the jays shut out the orioles 2-0, hometown hockey. capitals signed brandon morrison

to a one year contract. $1.5 million to day. in his 12 year career, he has four, 20 goal seasons. u.s. women's open. a veteran won the tournament before leads the way after two rounds. first start with rachel heatherington. and defies physics i think. it's crazy. she is on the 11th hole here. she aims at that yellow bag. the ball kind of stops. then starts rolling again. just rolling. and then, we wouldn't show you this if it didn't go into the cup. fantastic. remarkable. >> yeah. >> she is at -- probably not going to make the cut. christie curr. approach shot. talks to her ball. and the response. lands on the green. does what it is supposed to. stops inches from the cup. and leaves 3 under par. you can watch the rest of the women's u.s. open on nbc 4 this weekend. >> lovely. thank you. >> when we come back. dressing up look a cow.

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space shuttle "endeavour." on the launch pad tonight. you heard veronica. stormy weather threatening to delay the launch. the shuttle is a month late getting to the space station after a series of leaks. sears is hoping you are ready to do your holiday shopping right now. the retailer put out its winter merchandise. hoping to entice you to start christmas shopping early. sears usually waits until november to do this but the recession is causing the department store to rethink that strategy. that include encouraging

customers to buy things now that they might not be able to afford metmcoishras.

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free food offer inside a stam speed in the fast-food restaurant. cow appreciation day. customers who drop like cows, head to hoof got free combo meals. those who wore cow printed accessory could get a free chicken sandwich. the chick-filet mascot is a cow who encourages everyone to eat more chicken. that's our show. the tonight show is next. weekend is upon us. enjoy it. see you tomorrow. [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ]