that's safeway. right now, get sweet blueberries -- just 99¢ a pint with your club card. safeway just lowered the price of summer. you're watching nbc 4, live from the area's leading news station, this is news 4 at 11:00. houses ripped open. man cured yards become unrecognizable. neighborhoods littered with tree

limbs. tonight all kinds of evince of a likely tornado that roared through this afternoon. good evening. >> the worst damage appears to be northwest of washington. in a town of iamsville, maryland. they're assessing the damage left behind. craig joins us. >> reporter: wendy, many of the folks we talked to in the small town of iamsville today swore it was a tornado that touched down this afternoon. the national weather service will neither confirm or deny that tomorrow. certainly, though, two things are certain. one, sadly, lots of trees were lost. but fortunately no lives. >> i kept hearing trees cracking. they were cracking everywhere. >> reporter: the afternoon storm surprised jimmy and his family. >> tree limbs flying in the sky, just like going by. just zooming by. we ran in the shop here. >> reporter: his 14-year-old daughter, mary, huddled inside with her worried friend. >> my friend was crying.

she called her mom and she thought her dog died. >> reporter: the dog was fine, and so were all the people who live along this road in iamsville. but the winds picked up huge bales of hay, crashed them into fences across the street. the same winds toppled trees onto truck and turned this picturesque backyard into a work zone. >> we just came outside, and all our trees were snapped in half. >> the ground here, there's a lot of trees that were taken out, knocked over, broken at the tops. some were uprooted. knocking down power lines. >> reporter: from the air, more devastation at whisky river golf course. snapped trees and trunks dotted the fairways and greens. they'll continue cleebup here tomorrow. some started thursday evening, before the sun went away. the lucky ones only had t repair part of a roof. or clear a few leaves.

one family lost much more. this was perhaps the storm's greatest casualty. a farmhouse built around 1840, flattened in seconds. the historic griron home that sat a few feet away built around the same time, also damaged. while a board or two may have to find somewhere else to sleep, no one else will. as the fire chief explained, the trees seem to swirl around people's homes, but refused to destroy them. >> it could have been aho lot worse. this is all it is, we're thankful. >> reporter: tonight we're told there are still about 870 homes without power in frederick county. back to you guys. >> thanks, craig. the same storms caused damage in finksburg. strong winds damaged 15 houses there. the roofs were torn off several of them. two huge trees fell onto cars on old hundred dread road. nobody in those cars was

injured. and this was the view from our tower camera at about 3:00 this afternoon. the storms knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers. that was really scary out there for a little while. >> indeed it was. it came through so fast. these storms moving at 40, 50 miles an hour, and they also were not huge thunderstorms, but rather storms that had a lot of rotation. right now, in and around us, there are still a few lingering showers out there in west virginia. you can see the overall path now, all that's left is way, way out there in the ocean. and still some lingering showers down around the tidewater area, in the norfolk water. look at the wind damage. over almost 70 reports of wind damage, straight line winds. and i did talk to the folks at the weather service, they've been out there and they will be issuing their report tomorrow. preliminary is that it will probably be an f-1 tornado in iamsville. winds of 100 or more, 100 to 110

miles per hour, and there was some rotary damage. so right now, it will be the official report tomorrow. but a confirmed tornado. what we had today. >> thanks, bob. a bill overhauling health care is now moving to the full house of representatives. in a victory for president obama tonight, the house energy and commerce committee approved sweeping legislation. the overhaul of the nation's health care system aims to extend health insurance to millions of americs, while slowing down the explosion of the country's medical costs. the vote tonight sets up a showdown in the full house in september. almost six weeks after a deadly crash along t red line, metro is taking back its tracks. the national transportation safety board will continue its investigation off-site for now. metro says that means some noticeable changes for riders. jackie vincent's live at the tacoma station tonight. jackie? >> reporter: wendy, what this means is metro can now make repairs on those tracks. it means trains will be able to

run faster when the repairs are completed. there will be fewer delays. but we have learned tonight that investigators have now removed some train control modules fm metro's downtown command center. the ntsb's move clears the way for work to begin on the section of tracks between the stations where june's deadly crash happened. nine people died when two red line trains collided. metro general manager john kato said the repair work will take 30 days. >> once we complete these repairs, we will be able to operate on service at normal speed. and keeping a normal schedule. >> reporter: currently metro trains are required to run at a greatly reduced speed, about 15 miles per hour through the affected area. riders have been patient, well aware of the reason for the delays. >> very slow sometimes. not very reliable getting downtown. >> reporter: metro's gm says

ntsb investigators have also removed train-controlled modules from the affected area for examination. >> i have no information of the results of those tests. when that is decided, and if any problems are found, or any areas that they wish for us to do additional work, they will communicate that to us, and to the public at the same time. >> reporter: metro says it will keep riders updated on that red line repair work through its website. wendy, back to you. >> jackie, thanks. honda is recalling almost half million vehicles due to a potentially fatal air bag defect. the recall affects some of the carmaker's best-sellinghe accor and civic modelfr1 200s and 202. honda says the air bagte inflats can rupture, and that causes metal fragments to shoot through the air bag and strike people in the car. the defective air bag is on the driver's side. it has been linked to one death and a number of juries.

the carmaker says the air bags will be replaced for free. the house approved another $2 billion to keep the cash for clunkers program going. by trading in old cars, customers get up to $4,500 toward a more fuel-efficient car. yesterday lawmakers found out the program's $1 billion budget is already running low. after it was onl just launched. local dealers say the program has inundated them with new customers. one dealer in springfield, virginia, said he knew the funds wouldn't last long. >> i thought that the money would run out before november 1st. i had no idea that they would be talking about it running out after a week. i thought it would last a month, month and a half. >> these are the clunkers at fairfax hyundai. that dealership beat july sales expectations by 100 vehicles. still ahead, cracking down on wall street. bonuses.

an amateur photographer gets an incredible shot of lightning as he gets knocked down. a preliminary finding a pilot disregarded the weather before his chopper crashed, killing four people. a bear sighting. it startled some workers at a northern virginia day care. coming up in sports, the nationals trade away a key veteran on the team. also, meanwhile, former national milledge working with extra motivation. signed, sealed and delivered. now it's time to see him on the field.

a man has died after a shooting in columbia heights in the district tonight. police say the shooting involved a special police officer. it happened just after 9:00 tonight in the 1400 block of girard street. investigators say the armed security guard was on duty when he shot the man in the abdomen. the homicide division is

investigating that shooting. a preliminary report into the deadly helicopter crash reveals that the pilot was warned about foul weather just minutes before he took off. the crash happened last thursday night between hagerstown and frederick. four people were killed the national transportation safety board report says the pilot spoke to a friend on the phone who warned of fog, wind and lightning in the area. that pilot, jeffrey nordas, apparently told his friend he would wait for better weather. but according to the report he took off shortly afterwards. the helicopter crashed after hitting an unmarked utility wire over i-70. lawyers for the man charged with killing chandra levy say they have evidence other suspects may have committed that crime. in court today, ingmar defense sdaihe ty said s they haveai to possible suspects. th they also pointed to dna evidence from levy's clothing which did not match ingmar.

he was charged with killing chandra levy. prosecutors plan to present other sex crimes he committed. the 7-year-old boy who led police on a car chase talks about his punishment. a group of kids who said they faced discrimination at a swim club in philadelphia got a special trip to disney world. >> and bob's back with a look at the weekend forecast. try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak. an updated all-time favorite: juicy steak layered with zesty chipotle sauce, melted cheese, piled high with only... the toppings you love on freshly baked bread.

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it's been a good month on wall street. the dow finished by gaining more ground today, closing at 9171. this month gains totaled 724 points. and 8.4% gain. investors saw the best july for this market in 20 years. connecticut senator chris dodd announced today he has prostate cancer. the 65-year-old democrat said

the disease is in its early stages. he will have surgery during the senate's august recess. he's up for re-election in 2010, and says the illness will not affect those plans. a boy made headlines this week, he stole his parents' car and led the police on a chase. he got up last sunday morning, decided to take his parents' car for a spin. cops chased him after they said he was driving evaticly. got home, jumped out of the car, ran in the house. his parents are glad he didn't hurt anyone or get hurt. on the "today" show this morning, preston talked about his punishment. >> grounded for four days. and no tv. no video games. >> preston says he figured out how to drive from watching his mother and his sister. he told the police that he didn't want to go to church that day. some kids from philadelphia who said they faced discrimination at a swim club at the happiest place on earth tonight. the 65 day campers arrived in

orlando for a trip to disney world paid by media mogul tyler perry. he decided to send him on the trip after he heard the mostly black group was kept from a swim club because of the race. they said it wasn't because of race, but safety the kids were turned away. an amateur photographer caught quite a lightning strike this week. the man was on the porch of his house in st. augustine, florida. he said the force of the strike knocked him backwards. he says for a moment all he saw was light. i bet he wants to be grounded for four days now, literally. >> the day before that was not so strange. >> i bet he won't do that again. >> we talked about the tornado in the whisky creek, and i got an e-mail from carla palomi, i

think it is. she was on the 13th hole. and i asked her to describe it. and what was the most startling was the sound, the rapid formation of the sky appearing to be moving right toward us. it was almost surreal, especially since there was no buildings around us to obstruct what we saw. it was almost like the sky wanted to keep rolling over and over again. and it was moving toward us. it was literally unbelievable. and there was no thunder or lightning. and the sound. this is what -- we had our sky watcher, too, in time lapse. these storms, it was a tornado, a small tornado. and when we get a lot of spin in the atmosphere -- i wish i had seen that. i'm glad she made it off the fairway. i think it was a par or birdie hole she was on. this is the time lapse of the traffic. and this is the time lapse of our sky. and you can see the twisting and turning going on as the storms were coming through.

and what was most remarkable, as indeed a lot of folks hardly heard any thunder, because these were storms that didn't build up to really thunderstorm strength. but rather we had so much wind direction, and shear and twists and turns in the atmosphere. ou hrh temperature today io h tegup d.90esrebe t io t90 degrees. t 74 right now. look at the temperatures around the east. the high temperatures, 90 here. 93 down to our south. so we had all of the ingredients. a lot of heat and a lot of humidity. and then as all of this came through, you can see that moisture in and around us. and then thepin in the atmosphere. all of that combined right in over us. not only over us, but as i showed you, to our north, a lot of reports of damage, because it was all coming through so fast. fortunately it's all gone. there might be one or two lingering sprinkles and showers out to our west, for you folks out in the mountains of west virginia. we haven't forgotten about you there. but all of that will be coming to an end and it's all moving

out. these storms in this area of showers coming through 35, 40 miles an hour. pretty unusual for july when atmosphere is more settled. here we are, now what's left of it, way off to the east. you're heading out to the beaches tomorrow, there may be a few lingering clouds there. we're still going to be seeing a bit of a humid pattern. and then as we get later on into the weekend, by sunday, it's possible there could be another line of showers and thundershowers coming our way. but i don't think anything like today. so, for tomorrow morning when you get up and head out, clear to sunny. warm, humid. temperatures overnight tonight, only about 70 degrees. tomorrow, we'll see a lot of sunshine. i think it will be a nice summery day, a bit on the humid side. temperatures will be getting up to near 90 degrees. out of the mountains of west virginia, a slight chance for an afternoon thundershower. then by sunday f it's august, did we mention that, august is coming. there could be an afternoon thundershower. temperatures in the mid-80s. the good thing is, in a way, there's still no sign of any

building day-after-day heat. but what a day today. and quieter day tomorrow for sure. enjoy it. coming up, the shuttle "endeavour" is back home. straight overseas becoming a tourist destination because of all the twins that live there. in sports, shipping out of veter s of veterans at the t

with her son off to college, liz turned to target for great deals. like a twenty dollar comforter for his bed. a fridge for healthy snacks a reading lamp to study by and a cell phone to call home. so liz chose target showing off her college smarts about svings target. expect more. pay less.

they got the guy they wanted. he's out there at camp. he's not necessarily happy, i guess. >> he's happy, because he got paid. >> that's right. >> and then some. >> i'm going to put on my microphone. >> why not. >> five years, $20 million. >> you can have mine, all right? try yours first. >> hers the deal.

second practice today, tomorrow morning is going to be the first time redskins first round draft pick brian will go through a full practice with his teammates. he signed that five-year, $ million deal worth $12.1 million guaranteed. he said has having to miss the first day of camp wasn't easy. >> i'm the guy that always wants to be at every team function. be at every practice. you know, i'm a guy that doesn't like missing out on stuff due to different conflicts and stuff like that. i'm always a work horse basically. you know, so, i mean, but on the other side of things, the business side, we got it done. m here and we can move on. >> greg brash never minces words. yesterday he was very vocal about how he felt like you were missing valuable time. i know you talked to him today. he was all smiles. but what was that conversation like with defensive coordinator? >> you need to be here. he was like, i understand the

problems, the whole contract issues and stuff like that. but, you know, he and the rest of the coaches really want to get this train rolling, and want all the pieces that were added this year to be together. and kind of get -- get as much together as possible. i understand where he was coming from. like i said, it's a business side of it. we final took care of it. i'm here and we can keep going. >> moving from defensive end to linebacker. the redskins cannot wait to see what he's got in store. elsewhere in the nfl, five days after he was reinstated, michael vick still trying to sign on with an nfl team. today patriots coach bill belichick said he would not rule out signing vick. d'angelo hall became close to michael vick as a teammate with the falcons. he speaks to him often. he thinks he's close to signing on with a team in the nfl. >> i do. i do. you know, i feel like as a player, you know, i think it would be crazy for a team not to

pick him up. depending on the situation. i know he definitely wants to play quarterback. i know hwants a chance to play. i definitely want to see him out there. i want to see him playing. i can't wait to see him playing, you know. i was able to watch him the last four years, to see some of the things he does on the field, you know, it's spectacular. >> d'angelo hall hoping to see michael vick back in the league. the nationals traded veteran first baseman nick johnson, the last remaining member of the expos to the marlins today for a pitching prospect. reliever joe bymal shipped out for two minor leaguers. a former national helped the pirates beat washington. we're back on the field. here's the mascot races in pittsburgh. the per rogueys. i don't know about you, but i love perogis. the potato ones are my favorite. take a look, man. top of the seventh inning. nationals down 4-1. at the plate, feeling it. a so lo home run to left center field.

zimmerman's 20th of the year. the nationals are able to cut into that lead a little bit. so now we go forward to the bottom of the seventh inning. here's former national milledge just called up today. lined one off ryan zimmerman's glove into left. mckuch incomes around to score. two rbis. we find oselves in the eighth inning. the nationals trying to beat up on joel. cristian guzman. and the grab. the ball gets by him. morgan comes in to score. it wasn't enough. milledge and the pirates win 5-4. the nationals, a rough day for them as they had those trades. a lot of people were sad to see nick johnson go. coming up, a bear sighting ide a dareteenr.

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that's safeway. right now, get sweet blueberries -- just 99¢ a pint with your club card. safeway just lowered the price of summer. - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our person panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. there have been about a dozen bear sightings in the area of haymdkeant gainesville in virginia recent. the most recent ones was outside a day care center. somebody spotted a black bear foraging for food inside a dumpster there. a photograph prompted the day care directorono t keep the kid inside this we tek. experts say bears normally venture tek of the woods to find any reliable food source. the space shuttle and its crew of seven touched down at

cape canaveral this morning. they built a new addition to japan's $1 billion lab at the international space station and deployed two small satellites i orbit. only seven flights remain to finish building the space statio we'l

busy street dougs in the nation of columbia getting quite a reputation. there are seven sets of twins in one block. that street has been renamed twin street. parents of the city of cartegena don't believe it has anything to do with the water or anything. they think it's a blessing. the street and its twins have become quite popular among tourists. the seven sets of twins are enjoying their moments of fame. good for them. that's our broadcast for now. the "tonight show" is up next.