a developing story. s.w.a.t. team officials have a northern virginia neighborhood surrounded. the tense situation unfolding at this hour that has area residents on edge. system failure. new details surfaced following the deadly metro crash. the problem the transit system says is still happening along the red line. supreme court come knee nominee sonia sotomayor is in day three of her confirmation hearings. good morning. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm lynn yang. we have had such wonderful summer weather the past few days. it's been amazing. we'll see if the luck continues with tom keirein here in the studio.

>> i can't remember a summer t htee i b taswhnshi sveloly >>s hi aums mero errembme it inntues. e ad h four days with 90-degree temperatures so far this mmader. that way lowhe t agerave.er ahis morning,ng nothi on rar.da h fhigewlo asud creri dftg d ov i. n9 gtnsh.waon wlo 60sn i pencri george 's ty .o thas e af owagtin sh,on mi 60d-s. ouar nd tay b and thethor nner n , rene awen t ickhe lerow60 s. eaterstate 5 near the rural s oarf maryland i andont theo ahdoahllva,ey we arento, the d-50s. the eastern shore away from the waters is dn into the 50s to near 60. quite a cool start for a a jul ermornwhg e our usual er whmpteatures are in the low 70s for this time of the year. over the last six hours, high clouds are coming in from the northwest, and they will be with us throughout the morning. then a mostly sunny afternoon. great beach and pool weather. highs are reaching the upper

80s. the sunrise is 5:55. sunset, 8:32. a look at today and tomorrow in ten minutes. we'll go to jerry edwards to see if we have early problems out there. >> good morning. nothing really too dramatic to worry about. that's very good news. those of you getting ready to head out, route 50 in from bowie, both directions near baltimore and washington and i-95 are also looking good. the trip from the west along interstate 66, just a little bit of volume toward ma nasa. 95 and 395 are doing okay. as a matter of fact, as you head up to shirlington, no incidents to report. to the 14th street bridge, we are doing okay. we had overnight road work in a couple spots, including i-270 mainly northbound near hyattstown wrapping up. thank you very much. we are following a developing story in fairfax county. gunfire erupts, a woman is shot

and a man is held up inside a home. >> the situation is unfolding near lyle avenue and fisher drive near falls church. s.w.a.t. team members have surrounded the area and neighbors are on edge. >> reporter: it's a massive police response in this false church neighborhood. fairfax county police were called to a home in the 7700 block of fisher drive around 6:30 tonight for a report of a shooting. a woman was found lying on the ground suffering from a gun shot wound. >> we do have one female victim who has been shot. she's in unknown condition at fairfax hospital. we don't know her name or identity at this point. >> reporter: police say the man they are calling a person of inrest in the investigation is holed up inside a nearby home. the s.w.a.t. team surrounded the house in an attempt to make contact with the man, but so far they have not been able to get him to come out. >> our negotiators are trying to get in touch with that person to find out what the situation is

and to talk them into coming out to talk to us. we are basically talking to an answering machine. >> reporter: police are warning neighbors to stay inside their homes. many were concerned after seeing such a huge police presence on their typically quiet street. >> more and more police keep on going down the street. i have lived here 12 years and this is the first time in 12 years i have seen anything anywhere close to this. >> now we'll go live to megan mcgrath live on the scene. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. on this barricade situation, it has been going on since about 6:30 last night. you can see we have quite a police presence here at lyle avenue and edgar court. what we have is a barricade situation involving a man who they believe to be armed who may be involved in a shooting that happened around 6:30 last night in the 7700 block of fisher drive. witnesses reported hearing the sound of a gunshot.

the police arrived on the scene. they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. she's been taken to an area hospital and is still being treated. witnesses reported seeing a man run from the area and that individual went into a house nearby where the shooting occurred. now, police have surrounded the home and are trying to talk to the individual inside. they have not gotten any response at this point. we are also told that there are other people inside this home with the individual that police are trying to speak to. now, at this point, they are not calling it a hostage situation or anything like that, it is a barricade situation, but they are trying to talk this person out, but they have not had any success, at least not as of yet. back to you in the studio. >> megan mcgrath reporting, thank you so much. we'll stay on top of the story throughout the morning. new today a search is underway for a hit-and-run driver who left a man critically injured after midnight last night near marlboro park.

they found the man's body in the roadway and he was taken on to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. they have not released the man's identity nor told us what kind of car hit him. it has been several weeks since the deadly metro crash along the red line and this morning we learned a track signaling system is still failing. revelations came on capitol hill year into the hearing of the crash. it is supposed to detect when another train is on the track so the trains stop automatically, but that didn't happen on june 22nd. nine people were killed in the collision and dozens more injured. transit workers say it wasn't the first time the problem had been reported. >> we had received information from different operators that there had been other instances where even though a crash had not taken place that their train did not respond to the commands or the wayside equipment did not

control the train as it should have. >> investigators are replacing equipment trying to stop the problem. metro will continue running trains manually until the official cause of the crash is determined. this morning crews will resume their search for a missing swimmer in the potomac river. montgomery county firefighters say a 32-year-old disappeared yesterday afternoon while trying to swim across the river with a friend. authorities have not released the identities of the missing swimmer or of his friend who did make it out of the river. sonia sotomayor is relying on her record to rebut criticism she has a liberal agenda if she's confirmed to the supreme court. today sonia sotomayor returns to capitol hill for another growling day of testimony. yesterday she explained her controversial latino remark saying it was a play on words that fell flat.

she has said a wide la tee in a latina would reach a better conclusion than a male. >> i do not believe any ethnic, racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. >> sotomayor, a federal appeals court judge, says case record proves she would be an impartial jurist. patrick leahy says she'll be confirmed and get republican votes as well. ments today could be the day shuttle "endeavour" blasts into space. 6:02 will be thehird time they try to launch into spac the astronauts will transport the final pieces of japan's space lab. if they do not launch today, the mission will have to move to next week. it is now 5:08.

still to come, new details about the southwest airline that had a hole suddenly appear during a flight that prompted and emergency landing. plus, the latest in mp

weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning, it is 5:11.

69 in washington. elsewhere, temperatures are in the low 60s. montgomery, fairfax, prince george's county, the lower 50s. around the bay and the eastern shore, it is in the mid-6 to 50s in a few locations away from the water. mostly sunny this afternoon with highs in the upper 80s. then overnight tonight, still not too humid through the early evening hours. we'll be in the 70s and cloudy and steamy tomorrow morning. maybe scattered showers and thundershowers tomorrow in the upper 80s. the heat continues into the weekend. details on 5:12, 69

degrees. new details in the murder of a florida couple known for adopting children with special needs. >> plus, house democrats unveil their plan to overrun health care. next, the benefits of the bill for the wealthy and how it will affect employers. iñ

5:14, 69 degrees out there. police in false church say a manholed up in a home is a person of interest in a shooting. the situation is unfolding in the 6600 block of lyle avenue. a woman was shot on fisher drive. they say she suffered life-threatening injuries. sonia sotomayor will be in the hot seat again today gearing up for day three of her supreme court confirmation hearing. republicans are raising questions about her fairness. sotomayor says she rules according to the law not by her personal beliefs. space shuttle "endeavour" is hoping to takeoff today. they have scrubbed two lifts due to bad weather. they are trying to liftoff tonight at 6:03 from the kennedy space center. iran's state television says

an airplane with 150 members onboard crashes and all are believed to be dead. once again, a plane has crashed in tehran. we'll continue to nol low follow the story throughout the morning. esident obama turns his attention to health care reform today. he plans to back house democrats new plan to overhaul the system and he'll call for congress to get moving on it. brooke hart reports. >> reporter: house democrats unveiled their health care plan saying now is the time. >> this legislation is landmark legislation. >> reporter: in 1,000 pages the plan requires americans to buy health insurance policy or pay a penalty. it requires employers to offer coverage or pay afee. critics blasted that saying this will squeeze businesses at a bad time. >> you are putting employers in a position where they are going to minimize the number of people they want to employ. >> reporter: that's just one slash point. the plan would also create government-run insurance aimed at cutting costs and insuring

almost all americans backers say by 2015. >> if you change jobs, use your job or start a new business, you still have health care. >> reporter: the costs would be pay in part by a tax hike on the 2 million highest earning americans. president obama says that saves all americans long term. >> don't let folks fool you, the best way to get control of our health care costs, which is why we need reform. >> reporter: the president wants the house and senate to pass reforms by fall. republicans say what's the rush. >> here we are a few weeks before the recess and you get the impression they want to pass just anything they can as rapidly as they can. >> reporter: both sides know democrats health care reform long shot gets longer in an election year. >> that was brooke hart reporting. not all democrats support the plan. the tax hike, in particular, is getting resistance from the

party. the senator from nebraska calls the tax a four-letter word with voters and top democrats are saying all options are on the table. president obama is tackling the unemployment rate. $12 billion will go to community colleges nationwide. the funds would give the schools a means to retrain unemployed workers in a new generation of jobs, including the clean energy industry. the president admitted a recovery will take some time. he expects unemployment numbers to rise for the next several months before they begin to fall. authorities have now arrested seven men in the murder of a florida couple known for adopting children with special needs. byrd and melanie billings had 16 children. the pair was found dead inside hair their home last thursday. the crime was capture on surveillance cameras the couple used to keep track of their children. the entire attack tookless than ten minutes. >> we have information to show there was an amount of practice

that was involved. there are a couple of individuals that have prior military backgrounds in this group. >> the suspects range in age from 16 years to 56 years old. one is currently in the air force special operations division. another used to serve in the national guard. authorities say the group practiced for a month and that robbery appears to be the primary motive behind this crime. we could learn more from pop star michael jackson's dermatologist later today. dr. arnold klein plans to release jackson's medical records. the los angeles county coroner's office visited the doctor's offi yesterday to follow-up on a subpoena. klein said he sedated jackson for past medical procedures, but he denies giving him an unnecessary dosage of drugs. they are focusing on the role of prescription drugs that may have played in jackson's death. toxicology reports will be completed by the end of this week. . president obama puts his arm to

test at the major league baseball all-star game. >> here's lindsay czarniak with your sports minute. >> hey, there. good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the 80th major league baseball all-star game. last night in st. louis, president obama threw out the first pitch. it didn't bounce. he did a great job. tied at three in the seventh inning, colorado's brad hopp drills one to left, but karl crawford was named the mvp. in the eighth, adam jones drove in the game-winni run. the national or american league beats the national league. >>the wizards tipped off play in las vegas against the cavaliers last night and nick young pumped in 36 points for the wizards. washington wins it 96-93. and to tennis news, serena williams was playing for the washington castles. she and her partner won all five

games of their mixed doubles match. the castles deated them 22-12. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. it is 5:21. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. >> we'll go to tom keirein up in storm center4 with our forecast. good morning, tom. >> good morning. another terrific summer morning underway. there's the view of our eastern sky from our city camera. calm waters of the potomac reflecting the tangerine sunrise. the sun will be up at 5:55. temperatures around the region are cool and fresh. right now in the low 60s. fairfax, prince george's and montgomery counties, upper 60s in washington. mid-60s near the bay. elsewhere, the eastern shore, it is in the low to mid-60s. farther to our north, it is in the 50s. as well as out in the mountains. some of these high clouds are coming through at this hour and they will be with us from time to time this morning. then mostly sunnyhis afternoon with highs in the upper 80s. a steamy day tomorrow.

the swelter sweeps in tonight into tomorrow. the highs of 80s and a chance for a passing thundershower. steamy on friday with showers and thunder on saturday. turning less humid into the first part of next week. a bit cooler, too. how is the wednesday commute? >> good morning. good morning, everyone. the wednesday commute is so far two thumbs-up. that's a very good thing. here's interstate 66 near the metro station and the exits for the capital beltway, a is good so far east on 66 if you are headed west. that's moving along nicely as well. checking things out near i-270 from frederick to rockville, no hang ups. the wilson bridge is open through new york avenue. all doing fine so far. that's how we are doing. back to you. 5:22, 69 degrees. the d.c. council has now decided this into a contract involving former mayor marion barry. and a new study is giving i sight into how long marriage

lasts and why. plus, how to get your hands on property opened by a woman who defrauded the district out of millions of dollars. and here's liz crenshaw with your liz on the money saving tip of the day. >> consumer reports magazine now says it is a great time to look for bargains at restaurants. one way is to sign up for e-mail alerts at chain restaurant websites. that's the way to learn about specials, discounts and other ñq

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at&t... your world... delivered. the u.s. marshall service is auctioning off a vacation home in the virgin islands that used to belong to harriet walters. she was sentenced to 17 years in prison. her luxury home was forfeited to the feds. pictures on the auction website show sweeping views from the st. thomas home that appears to just have been built. the minimum bid for the house is listed at $212,000. if you ever wondered what makes a marriage last, australian researchers have some answers. according to their study what's love got to do with itage grabs of more than nine years between couples make them twice as likely to break up. couples who have kids before getting married are also more likely to divorce. those with divorced parents are

5% to have failed may remembers themselves. unstable finances also contributes to separations as do relationships where one partner smokesnd the other does not. >> that all applies especially if you live down under. well, new details about the southwest airlines plane that had a hole suddenly appear during flight and prompted emergency landing. also, the s.w.a.t. team has surrounded a neighborhood in northern virginia. we are live on the scene with the latest. then new revelations following the deadly metro train crash. the problem the transit agency says is still occurring.

a developing story in fairfax county with area residents on edge this morning. and what metro says is still happening on the rail following the deadly crash. making her case, supreme court justice nominee sonia sotomayor fires back on charges of bias. good morning. welcome to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs on thi wednesday, the 15th day of july, 2009. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today. we'll take a live look outside on this lovely summer day, 69 degrees. low humidity. very nice, tom keirein. >> so far, so lovely. is it going to stay that way, tom? can you stand another day?

yeah, once again, weather and traffic on the 1s. temperatures around the region are pleasant with low humidity. we have just a few clouds floating through. 69 in washington. it is only near 60 in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. st. mary's in the low to mid-60s. the weather watchers checking in farther to our west, prince william, loudoun, frederick and howard counties are in the upper 50s. the mid-50s for the shenandoah valley. the mid-50s out in the valleys. out to the eastern shore, some places are in the upper 50s to near 60. some high clouds are breaking up and we'll have lots of sun with highs in the mid-80s and low humidity. plan accordingly. details on tomorrow, changes on the way, that's in ten minutes. let's head out to jerry edwards now checking the roadways. good morning to you. >> good morning. and good traffic. i tell you what, it is a very quiet morning out there. that's evidence from these live pictures of the capital beltway

there near college park. we are moving along nicely with no hang-ups to report. kettle avenue near i-95 between 198 and the beltway, no backups to report. we'll see what's happening on the dulles toll road on the inbound, no worries there. 66 is fine. no incidents to report near route 15. back to you. thank you very much, jerry. we have breaking news now. an airplane crash overseas. iran state television says a plane carrying 150 people has crashed in northwest iran and that all onboard are feared dead. the caspian airlines jet was heading from tehran to the capital of yuriban. caspian airlines is a russian/iranian joint venture founded back in 1993. iran has had frequent plane crashes which it blames on u.s. sapgs sanctions on the country that prevents it from getting new parts for the aircraft.

caspian airlines maintenance would beless impaired by american sanctions. we are following a developing story in fairfax county. gunfire erupts, a woman is shot and a man is holed up inside a home. >> the situation is unfolding near the intersection of lisle avenue and fisher drive near falls church. residents remain on edge early this morning. >> news4's me a michigan mcgrath is on the scene with the latest on the situation. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this standoff has been going on since 6:30 last night. so nearly 12 hours. thers a man that's holed up in a home in the 7700 block of fisher drive. he's described as a person of interest in the shooting that happened nearby that home. a woman was shot in that incident, seriously wounded and is at the hospital. witnesses reported seeing the man possibly involved in that incident run into this home on

fisher drive. police have surrounded the house. we are told there are other people inside the home with this man. they have been trying to talk to him al night long, but they have not yet gotten a response. >> we have been attempting to contact the person in the home throughout the evening. we have negotiators on scene who have been attempting to contact him by telephone. certainly, we have taken other investigative means to try to contact this individual. at this point, we have not spoken with him, but certainly we would like to talk with him. we want to bring this about to the a resolution and we are hoping to have a conversation. >> reporter: apparently, there's an answering machine associated with this phone. police have been leaving lengthy messages on that machine. it is unclear whether or not the man who is inside this house is able to hear those recordings or not. again, they have not had any conversation with him as of yet and there are other individuals inside the home.

now, i should mention that this is not a random event according to police. there is a relationship between the man inside the home, the other people inside that house. there's also some sort of a relationship between the man and the victim in the shooting. however, they are not elaborating exactly what that relationship is. now, i should mention that the neighborhood streets here near the 7700 block of fisher drive, those streets are shut down. people are being escorted out of the neighborhood as well as into the neighborhood by police. if they have business here or need to get to work, other than that, this area has been cornered off and the standoff continues. >> megan, are they not referring to the other individuals in the home as hostages? >> reporter: they are not. they are not. what they are saying is that witnesses saw this man run from the scene of the shooting into the home. the home that he is familiar with. we are not sure if it is his home or the home of a relation or an acquaintance. inside the home were other individuals. it is my understanding he has

not threatened those people in any way, not that we are aware of, but they are inside the house and the person is potentially armed, so they are very being cautious here. >> i understand. megan, thank you very much. new today an all out search is underway for ahit-and-run drive who left a man critically injured. he was hit just after midnight in marlboro park in plips george's county. they found the man's body in the roadway. he was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuring. police have not released the man's identity or told us what kind of car hit m. well, the banita jacks trial could begin today. she is the d.c. mother accused of killing her four daughters. they want to submit an ght-hour interrogation of hers as evidence. she said her daughters were possessed by demons. the judge will finish listening to the tapes today. the girls' bodies were

discovered badly decomposed inside their home back in 2008. many testifies before lawmakers on capitol hill yesterday saying the system is supposed to determine when another train is on the track so the trains stop automatically, but on june the 2nd the system failed and nine people were killed in the crash. the mtsb wants to continue to investigate this to prevent another crash sflchlt we have begun the process of figuring out how to develop the system they want us to install. >> investigators say they are still seeing signal prons near the scene of the crash. they are replacing equipment, but so far nothing has worked. investigators are looking into inspection records trying to figure out how a football-sized hole opened up on a plane flying to bwi. the southwest airlines flight

had to make an emergency landing in west virginia monday. nobody was injured. record show the plane was inspected in january with eight cracks in the flame. the cracks were repaired. four months ago southwest agreed to pay $7.5 million on crges of planes that were flown to missafety inspections. the d.c. government has formally launched investigations into all council members. they approved a resolution to look into councilman barry's actions alone, but last week they saw allegations of barry's girlfriend come to light during the dispute. this gives attorneys the power to look into contracting done by all 13 members if the investigation takes them there. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is gearing up for day two of confirmation hearings. yesterday she explained her

controversial remarks that a wise latina would reach a better conclusion than a white male. she said it was a play on words that fell flat and her case record proves she wld be an impartial jurist. >> she is temperamental, excitable, she seems angry. do you think you have a temperament problem? >> no, sir. i ask the hard questions, but i do it evenly for both sides. >> despite the grilling, patrick leahy believes she'll get confirmed and get republican votes as well. nasa hopes theeather cooperates with tonight's launch attempt. this marks the sixth time they will try to launch "endeavour" into space. thunderstorms have delayed the mission three times, hydrogen gas leaks caused two delays. during this mission astrouts will transport the final piece of japan's space lab. if "endeavour" doesn't make it into space this week, the mission could be bumped to july

26. it is now 5:39, 69 degrees. a huge surprise that washed ashore on a popular beach in the northeast. plus, what aaa is saying about gasoline prices now that we are already halfway through the summer. and a health alert keeping kids with asthma at home this summer.

it is time for your weather and traffic. good morning. at this hour it is another fresh

and cool start with low humidity in place, 69 in washington from dupont circle to hyattsville, alexandria and gaithersburg. another terrific day on the way with highs reaching the upper 80s and sunshine. sunrise is 5:55. a steamy morning tomorrow near 70 with lots of humidity around. a humid day tomorrow, mostly cloudy. maybe a morning shower, a greater chance for an afternoon thundershower with highs in the upper 80s. a look at friday and the next week in ten minuteses. new york avenue and north capitol street, no worries there. the northbound lanes of the gw parkway are currently closed. back to you. it is now 5:43, 69 degrees. what experts are saying about the cost of gasoline now that we are midway through the summer travel season. plus, from the district to upper montgomery county and even parts of northern virginia, next at 5:45, the new proposal for

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it is now 5:46. updating the top stories in the news this morning, the s.w.a.t. team is on the scene of a holed up man in falls church. it is happening at a home near lisle avenue and fisher drive. events are underway to get the gunman inside to surrender peacefully. a woman was found shot near that home yesterday. metro still has problems with its track signaling system. the revelations came to light during a capitol hill hearing yesterday. the systems failed on june 22nd killing nine people on the metro's red line. the transit workers say it is not the first time the problem was reported. another day on capitol hill for supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. she'll answer more questions from the senate judiciary committee later this morning. sotomayor explained her controversial remarks about being a wise latina yesterday. she said her case as a federal

court judge shows she would be unbiased. iran state television says a plane carrying 150 people has crashed in northwest iran and all onboard are feared dead. the caspian airlines jet was heading from tehran to urivan when it went down. this is a joint venture that was founded in 1993. iran has frequent plane crashes which it blames on u.s. sanctions on the country that prevent it from getting spare parts for aging airplanes. caspian airlines uses russian-made aircrafts left affected by american sanctions. zipping from montgomery county into the district at the peak of the morning rush hour and picture every light turning green and your commute time cut in half. well, the new proposal in consideration today could do just that.

kimberly suters is here with more. >> reporter: congestion-free commuting, one can dream, right? this is an $800-million plan. they are talking about 12 rapid expanded bus routes and one brand new bus route. one of thos routes would go right here through silver spring starting in shady grove right through silver spring and into the district. these rapid transit buses would have signal priority. they would bypass traffic and congestion, they would are dedicated lanes. lanes now filled up with parking and traffic would be converted to buses only. over on case street, parking would all be but eliminated on the street. three lanes would be dedicated for buses only. again, this is an $800-million proposal. $300 million would come from federal stimulus money. the metropolitan washington council of government plans to vote on whether to submit the proposal today. how commuters feel about it

depends on what mode of transportation they rely on today. >> a great deal, a great plan. >> reporter: why? >> because we need public transportation to be on time. >> reporter: yeah, but it makes it worse for people who drive. >> well, it depends. if a lot of people use public transportation, it would be great for everybody. >> oh, it will make it a mess. it is bad enough. i thought they shouldn't have the trucks in the left lane and have the cars over to the right because they are the ones that get off more often. >> we are not driving on the route because we don't have a chan chance. >> reporter: that cab driver was saying he would be one of the potential losers. hers he is worried how he will

pick up business. and finally, the business owners think they need the congestion and the parking out front in order to keep their businesses going. joe, back to you. gas prices are heading down. drivers nationwide are paying $2.52 a gallon down 8 cents from a week ago. d.c. drives are paying $2.61. virginia drivers are shelling out about $2.39. gas prices have been falling for weeks and experts say they have already reached their peak for the summer, however the tough economy still has many people dialing back their summer vacation plans. aaa says many consumers are too worried about their jobs to spend money on a vacation. >> people are still not driving in spite of the fact that gas prices are down 37% over this time last year. >> those who are going on vacation are changing their habits. americans are taking more day trips or staying fewer nights.

they are also booking trips closer to travetimes shopping around online and sticking to a tighter budget. well, the swine flu is keeping some children with asthma at home this summer. the american lung association called off three summer camps out west after four campers landed in the hospital. at least 50 summer camps nationwide have canceled sessions or sent home campers early because of the swipe flu concerns. five people attended the gifted talented camp at the university of northern california tested positive for swine flu. kids with asthma or other respiratory diseases are considered to be at risk for swine flu. and a vaccine for the swine flu won't be ready until the end of this calendar year. the world health organization says the virus is being used to make a vaccine are not producing enough of the active ingredient, that means they will only be able to produce half of what is needed. health officials are advising countries to determine who will get the vaccine first.

health care workers, school children and pregnant women are high on that list. it is now 5:51. that means we'll look at traffic and weather on the 1s. >> there's a connection between weather and flu. it plays a great role. the cooler it gets the more severe a flu outbreak can get. unfortunately, we looking at this fall and this winter to be a bad flu season with the weather pattern as well. well, let's take a look around here. we are not complaining about the weather pattern we have had the last few months. in fact, it has been a terrific summer. there's the sunrise. the sun will be coming up in about three minutes. you can already see the glow there on the eastern horizon that's just abouteoom c up. temperatures around the region are pleasant,9om in insh.waongt calm waters on the potomac reflecting the y.on t orighwnonw da rar, no precipitation around the region. a few cloud coming through. near 60 in prince george's county. montgomery county near 60 as well as fairfax county. farther to our west in frederick

and howard counties, it is only near 60 degrees. dipping down into the upper 50s for loudoun, prince william and talkere. temperatures are near 60. the shenandoah valley is reporting the mid-50s. charles and st. mary's counties, the weather watcher there is are reporting the mid-60s. near silver spring, a cool 62. the dew point is comfortably dry at 556789 the monthly rain is low, it has been a dry pattern. we are seeing the 50s out in the mountains. west virginia ar 50 degrees this wednesday morning with a few high clouds coming in from the north and the west. if you are traveling today, well, there could be flight delays in florida up through the south land and the mid-mississippi valley and the upper midwest, but most of the east coast shouldn't have flight delays from the rockies to the pacific. for us over the last 12 years, we have high pressure coming over us and giving us this dry

weather. it is sitting right on our region with the western flow around the high pumping in the humidity into the midwest. that will be arriving here tomorrow. as we go forward over the next 36 hours, where you see the color is where we could get showers. maybe a morning shower by 8:00 or so. then during the afternoon as the front comes through, maybe a passing shower or thundershower. then getting into friday, just a few clouds around. only a small chance for a shower. here's what we a looking for today. by noontime, we'll be into the upper 80s with increasing sunshine. sunset is at 8:32ment we'll turn more humid by dawn. maybe a morning shower with a greater chance for an afternoon shower. still rather humid on friday llwithnc smaor cha fe a f shower. as the front comes in and the low pressure system on saturday gives us rain and srsweho andwe cooler weather. maybe a thundershower near 80. then drying out sunday into monday next week with cooler that average temperatures. thank you.

we'll go to jerry edwards in the news4 traffic network. any problems? >> good morning. yeah, have one problem on the gw parkway south of alexandria. a tree is down in the roadway. the northbound lanes of the gw parkway currently closed off. look out for that. the wilson bridge is okay. the southeast corner is moving along nicely. let's see how we look at the woodrow wilson bridge, the bridge near the inner loop and the outer loop are looking good. no hang ups going on there. after 25 years all the bridges start to look the same. >> yeah, they do. spoken like a real dentist. thank you very much. vacationers at a long island beach got a huge surprise when a 24-foot-long shark washed ashore. the dead shark attracted quite a crowd wanting to ke pictures. state workers think it may have died of an illness because there was no visible trauma to it. look at the size.

while basking sharks are common in the waters off long island, they are not thought to be dangerous. today fort's theser will debut a new me a sum to tell the story of abraham lincoln's presidency. it includes information on his cabinet and the civil war. there are also recreations of a civil box and his time in the white house. you can also see the weapon used to assassinate president lincoln. arlington county has approved plans to transport a site in rossland into a cultural center. lit host performances, exhibits and events. it could all be open in the fall of 2010. to the money crisis now and a look at how foreign markets ine do g, asian stock markets are on a role. japan's sneak neikkei gained 1%.

china's shanghai earned 1%. futures are at a positive opening. the dow closed at 8359. the nasdaq ended at 1800. news4 is always looking for jobs for you. bell err engineering is a company located in bowie, maryland. they are looking for a service technician. you need five years experience and a cfc university certification and a maryland journeyman's license to. apply visit nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. debbie rowe respond to reports she plans to sell michael jackson's children for millions of dollars. smart, rich and sexy. where to find the metro's area most eligible singles. and changes are coming to the forecast. it is about to become uncomfortable once again. we'll have traffic and

weather together on the 1s. "news4 today" is coming up like the sun in just moments.do

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the all-night standoff. police and s.w.a.t. teams continue to surround a northern virginia neighborhood. police are looking for a man wanted in a shooting who is holed up inside a house with others inside. we are live on the scene with police on this developing story. metro's unsolved mystery. the dangerous problem on the red line still happening since last month's deadly crash. the transit agency and federal investigators don't seem to have an answer for it. good morning. i'm joe krebs. >> good morning. i'm eun yang. it is wednesday, july 15, 2009. look at this gorgeous sunrise out there. a few cloud in the sky. just another beautiful day in

the summer. >> that's as pretty as it gets. we'll to to tom kooerp to talk about the forecast. we'll have a nice day. when you step outside you will flare your nostrils and take a deep breath. low humidity. we'll take it. no precipitation around the region at this hour and throughout the day highs will reach the 8 0zs. 80s. then tonight temperatures will be down into 270s, into the 70s. then it comes to an end as the swelter sweeps in tonight. by this time tomorrow morning, near 70 degrees. it will be a steamy start to the day. he'secheheor fast for thursday. that listen will be coming up in a couple of minutes at 6:11. stay tuned. we'll go to jr.ry jerry edwards now. a couple of issues? >> nothing too dramatic to worry about, at least not on the interstates. heading up north, this is i-70 right at the exit for 270. this is the east side of i-70

after 270 headed on over to baltimore. right now near frederick and baltimore, no worries to report along i-70 or 270. 395 northbound is slowing down at the 14th street brim, but all in all, you are good to go this morning. breaking news right now. an iranian passenger aircraft has crashed. the iran an state tv reports 150 people onboard the caspian airlines plane were onboard when it crashed. the plane was found shattered to pieces with the wreckage engulfed in flames. everyone onboard is feared to have dead. they were flying to the armenian capital. police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who left a man critically injured. the man was hit around midnight in the capitol heights area.

police found the map's body in the roadway. he was taken on to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. police haven't released the man's identity or told us whether they know what kind of car hit him. we are following a developing story from fairfax county this morning where s.w.a.t. teams are at the scene of a home in falls church. they say a manholed up inside is a person involved in a shooting that occurred 12 hours ago on fisher drive. now police are trying to coax the man out of the home on lice le lisle avenue. >> reporter: they are trying to coax him out and trying to get him to answer the telephone. they have made a number of calls to the home, but the individual who is holed up inside will not answer that phone. you can see the police presence here. we are kept a couple of blocks from the house where this is taking place. we are at edgar and lisle avenue. this is the 7700 block of fisher drive where the man is inside

the home. this began as a report of a shooting at 6:30 last night. police arrived on the scene and up found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound laying near the house where the man is now holed up. witnesses reported seeing this individual running from the yaf area into that home and that's when the standoff began. police are trying to talk to the individual inside. he is not answering the phone. they left the number of a number of messages it is unclear if he's listened to the messages or not. we are also told there are other peopled in that house. so the police, of course, are being very, very cause cautious. >> our investigators have not said whether or not he's got weapons, but certainly we have to be prepared in case he might. there are other people in the home at this time. certainly, it appears they know

one another so we are certainly hoping that everybody is all rit in there, too. >> reporter: so as you just heard, this is not a random situation. there is some sort of a relationship between the victim who was shot and the man who was inside this home. apparently, there's some sort of a relationship according to police weep the man in the home and the other individuals inside that how. they are not elaborating on what kind of a relationship it is, whether it is family, friends, neighbors, we are just not sure at this important. police are not releasing that information, but this is not random event. now, police are here on the scene and they have been here all night long. the streets around this house are all closed off. residents who need to leave to go to work are being escorted out of the neighborhood. everybody else has been kept away. joe, back to you. >> megan mcgrath, thank you. this morning crews resume their search for a missing swimmer in the potomac river. the firefighters say a 32-year-old man disappeared

yesterday afternoon while trying to swim across the river with a friend. authorities have not released the identity is of the missing swimmer or his friend who did make it out of the river. it's been three weeks since the deadly metro crash and investigators still can't figure out how to fix the problem with track circuits in the area. investigators told congress they keep replacing different parts but haven't been able to figure out why the system can't recognize stopped trains. metro will continue to run the trains manually until the official cause of the crash is determined. they will also follow the ntsb safety guidelines. sonio sotomayor returns to capitol hill today for a second day of questioning. yesterday she tried to explain her controversial wise latina remark saying it was a play on words that fell flat. in a series of speeches she said a wise latina would more

often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male. >> i do not believe that any ethnic, racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. >> sotayor is relying on her 17-year record as an appellate judge. to prove she is a partial jurist, they do believe she will get confirmed and get republican votes as well. . today is the sixth attempt to launch "endeavour" into space. thundersrms delayed the mission three times and hydrogen gas leaks caused two delays. during this mission, astronauts will transport the final piece of japan's space lab. if "endeavour" doesn't launch today, the mission could be pushed back to next week chblgt. the place to be the find the most of the area singles. also, what police found on

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beef with a soft drink purchase. visit arbys.com to sign up to be an extra member to see a list of participating restaurants. it is just about 6:11. that means time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> we'll go to tom keirein. >> cast your gaze upon the sunrise. there it is. a live picture from the camera. the sun is up in a sat up blue sky. it is 65 in washington. the upper 50s in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. it is in the 50s for much of the ream. another fresh and cool start. by noon, we'll be in the low 80s. by mid-afternoon, the low 80s. low humidity today, but it looks like the swelter sweeps in tonight. by dawn tomorrow, a steamy start near 70. tomorrow, mostly cloudy and humid with highs in the mid to upper 80s. a greater chance for a passing afternoon shower with wind out of the southwest from 5 to 15. the friday weekend forecast as

well as next week will be in ten minutes at 6:21. jerry, good morning, how is the wednesday morning commute? . good morning. 95 northbound had a problem on the shoulder. the authorities are saying a dog is running loose. hopefully they can get it out of there. not seeing it yet, but traffic is a bit slow, as it should be, when you have animals on the loose. we'll see what else is happening headed for the eastern shore. westbound from the ooep eastern shore headed down to the bay bridge, 19 minutes. no visibility issues out there. if you are coming off the bay bridge to i-97, 17 minutes. we are picking up volume now, nine minutes from bowie to the beltway. back to you. why the department of homeland security's color-coded threat level system could be changing. how you can own theioatacn ññññ

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two breaking news stories overseas. an iranian passenger plane has crashed. 150 people were onboard the caspian airlines jet when it crashed. the plane was found shattered to pieces with the wreckage engulfed in flames. everyone onboard is feared dead. the plane was on the way from tehran to the iran an capital. and a 7.8 mag any constitute earthquake struck in southern new zealand. details on the amount of damage and the injuries are unknown at this time. the tsunami warning has just been issued for hawaii. we'll continue to follow these stories throughout this morning. today house democrats could get the momentum they need to get their massive health care plan moving through congress. president obama is expected to make a public push for the measure during a news conference today. the goal is to secure a house vote by tend of this month.

brooke hart is joining us with more. >> reporter: house democrats say their plan by 2015 would cover 97% of americans with health insurance. president obama praised it but opposition is mounting by the insurance policy and drug industries, republicans and even some democrats. house democrats unveiled their health care plan saying now is the time. >> this legislation is landmark legislation. >> reporter: in 1,000 pages the plan requires americans to b health insurance or pay a penalty. it requires employers to offer coverage or pay a fee. critics blasted that bound to squeeze businesses at a bad time. >> you are putting employers in a position where they are going to minimize the number of people they want to employ. >> reporter: that's just one flash point. the plan would also create government-run insurance aimed at cutting costs and then insuring most americans by 2015.

>> if you change jobs, lose your job or start a new business you still have health care. >> reporter: the just over $1 trillion cost would be paid for in part by a tax hike on the $2 million highest earning americans. president obama said that saves all americans long term. >> don't let folks fool you, the best way to start bringing down deficits is to get control of our health care costs, which is why we need reform. >> reporter: the president wants the house and senate to pass reforms by fall. republicans say what's the rush. >> here we are a few weeks before the recess and you get the impression they want to pass just anything they can as rapidly as they can. >> reporter: both sides know democrats health care reform long shot gets longer in an election year. house lawmakers are nervous now about political fallout. top obama aids are reasring them privately that the public wants reform and that the white house, quote, has their back ahead of midterm elections next

year. i'm brooke hart. back to you. the nation mccain alert system could get a makeover system. right now five colors are used to warrant terrorist levels. it ranges from yellow to green. this system was put in place after 9/11, but the alert level hasn't changed much since 2006. it remains at yellow or elevated. the department of homeland security has put together a task force to determine if it is effective or if it is needed at all. the birth mother of michael jackson's children is denying reports she tried to sell them. "the new york post" says debbie rowe wants $4 million from the jackson family in exchange for her parental rights. her lawyer calls the complaints false. the nutritionist who worked for the pop icon said needle marks were found on his body. she learned the information while detectives interviewed her. she also said jackson asked her

for a powerful anesthetic to alleviate his insomnia. the drug was found in his home. and authorities have now arrested seven men in the murder of a florida couple known for adopting children with special needs. byrd and melanie billings had 16 children. the pair was found deaded in their home last thursday. the suspects range in age from 16 to 56. some of them had military backgrounds. authorities say the group practiced for a month and that robbery appears to be the primary motive behind the crime. and exotic vacatio home belonging to the woman who stole $50 million from the district is now on the auction block. harriette walters fore fitted her home in the virgin islands when she was convicted of defrauding the city as manager of the tax office. walters is serving a 17-year sentence. piures on the website show

sweeping new views of her home. so far $10 million has been recovered of the money walters stole from d.c. taxpayers. baseball fans in st. louis greeted president obama with a mix of cheers and some boos as he walked out onto the field to throw out the first pitch at the all-star game wearing a white sox jacket. the president said he practiced throwing monday night at the white house eanz was determined not to havee i bouncto home ate. well, it didn't. it was caught by albert pujols. as for the game, the american league won again. the nets ryan zimmerman went hitless with two at-bats. here's lindsay czarniak with your sports minute. >> hey, there, good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the 88th all-star game. last night in st. louis, president obama threw out the first pitch. it didn't bounce. he did a great job.

tied at three in the seventh inning, brad hop drilled one to left, but karl crawford leaps to rob the home run. he was named the mvp. then adam jones drove in the game-winning run. with this sacrifice fly to right, the american league beats the national league, 4-3. the american league hasn't lost an all-star game since 1996. the wizards tipped off summer-league play in las vegas against the cavaliers last night. nick young pumped in 36 points for the wizards. washington wins it 96-93. and serena williams was in town playing for the washington castles. she and her partner won all five games of their mixed doubles match. they won 22-12. that's your sports minute. have a great day. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> we'll go to tom keirein up in storm center4. >> it looked like the president's pitch was low and outside, just like the sun.

as we look off to the east, it is coming up now in a partly cloudy sky. it is another comfortable morning with temperatures now in the mid-60s in washington and right near the bay. elsewhere, it has dipped into the 50s around the region with lots of sun today with highs into the 80s. we'll have low humidity, but it looks like we'll turn more humid tonight into tomorrow and perhaps linger into friday with highs in the 80s. mostly cloudy, maybe a morning shower and a greater chance for an afternoon thundershower. we have a small chance for a passing thundershower. a greater chance on saturday, but cooler. then drying out again, the low humidity returns sunday into the first part of next week. jerry, how is the wednesday morning traffic now? good morning, everyone. very quiet at the american legion bridge. here's the outer loop, inner loop at the bridge span there, one vehicle over the shoulder squeezing the right lane just a little bit, but it certainly doesn't appear to be a factor at this hour. from 270 to tyson's corner, both directions moving along nicely. speaking of which, we'll check

on the rails. everything is looking good. metro rail says all lines, no delays, are looking good. no delays are reported right now on any of the mark rail trains. back to you. what could have ripped open a hole in a plane? federal safety officials take a closer look at the southwest airlines plane. smart, rich and sexy, where to find the metro area's most eligible singles. first, here's your liz on the money money saving tip of the day. >> consumer reports magazine says now is a great time to look for bargains at restaurants. one way is to sign up for e-mail alerts at chain restaurant websites. that's the easiest way to learn about menu spials, ouscdints sc an other eromprotions. i'm li ( rock music playing )

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that's rubbish. >> 150. >> harry potter fans have been waiting for this day. "harry potter and the half blood prince" is now in theaters and is expected to be a blockbuster hit. midnight showings were sold out at theaters across the country. we have one place to find

the best, rich and sexy singles. "money" magazine ranked arlington, virginia, as the number two place in the country. the home of the pentagon stands out for their population of brainy bachelors and bachelorettes. arlington's clarion neighborhood also gets good reviews. breaking news, an airplane crash overseas with 150 people onboard. all are believed to be dead. and judging sonia sotomayor. was she able to silence her critics when she addressed the troefl comment she made? . and what happened to a d.c.

breaking news this morning. an airliner with 150 people onboard crashes overseas. all are feared dead. and we are getting our first look now at the wreckage and the site. good morning. welcome back to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison on this wednesday, june 15, 2009. here's a live look outside at 6:30. look at the gorgeous sky ahead. we have had beautiful weather in the washington area for july. >> lovely weather. we'll see if it will linger for at least today. we have been lulled into a false sense of perpetual comfort this summer. >> we will get a rude awake anything, i'm sure. >> itill get ufolencabrt motowjo, bu tyen i w ihi youle ou naiun rrohe a 65 tar.ea. nng ihiasn. u erpp 5er0s,er as,noth clool mo in prince george's,g hntfwrynd aaiaxrf f unties. , weweea t whether watchers are checking in acros viinia, maryland, int the

mountains, the temperatures are in the mid-50s to low 50s near d-e eastern shore. mis50 away frothes waters. looking at what's happening over the last six hours, we have a few clouds floating in from the northwest that are with us this morning. then we'll see highs in the mid to upper 80s. another sunblock day with low humidity. sunset at 8:32. increasing clouds tonight with a steamy morning tomorrow. humidity returns on thursday. details on the forecast for tomorrow will be in ten minutes. thank you, tom. >> we'll go back to jerry edward now in the news4 watch center. >> take a look to see how we are doing near 66. we are picking up volume eastbound and a little westbound as well, but the good news is between hay markets and the capital beltway, no broken down cars or accidents. that is very good news. we have a problem reported 295 northbound at the 11th street brim. we have word of an accident there. the wilson bridge is okay. the topside of the beltway from

i-95 to 355 and beyond is looking go. joe, back to you. thank you very much, jerry. >> breaking news right now. an iranian passenger plane has crashed. ooimp iranian state tv reports 150 people were onboard the caspian airlines jet when it crashed. this is video just into our newsroom. the plane was found in pieces with the wreckage engulfed in flames. everyone onboard is feared to be dead. the plane was headed from tehran to uribad. a man was hit in the capitol heights area of prince george's county last night. they found the man's body in the roadway. he was taken on to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. they have not released the man's identity nor have theyold us what kind of car hit him. we are following a developing story from fairfax

county where a s.w.a.t. team situation is unfolding in falls church. a man is holed upped in a home on lisle avenue. they are calling him a person of interest in a shooting that happened 12 hours ago. megan mcgrath is on the scene live with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. this began as a shooting around 6:30 last night. police were called to the 7700 block of fisher drive. once at the location, they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. witnesses reported seeing a man running from the scene of that shooting into a home on lisle. that's a short distance away. they have been trying to contact the person who is now holed up inside the home. the s.w.a.t. teams have surrounded the home. we are told there are officialsed in the home and the standoff is into its 12th hour. talk a little bit about the standoff. you have an individual inside the home, and you believe he may

have been involved in a shooting here. what coop of conversation are you having here with him? >> certainly, our folks are trying to contact somebody inside the home and to encourage hem to come outside and we want to have a conversation. we are continuing to do that and certainly on the scene we are supporting the neighborhood, people we know need to get to work or where they are going. we have several roads closed off, so we are trying to work with residents throughout the neighborhood. to help them out to where they need to go, we do feel the situation is contained to this home. we are trying to make redents know this as well. >> reporter: how many people are in this home in addition to what or who you are trying to talk to? >> we don't have any more information. we are going to try to talk to them. >> reporter: it is not considered a hostage situation, is that correct? >> this has not been labeled a

hostage situation. >> reporter: talk about the retionship between the man inside the home, the victim who was shot, and the other individual. they all know each other. >> we don't feel this is a rap come situation. in other words, his person didn't just run into a house at random. this person clearly has some sort of a relationship where in the early stages we have an investigation. we will try to determine what that is as far as the person who was shot as well how they are tried tied into it. >> reporter: thank you for joining us. the standoff continues here with negotiators trying to talk to the man inside this house, but they have not had any success at this point. so the standoff continues. back to you. this morning crews are resuming their search for a missing swimmer in the potomac river. montgomery firefighters say a 32-year-old man disappeared yesterday afternoon while trying to swim across the river with a friend. thors authorities didn't release

the identities of the swimmer or his friends making it out of the river. the police are investigating a death of d.c. council member who drowned in baltimore harbor. the body of desi deshaine was found near the dock yesterday. he worked for jack evans. friend and colleagues gathered last night to remember the popular staffer. >> the thing that puts me to shame is his smile. he always had a big smile and a strong greeting for everybody. >> he was just a super person to work with and to bounce ideas off of, he was always enthusiastic and w kind of had each other's backs. >> sharon slipped off the harbor dock sunday night after boating with a group of friend. the boater said he was deshane's boyfriend and he was drinking before he disappeared. we could hear opening statements today in the banita jacks trial.

she is the d.c. mother accused of killing her four daughters. prosecutors want to submit an eight-hour admit iting of jacks. she believed her four daughters were demons. a football-sized hole opens up in the ceiling of a plane. this morning the ntsb is trying to figure out how the hole opened up on monday. the plane landed in west virginia and nobody was injured, but the gaping hole is something passengers never expected to see and never want to see again. >> there was a loud rush and your ears popped. then we looked back and you can tell that part of the inside was trying to pull out.

it was crazy. then the oxygen masks dropped. >> records show the plane was inspected in january and had eight cracks in its frame. those cracks were repaired. four months ago southwest agreed to pay $7.5 million on charges they flew planes that missed safety inspections. this is the third day of confirmation hearings for sonia sotomayor. she is fighting charges to bring bias and a liberal ageneral day to the bench. yesterday she explained her remarks that a wise latina would more often than not reach a conclusion than the white mal who didn't have the experiences. she says after play on words and her caseload proves her to be impartial. the cases heard before her are critical. >> she is temperamental, excitable, she seems angry. do you think you have a temperament problem? >> no, sir. i ask the hard questions, but i do it evenly for both sides.

>> the judiciary committee patricleahy predicts she'll get republican votes. you have heard of high-speed rail lines, but how about high-speed bus lines? soon they could be making your commute a whole lot easier. the big safety problem that keeps on happening on the redline. swimmers get a human square when a more than 20-foot shark shows up at a popular knock off early today.

sun's kind of strong. i don't know. i feel pretty good. let's try to finish it off. working in the hot sun with a dunkin' iced coffee...

good morning. it is time for weather and traffic. at this hour, we have another delightful summer morning underway with temperatures around the region cool and fresh. from the shaw neighborhood to siouxland, temperatures are in the 50s for many locations. we have low humidity in place with highs reaching the upper 80s. as with a lot of sunshine. the sunset will be at 8:32. we'll see increasing clouds tonight with humidity sweeping in. it will be a steamy day on thursday. tomorrow, mostly cloudy and humid. maybe a morning shower and perhaps a passing afternoon shower with highs in the 80s. a look to friday and the next week in ten minutes. we have sunshine along 395

northbound headed up to the beltway. all lanes are reported open. near the siouxland beltway, we have an accident southbound near mall koch x. fire and rescue crews are headed there. boat directions are looking okay. back to you. the new high-speed transit line that could drastically cut down your commute time and the dangerous problem on the red line still occurring since last month's deadly train crash. the transit agenc and federal =dg@

welcome back. it's been three weeks since the deadly metro crash and investigators can't figure out how to fix a sensor problem near the scene of the crash. during the first hearing into the crash, the system was supposed to detect when another train was on the tracks so trains can stop automatically, but that didn't happen back on june 22nd when nine people were killed in the collision, dozens more injured. it was not the first time the problem had been reported.

>> we had received information from different operators that there had been other instances where even though a crash had not taken place that their train did not respond to the commands or the wayside equipment did not command the train as it should have. >> the ntsb says iestigators are replacing the equipment trying to stop the problem. metro will continue to run trains manually until the official cause of the crash is determined. well, it is every bus rider's dream. more buses running with less traffic. well, it is not such a far-fetched idea anymore. there's a proposal now under consideration to create a network of rapid service bus lanes through the washington regional. news4 kimberly southers is here with more. >> reporter: good morning, joe. well, congestion-free commuting, commuters can dream, right? that is part of the $800-million proposal to expand bus routes.

there are 12 routes they are look at, up a one runs here through july silver spring all the way down into the district. another route will be new from alexandria to the pentagon. they would have signal priority, the buses would be able to bipass traffic and oncongestion. lanes dedicated to traffic would be converted to bus only lanes. this is just a proposal. on k street, the heart of the changes, parking would be all but eliminated. three lanes would be dedicated to bus use only. again, $800-million proposal, $300 million potentially in stimulus money. the metropolitan washington council will vote on this issue today. how commuters feel about it depends on what mode of transportation they rely on today. >> i think it would be

convenient. >> it is a great deal, a great plan. >> reporter: why? >> because we need public transportation, it is about time. >> reporter: but it is going to make it worse for people who drive. >> it depends. if a lot of people use public transportation, it would be great for everybody. >> oh, it will make it a mess. it is bad enough. i thought they shouldn't have the trucks in the left lane and had the cars over to the right because they are the ones that get off more often. >> we are not driving on the road because we don't have a place, a chance. >> reporter: that cab driver worried he would be one of the potential losers. he doesn't know how to pull over to pick up customers along the street. also, other potential losers, people who love their cars and business owners who like it when customers park right out front. one bus driver we talked to this

morning said, hey, at least we can get to our route and stop on time. the meeting and vote takes place today at noon. i'm kimberly southers, news4. back to you. >> we'll be watching and listening. thank you very much. the d.c. government has formally launched an investigation into contracts grant granted by council members and marion barry is not the only target. it was initially to look into barry's actions and stems from a city contract awarded to his then girlfriend. bonn bennett will now look into contracting done by all 13 members if the investigation takes him there. wall street is on a whipping streak as a number of companies have released better than expected earnings reports. courtney reagan is live with today's business headlines. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it hasn't been quite as rough for the earning season, at least yet, that many people thought we would have. futures are sharply higher

thanks to what we heard from intel last night. the chipmaker reported better than expected earnings as demands for computers has picked up. that spread the asian market higher overnight. europe is also positive today. earnings will take a backseat to economic data today with reports on consumer prices and industrial production, we will also get the minutes from last month's fed meeting this afternoon. the dow will start off at 8359 after gaining 27 points on tuesday. the nasdaq rising six points to 1799. and boeing is reportedly cutting about 1,000 defense-related jobs as the pentagon trims its annual budget. bowing is the number two contractor for the department of defense. and former general motors ceo rick wagner will officially retire next month getting a package worth $8.5 million to be paid out over five years, but he was eligible for over $20 million. he was ousted by the obama

administration in march. and you can still get your hands on low airfares. air trans is offering deals from $39 one way. southwest is offering $39 fares if you fly between august and november. also, tickets were as low as $30 each way. i was able to swoop in and take advantage of that. i think many others were. i think we deserve a break lately. >> thank you so much. news4 is always looking for jobs for you. bell err engineering is a company located in bowie, maryland. andry can'ts applicants need five years of experience, and maryland apprentice or journeyman's license. biologists are scratching their heads over a shark sighting near a long island beach. a 20-foot-long pacific basking

shark washed ashore yesterday. there are no signs of injuries or wound. basking sharks are a common sight in the waters off long island. they eat plankton and are not considered to be dangerous to humans. it is still an interesting sight to see a shark washed up along the long island shore. i didn't realize there were sharks over there, but now we know. well, it is another soothing and cool summer morning underway. the birds are singing their morning songs. i hear violins and harps, or is that eun's ring tone? there's a view of the skyline. . tis 65 in wagtinsh.on hiratou houist it aasle panan g.mo inin g uhononwingp oda rar. dainunrohereunal ongi.on s it i in theerpp upps 50 for pr geinorgece's county. fairfax county near 60. upper 50s in montgomery county. points wet, in the mid-50s. weather watchers ar approving

the 50s near maryland today. southern maryland, the low 60s. the eastern shore is on the cool side as well. around the neighborhood network in fairfax, now 62 cool degrees. theewt, poin po54. look athe t monthly rain total. we are halfway through hejuly. the eastern shore is cool in the mid-50s. it is only near 50 in the mountains in maryland. we have had high clouds come in from the north and the west. they will be with us from time to time throughout the morning. if you are traveling, there could be flight delays in florida and across the south land and the mid-mississippi valley and the midwest, but much of the east coast shouldn't have flight delays. from the rockies to the pacific ocean, they should be settled as well. a few morning clouds and a sunny afternoon still dry, not too humid with highs in the upper 80s. increased humidity tonight with the swelter sweeping this by dawn tomorrow near 70. we have a slight chance for a morning shower tomorrow and a greater chance for a passing

afternoon thundershower. a steamy, humid day in the upper 80s. humid on friday, partly cloudy with a chance for a show. then mbe snwe ors saturday. rather humid near 80. drying out again with low humidity and cooler than average temperatures sunday into the first part of next week. that's the way it look . thank you, tom. >> now back to jerry edwards in the news the channel traffic watch center. >> near georgia avenue, we have a broken down vehicle squeezing the left travel lanes. two lanes are open, but it is a twigt squeeze. elsewhere, headed for downtown, 395 northbound is looking mighty fine this morning. we are loading up near the 14th street bridge. back to you. thank you. breaking news overseas right now. an iranian plane has crashed. iranian state tv reports 168 people were onboard the caspian airlines jet when it crashed. this is video just into our

newsroom. the plane was found i small pieces with the wreckage engulfed in flames. you can see the huge crater caused by the crash and the explosion there. everyone onboard is feared to be dead. reports from the scene indicate the weather was clear at the time,o weather does not appear to be a cause of the crash, at least initially. the plane was on the way to the iranian capitol. a tsunami warning was issued for new zealand. no reports of injuries so far. > in northern virginia s.w.a.t. teams are trying to coax a man out of a home near falls church. he is considered a person of interest in a shooting and has been holed up since yesterday evening. a woman suffered life-threatening injuries in the shooting. today's news4 morning person never loses her gracious

composure. renee singleton is a nurse at the national rehabilitation center. she begins everyay cheerfully as she manages the appointments and cancellations for a large group of daily patients. she also has a smiling greeter for everyone, we are told, and the patients coming back for repeat visits she remembers by name. if you know someone like renee singleton, e-mail that person's story and a clear picture or video to rningperson@nbcwashington.com. we'll get an update on the forecast with tom. >> we are off to a start with mostly clear skies now over the potomac. a live view from the city camera. we are in the 60s and the 50s. the upper 80s later. a steamy day tomorrow with a morning shower or afternoon shower. rather steamy on friday. it looks lik o we get storms maybe on saturday, but drying out sunday. that's the way it looks. enjoy. we'll see if we have any regular or traffic hiccups. >> nothing here, but out on the

roads, 295 northbound at the siouxland parkway, we have an accident. also, near malcolmx we have a problem. >> thank you for starting your day with us. seemplgts you at 11:00 a.m. stay with us throughout the day. we are connected on facebook and twitter. have a great morning. >> bye. gc

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