an alert to drivers in northern virginia. a water main break is causing major problems on one major roadway. what you need to know before you head out the door. >> more trouble for metro riders. part of the red line will be shut down today. how it could affect your daily commute. >> plus, a shooting on capitol hill. police get into a firefight and kill a man just blocks from the capitol building. how the frightening ordeal unfolded. good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison. it is thursday, july 16th, 2009. >> let's take a look outside right now. we can see the early dawn light just beginning to appear right now at 5:00. 75 degrees. looks like we may get some humidity back today, right, tom? >> it is beginning to return,

our old friend and relative humidity is now beginning to show up, oh, about 30, 45 miles or sothou swest of washington. beginning to soulowlyomep uouru way, but right now on radar, no preciparat tion ouethend mro iea ernrhe tntou b mnsai tut th a ee isho sr ohonhete t e tror c al cdelawa.re w ingst'to4 inhi wn, heow 70s in prince aiorge's courfy, 7ai fax and megontrys.ougont ie exound theioeg rn ce n rhtigeaay t bheht, it's a bit warmer,-7 mid0sthere. southeastern virginia in the ntnod-s,70ut inhes,ounsai i mth w s. e mihudiiv'shuhe a tsed arerr well ondara seeing adaew f sprinklesw in heout wrnes mandlary, lartnorniresrtatni igi v uponto ania a wlels a near richmond over toward williamsburg that's drifting off to the east this morning. quit a bit of cloudiness around for today. temperatures climbing into the upper 80s. yhis to be ratheramte t s afternoon and a small chance of a passing afternoon or early evening thundershower. a look at tonight and tomorrow, that will be in ten minutes. >> all right. thank you, tom. >> thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network.

jerry splshgs problems out there? >> relatively quiet actually. one incident. talk about that in a second. 270 southbound, quiet trip as you make the drive through frederick, headed down to hyattstown, down to thesplit. no early issues. word of an accident eastbound route 50 in maryland bay dale drive west side of the bay bridge. police are on the scene dealing with that. back to you. >> thanks very much. we do have this breaking news out of fairfax county, though. crews are on the scene of a large water main break in annandale. this is causing some serious traffic tie-ups on little river turnpike between conwell drive and pinecrest parkway. we're being told it could take a few more hours before the work is finished so you may want to avoid that area. at the last check, only one lane was open on both sides of little river turnpike. >> a big warning this morning for anyone who rides the red line. the red line metro will be closed for much of the day today between ft. totten and silver spring. it's part of the ongoing

investigation into last month's deadly metro crash. michael flynn is live at the takoma park station this morning with more on how riders will be able to get around today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. yeah, later this morning, metro will be running a bus bridge around the takoma station here as the investigation continues into last month's deadly rail disaster. the takoma station will close between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. today as investigators conduct site distance tests on the tracks between the takoma and ft. totten rail stations. that means metro will have to run shuttle buses between the ft. totten, takoma and silver springs stations. the june 22nd crash killed 9 people and injured 80 others. the national transportation safety board is leading the crash investigation and has said that investigators are looking at the possibility a track circuit which sends stop and speed signals to the trains may have malfunctioned, which might have caused the crash. a along with the takoma station

here closing from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today for the investigators to work, it will also close again on saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. obviously, investigators and metro trying to get around rush hour commute. back to you, eun. >> michael flynn, thank you. >> now to the latest on that deadly shootout on capitol hill. we're learning more about what may have triggered the confrontation with police. a man was killed after h tried to run down two police officers and opened fire. this happened yesterday afternoon just a few blocks from the capitol. as news 4's derrick ward reports, the trouble started with a routine traffic stop. >> reporter: it started, according to police, when capitol police officers tried to pull this mercedes over in the area of columbus circle near union station around 5:00 p.m. >> a routine traffic stop that the officers from the capitol police were trying to initiate. hardly even got a chance to do that because the suspect's vehicle began to take off immediately. >> reporter: in the process, an officer was struck by the vehicle. he was treated at the scene.

but it wasn't over. the car continued the wrong way down louisiana avenue. >> absolutely no regard for any human life whatsoever. remember, by the time he'd come down the wrong way on louisiana avenue, he'd already struck one officer. he was on his way to strike another officer. >> reporter: and he did, a motorcycle officer who was slightly wounded as well when the car turned left on new jersey avenue. it also broadsided a police cruiser. authorities say the suspect was armed. police saw the gun and ordered him to drop it. they say when he didn't and opened fire, they opened fire in return. a surreal scene for witnesses, a gun fight on capitol hill. >> i heard a crash. i didn't seehe crash. then i started to run up because i wanted to see what happened. and then that's when i heard the gunshots firing. our officers took the necessary and appropriate action, in fear for their lives. >> reporter: officers administered cpr to the suspect but he died a short time later at the hospital. police say a gun was recovered from the car. at the time that this incident was going on, some of the entrances and exits to the u.s.

capitol were closed, and we've heard from some people who were there at the time who were concerned they weren't told why. we've also heard from u.s. capitol police who say they are working on a plan to better get information out to folks when things like this happen. on capitol hill, derrick ward, "news 4 today." >> now, capitol police have had a handful of encounters with gunmen on the hill over the last few years. in january of 2008, michael gorby was arrested and charged with making and having weapons of mass destruction. he wanted to meet with chief justice john roberts apparently. last september, christopher timmons was arrested when capitol police say they found an ak-47, ammunition and a homemade grenade in his car. five months ago, police say alfred brock drove onto the hill with a rifle in his pickup truck. he drove to the capitol entrance and told officers he had a delivery for president obama. >> two falls church now where a 24-hour standoff with police finally came to an end. it began tuesday when a man shot the mother of his 8-year-old son

in an apparent argument. police say he then took the boy and another woman hostage inside a home in the 7700 block of fisher drive. hostage negotiators ted to get the man to give up, but when they lost communication, they moved in. >> we were trying to, you know, end it peacefully without anybody getting hurt. unfortunately, you know, he did, a self-inflicted wound. he's not dead, so there's a chance he may survive, but it's over now. it was about 24 hours. >> the standoff ended with police helping the woman and child out of the home. they are both okay. however, the 36-year-old woman that the man shot on tuesday remains in grave condition. >> 5:07 now, 75 degrees. still ahead, it's the final day of questioning for supreme court justice nominee sonia sotomayor. the opposition that she'll face today from the group of firefighters who are trying to stop her confirmation. >> plus, incredible video after a massive explosion shut down an interstate. 5:11, it's turned a little

more humid. quite a bit of cloudiness around this morning. on radar, getting a few showers on the lower part of the eastern shor but elsewhere don't have any rain. temperatures around the region now are in the low and mid-70s at 74 in washington, so a rather mild and somewhat muggy morning all around the area with quite a bit of cloudiness coming in from the west. we have some other showers out in northern west virginia up into pennsylvania. those may be moving right along mason-dixon line this morning but there's a greater chance maybe of a passing afternoon thundershower today with highs in the upper 80s. it will be rather humid. sunrise is 5:56. the sunset at 8:32. partly cloudy tonight. it will be another warm and muggy evening. tomorrow should be partly sunny, rather humid, might get some thundershowers perhaps around sunset and into friday night. highs before that should reach the upper 80s with a southerly breeze. a look at the week end and next week at 5:21. now the traffic.

jerry, how's it looking? >> interstate's pretty quiet so far. headed out the door toward the american legion bridge moving along well. along well. hehe won't get

the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act.

our time right now is 5:14. updating the top storehis the news for today, metro's red line will be closed from the ft. totten station to silver spring between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. as part of the ongoing investigation into last month's deadly metro crash. the ntsb wants to perform more tests on that particular section of track. there will be shuttle buses that will help people get around that closure. a police shootout near the u.s. capitol building left one man dead. officers say it started when the man sped away from a routine traffic stop. he then drove the wrong way down the street, struck two officers with his car and finally crashed into a police cruiser. police say the man then fired

shots at the officers, who returned the fire and killed him. investigators are still trying to determine what caused a deadly plane crash in iran yesterday. 168 people were on board the caspian airlines plane when it went down yestday morning not far from tehran. everyone on board was killed. >> today, supreme court justice nominee sonia somayor shares the spotlight at her confirmation hearing. those for and against her will testify on capitol hill. yesterday, republicans grilled the supreme court nominee on a number of issues. brooke hart joins us live from capitol hill with more. brooke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. looks like a few more hours in the hot seat for judge sonia sotomayor. then witnesses will testify, including some who have felt her rulings personally. today, two firefighters from new haven, connecticut, step from the audience to the witness table. they'll testify against sonia sotomayor, lieutenant benjamin vargas is one of them. >> what was done to us is wrong.

we feel that everybody should know our story and why it was wrong and what we've gone through. >> reporter: judge sotomayor was on the court panel that threw out a promotions test. white firefighters passed but their black counterparts failed. late last month, the supreme court reversed that ruling. >> you're under a lot of pressure here. >> reporter: republicans pushed on it tuesday. >> these are cases where people are discriminated against. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has said on that case and in another upholding a weapons ban on nun chunks in new york that she was following high court precedent at this time. >> does the state have a rationale basis for prohibiting the possession of this kind of instrument. >> reporter: and the judge said she saw no litmus test for her nomination on any issue, includingabortion. >> i was asked no question by anyone, including the president, about my views on any specific legal issue. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has never ruled on abortion. senator and doctor tom coburn

asked what if technology let babies some day born prematurely be saved who could not be now. would that change abortion law? >> all i'm asking, should it have any bearing? >> i can't answer that in the b abstra abstract. republic >> reporter: some republicans called her answers frustratingly vague, but one said she quote, performed well enough. also testifying today, michael bloomberg and an ex-yankee perfect pitcher david cone. he was involved in the baseball strike that sotomayor helped solve more than a decade ago. eun and joe, back to you. >> thank you. >> president barack obama is celebrating another milestone with his health care reform plan this morning, with no republican support, democrats on a key senate committee yesterday pushed through his sweeping plan. this cops a day after house democratic leaders put forward their trillion dollar proposal. >> coverage that is available, undeniable and affordable. >> this legislation has not one

single provision. it is aimed at reducing the cost of health care. >> under the bill, federal aid would go to those making less than four times the poverty level. that's about $88,000 for a family of four. the house and senate plans include one of the president's must-haves, a government-run program to compete with private insurers. plus, a mandate requiring all americans to get coverage and that big employers provide insurance to workers. >> new concern this morning that the country's job market isn't getting any better. the federal reserve is now predicting the unemployment rate could pass 10% by the end of the year. in fact, the forecast by the fed has actually worsened in the past couple of months. it expects the unemployment rate to hit its peek in the last quarter of 2009. the fed, however, has upped its forecast for overall economic improvement as major industrial firms are showing signs of recovery. >> just a few days after firing his manager, the nationals now have a new man in charge. >> dan hellie has your details

in sports minute. >> good morning, everybody, your sports minute start was the nationals. the organization introduced jim riggleman as the interim manager at nats park yesterday. the club, hoping riggleman, who grew up in rockville and went to richard montgomery high school, can jump start the worst team in baseball but don't expect anything too drastic. riggleman was quick to praise his presented i says sorry, saying manny acta did everything right. the capitals resigned several players yesterday, including sean morrison and forward men eric fair and chris bork. meanwhile, the caps stars of the future continued their work at the development camp this week. one of those guys is a 19-year-old whose father played for the caps during the '70s and '80s. in the wnba, mystics all star elena beard scored 17 points yesterday against san antonio but it was not enough. the silver stars edged the

mistakes 79-78. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great day. >> time to take a look at traffic and weather together. >> let's check in with meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4 with our forecast. >> good morning. overnight it has turned more humid. still not sweltering humidity yet but you'll notice it's muggier this morning than it has been. on radar, a few showers on the eastern shore here just south of salisbury and through southern delaware, up from near louis down toward ocean city. clouds and a few showers rolling through there in another half hour or so. some heavy downpours near cape may in southern new jersey. but elsewhere, farther to the west we don't have any precipitation. we do have a few sprinkles, though, way out in the mountains just now coming into western maryland, way out in allegheny county. in garrett county. as well as around the region here, we've got this increased humidity. got the cloud cover moving in at this hour.

the temperatures under the clouds are warmer this morning than they were the last couple of mornings. we are down into just the low to mid-70s which is sort of typical for a july morning at 74 in washington, low 70s montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties. eastern shore as well as the mountains. and these clouds continue to cruise in from the west ahead of a cool front that will be sweeping through the area this afternoon and giving us a small chance of a passing thundershower. otherwise, rather humid and highs in the upper 80s. another muggy day tomorrow, partly sunny. looks like a likelihood of friday evening showers and thundershowers. before that, upper 80s. then maybe a passing shower saturday morning and again an afternoon thundershower. highs mid-80s. lower humid it moves in on sunday. partly cloudy and cooler with highs near 80. that should be in place on monday. tuesday and wednesday, a slight chance of showers, highs in the 80s. jerry, good morning. how's our traffic? >> good morning. doing pretty well out there so far. take a live look here headed into town, new york avenue, bladensburg road northeast. inbound flow pretty smooth.

traffic light issues. that's about it so far. let's check your speeds. along i-270, nothing to worry about, zipping along from i-70 to clarksburg, 13 minutes. 2 minutes between 121 and route 27. then from route 27, father early boulevard down to the split, 17 minutes. looking good. joe and eun, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks a lot. our time 5:22. 75 degrees. an alert to drivers in northern virginia, a water main break is causing some major problems out on the roads. we'll tell y how it might affect your morning commute. >> plus, it's the video everyone's talking about. never before seen footage of a michael jackson commercial where his hair catches fire. >> and 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 show your age. many restaurant chains have reduced price menus for kids and other reduced prices for seniors. and don't forget your birthday.

many restaurants are generous to birthday guests. i'm liz crenshaw, "on the

some pretty amazing video this morning of a gasoline tanker explosion that shut down an interstate hiway outside of detroit last night. this tanker was carrying about 9,000 gallons of gasoline when it crashed. a bridge partially collapsed in

the midst of the heat and the flames. the drivers of the tanker, another tractor-trailer and another car were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. police are interviewing those three people to learn more about how all this happened. >> some never before seen video of michael jackson is out this morning. it shows jackson's hair catching on fire while shooting a pep commercial in 1984. us weekly magazine recently obtained the video. take a look now. on the commercial's sixth take, a pyrotechnic display goes off too early. jackson keeps dancing, unaware his hair is on fire. finally, the crew moves in and extinguishes the flames. jackson suffered second and third degree burns. >> well, harry potter and his friends are already breaking box office records. fans stood in long lines at midnight yesterday to be among the first to see "harry potter and the half blood prince." the film made $22 million in the midnight shows alone.

that breaks a midnight opening by "the dark knight" last year. it also topped the record of this year's biggest hit kwns transformers." we have 75 degrees out there. coming up, more metro delays. what red line passengers need to know before heading out the door. also, the shuttle "endeavour" finally launches in space. details about the long-awaited mission. >> plus looking to make some money in this economy. how some local entrepreneurs are using this time to do the things they really love. there are moments in time

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traffic alert to drivers in northern virginia. a water main break is causing problems on the road. what you need to know before heading out the door. >> metro is shutting down part of the red line today. the hours passengers will be affected. >> plus, a new approach to the tough economy. how some pple are using this time to do what they've always wanted to do. >> good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." >> well, good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs on this thursday. it is the 16th day of july. >> i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today. we'll take a look at the weather outside for a ment. look at that beautiful sky. but it looks like it's heating up and humidity is creeping back. let's check in with meteorologist tom kierein for a look at our forecast. good morning, tom. >> yes, sneaking back inn us, coming in on a southwesterly breeze this morning with some clouds coming through as well. on radar, no precipitation

around washington or most of virginia and maryland is dry except the eastern shore. a few sprinkles there, lower eastern shore as well as out in garrett county now. temperatures are much milder this morning than they have been the last week or so. it's now in the mid-70s in washington. low 70s in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. these clouds coming in ahead of a cool front, along with the humidity triggering a few sprinkles now out in western maryland and northern west virginia, up into pennsylvania. for today, mostl cloudy. small chance of a passing afternoon thundershower. highs reaching the upper 80s. it will be rather muggy. tonight the nationals play ball against the cubs at nationals park. it will be partly cloudy by game time and in the low 80s. first pitch is 7:05. a look at tomorrow's forecast. that will be coming up at 5:41, eun and joe. >> see whether the new manager helps. thanks, tom. >> let's check in with jerry edwards now to get look at the roadways, see if there are any problems out there. >> good morning. interstate's doing pretty well so far this morning. check out 395 just inside the

beltway from edsel road up toward landmark and shirlington. both directions very much on the light side so no concerns there. we do have one accident in maryland eastbound route 50 at bay dale drive. had an accident where apparently a couple vehicles involved and a boat came off a trailer so two left lanes are blocked eastbound route 50 out at bay dale drive. w westbound, though, coming in from the eastern shore, your lanes remain open. back to you. >> got to tie this things down. >> yes. >> thank you very much. we are following two stories this morning that could affect your morning commute. right now crews are on the scene of a large water main break in northern virginia. it's expected to tie up traffic throughout the morning rush hour. >> metro has also announced a new closure today that will affect riders on the red line. we begin this morning with news 4's megan mcgrath who's in annandale at the scene of that water main break. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. we're here on the little river turnpike. you can see behind me the work crews on the scene. they're pumping the water out of a hole. that's where the pipe is, right there in the median here.

we're at the intersection with the pinecrest parkway. you can see the cones that have been set up in the road. we do have some lane closures that are going to be in effect through the morning rush hour so keep that in mind if you travel along this stretch of the little river turnpike. we've got a 12-inch water main that broke in the median. basically, the larger problem here is the erosion because the pipe and the hole is in the median, that's not so much of a the issue here. what happened is when it broke and the water began to gush from the broken pipe, it eroded the earth underneath the pavement here, the roadway. so we've got some weak spots. they had to close down lanes as a result. we've got one lane going in the westbound direction, two lanes going in the eastbound direction here this morning. also complicating matters and what's going to make this repair a little bit longer is the fact that there is a gas main in the area. they're going to have to locate that first beforthey can begin the repair on the pipe.

>> we got - i think it's either six-inch rapid steel. we have to find that before we do anything. we can uncover it, see it, dig away from it and keep uncovering it. i believe the leak is going to be on top of it or under it. i don't know how deep the gas main is right now. >> reporter: so, again, we have one lane in the westbound direction. we have two lanes going in the eastbound direction at the little river turnpike. we're here at pinecrest parkway. they're saying it will take them a little while first to locate the gas main. they have to shut down the water that's coming out of this pipe. and then they're going to have to actually get the water out of the hole and then begin the repair. this is going to drag on for a little while and definitely will affect the rush hour. right now doesn't look too bad, but then again it's early and volume is light. back to you. >> looks like a complicated, sensitive operation out there. thank you very much. a big warning for anyone who rides the red line. the big chunk of the red line metro will be closed for much of

the day today between ft. totten and silver spring. this is all part of the ongoing investigation into last month's deadly metro crash. michael flynn is live at the takoma station with more on how riders will have to get around today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. later on this morning, metro's going to be running a bus bridge around the takoma station here as the investigation continues into last month's deadly rail crash. the takoma station where i am will close between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. as investigators conduct site distance tests on the tracks between the takoma and ft. totten rail stations. that means metro will have to run shuttle buses between the ft. totten, takoma and silver spring stations. the june 22nd crash killed 9 people and injured 80 others. the national transportation safety board is leading the crash investigation and has said that investigators areooking at the possibility that a track circuit which sends stop and speed signals to the trains may have malfunctioned, and along

with the takoma station closing from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today, it will also close on saturday from :00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. back to you. >> michael, thanks very much. >> police have released new details about that deadly shootout on capitol hill. officers say it started when the man sped away from a routine traffic stop just blocks from the u.s. capitol building. he then drove the wrong way down the street, struck two officers with his car and finally crashed into a police cruiser. police say the man then fired shots at the officers who returned fire and killed him. the victim's name has not been released. >> a woman out for an afternoon jog was aacked along a popular trail yesterday. vienna police were called to the w & od trail near air hill avenue west of route 123. the 25-year-old woman told police a man rode up on a bicycle, exposed himself, then threw her to the ground and assaulted her. the woman managed to break free and call police.

>> happening today, shuttle "endeavour" is finally on its way to the international space station. after five failed attempts, the shuttle finally lifted off from the kennedy space center. >> three, two, one. booster ignition. liftoff of "endeavour." >> nasa has been trying to launch "endeavour" for more than a month now, but hydrogen leaks and thunderstorms delayed the mission. officials say eight or nine pieces of foam insulation came off the external fuel tank during liftoff and the shuttle was hit at least two or three times. the damage, however, is believed to be minor. "endeavour" will deliver the final section of japan's massive lab to the space station. it is now 5:37. still ahead, one of the most well-known skyscrapers in america is getting a new name. what the sears tower will be known as now. >> plus, if you're looking to book a last-minute summer vacation, why now may be the perfect time.

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here is today'sew ns 4 horgain blast. w about some dessert for eefr? maigust sn up to receive silrom the melting pot and aeillsec rve aouecponor coee f ctee.laduonho you can sign up at the meltingpot.com. >> it is just about 5:41. that means it's time toake a look at traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4. tom? >> this is our warmest morning so far this july. temperatures have bottomed out

in t low and mid-70s. look at the sky, the eastern sky now with some breaks in the clouds. we can see venus in the upper right of the screen. off to the farther right of that, we have a half moon in the sky this morning. at this hour, temperatures are in the low and mid-70s. 74 in washington. it's rather muggy. it has turned a little more humid overnight and looking at the view from space, we have some showers on the eastern shore. those are continuing to move off to the east and a few sprinkles out in western maryland, the ghlands of west virginia. partly cloudy this moing. we'll be in the mid-80s by noon. mostly cloudy this afternoon, in the upper 80s, a small chance of a passing thundershower. sunset at 8:32. overnight tonight, partly cloudy. great weather for tonights nats/cubs game. for friday, partly sunny, rather humid and thundershowers are likely. looklike by late in the afternoon and perhaps into the evening highs, though, before that should make it into the upper 80s. a look at the weekend and next week. that will be in ten minutes. jerry, how's the traffic?

>> tom, getting busy out there now on the interstates eastbound, i-66 picking u plenty of volume now as you come out of manassas toward centreville. this is near route 28. continuing on in toward fair oaks. no issues, just volume. headed west, that's moving along nicely. the siwilson bridge, both inner loop and outer loop are open. good news tonights. back to you. >> always a pretty picture of the bridge. thanks very much, jerry. >> it is now 5:42, 75 degrees. still ahead, the search for allow did you know county woman who scammed dozens of homeowners out of millions of dollars. >> this economy is tough if you're looking for work but find out how some people are using it ñ

(female narrator) from jennifer: a microfiber sofa bed for just $299, only at jennifer. $299. jennifer: the only place to buy a sofa bed. it is now 5:44. updating our top store thishe morning, crews are at the scene of a large water main break in annandale, virginia. it happened early this morning on little river turnpike between

conwell drive and pinecrest parkway. on one lane is open on both sides of the little river turnpike. metro's red line will be closed from the ft. totten station to silver spring from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today. it's part of the ongoing investigation into last month's deadly metro crash. the ntsb wants to perform more tests on that particular section of track. there will be shuttle buses that will help people get around the closure. and supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor faces a final day of questioning today before the senate judiciary committee. she has side-stepped many questions on abortion, gun rights and other contentious issues. sotomayor refused to divulge her personal beliefs, instead saying she will let the law guide her decisions. a woman from loudoun county has been indicted on a $50 million onmortgage sfraud scheme but she's nowhere to be found. investigators say 42-year-old diane frederick atari took advantage of more than 100 home buyers in virginia. they say she inflated her clients' income and fraudulently fixed their credit in order to

sell them homes they couldn't afford. >> a lot of people didn't have the ability or the money to pay. the sad part about it is their credit's ruined. they're bankrupt. they're foreclosed. and that's the way the scheme worked. >> the massive losses suffered by mortgage lenders will likely be passed on to all homeowners in the forms of increased insurance rates. investigators, meanwhile, believe that atari has fled the country. >> in this economy, many people are turning to second, even third jobs to make extra money. >> in some cases, though, side jobs are becoming full-time jobs. julie carrie has the story of two washingtonians doing just that. >> reporter: she calls herself super girl. her t-shirt says it all. sarah didn't plan on a career in soup, but like so many others in this economy, she had to get creative. >> i was working in the travel business. i was afraid i was going to make

less than half of what i made the yearefore but work just as hard. >> reporter: when her friend suggested she put her entrepreneurial spirit to work, a new career was born. >> i started thinking, well, i want to start something new. i want to get involved in the local food movement. it's really popular here in d.c. people are not eating out as much. they're eating at home. they want to eat healthy. the wheels started turning. >> reporter: sarah's soups are made fresh from local ingredients. she hires friends to make door-to-door deliveries. >> our soups are pretty funky. they're not the kind of soups you're going to get anywhere else in the city. this week we have lentil apricot soup. most of my customers have never had that. last week we had an indian spice mung bean up. most people didn't know what that was. >> reporter: they do now. the small business association says sarah is in good company. there are 6 million more small businesseshan there were six years ago in the united states. >> it's going to take --

>> reporter: neil started one of those businesses last year to make extra money. >> while i was working as an insurance adjuster, i started posh, part time, an extra way to make some money so me and my wife could start a family, buy a house, and, you know, just try to live a little better. >> reporter: but when he was laid off in october, his side job became his only job. >> fortunately for me, the business was doing pretty well, even though it was a rough economy at the time. i was able to keep doing posh booth stuff, photo booth rental in d.c. we were able to book a lot more events than i thought we ever would. >> reporter: starting your own business can be intimidating, but neil thinks it's a great time to break out of the box. >> there's so much stuff out there, between the small business association and the community business development centers that are outside of d.c. and virginia, that really help people. as long as you have the time and

the energy and a lot -- a lot of belief in yourself, you can do just about anything. >> reporter: julie carrie, news 4. >> for those looking for work, a job fair will be held downtown today. the fair will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the washington conventionenter in northwest washington. more than 80 companies will be on-site talking to potential employees. today's fair is hosted by congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. those attending are asked to bring copies of their resume and wear professionalattire. >> it's the tallest building in the western hemisphere. today it is undergoing a major change. in just a few hours, the sears tower in chicago will be officially renamed the willis tower. the building has been named the sears tower since it opened bk in 1973, but back in march its owner said they were selling the naming rights. the willis group holdings company stepped forward and purchased them for an undisclosed amount of money. the building's original tenants, sears, the sears roebuck &

company for which the building was named moved out back in 1992. >> civil war buffs have a new place to go for abraham lincoln h history. the ford theater re-opened last night after 21 months of renovations. visitors can see the suit and boots lincoln was wearing on the night of his assassination and the gun used by john wilkes booth. today marks a major anniversary in space exploration. it was on july 16th, 1969, 40 years ago, that the apollo xi blasted off destined for the moon and the history books. it carried such astronauts as neil armstrong and buzz aldrin. four days later, armstrong and aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. >> what an amazing, amazing historic moment. >> i had the honor of meeting buzz aldrin. wonderful guy. still really very vigorous and still going strong. i remember the day very well. my father lifted me up out of

the crib and -- held me up in front of the television. yeah, yeah, yeah. >> you lifted your grandfather out of the crib. >> well, this morning we can see that moon up there in the sky playing peekaboo with the clouds. there's a view of our eastern sky now. sun will be coming up in about five minutes. it's now 75 rather muggy degrees in washington. it has turned a little more humid overnight. really not that sweltering yet. it's going to get a little more humid as the day progresses. right now on radar we do have a few sprinkles way out here in western maryland. a few on the eastern shore but those have now headed off farther to the east. 74 in washington now, low 70s, prince george's county, fairfax county. around the shenandoah valley, it's in the 70s. the warmest morning we've seen in the last few weeks. low 70s eastern shore as well as out in the mountains where the humidity has increased as well. so, all over the area it's feeling likeuly finally. do ve a few sprinkles right

along the beaches from -- to ocean city as well as the southern part of the northern neck. another fewesprklin onut i western maryland, northern west virginia. southwestern virginia getting a few showers. are you traveling today? no travel problems from the west coast all the way to the central plains. however, once again florida plagued with storms, as well as the tennessee valley could be flight delays there. maybe some minor flight delays in new england from boston up to portland and perhaps around albany as the day progresses. that's all associated with a cool front that is now drifting into the ohio valley coming in out of the north and west. that is triggering a few of these showers, some drier air coming into the humidity that is sweeping in ahead this front which will begin to sweep on through here by later on this afternoon. but it's kind of a weak front. i don't anticipate any severe storms from this. we could get some passing thundershowers as it does move through. as we look at the future cast, this is these areas of blue where we could get showers and thundershowers maybe around the

eastern shore by early this evening and maybe some late afternoon passing light thundershowers here around the metro area. then as we get into tomorrow morning, still a few clouds around, still going to be rather humid. then during the day on friday we're going to have another surge of moisture coming up from the south. looks like that will be moving in by friday evening. by 8:00 friday evening, looks like it will be through central virginia but coming into the metro area and all the way up toward new england by dawn on saturday. then throughout the rest of the day on saturday, this lingering front here may trigger an isolated thundershower during the afternoon. so here's how we're looking for this thursday. we'll have our temperatures climbing to the upper 80s by mid-afterno mid-afternoon. ncha iinveasoure iclg ds, about 30% chance of a passing thundershower this afternoon.cl sunset at 8:32. and then overig nht tonight for the big game at nationals park, first pitch is at 7:05. the nats take on the cubs. it will be pary cloudy, atte wmperbeuresl il in the low 80s by game time. as we get into the rest of the

g,evl ksenine looik l by midnig ik'll have our temperatures neng up to around, cltohus j, ar 80 by midnight. then it should be perhaps in the low 70s by dawn tomorrow. on friday, it looks like it will be partly sunny to mostly cloudy at times. going to be rather humid tomorrow, too, with highs reaching the upper 80s. it looks like by friday afternoon into the evening hours is when we have an increased chance of maybe a passing thundershower as well as perhaps very early saturday morning. partly sunny saturday, mid-80s. most of the day ought to be dry but there is a chance of an afternoon thundershower. lower humidity, cooler temperatures move in forunday with highs near 80 as well as o mo so. we're going to get a break from high heat and humidity by the end of the weekend, first part of next week. that's the way it looks. >> looks good. thank you, tom. >> two days of ugly summer at a time. i can deal with it. >> yes. >> thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. unfortunately we have a little

bit of a problem now along interstate 66. take you over, show you live pictures. eastbound 66, this is just after nutley street, about a mile or so before you get to capital beltway. a couple of vehicles tangled up. right side of the roadway is blocked. you see one police officer on the scene. everybody's having to merge very rapidly. hopefully safely out of that far right lane. dela are going to develop coming in from 123 east on 166. hopefully the police officer will get the vehicles out thereof in short order. elsewhere, good news, improving news, eastbound route 50, the accident involving the boat that came off the trailer, eastbound 50 at bay dale drive, everything's gone. lanes are open. nothing left to look at there. trip on 270, no accidents or incidents. top side of the beltway, so far so good this morning traveling from greenbelt to college park to silver spring and bethesda, travel lanes are open. southeast corridors all very quiet. joe, back to you. >> jerry, thanks very much. if you haven't done so already, now may be the perfect time to book a summer flight.

several discount carriers, including air tran and southwest, have cut some fares again providing some tickets at the cost of $39 to $49. other major airlines are beginning to follow suit, trying to fill as many seats as possible this summer. there are several restrictions, however. the prices only apply to certain flights on certain days to certain destinations. >> burger king is hoping to lure in customers with a tasty deal. it is sending out coupons in august and september that will let customers buy double cheeseburgers for $1. the company's making that move after franchises reportedly turned down a proposal to offer the sandwich on their menu for that price. burger king says about 80 million homes will get a booklet of coupons that includes tha double cheeseburger deal. the burger usually costs about $2 in most parts of the country. >> well, in just a couple of hours, the television emmy awards will be announced in hollywood. nbc is expecting a big day. hit show "30 rock" is in the hunt to win the best comedy for the third year in a row.

"the office" could also be in the mix to win as well. it won back in 2006. "mad men," the cable show, is believed to have another good shot at a victory. those nominations will all be announced at 8:30 this morning. >> to the money crisis now and a look at how foreign markets are doing today. asian stock markets were mixed. japan's nikkei gained 81%. hong kong's hang seng gained 0.57%. the shanghai lost 0.15%. >> the dow futures are pointing to a slightly negative opening. the nasdaq gained 63 points, closing at 1862. >> still ahead this morning, d.c. mayor adrian fenty will join us live right here in our studio to answer your questions. >> plus, what this playboy playmate is doing in the middle of downtown washington. >> and we're also watching your weather and traffic on the 1s. "news 4 today" continues at 6:00

a.m.

breaking news right now. thousands of gallons of water flood city streets and prompt detours. where this break is and how it's going to affect the morning commute. >> capitol chaos. a routine traffic stop, a hot pursuit and two officers injured. the outbreak of violence in downtown washington that ended with a man's death. >> station shutdown. the investigation continues into that deadly metro crash. why parts of the red line will be closed and why a shuttle bus will have to get you around that blocked track. good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison. today thursday, july 16th, 2009. we're going to take a look outside. looks like a little bit of haze

is settling in over the nation's capital. 75 degrees right mao. >> that phrase is humidity. >> it has turned more humid inerotghtet, nui q sgltuiiner mid it btl ait le muggy this g.moitinrn init 'sarhe m wngmestnior we've had in quite some time. looking ni radar, there's one loly shower out in the panhandle of west virginia,lo tt blob of blue there left of the screen, slowly drifting to the stea eaorerstshn alheong tsh beaches are getting some sprinkles now. heading it over the atlanticg ocean. don't have any precipitation this morning. here's the forecast for today. a partly cloudy rn ing. by 9:00, mid-70s. mid-80s.me, low to peaking in the upper 80s by mid-afternoon, quite a bit of cloudiness around. there's a small chance of a passing afternoon deunthrsweunr. you don't anticipate any severe storms. our sunrise was at 5:56. sunset at 8:32. a look at tonight and tomorrow. th will be coming up in just a few minutes at 6:11. >> see you then. thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. we got some problems out there, right? >> turning into a little bit of a busy morning all of a sudden.

the trip in on 66, there's some good news to report. the accident which was right there is now over to the shoulder, just out of camera range so that's very good news for those of you coming in from centreville, fair oaks headed toward vienna. all lanes are open. elsewhere, take a check, see how we're dog along i-270, from frederick to rockville, we're okay. rhode island avenue, very quiet morning so far. back to you. >> all right. thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. more now on the breaking news. literally breaking news. t's a water main that broke in northern virginia and it's affecting the morning commute. >> the situation is unfolding along little ri turnpike between conwell drive and pinecrest parkway in annandale. ome lanes on little river turnpike are currently closed, both east and westbound. >> news 4's megan mcgrath is live on the scene with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. some progress has been made since i last talked to you. look behind me here. you can see they have started to dig. that's good news. a little while ago, they were

still looking for the gas line that is near this broken water main. they were having to hand dig, locate the gas main before they could begin their work. obviously, they have done that, and they've now started to dig. hopefully they're going to begin the repair to the water main soon. this is a 12-inch water main that broke here at little river turnpike at the intersection with pinecrest parkway. now i'm joined -- jeannie bailey with fairfax county water. tell me about the break. 12-inch main. how long do you think this will be a tie-up? >> we do have a 12-inch main here. the good news is the repairs have begun. we are digging now. they've located the gas main. starting to go here. how long will it take? we have to uncover our main to find out exactly what happened, whethethat's a gas get repair or whether we have to put new pipe in there. it's going to be a little while longer before we can give you an estimate on time. >> reporter: okay. thanks so much for joining us this morning. now, in terms of lane closures, because you look behind me, we

got all kinds of cones in the area. we do have lane closures. only one lane getting by on the little river turnpike in the westbound direction. and we do have two lanes getting by in the eastbound direction. that is expected to be the case throughout the morning rush hour so keep that in mind if you travel through this area. back to you all in the studio. >> megan, thanks very much. >> it was a chaotic scene just blocks away from the u.s. capitol building. a routine traffic stop sparked a police chase and ended in a violent shootout. it happened yesterday in the 200 block of new jersey avenue near c street. police say the man sped away after he was pulled over. he struck two officers with his car and crashed into a police cruiser as he continued to go down the wrong way on louisiana avenue. >> absolutely no regard for any human life whatsoever. remember, by the time he'd come down the wrong way on louisiana avenue, he'd already struck one officer. he was on his way to strike another officer. >> police say the man then pulled out a gun and began firing at the officers. he was killed in the exchange of

gunfire. the victim's name has not been released. capitol police have had a number of encounters with gunmen on the hill in recent years. in january of 2008, michael gorby was arrested and charged with making and having weapons of mass destruction. he wanted to meet with chief just justice john roberts. last september, christopher timmons was arrested when capitol police said they found an ak-47 and a homemade grenade in his car. five months ago, a man drove onto the hill with a rifle in his pickup truck. he drove to the capitol el trance and told officers he had a delivery for president obama. >> the investigation into that deadly metro crash continues today. the ntsb will conduct in tests along the stretch of track where the accident occurred. metro will close the takoma station and the tracks leading into and out of that station from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to conduct the tests. this in turn will cause major delays for riders who plan to use metro's red line today. michael flynn is live with more

on all this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. later on this morning, metro will be running shuttle buses for red line users as the takoma station here closes as the investigation into last month's deadly crash continues. the takoma station where i am right now will close between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. today as investigators conduct what tha they're calling site distance tests on the tracks. that means metro will have to run shuttle buses between the ft. totten, takoma and silver spring stations. the june 22nd crash killed 9 people and injured 80 others. the national transportation safety board is leading the crash investigation and has said that investigators are looking at the possibility that a track circuit which sends stop and speed signals to the trains may have malfunctioned, and along with the takoma station here closing from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. today, the station is going to be closing through almost the entire day on saturday, from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. that's this coming saturday.

joe, back to you. >> michael, thanks very much. >> nasa says it is not worried about what happened during the launch of space shuttle "endeavour" last night. >> three, two, one. booster ignition. liftoff of "endeavour." >> nasa officials say eight or nine pieces of foam insulation came off the shuttle's external fuel tank during liftoff. the shuttle was apparently hit at least two or three times by the foam. tomorrow "endeavour" will dock with the international sce station. today is an important date in space travel and american history. on july 16th, 1969, apollo xi lifted off on a mission to the moon. famous astronauts neil armstrong and buzz aldrin were on the rocket and became the first men to walk on the moon. >> 6:07 is the time, 75 degrees. how a 24-hour standoff in northern virginia came to a violent end. >> plus, the never before seen

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welcome back. here's today's news 4 bargain blast. you could get free break fast at your local ikea store this weekend. this saturday and sunday, ikea is serving up free meal, complete with a cup of joe.

>> didn't realize they served breakfast. the offer is valid only while supplies last. logon to their website for the free coupon. >> after the breakfast you can play in the room filled with big balls, have fun. let's go to tom kierein now as we take a look at traffic and weather on the 1s. >> look at the sun. looks like cookie monster took a bite out of the sun, took a nibble. coming up now in a partly cloudy sky. live picture from our city camera this morning. on radar we have a little lonely shower through the panhandle of west virginia just about to drift into hardy county. elsewhere, no precipitation except a few sprinkles in the eastern part of the northern neck. it's a mild morning. turned more humid. now 74 in washington. all around the region in the low and mid-70s. by noon, mid-80s. by mid-afternoon, the upper 80s. small chance of a passing afterno afternoon thundershower. good weather for tonight's nationals and cubs game at nationals park. partly cloudy at game time. it will be in the low 80s, first pitch time at 7:05. partly cloudy after that. low 70s tomorrow morning.

tomorrow, partly sunny, rather humid, could get some thundershowers friday evening, highs in the upper 80s before that. a look at the weekend in ten minutes. jerry, how's the traffic? >> a live look here along interstate 66. we showed you the accident earlier at nutley street. that's gone. now police are checking for another one between manassas and centreville near the 234 -- eastern 234 but before route 29. we're told that one is in the right lane for an accident. heads-up for that. headed for downtown or out of town, no worries so far. 395 northbound to the 14th street bridge is looking good, as does southbound at this hour carrying a light volume of traffic. joe and eun, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. our time is 6:12, 74 degrees. never before seen video of pop icon michael jackson. >> plus, sonia sotomayor faces a final day of tough questions. next, what senate republicans are now accusing the supreme court minoe of doing.

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during the pontiac summer closeout. sit pontiacdealer.com our time now is 6:14. updating the top store this the news for today, crews are on the scene of a water main break in annandale. it happened on little river turnpike between conwell drive and pinecrest parkway. one lane is open on both sides of little river turnpike. a police shootout near the

u.s. capitol building left a man dead. officers say it started when the man sped away from a routine traffic stop. he then drove the wrong way down the street, struck two officers with his car and finally crashed into a police cruiser. the man was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. the takoma park metro station and the tracks leading into and out of it will close from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today so investigators can look into last month's deadly crash. the ntsb wants to perform more tests on the red line track. the station will also be closed for nearly the entire day tomorrow. >> supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor faces a final day of questioning on capitol hill. today, sotomayor once again goes before the senate judiciary committee. so far, she has side stepped volume lease of questions on abortion, gun rights and other contentious issues. brooke hart is live with more on what's expected during today's confirmation hearings. >> reporter: today, two firefighters from new haven, connecticut, step from the audience to the witness table. they'll testify against sonia

sotomayor, lieutenant benjamin vargas is one of them. >> what was done to us is wrong. we feel th everybody shoul know our story and why it was wrong and what we've gone through. >> reporter: judge sotomayor was on the court panel that threw out a promotions test white firefighters passed but their black counterparts failed. late last month, the supreme court reversed that ruling. >> you're under a lot of pressure here. >> reporter: republicans pushed on it tuesday. >> these are cases where people are discriminated against. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has said on that case and in another upholding a weapons ban on nunchucks in new york that she was following high court precedent at the time. >> does the state have a rational basis for prohibiting the possession of this kind of instrument? >> reporter: and the judge said she saw no litmus test for her nomination on any issue, including aboron. >> i was asked no question by anyone, including the president, about my views on any specific legal issue. >> reporter: judge sotomayor has never ruled on abortion.

gop senator and doctor tom coburn asked what if technology some day let babies born dangerously prematurely be saved who could not be now? would that change abortion law? >> all i'm asking, should it have any bearing? >> i can't answer that in the abstract. >> reporter: democrats expect her q and a to wrap up today. >> that was brooke hart reporting. the senate is expected to vote on her confirmation early next month. president obama is pushing his health care reform agenda. yesterday, mr. obama again pushed the senate and house to pass landmark bills before the august recess. he said health care right now is unsustainable and that has to change. the senate health committee has also approved a $600 billion measure at requires individuals to get insurance and requires employers to help pay for them. president obama will spend part of the day at the naacp convention in new york. the white house says president obama will celebrate the

organization's history and briefly touch on the debate about what the naacp's next century should bring. he also machines to urge government, families and neighborhoods to work together to improve their communities. >> new details in the slaying of a florida couple. police in pensacola say they have arrested an eighth person now in connection with the murders of melanie and byrd billings. they were shot to death in their home a week ago today. pamela long wiggins has now been charged with accessory after the fact, a felony murder. she was arrested after being questioned by the police. the billings had become well-known for opening their home to care for disabled children in the panhandle area of florida. >> crews near detroit are still cleaning up after a gas tanker explosiothat should down an interstate. check out this incredible video. the tanker was carrying about 9,000 gallons of gas when it crashed yesterday. a bridge partially collapsed in the midst of the heat and flames. the drivers of the tanker, a

semi and another car were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. police are interviewing three people to learn more about how all of that unfolded. >> well, just a few days after firing their manager, the nationals now have a new skipper and he's looking to turn the season around. >> jim riggleman has already held his first team practice. dan hellie has more in your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody, your sports minute start was the nationals. the organization introduced jim riggleman as the interim manager at nats park yesterday. the club, hoping riggleman, who grew up in rockville and went to richard montgomery high school, can jump start the worst team in baseball but don't expect anything too drastic. riggleman was quick to praise his predecessor, saying manny acta did everything right. the capitals re-signed several players yesterday, including shaone morrisonn and forwards eric fehr and chris bourque.

meanwhile, the caps stars of the future continued their work at the development camp this week. one of those guys is a 19-year-old whose father played for the caps during the '70s and '80s. in the wnba, mystics all star alana beard scored 17 points yesterday against san antonio but it was not enough. the silver stars edged the mystics 79-78. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great day. >> it's just about 6:21. that means it's time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4. >> good morning. the sun came up at 5:56, but we have had clouds obscuring it over the last half hour or so. it's 74 rather muggy degrees in washington. on radar, one lonely shower in western hardy county in west virginia. wherls, a few sprinkles eastern part of the lower neck and the lower eastern shore by the beaches. temperatures around the region, low 70s, montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties.

weather watchers checking in from southern maryland, it in the low and mid-70s there. rather humid in the shenandoah valley and out into the mountains. a mostl cloudy day, highs upper 80s. should be rather huld today and a small chance of an afternoon thundershower. tomorrow, partly sunny, still rather humid, upper 80s. looks like friday evening some showers and thundershowers are likely. then on saturday, perhaps a morning shower and then maybe an afternoon thundershower, highs mid-80s. then partly sunny sunday, near 80 with lower humidity as well as into monday. small chance of showers on tuesday and wednesday as we get into next week. now the traffic on this thursday morning. how's it looking, jerry? >> tom, got that problem out on 66 told you about earlier. we found it in one of the traffic cameras. 66 eastbound approaching 29 centreville, left side of the roadway is tied up. you can see police, what appears to be a fire truck or an ambulance there, left side. we're jammed from manassas to that point. heavy again from fair oaks to the scene of the earlier accident on 66 eastbound over near nutley street. elsewhere, check out your speeds, see how you're doing so far this morning.

not bad on the beltway, outer loop headed for the wilson bridge, a little bit of a lane shift by the way at van dorn street. talk about that a little later on. through lanes do remain open. just a little slow through there. off the wilson bridge up to route 50, 18 minutes. another 9 minutes from route 50 up to college park. all of that just volume. joe and eun, back to you. >> all right. thank you, jerry. >> thanks. 6:22, 74 degrees right now. how local homeowners who were promised the american dream now face financial ruin. >> in the never before seen video of michael jackson injured while shooting a pepsi commercial. >> plus, the emmy nominations that have hollywood all abuzz. >> and 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 show your age. many restaurant chains have reduced price menus for kids and other reduced prices for seniors. and don't forget your birthday. many restaurants are generous to

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this bar is an excellent source of fiber. there's no fiber in this. tastes too good. there is fiber. [ chuckle ] no. i can't taste the fiber in this chocolate. they have 35% of your daily value. hmm. oh, samples. hmm. autobahn. wackenschdol. fiber one chewy bars. cardboard no. delicious yes. good morning and welcome back. nbc is hoping for a big showing when the tv emmy awards are announced this morning. "30 rock" is in the hunt to win

for the best comedy the third year in a row. "the office" is in the mix as well. "mad men" is believed to have a good shot at another victory. the nominations will all be announced at 8:30 this morning. >> now to the latest on the michael jackson. this morning, never before seen video of the pop star's hair catching on fire on the set of a pepsi commercial that hit the internet. "us" weekly magazine posted the video on its website. jackson suffered severe burns back in 1984. jackson didn't realize his hair was on fire until people tackled him to put it out. "us weekly" says the incident may have led to his add dickingings to pain medication. >> that is horrifying video. it goes on for several seconds, the burning, terrible. >> didn't realize what was going on. >> the 24-hour standoff that came to a violent end in fairfax county. >> also, some breaking news this

morning, the water main break that's caused major problems for the morning commute. >> then, metro riders be on alert. why a big chunk of the red line will be shut down for most of this d dbuild a sand castle?e sure, pal, let's just find a good spot. a big day at the beach. with the legendary taste of dunkin' donuts coffee on ice... this looks like a good spot. you kin' do it. america runs on dunkin'. co dn with a refreshing iced coffee from dunkin' donuts today. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%.

and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act.

breaking news. thousands of gallons of water flood city streets and prompt detours. where this break is and how it's going to affect your morning commute. >> rail block. the investigation continues into that deadly metro crash. why parts of the red line will be closed and what you need to know to navigate your way around town. >> good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today. it is thursday, july 16th, 2009. look at that gorgeous sun out there in the midst of the sky, just a beautiful picture. >> but there are some clouds in the sky. let's see what that means for our weather for today. >> it's turned a ltle more humid overnight.

>> we can feel it. .> some like it ic.ky and gng o t beo happy today as it's going to be turengor m or huhed tas day progresses. right now on radar, that one little shower was in the pa wnhane oftesairtgias hni ssat. ed e a raave e,nyt h ar tinndouhe ongire. shs i the iid-70sn wagtin, wgtn 7 i0s memo rint, x rygofairandfa pe nc 'sge cs.ou rgechathe waters ccking in fr om thehe snalloavah , ey s fpae tdlnhes wesir vanigi re poatin rgrumhehe ts id hre a a wells arnd touhe belu ridge. and southern maryland, northern neck, eastern shore weather watchers reporting temperatures in the low 70s there s a all. neou, 70nsnt ar no adna rarng s rhowieom som inothe u sesklp ipr i synnania andesrntesy maryland, north central west virginia as well as on the eastern shore. acbes getting some sprinkles right now. for us today, partly cloudy this morning, rather humid. afternoon highs reefg the upper 80s. small chance of an afternoon thundershower. a look at tonight and tomorrow in ten minutes. >> all right. thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards now, take another look at the roads. >> good morning.

head into the district, take a live look and see how we're doing here. new jersey avenue, new york avenue, everything seems to be doing pretty well so far. all the way into town, new york avenue from really coming in from maryland to the 3rd street nnel and beyond, no worries whatsoever this morning. elsewhere, check out the capital beltway south of town. outer loop of the beltway from springfield to the point past van dorn shift, far right lane splits off from the other lane after van dorn street. part of the continuing construction project. it will be a bit slow for the time being. inner loop to the wilson brge, no worries. the top side i-95 to 355 still doing okay. joe and eun, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> more now on that breaking news. a water mine break in northern virginia is affecting the northern commute. >> the situation is unfolding along little river turnpike along conwell drive and park -- some lanes are closed both east

and westbound. >> megan mcgrath is live on the scene with the latest now. the last time we checked, they were making some progress. what's going on right now? >> reporter: we are continuing to see progress. crews are right now pumping water out of the hole. they brought in the backhoe. they're going to begin digging here in a little bit when they get some of the water out so they can get down there, see what kind of a break they're dealing with. this is a 12-inch water main that's causing the problem this morning. we still have lane closures here on little river turnpike. that is likely going to be the case throughout the morning rush hour. we have one lane going in the westbound direction. we have two lanes going in the eastbound direction. now, earlier we talked about a gas line that was in the area that was close to this broken water main that was causing some problems. they have located that gas line so they are at least able to do some work now. >> the good news is that repairs have begun. we are digging now as opposed to, shoveling by hand, they've located the gas main. starting to go here.

how long will it take? we have to uncover our main to find out exactly what happened, whether that's a gasket repair or whether we have to put new pipe in. >> reporter: this water main break is on the little river turnpike near pinecrest parkway. work is under way but expect delays through the area at least through the morning rush hour. back to you. >> thanks very much. >> this morning, we are learning more about that shooting near the u.s. capitol. officers say it started when the man sped away from a routine traffic stop along new jersey avenue. he then drove the wrong way down a street, struck two officers with his car and finally crashed into a police cruiser. police say the man then fired shots at the officers who returned fire and killed him. the man's name has not been released. a 24-hour police standoff came to a violent end in falls chur church, virginia, last night. it began on tuesday when the man shot the mother of his 8-year-old son in an apparent argument. police say he took the boy and

another woman hostage inside a home on fisher drive. hostage negotiators tried to get the man to give up, but when they lost communication, they stormed in. police say they found him with a self-inflicted wound. the woman and child were removed from the home safely. the 36-year-old woman that t man shot on tuesday remains in grave condition. >> well, the investigation into that deadly metro crash continues. today the ntsb will conduct tests along the stretch of track where the accident occurred. metro will close the takoma station from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to conduct those tests. that, in turn, is going to cause some major delays for riders who plan to use metro. news 4's michael flynn is live with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. yeah, later on this morning, just a few hours from now, metro's going to be running a bus bridge to get around the takoma station here as the investigation continues into last month's deadly rail crash. the takoma station here will close, as you said, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. today as investigators conduct what they're calling site-distance tests on the tracks between the

takoma and ft. totten rail station. that means metro will have to run shuttle buses between the ft. totten, takoma and silver spring stations. the june 22nd crash killed 9 people and injured 80 others. the national transportation safety board is leading the crash investigation and has said that investigators are looking at the possibility that a track circuit which sends stop and speed signals to the trains may have malfunctioned. i just spoke with a red line commuter who hadn't heard about the shutdown plans at this station. >> oh. well, i did -- didn't know they were going to do it, but i think if they've got to disrupt something, that's probably the best time because you can find alternative methods at that hour. >> reporter: but it seems like they're avoiding the morning commute for you? >> that's fine. >> reporter: so you're glad? >> y. >> reporter: and along with the takoma station here closing from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today it will close down all day long on saturday, joe, from 7:00 a.m. to

7:00 p.m. back to you. >> thanks very much. >> the prosecution in the banita jacks trial will present their case today. yesterday, the prosecution and defense presented their opening statements to the judge who will weh the evidence in the trial. jacks, who is accused of killing her four daughters, waived her right to a jury trial. the judge has also allowed into evidence a six-hour video interview of jacks -- jacks made -- of jacks made by police investigators. the bodies of jacks' four girls were found inside her southeast d.c. home in january of 2008. >> 6:36 right now. 74 degrees. after several attempts, shuttle "endeavour" lifts off but this morning nasa is worried about flying debris. >> plus, how local homeowners who were promised the american dream came to face financial ruin. >> and wait until you see why a playboy playmate is handing out free food right here on capitol hill. wqocgcc

6:39 is our time. 74 degrees right now. clouds have kind of covered up a little bit of the sun right now but you can see it looks like a beautiful day, although we're going to get some more heat and humidity as the -- this day and we head toward the weekend. we're going to get more from tom kierein coming up in just a bit.

>> first, here is your bargain blast of the day. free breakfast on ikea. for two days only, this saturday and sunday, ikea is serving up a free meal with coffee. >> the offer is only valid while supplies last, though. you can logon to ikea's website to print out the free coupon. >> we are approaching 6:41. that means we'll check traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein now to find out more about that forecast for today as we head on into the weekend. >> yeah, the warmest morning of the year, warmest morning of the summer now in the mid-70s in washington and the nearby suburbs low 70s. there's the sun up over the potomac river this morning. sun came up about 45 minutes ago. right now 74 in washington, low 70s montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. mclean and colesville, turned more humid. a humid day. a small chance of an afternoon passing thundershower. great weather for tonight's nats/cubs game at nationals

park. ought to be in the low 80s and partly cloudy. near 80 by midnight. by dawn tomorrow, near 70 again. another day, rather humid on friday, partly sunny, could get some thundershowers friday night. before that, into the upper 80s. a look at the weekend and next week as well as an incredible sight in the skies over northern maryland last week. i'll show you video of that. that will be coming up in ten minutes. jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? >> good morning. i want to show you something we don't see too often. 270 virtually wide-open from montgomery village to the split. got to love the summertime. not much happening at all. now that i said it, i probably jinxed it. looking good 270 down. on the rails this morning at the moment, no issues to report on metrorail. trains running on time. keep in mind the closure during the midday of the stations up there. we'll talk about that throughout the day. vre looking good as is marc rail so far. eun, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. it is now 6:41.

straight ahead, the sears tower, a famous phrase that will soon be a thing of the past. >> we're also hear with d.c. mayor adrien fenty. next we'll ask him about parking problems along 14th street and the latest on marion barry's hintractndro a obe ters.thng >> thank 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. welcome back. we are connecting you to the mayor this morning. i'm here with d.c. mayor adrian fenty. welcome. >> thanks for having me. >> good to have you with us. let's begin with a topic that is on the minds of a lot of commuters. is there any reason why the district is not enforcing parking restrictions during the evening hours on 14th street between the mall? over the past several months there have been anywhere between four to eight cars illegally parked during those restricted times. do you know what's going on and have you been cutting back on parking enforcement at all? that's what the viewer writes. >> yeah, no cutbacks on parking enforcement, for better or worse there. a lot -- i wonder if they mean the part of the mall that the park service -- >> i'm gathering this is 14th street where it splits at the

mall. >> yeah. >> is that your jurisdiction. >> it's actually federal government, park service south of constitution, and that is that part that you're talking about, is park service. but we can relay a message to the park service if people call us at 311, just like if you're calling with a local road. we'll get the park service ticketers and tow trucks out there and we certainly will relay this e-mail to them as well. >> okay. that's good. earlier this week you went to new york city to endorse michael bloomberg. >> yeah, yeah. >> now you've been criticized in the past, of course, for leaving town without telling people where you're going or why you're going. you announced this trip to new york. does this indicate a change in policy or something special about this trip? >> yeah, i really -- to be honest with you, until you said that, you didn't know whether we announced it or not. we have a policy of putting a public schedule together, but it's mainly public events. we haven't really had a practice of having, you know, private events in town or out of town on that public schedule. we probably won't. >> this was a public event? >> this was -- this was more of

a private event. >> okay. >> yeah. >> well, if it was on, then it was a mistake, i guess. if it was on the schedule orot the kind of thing you -- >> really, to be honest with you, i don't know the ins and outs of how the whole public schedule works. i know any of our press conferences, public meetings, walk-throughs, these type of things, those are all on the public schedule. private meetings in the office, those aren't on the schedule, or private meetings in someone else's oice when i'm out of town, those are not on the schedule either. but you got a leg up on me this morning. i have to go back and check. >> okay. well, another controversy involving former mayor and current council member marion barry made headlines this week. now the d.c. council is investigating contracts granted by all council members after it was revealed that barry gave a contract to his former girlfriend. his then girlfriend at the time. i guess let me ask you, did you have any of these personal service contracts when you were a council member? >> no, no, i actually did not. when -- the one thing i did when i was on the city council, i was chair of a special investigat n

investigation, and we hired a consultant and i think it went through a process where the committee voted on it, full council voted on it. >> what do you think about this idea of granting these contracts? should there be tougher restrictions? >> yes. yes, there should be. >> so you're not in favor of them. now, the former mayor said at one point this week that he didn't see anything wrong with granting a contract to his then girlfriend. do you have a problem with that, personal relationship, giving somebody a district contract? >> you know, i think that having served on the council, i think, you know, you have your employees who work under you. and then you do some contracting out. i think if it's done through a special committee, as i was talking about, you absolutely should run it through the whole council. whether or not you should do that for hiring a contractor or a consultant, i'm not sure yet, but i do know there probably needs to be a little bit more

review than is in place right now. but give the council a lot of credit. they're looking at it and i think they'll come up with tougher standards. >> mr. mayor, thank you very much. if you have a question for d.c. mayor adrien fenty, send us an e-mail to fenty@nbcwashington.com. thanks very much. >> thank you. >> eun? >> thank you, joe. thank you, mr. mayor. well, a loudoun -- a woman from loudoun county has been inn died on a $50 million mortgage fraud scheme but she's nowhere to be found. investigators say 42-year-old diane fredricka tar i took advantage of more than 100 home buyers in virginia. they say atari inflated her clients' income and fraudulently fixed their credit to get them homes they couldn't afford. >> they didn't have the ability or the money to pay. the sad part about it is their credit's ruined. they're bankrupt. they're foreclosed. and that's the way the scheme worked. >> the massive losses suffered by mortgage lenders will likely be passed on to all homeowners

in the form of increased insurance rates. investigators believe that atari has fled the country. futures are pointing to a negative opening this morning and the sears tower is getting a new name. cnbc's courtney reagan joins us live with all of today's business headlines. >> reporter: good morning, eun. futures were definitely trending lower but believe it or not we got some earnings reports we'll detail in just a minute here that have actually sent us a bit higher this morning. just moments ago, so that's some good, positive new news to share with your viewers. following, of course, what we saw yesterday, a nice, big rally. it was spurred by intel's strong earngs report. asian markets ended up higher overnight. that good sentiment spread overseas. europe a little bit lower in early trading, some gains. we will get data today on new filings for unemployment benefits as we do every thursday. business conditions in the mid-atlantic region and home builder sentiment. that's all to come later this morning. as i mentioned, jpmorgan did just report their quarterly earnings coming in at 28 cents 'er share.

that's much higher than the 4 cents a share the street had expected. as i mentioned, our futures are now a bit higher. the dow's going to start us off at 8616 after jumping 256 points on wednesday. the nasdaq gained 63 points to 1862. well, bailout talks between c.i.t. and the government have broken off. reports say the company may even file for bankruptcy on friday. the treasury department says there are limits to the government's ability to help out troubled companies. c.i.t. is a commercial lender with about 1 million customers in the retail airline and manufacturing sectors. it had $75 billion in assets of as of march, 1/9 the size of lehman brothers. the number of americans on the verge of losing their homes soared. nearly 15% in the first half of the year, despite the government programs to help people avoid foreclosure. realtytrac monitors that

activity and they say that more than 1.5 million households were affected. and after today, chicago's sears tower, one of the world's largest buildings, will no longer officially be known by that name. it's being renamed the willis tower after a british company that secured the naming rights by leasing sever floors. built in 1973, the sears tower was the headquarters for the iconic department store chain until the mid 1990s. a little bit different. i will have to get used to saying the willis tower. >> it will take awhile. courtney reagan, thanks so much. >> news 4 is always looking for jobs for you. today a job fair will be held in downtown washington. the fair will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the washington convention center in northwest. more than 40 companies will be on-site talking to potential employees. today's fair is hosted by congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. those attending are asked to bring copies of their rume and wear professional attire.

>> nasa says it's not worried about what happened during the launch of space shuttle "endeavour" last night. >> three, two, one. booster ignition and liftoff of "endeavour." >> nasa officials say eight or nine pieces of foam insulation came off the shuttle's external fuel tank during liftoff. the shuttle was apparently hit at least two or three times by the foam. tomorrow "endeavour" will dock with the international space station. >> well, let's get another look at our forecast. >> are you wearing seat belts this morning? >> i am actually. i'm a cautious kind of guy. >> good thing because right now we're going 70,000 miles an hour. that's the speed of the earth in its orbit around the sun. whenever it encounters a rock floating in space, it's like a bug on the windshield. this is what it looks like when it encounters a space rock. a fireball lit up the sky in northern maryland, near york, pennsylvania. this was last week. about 1:00 in morning. it was captured on a security

camera video. it's just being released now. this was over york, pennsylvania. it was so bright it lit up the sky like a noon day sun briefly as it incinerated as it hit the upper atmosphere. there's the sun up now. it's coming up in a partly cloudy sky at this hour. on radar we don't have any precipitation here, but as we take a look off to our east on ve weo ha a few sprinkles now on the eastern shore. temperatures are mild and muggy. in fact, our warmest morning of the year so far. it's in the mid-70s in washington. it's in the low 70s, montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. eastern shore's mild and muggy and in the low 70s. turned humid overnight out in the mountains as well. the humidity beginning to move in here. still not really a sweltering humidity but it's going to be increasing as the day progresses. if you're traveling today, could be flight delays again in florida, tennessee valley, northern new england but elsewhere across the country, shouldn't have any problems. here's our forecast for today. we'll have highs reaching the upper 80s. it will be ratherhu mid, small chance of an afternoon

dershower. great weather for tonight's cubs/nats game. at game time, first pitch, ought to be in the low 80s and partly cloudy. by midnight, upper 0s, low 70s by dawn tomorrow. another rather humid day on friday. afternoon highs into the upper 80s. then friday night looks like a likelihood of maybe some showers and thundershowers, maybe a morning shower saturday or an afternoon thundershower. highs mid-80s. but most of the weekend should be dry. lower humidity returns on sunday and coolare,th partly cloudy, highs near 80. more of the se on monday. a slight chance of showers tuesday and wednesday as we get into next week. >> les get to the roads now. here's jerry. >> good morning. head over -- i want to show you some pictures of the capital beltway. this is the outer loop of the beltway from springfield past van dorn street. it is just jammed because of a lane split over there. the far right lane of the outer loop just after van dorn street completely breaks off. three lanes are maintained. all part of the construction project over there in association with the eisenhower avenue closure. really quite the mess right now

traveling the outer loop of the beltway from springfield. most of the way to telegraph road actually. let's see what else is happening. traveling the inner loop toward the woodrow wilson bridge, no hangups there. top side of the webeltway, been pretty quiet so far, greenbelt to silver spring to the american legion bridge. back to you. >> thank you. >> thanks a lot. water main break in northern virginia is affecting some folks in their morning commute. >> the situation is unfolding along little river turnpike between conwell drive and pinecrest parkway in annandale. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live with the latest on this. >> reporter: good morning. you can see behind me the crews are still at work here. they're actually starting to get down there into that hole with the backhoe and access the pipe that's broken. it's a 12-inch water main that is broken. what we're hearing is the asphalt crews have also arrived so they're poised to really get working, get cracking at this repair here. their hope is that in a couple hours they'll at least be able to open one more lane in the westbound direction. right now we only have one lane

going westbound, but again they hope to provide another lane here shortly. we still have two lanes going in the eastbound direction. back to you all in the studio. >> megan mcgrath. thank you. >> thanks. well, today's news 4's morning persons are described as the best people in the whole world. kate gonzalez and testsy yates nominated all of their swim coaches for the lake ridge lancer swim team in woodbridge, virginia. they say every morning these coaches are happy and cheerful and ready to help them be the best swim team ever. team members say the coaches go above and beyond each and every day. well, congratulations to them. if you know someone like these coaches, e-mail their story and a clear, close-up video or picture to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. >> a produce-wearing playboy playmate brought droves of capitol hill staffers out to the rayburn office building. yes, those are lettuce cups, people. jade nicole helped peta launch

its vej yy dog day. nicole who was a 2008 playmate of the year says eating vegetarian helps her maintain her figure. >> i'm seurll those guys in line were interested in the issues. >> of course. >> i'm sure they were. absolutely. >> taste the hot dog. the speaker was okay. >> thank you for forthing your day with us. >> see you for "news 4 midday." >> bye. oyoy8&            

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