back to school. months of summer vacation have come to an end. why some local students are already gearing up to hit the books. >> stunning news that may write the final chapter to operation the desert storm. the shocking find to the start of the first gulf war. >> family matters. a major court decision in the michael jackson custody battle. who's expected to have full guardianship of the pop star's three children. good morning, everyone. welcome. we're glad you're up with us on this monday morning. >> i'm keith garvin. i'm is monday, august 'rd, 2009. got a live picture outside. city starting to wake up. beautiful look to the start of the day. >> more people awake than us? >> hard to imagine. hard to imagine. >> tom is here with us. we're glad he's back. i hope you had a good vacation. >> i did. it was wonderful. i' showi' smu fyou some photo th precipitation arod up un

no precipitation around r.da n i73 radar. 73 in7070 montgo,mery montgomer george's, fairfax counties. ep etxcy forxcr for nearf the y, nba0id 7 n bay, nidy, 70s. ear 70 eastern shore n the n lw 60 of the mountains. inmog. okmorng.in look at the st njuearin0 just near 60st. .at m that's much better. the dew point's mid-60s around washington. that's comfortable humidity. bu t the dew points are near 70 eastern shore a arndound the y. 's still steamy there. as the day progrees, thwlow humidity in place, lots of sunshine, a great summer day, nrghs near 90 grees. ise 6:11.su details on tomorrow, that will be in ten minutes at 5:11. stay tuned. >> okay, tom, we'll stay tuned. thank you. >> thanks, tom. time for details on the roadways. >> jerry, good morning again. >> good morning. not a lot to tell you. it's relatively quiet. most of the overnight road work has been wrapped up. a live look along interstate 66, eastbound and westbound out of fair oaks, no early issues.

travel lanes are open. we'll see if the good news continues south of town to the wilson bridge, doing okay. i-95 between baltimore and washington, all lanes are open. quiet up on 270 so far. barbara and keith, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. metro riders can expect another week of delays on the red line. the ntsb has concluded its onsite at the titesting of the . that's where that deadly accident occurred back on june 22nd. now metro must begin replacing the track circuitry in the area of that accident. the work is expected to take 30 days. riders should continue to expect the same delays they've been experiencing since the accident occurred. >> well, it may be hard to believe but it's already that time of year again. some students are getting ready to head back to school. >> it's part of a modified calendar program which puts kids back in the classroom earlier than usual. megan mcgrath is live at glen forest elementary school in fairfax county with more on this right now. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning.

yeah, hard to believe that for some students in fairfax county the summer break is already over. they will be heading back to class today. there are actually ten schools in fairfax county that follow the modified calendar program. they go to school basically year-round, and so the thought here is that they don't forget as much by having that long summer break where they really aren't studying or hitting the books. the idea is they go more on a rear-round schedule, they will retain more and learn more. this is how it works really. they go to school for nine weeks and then they get a three-week break. so that three-week break has ended here for students at ten schools in fairfax county, including glen forest elementary. so they're going to be heading back to class here today. this program started back in 1996 with timber lane elementary, and then it expanded to ten different schools. so, sorry, kids, you're going to have to get up this morning.

back to you all. >> i remember that time. >> we won't -- don't worry, megan. we won't kill the mess even jer. >> reporter: seems tot strange to be talking about it. >> it's coming up even for those in the regular classroom. >> reporter: that is true, too. >> thank you so much. the rest of the fairfax county public schools will open to students on tuesday, september 8th. students in montgomery county will return on school on monday, august 31st. students in prince george's county will return monday, august 24th. students in the district go ba to school august 24th as well. >> turning now to prince george's county, police there are searching for a killer after a woman's body was found yesterday morning along baden nailer road in in bran difficult wine. she was stabbed to death. the victim's eye deny at this time has not been released. >> a delta flight bound for new york's jfk airport experienced

an engine failure last night. the flight was heading to the runway for takeoff when it ran into trouble. emergency vehicles surrounded the plane. the good news, no one was hurt. everyone on board got on a different plane. >> for almost two decades, his family wondered what happened to missing navy pilot michael scott speecher as his plan went down on the first night of the gulf war. brooke hart has more. >> reporter: after returning from camp david, president obama called finding scott speicher's remains a reminder of his selfless service. it was 18 years ago on day one of the first gulf war that speicher's navy jet was shot down. then defense secretary declared him the war's first fatality. >> there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> reporter: with no proof of speicher's death, no remains, his family has lived with the mystery of what happened.

the military says iraqi civ civilians just last week led maris to the crash site and his remains. what about claims speicher had been seen in activity or his initial scratched in the wall of an iraqi prison cell? >> all of that evidence turned up not to be accurate. >> reporter: senator bill nem nell son of florida said the pentagon should have ordered a search and rescue mission at the time and would now. >> once captain speicher had been declared dead by the secretary of defense and no search and rescue mission sent, then it just got lost in the bureaucracy. >> reporter: in florida, a wall was erected to keep up the search for speicher. a family spokesman said persistence paid off. >> our duty to people who got themselves in danger for the defense of the country. you just do it. you just do the part that you can. >> nev giv e up? >> never give up. >> reporter: almost two decades

later, an end to the most prominent mystery of that war. questions do remain about how and when speicher did. the pentagon says an iraqi citizen claims he was there years ago when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains as required by muslim law. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> captain speicher's church in florida set up a memorial yesterday after hearing the news. in a statement his family says nothing can fill the void he left, but they take solace that captain speicher's disappearance has forever changed the military's search process, ensuring no service member will ever be left behind again. >> happening today, a big court hearing about michael jackson's legacy. on the agenda, the pop star's estate and what happens to his children. a judge could approve a custody agreement between jackson's mother and the biological mother of the pop star two's older children. katherine jackson would be the permanent guardian. debbie rowe would get supervised

visitation. jackson's estate is worth somewhere between 100 and $500 million. today, a judge could also decide whether katherine jackson could challenge the men who are administering that without contesting the will. >> 73 degrees outside. a developing story overseas, how three americans were captured and why they're being detained in iran. >> plus, why one monopoly player did not pass go or collect $200 but wentirectly to jail, literally. >> the harvard professor who gained national attention after being arrested at his home is now making lig s i> hereay is t

od n blast.ba start the week off rightocha frm fheastas food c iinhads offering a free same osf it ic or hot mochas today. what kind of day is it going to be? will you want a hot mocha or a chilly mocha? >> i think i would go for a cold one. >> i think so, too. >> 5:11, 72 degrees outside. time tour traffic and weather on the 1s. we go to tom kierein. tom, are you a hot or cold mocha guy? >> well, this morning, now hot. later on, cold because it's a rather cool morning. the humidity has dropped overnight, now 72 in washington. in the upper 60s, montgomery, fairfax, princgeorge's prngs. in the mid and upper 60s in the rural areas. out in mountains it's in the low 60s.

off to a mostly clear start. lots of sunshine today. afternoon highs near 90 degrees. not very humid. sunrise is an hour away. sunset at 8:17. should be a mostly clear night. a bright to nearly full moon this evening. tomorrow morning, a clear start. during the day on tuesday, mostly sunny, hot, light breezes, highs in the low 90s. still not really very humid. a lookt the rest of the week and the weekend at 5:21. now, jerry, how's the traffic? >> hey, tom, let's look and see how we're doing along i-270. so far, so good. germantown all the way down. all the overnight road work should be wrapped up. northeast doing fine. barbara and keith, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> time now 5:12, 72 degrees. why the harvard professor who was arrested at his home is again making headlines and cracking jokes. >> plus, we have some advice for those looking for work. next at 5:15, what most job seekers don't know thatot

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calendar. those sdents start school bright and early this morning. it's a big day in court for the future of michael jackson's estate. a hearing in los angeles will decide who's in charge. today we could also find out whether katherine jackson and michael's three children get allowances. a judge will hear some of the multi-million dollar deals involving the estate, including jackson's unreleased music. the senate has the final say on the fate of the clash for clunkers program. the house voted to give the wildly popular rebate program the green light last week. the white house, though, says it could be suspended unless the senate goes along with the plan to back up the program with another $2 billion. >> in this morning's jobs 4 you segment, advice for those looking for work in this recession. this may not be what job seekers want to hear, but experts say accepting a pay cut or even volunteering could end up making you more money in the long run. nbc's pacy chang reports. >> we appreciate you coming in.

>> reporter: adam wiseman keeps busy these days as manager of the melting pot in hoboken. a year ago he was on his way to making six figures as a financial recruiter. this job disappeared when wall street collapsed. >> there's no jobs to recruit so for, so what's the need for an individual like this? >> reporter: wise man has sent resumes to 500 companies in five different states but still has not landed a job. at this point, he's willing to make less money doing what he loves. >> if you want to stay in the same career you may have to take a step back and you may have to accept lesser money. >> reporter: this job coach says the recession has made the most experienced worker consider salary cuts. >> most people are recognizing they may need to take 10 or $20,000 pay cut from what they earned in last position. >> reporter: experts say taking that lower-paying job doesn't necessarily leave new financial rut. it can give you new skills. that can translate to increasing your salary down the road.

>> i look like an insider in the field or even more of an insider. two, is i'm building my credibility by people and associations i hang out with. three is i would be brushing up on my skills. >> reporter: this woman worked 15 years as an environmental lawyer but wants to break into animal rights law. she's been volunteering to make contacts. >> have organizationings get to know mere and hopefully throw my hat in the ring whenever i see a great job opening. >> reporter: she says this allows her to meet professional in the field. >> by doing the right thing today, it will pay off. >> reporter: pacy chang, new york. >> over the weekend, president obama said despite some recent encouraging news it will be many more months before we get out of the recession. >> president obama will be at george mason university today to mark the start of a program with major benefits for members of

the armed forces. the post-9/11 bill gives service members a chance to receive a free education. the bill sponsored by virginia senator jim webb was introduced in 2007 and now the department of veterans affairs will begin distributing the tuition payments. officials say the program provides the most extensive educational assistance since the original g.i. bill was passed in 1944. >> a developing story overseas this morning. swiss diplomats on behalf of the united states are trying to learn more about three american tourists being detained in iran. shane bauer, sarah shourd and josh fattal went hiking in the mountains of kurdistan last week. that's when they reportedly strayed over the border in iran and were arrested. according to iran television reports, the three americans were detained after refusing to heed warnings from border guards. the state department says it's working with swiss officia who represent american interests in iran. >> the harvard professor whose

arrest gained national at has a sense of humor about the whole thing. dr. henry louis gates talked about the incident yesterday. police investigating a possible break-in arrested gates in his own home. the arresting officer is white, prompting some to say the officers were guilty of racial profiling. the president even weighed in, leading to the now-famous beer summit at the white house. gates says he is not angry and has even invited the officer to a ball game. >> but i asked him if he would have lunch with me, one-on-one. i asked him maybe we can go to a red sox game, maybe go to a celtic game together. maybe have dinner with our families, you know? why not? offered to get his kids into harvard. if he doesn't arrest me every day. >> gates did admit this has been a difficult time, but he says he does not want to exaggerate it

and that other people have gone through far worse things. well, the redskins are getting ready to kick off another day of training camp. >> dan hellie has more i your sports minute now. >> good morning, everybody. starting your sports minute in ashburn, virginia, with redskins training camp. one member of the offense who continues to impress is second year receiver malcolm kelly. he has the opportunity to win a starting job which would quickly make critics forget about his lack of production last season. the skins go back to work later this afternoon. in golf, tiger woods shot a bogey-free final round at the buick open. it's tigers's third buick open title, the 9th victory of his caer on the pga tour. tiger won by three stroengs at 20 under par. takoma park native fred fun can captured his second major championship. he set a record at 20 under par as well. in baseba, the nationals on the road in pittsburgh.

josh willingham had a heck of a game. he went 2 for 3, with three rbis. the nationals win 5-'. that end as four-game losing streak. elsewhere, the red sox taking on the orioles and the sox hung 18 on the os. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great monday. >> paul mccartney fans stuck in traffic got an apology from fedex field. there were a lot of frustrated fans saturday night because of long delays getting to the n last night, washington redskin officials apologized for any inconvenience the traffic backups caused fans. the team says part of the problem was that many of the concertgoers were unfamiliar with the stadium. most used only one exit -- entrance/exit. the redskins plan to work with state police to direct fans to different entrances in the future. >> say once they got there, they had a great time, though. >> i bet they did. especially if they were big fans already. >> time for traffic and weather on the 1s.

>> let's go to tom kierein now for weather. tom, good morning again. >> hey, barbara and keith. good morning. starting off this mob with a mostly clear sky. temperatures are pleasant, now 72 in washington, near 70 in the suburbs of montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. we cleared out after those thundershowers from yesterday. high pressure building in for today giving us plenty of sunshine with highs near 90 degrees with lower humidity. still not too humid tomorrow but hotter, into the low 90s. lots of sun. turning more humid on wednesday and thursday. could get passing afternoon thunderstorms. then into friday, we have a chance of some showers and thundershowers as well. the weekend now looking dry with highs in the 80s. now, jerry, ñrhow's the monday commute? >> hey, tom, it's very quiet so far. no major incidents, just volume. 95 northbound here, main line, hovs coming up the and beyond the prince william county parkway picking up no blockages. check your speeds. pa are done me. goodness. on the capital beltway inner loop, 8 minutes. after that, 16 minutes to the

wilson. 7 minutes off the wilson bridge to springfield. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. we'll get smu water. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> time now 5:22, 72 degrees. why a recent college graduate is now suing her school. >> what caused this concert stage to collapse, injuring dozens and leaving one wom dead. >> plus, monopoly game gets out of control and one player is sent directly to jail, literally. ñ

a tragic end to a music jam borrow in canada. one woman was killed and 75 others were injured when a severe storm caused the stage to collapse. 100 people were on the stage at the time, including country singer billy kurg ton. actor kevin costner and his country music band were also on stage. they were all trapped under debris but are expected to be okay. witnesses say the woman who died was crushed by a falling speaker. investigators will now look into the accident to determine if the strong winds were the only factor. >> he didn't pass go, and he did not collect $200 but he did go to jail. police in michigan arrested a man they say beat up his neighbor over a board game. kenneth repkey is facing charges. his neighbors tells investigators the two were playing a friendly game of monopoly when the suspect got angry and hit her. police say he lost his cool when the victim refused to sell him

boardwalk and park place. he is charged with assault. >> not the way you want to end a pleasant board game. >> didn't sound very pleasant. >> 72 degrees outside. we're connected to your commute. metro delays and how they will affect the morning rush. >> that's right. also, why some local students are already preparing to head back to school and get those books. >> the stunning discovery of human remains of a pilot whose plane was shot down at the start of the first gulf war. 1x1x

back to class. why some local students are already gearing up to hit the books. >> finally found. the amazing discovery and an end to a military mystery nearly two decades old. >> role play. a jud will decide who gets custody of pop star michael jackson's three children. good morning, everyone. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. it's monday, august 3rd, 2009. >> and i'm keith garvin sitting in for joe krebs. we have a beautiful day, a beautiful start to the day. we see the sun on its way up. and we had a rough couple of days over the past weekend, but today is expected to be a very nice day. >> yeah. that's what venus perhaps? i don't know. tom kierein can tell us up in the upper right hand corner of our screen, tom? >> that was venus. in the southern sky, we've got jupiter. the big old just nearly full moon now setting in the west.

at this hour, as we look at radar, no precipitation around the region. it's a mild and delightful summer morning. temperatures now 72 in washington, upper 60s in prince george's county and montgomery counties. it's near 70 in fairfax county and pounts west, around the blue ridge, shenandoah valley. much of virginia in the 60s now. out of the mountains as well. eastern shore near 70. these are the dew points now. it's in the mid-60s, that's much better than the humidity we had over the weekend. drier air moving into the mountains will be with us today as high pressure pushes in. we'll have highs reaching near 90 degrees. definitely need sun block. sunrise is at 6:11. sunset, 8:17. a look at tomorrow in ten minutes. that's the way it looks right now. barbara and keith? >> thank you, tom. >> we want to check in with jerry edwards to see how things are looking on the roadways on this monday morning. >> hey there. so far, so good. check out northwest traffic, new york avenue, new jersey avenue, no big deals. pretty light volume of traffic making the trip in to town this

morning all the way from northeast into northwest on new york avenue. elsewhere, take a check along i-270, no worries. middlebrook road, great seneca highway, word that the traffic lights are out. you folks in germantown, heads-up for that. barbara and keith, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. if you use metro's red line you can expect another week of delays. the ntsb has concluded its onsite testing of the tracks between the ft. totten and takoma stations. that's where the deadly accident occurred back on june 22nd. now metro must begin replacing the track circuit any the area of that accident. the work is expected to take 30 days. riders should continue to expect the same delays they've been experiencing since the accident occurred. well, it's hard to belie but some students in our region are already heading back to school. >> it's part of a modified calendar program which puts some kids back in the classroom as early as this morning. megan mcgrath is live at glen forest elementary school in fairfax county with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.

kind of strange, august 3rd and we're talking about students going back to school but that's exactly what's happening. hundreds of students in fairfax county will be back in the classrooms later on this morning. they attend schools that run on a modified schedule. it's a different calendar than the other schools in the system. there are actually ten such schools here in fairfax county. instead of going on a long summer break, like everybody else, they basically go to school for nine weeks and then they have three weeks off. so they have that shorter three-week summer vacation. and the hope here is that the students won't forget as much over the holiday break there, that they'll be able to retain more. it also allows them to have a longer school year. now we're here at glen forest elementary. this is one of the schools that runs on the modified calendar. the program started back in 1996 with timber lane elementary school and then it's expanded from there. we have seven elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools in fairfax county that are running on this modified schedule. so, again, if you're among those

students who attend one of these schools, sorry, guys, time to get out of bed. back to you all. >> all right. thanks, megan. virginians will soon be able to save money on their back to school shopping. the commonwealth's annual tax holiday runs this coming friday, august 7th, through sunday, august 9th. school supplies that cost less than $20 each will be tax-free. the 5% tax will also be dropped on all clothing and shoes costing less than $100 each. there's no limit on how much a person can buy. >> it has been three years since the d.c. attorney died under mysterious circumstances and a group of bloggers are still trying to crack the case. dooeng police say rob earth won was murdered inside a d.c. row house. no one's been charged in the murder. a group of bloggers who don't know anyone connected to the case are trying to solve the crime. they started a blog filled with their own research and leads that they chased down on their own.

>> we're the scooby gang and we're meddling wherever we can go. >> we're trying to figure out what exactly happened that night. so, through whatever means we can. by cultivating sources. >> the former roommate wse lived at that house, joseph price, and two others are now accused of covering up evidence at the crime scene. >> today an l.a. judge could start to tie up some of the loose ends after michael jackson's death. he could decide some key issues having to do with the singer's children and his estate. jinah kim reports. >> reporter: at this morning's court hearing in los angeles, the judge is expected to rule on a custody agreement already reached between michael jackson's mother and his ex-wife. the deal, struck last week, gives 79-year-old katherine jackson full custody of jackson's three young children while debbie rowe, the mother of the two olders children, will get visitation and legal parental rights.

legal experts say it appears to be a win-win arrangement. >> i think it's ex clecellent. it's a ten. they have seemed to have done it quickly. >> reporter: the judge will also consider argument bs who bigger say over jacksons's estate, his mother or the two men named in jackson's will. >> this is a music lawyer who knows michael's take assets and his business. and that's invaluable. you couldn't pay to replace him. there's probably nobody who could rephrase him that has the same amount of knowledge about this asset base and how to handle it for the benefit of everybody. >> reporter: meanwhile, the los angeles coroner's office has delayed the release of jackson's autopsy results indefinitely, even as police and district attorney investigators continue to seize evidence from jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray. arch warrants filed at the court indicate the focus is

still on appropriate a follow, the powerful surgery anesthetic that detectives allegedly found in jackson's home. dr. conrad murray's attorney maintain his client is innocent and that his client never gave jackson any drugs that "should have caused his death." again, a court hearing is scheduled for 8:30 this morning. in los angeles, jinah kim, nbc news. >> katherine jackson wants to know if she can challenge the men administering her son's estate without actually contesting his will. the pop star's will has no contest clause. without the judge's protection, she could risk losing her 40% share of his estate in she challenges the authority of the administrators. >> an 18-year-old military mystery put to rest. the department of defense says last week they found the remains of a missing navy pilot. captain michael "scott" speicher's plane was shot down on the first night of the war in 1991. dick cheney immediately declared him dead, but over the years,

suspicion grew that he may have survived and been captured. what appeared to be speicher's initials carved into a wall. those suspicions ended last week when iraqi citizens led marines to speicher's grave. his case has changed the way the military treats search missions, something his family takes solace in. >> we owe our duty to the people who put themselves in danger for the defense of our country. you just do the part that you can. >> never give up? >> never give up. >> president obama called finding speicher's remains a reminder of his selfless service. >> our time right now is 5:38 and the temperature 72 degrees here in washington. running on empty. the big changes for consumers looking to take advantage of the government's cash for clunkers program. >> plugs, a community on edge after an elderly woman was targeted inside her own home. >> why it's going to get more expensive to shot i

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connie lo f its incredible de and with her daughter starting middle school tomorrow,

connie's got some high expectations. she expects look 11 might be the one. she expects look 17 might be the one. so she shops target. where they've always got her back for back to school. target. expect more. pay less. >> herere today's news 4 ay 's news 4 bargain blas anodhit an cream deal. bgem deal.unm seondaet sundae t d an atonec o sdne and get a second o for free. >> for more great deals, search nbcwashington.com and search bargain blast. >> let's find out what kind of day we're going to have. that's free. >> yes. meteorologist tom kierein is in storm center 4. >> we're going to get a sun blast today. sun coming up in about 25 minutes or so. and there is a pink glow over

the eastern horizon now. live picture from the city camera, and temperatures are pleasant now, near 70 in washington and the nearby suburbs. in the rural areas in the 60s as well as out in the mountains. eastern shore near 70. dew points have dropped a bit overnight so it's turning less humid. we have a mostly clear sky this morning. we'll have plenty of sunshine today with highs reaching near 90 degrees with low humidity. sunset at 8:17. should be a mostly clear night with a bright, full -- nearly full moon. by dawn, near 70 tomorrow. the forecast for tuesday, mostly sunny and hot, up into the low 90s. getting a little more humid but still not too bad. a look at the rest of the week and the weekend in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> start south of town, headed to the wilson bridge, no worries either direction. lanes are open. do have word of an accident on the beltway, prince george's county, on the outer loop northbound on the beltway at pennsylvania avenue, reportedly involving a truck. two lanes are closed off on the outer loop. we'll keep you updated on that. back to you. >> thank you. >> thanks, jerry. >> 5:42 is the time, 72 degrees.

times are tough, especially if you don't have a job. now recent college graduate is pointing blame and suing her school. >> plus, the government's popular clas for clunkers program has hit a roadblock. next at 5:45 a.m., the big decision expected this week and what can mean for

our time now 5:45. updating our top stories of the morning. it's the first day of school for some students. ten fairfax county schools are running on a modified school calendar. those students are starting school this morning. the department of defense has finally closed the case on a missing navy pilot. caain michael speicher's remains were found last week. his plane was shot down on the first night of the gulf war in 1991. there was speculation he may have survived and was captured. those suspicions ended last week when some iraqi citizens led marines to speicher's grave. today we could find out what

will become of michael jackson's estate. a judge will decide who is in charge and whether katherine jackson and michael's three children were get allowances. the court will hear some of the multi-million dollar deals involving the estate, including jackson's unreleased music. >> starting this week, some dealers are cutting back on giving additional incentives to ence buyers to take advantage of the cash for communicate kaers progra the senate could help out potential buyers by voting to extend the rebate. the trance importasportation se says stow far it's been wildly popular. >> this is the first program in opinion that actually impacted people. i know we impacted banks real well. >> reporter: neil sullivan is taking advantage of the cash for clunkers program. he figured his old explorer has explored enough now. it's got more than 200,000 miles on it. with the chance to get $4,500 out of it, sul van says he's coming out ahead.

>> my daughter can get into a brand-new car. we can get something for this clunker, which really is a clunker. >> reporter: testament to the program's popularity, it's almost out of money. a $2 billion cash infusion passed the house. it's yet to get through the senate. some dealerships stayed open late friday night to get as many deals in as possible before the money rab out. >> would were really happy because we were very concerned the night before that it was over. >> reporter: it's over for these vehicles here on the back lot. what were once cream puffs now silently await the crusher. a lot of these cars still run. good, solid transportation. but folks are opting for something more. they want to get it while they can. and what are they getting? tammy says they've seen a lot of domestic trade-ins. >> probably over 85% of the customers that are purchasing cars under this program are purchasing import cars, toyotas, nissans, and lexus even. >> reporter: but dealers are also getting those people who

stayed out of the marketplace until there was incentive. >> no way i would have bought a car. the only reason i bought it is was you get $4,500. i can get a car for less than $10,000. the last new car i bought was '91. >> it is helping business. it's helping, for sure, consumers. >> reporter: derrick ward, news 4. >> chrysler had been offering nb additional 4,500 bucks, but that deal is off the table. the cl clunkersre supposed to be destroyed. >> police are still searching for two robbers who attacked a 99-year-old woman inside her home in silver spring. it happened friday afternoon on mckenney avenue. police say someone called the woman and asked her at that time to take an in-home survey. they told her to come to the door. when she did, things took a turn for the worth. >> they push her inside, force her down into a chair, rummage through her bedroom, take cash

and identification cards from her. then they leave and she's able to call police. you are not expe to come to your door, just don't open the door. >> the woman is expected to be okay. >> country music legend jimmy dean is rebuilding his home -- you may remember this amazing video. repairs are still being made to his home. it was damaged by fire in april. the 88-year-old crooner and his wife are staying put on the property until the house is fully repaired. that could happen in january. investigators believe an electrical problem is what caused the fire. >> well, it's going to cost more to shop, fill up and light up in the district. the d.c. council has approved hikes in the sales, gas and cigarette taxes. the sales tax will go up from 5.75% to 6%. the gas tax will rise from 3.5 cents making it 23.5 cents a gallon. and the cigarette tax will climb 50 cents, making it $2.50 a

pack. not everyone is happy about this decision. >> taxation without representation. we're getting tax aches with misrepresentation. >> the district is trying to plug a $660 million budget gap over the next few years. the tax hikes will take effect in october. >> high speed rail could be cong to northern virginia but it will take federal funding to make it happen. state leaders plan to ask the federal government for more than $1.6 billion in stimulus money. the commonwealth is entitled to claim it under the american recovery and re-investment act. the money will be used to improve infrastructure needed for trains to travel up to 90 miles per hour along interstate 95. the high speed rail would run between petersburg and the district. >> it is 5:50. moving up on 5:51. that's why tom is here because it's tame for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> i went to the beach last week. the water is swimmable. water temperatures are in the low 70s. cool and refreshing.

did some body surfing. enough wave action. >> photos of that? >> no, no. >> no evidence. >> you have pay a special fee for that. special online charge. well, as we take a look now at the sky, there's no fee for this. a beautiful start to this monday, lower humidy has moved in overnight on a fresh northwesterly breeze. and there is the sky over washington. it's glowing pink now. sunrise is at 6:11. we're abt 20 minute ace way from sunrise now. 7 2 in washington. no precipitation on radar at this hour. temperatures in prince george's county in the upper 60s. weather watchers in calvert county reporting upper 60s. eastern shore, it's in the low 70s. just to our west, near 70 in montgomery and fairfax counties and farther to the west, upper 60s, panhandle of west virginia, around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley this morning. down in the low 60s around parts of central virginia, the earn shore near 70. a cool start in the moun taps.

low humidity has pushed in there. in the low 60s there. dew points have dropped a bit as well. overnight, had on overnight showers and thundershowers dissipating. now headed off to the east, being replaced by a clearing sky. traveling today, well, there may be some rain across the northern plains, maybe some thunderstorms causing flight delays from the great lakes region down through missouri. could have some storms as well through the carolinas, down to florida and along the gulf coast so some flight delays there. shouldn't have any other flight delays from the inteountain west to the west coast. now, here for us we've had this high pressure pushing in overnight. still ougto our west. it has decreased the humidity from interstate 95 to points west, but from interstate 95 points east, still quite humid. still a few clouds there. have a few showers right around the outer banks now, but those are slowly heading off to the east as well. this high pressure will be drifting over us throughout the day today and giving us plenty of sunshine so you definitely need sun bck if you're going to be spending much time outside.

unprotected, a quick sunburn is likely with the high sun angle. the stalled front will remain there, keeping the humidity at bay for today and into tomorrow. so, enjoy. here's the forecast. great beach and poolwer.miathe if you are heading to the joy it. noul'l l 'lweoyveha afternoon highs climbing to theve upp 80s to near 90 by mid-afternoon. plen ofns suhine. sunrise su6:11. unset at 8:17.to ly steamocl err.bed mostly clea ha'lve r.we'lveha that veight, almost fuha moon. the moon will be fu on wednesday. by dawn on tuesday, trapesemture around 70 degrees as we start off tomorrow morning. sunrise tomorrow is at 6:12. during the day on tuesday, should be a bright and sunny dty with afternoon highs climbing into the low 90s. a terrific day coming up. we will have ksh still not very humion tuesday weather. on wednesday, turning more d.hu thdsein w shifting into the south and southeast and that will increase humidity as well as maybe givesias p passing thundershower during the n,oout otherwise, sort of a typical mid-summer day

around the region with highs ngreachin, the low 90s.ac then on thursday, should be partly cloudy and still rather humid. hance of afternoon passing showers with highs reaching tah upper 80s. then as we get toward friday and the weekend, looks like friday we'll have a chance of a few passing showers as well. quite a bit of cloudiness around. that ought to be gone in time for the weekend heading to the beaches next weekend, should be nice. highs in the 80s. last week i visited thomas jefferson's home, which is in charlottesville. beautiful location. he knows how to pick his spots. >> he had a lot of choices. >> he had 5,000 acres, and he -- downtown charlottesville, when i was going through there, was 92. when i got ht his place, up about 600 feet higher, around 80 degrees. so he knew how to pick -- that was before days of air conditioning. they had natural air conditioning there. there's a weather vane on top of

the house that he designed and built that is still there and working. it's 200 years old. i'll show you photos of that coming up next hour at 6:51. it's a beautiful location there. >> can't wait to see your pictures. >> yeah. you should visit if you haven't. >> thanks, tom. let's check on traffic now and see what jerry has to tell us about how the roads are running. >> the roads are stationary. the traffic is running. >> good. >> we have big news if the roads were moving on us, that's for sure. good morning. we'll head over and check the american legion bridge, outer loop across the bridge span doing fine. same story for the inner loop, just a bit of volume. two issues to talk about on the beltway. one was an accident outer loop at route 4. authorities dealing with that. word of an accident inner loop of the beltway at the exit to 95 and college park. be careful. >> that's how it's going to work in the 22nd century, the roads will move. like a conveyer belt. >> there you go. >> thanks a lot, jerry.

a water rescue caught on tape. a man fishing off the coast of louisiana needed help after being attacked by a shark. he says he was sitting on the side of a boat nicknamed the predator when a shark bit his foot. a coast guard helicopter came to help him out. they pulled the man up and flew him to a hospital in new orleans. no word on his condition at this time. >> you're going to love this one. a recent college graduate is playing the blame game. trina thompson is suing her school because she can't get a job. she wants the $70,000 she paid in tuition back. she accuses the school of not doing enough to help her land a job. on top of her unemployment problems, trina is now dealing with mounting debt from her student loans. a monroe college spokesperson says thompson's lawsuit is completely without merit. i want to know, does she want any of the money back from all the parties she attended? >> is monroe a party school? >> not that i know of, but in college students have a way of making any school a party school. >> if she were to win that suit,

can you imagine what that would mean? i don't think she has a chance. i don't think that's going to happen. >> now to the money crisis and a big day for the foreign markets. asian markets incd up to an 11-month high. investors are encouraged by evidence that the global economic recovery is picking up speed. the nikkei market ended flat. south korea's market was half a percent higher. so were australian stocks. to wall street now where the dow futures are pointing to a positive opening. the dow finished last week by gaining 17 points. the nasdaq lost 5 points, closing at 1978. >> we are finding jobs 4 you. dominion hospital in falls church is looking for a social worker prn . candidates need a master's degree in social work and an lcsw and three years of experience. visit nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. >> we have your lcsw? >> i have no idea what that is. probably not. >> still ahead this morning, why

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early start. it's only august 3rd but it's already back to school today for thousands of students in this area. >> finally found. what happened to a once-missing fighter pilot. his remains were found 1 years after being shot down during the gulf war. >> good morning, everyone. thanks for waking up with us this morning on this monday morning. i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm keith garvin in for joe krebs today, monday, august 3rd, 2009. boy, a look there. the sun is already up. washington monument, 14th street bridge there, washington is moving. >> yeah. moving -- it's hazy, though, in that picture we can see as we push into the washington

monume monument. tom is back with us today. glad to have him back. >> had a great time. good to see you. this morning, starting off with lower hudity. there's a good gift for you. a blast of low humidity moving in on this monday. isth the radar. no precipitation aund the region after those thunderstorms we had yesterday. things have cleared out nicely niovniert. owret. h's we're looking for today. mp iatesurn aesn 0s 6nd low 70s. by 9:00 n0srea r80. lots of sun toigday, heahs nr 90 grutee n bs, lower humidy moving in. gst liloie tl bo bat rsther eamy, though, around t hebay, the eastern shore. su nset at8:17. issonrsue is autin tnr menutes may. a tlo aok tomorrow's forecast, w bethl til inaten minutes. that will be at 6:11. see you then. >> okay. tom, the rain we had yesterday, was that -- i wasn't here. i was trying to get back into town. >> we had scattered thundershowers. some of them were heavy downpours. we needed it. this was a dry july. ended up still about 2 3/4 inches below average for the month of july. >> sure changed the traffic for

air travelers. >> oh, yeah. delays, yeah. >> thanks a lot. >> thanks. let's check in with jerry edwards now, see how things are looking. >> hello. head on out, take a live look along interstate 66, picking up some volume now as we make the trip in. don't have any intense sunshine as of yet so that's good news. one more stop, the outer loop of the beltway of route 4, still have the left lane closed, remnantses of the accident. inner loop, all lanes are open. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. >> it may seem a little early, but some students in virginia are heading back to school today, august 3rd. it marks the first day for students at several schools across fairfax county. all part of a modified calendar program, they call it. news 4's megan mcgrath is live at glen forest elementary school in fairfax county with more on this. a lot of, you think, happy kids today? >> reporter: well, i guess there probably are some happy kids and some n so happy kids. depends upon how you feel about going to school. but we have hundreds of students in fairfax county who will be

going back to school starting today. first week in august here. they go to the modified calendar schools, there are actually ten of those schools in fairfax county. so they have a different school schedule. they go to school for nine weeks, and then they go on break for three weeks. they have a much smaller, much shorter summer break. this allows them to hopefully retain more, that they don't of this long summer break. hopefully they don't forget what they've learned during the school year. it also allows the school system to extend the school year so they're actually going to school longer. now we're here at forest glen elementary. this is one of the schools that follows the modified calendar. the program started in 1996 with timber lane elementary and even then expanded from there. we have seven elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools in fairfax county that follow this modified calendar. so, again, the students who go to these schools, this is it. you' back to class today. don't hit that snooze button. you got to get out of bed and head to class today.

back to you, barbara, keith. >> i was always one of those who looked forward to the first day of school. >> reporter: i did, too. >> keith says he did, too. thanks a lot, megan. >> the investigation at the site of that deadly metro crash in june is over. the ntsb is done testing the tracks between the ft. totten and takoma stations. so fa investigators believe metro's control saystem is to blame for the accident that killed nine people. investigators say the system failed to detect the stopped train. now metro must begin replacing the track circuitry in the area of the track accident. that means more delays on the red line. is work is expected to take 30 days. today a big court hearing about mng jackson's legacy. on the agenda, the pop star's estate and what happens to his children. a judge could approve a custody agreement between jackson's mother and the biological mother of the pop star's two oldest children. katherine jackson would be the permanent guardian. deb debbie rowe would retain her parental rights and get

visitation. jackson's state is worth almost $500 million. today, a judge could also decide whether katherine jackson can challenge the men who are administering it without contesting the will. >> good economic news. this past week we've learned that the nation's economic output or gdp is getting better. the white house says that's an early sign of recovery and it's hoping for ab economic bounce around the holidays. >> probably looking at a turnaround in gdp before the end of the year. then we would expect jobs to normally start growing shortly after that. >> other reports out this week could paint an even clearer picture of the economy. auto manufacturers will release their july sales numbers today. reports on manufacturing and construction spending will also be released. >> after 18 agonizing years, a military mystery is solved. the u.s. military says remains found in iraq have been positively identified as ny pilot michael "scott" speicher.

captain speicher was flying over iraq on the first night of the gulf war when his plane was shot down. brooke hart is live to tell us how those who have fought for speicher over the years are reacting to the news. good morning. >> reporter: these remains were flown to delaware last week. dna confirmation could come today, but the u.s. military has already concluded they are those of the downed navy pilot scott speicher. after returning from camp vid, president obama called finding scott speicher's remains a reminder of his selfless service. it was 18 years ago on day one of the first gulf war that speicher's navy jet was shot down. then defense secretary dick cheney declared him the war's first fatality. >> as of 0900 this morning washington time, there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> reporter: with no proof of speicher's death, no remains, his family has lived with the mystery of what happened. the military says iraqi civilians just last week led marines to the crash site and

his remains. what about claims speicher had been seen in captivity or his initials scratched in the wall of an iraqi prison cell? >> all of that evidence turned up not to be accurate. >> reporter: senator bill nelson of florida said the pentagon should have ordered a search and rescue mission at the time and would now. >> once captain speicher had been declared dead by the secretary of defense and no search and rescue mission sent, then it just got lost in the bureaucracy. >> reporter: in florida, a wall was erected to keep up the search for speicher. a family spokesman said persistence paid off. >> our duty to people who got themselves in danger for the defense of the country. you just do it. you just do the part that you can. >> never give up? >> never give up. >> reporter: almost two decades later, an end to the most prominent mystery of that war.

questions do remain about exactly how and when speicher died. the pentagon says an iraqi citizens claims he was there when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains, as muslim law requires. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >> thank you very much. >> harvard professor henry louis gates jr. is joking around about his controversial arrest. what he is saying now. concertgoers get an apology after experiencing big problems over the weekend at fedex field. >> a building demolition goes rribly wrong. watch and see what happens when a building falls over instead of imploding. try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak.

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weather and traffic on the 1s at 6:11. good morning on this monday morning. a live view over the pk pk from our city camera. the sun will be emerging from the clouds on the eastern horizon shortly. right now 71 in washington, upper 60s to near 70 elsewhere. on high today reaching near 90 degrees with lower humidity and lots of sunshine. mostly clear tonight. we'll have that nearly full moon. temperatures by dawn near 70. tomorrow, mostly sunny and hotter with light breezes, a little more humid, highs low 90s. a look at wednesday and the rest of the week at 6:21. how's the traffic? >> pretty quiet so far. the outer loop as you travel from i-95 past 29 to silver spring, no worries whatsoever. at all lanes are open.

elsewhere, ed hadded for downtown, 295 betwe the beltway and the 11th street bridge, incident-free. other corridors seems to be doing well. earlr accident outer loop at route 4 completely cleared to the shoulder. all travel lanes open again. >> thank you. a congressman's wife suddenly dies at their home in northern virginia. ight w to cons ñ?

time now 6:14. updating the top stories in the news 4 today, a judge could decide the future of micha jackson's children and his estate. the judge could approve an agreement that would give jackson's mother custody of his children. also on the agenda today, whether katherine jackson can challenge the men who are currently administering the pop star's estate. the family of captain scott speicher says it's finding some solace in the military's long efforts to find the navy pilo he was shot down over the iraq desert on the first night of the gulf war in 1991. the military says it has found and positively identified his

remains after receiving new information from eye iraqi citizen last month. some fairfax county students are heading back to school today. a number of schools are running on a modified schedule. those students will be in class for nine weeks and will then have a break for three weeks. >> looking for a job in this economy can be a grueling process. one expert says job-seekers need to be willing to accept less money, maybe even offer to work for free. nbc's pacy chang has this morning's jobs 4 you report. >> we appreciate you coming in and trying us out. >> reporter: adam wives man keeps busy these days as manager of the melting pot. about a year ago he was on his way to making six figures as a financial recruiter. his job disappeared when wall street collapsed. >> there's no jobs to recruit for, so what's f aornee d for a individual like this? >> reporter: he sent resumes to 500 companies in five different states, but still has not landed a job. at this point he's willing to

make less money doing what he loves. >> if you want to stay in the same career you may have to take a step back and you may have to accept lesser money. >> reporter: this job coach says the recession has made even the most experienced workers consider salary cuts. >> many clients are coming in, recognizing that they may need to take 10 or $20,000 pay cut from what they earned in the last position. >> reporter: experts say taking that lower-paying job doesn't necessarily leavyou in a financial rut. it can give you an opportunity to make connections and learn new skills. that could translate to increasing your salary down the road, if you follow some simple rules. >> one is be building my relationships so i look like an insider in the field. two is i would be building my credibility by people and associations i hang out with. three is i would be brushing up on my skills. >> reporter: michelle worked 15 years as an environmental lawyer but wants to break into animal rights law. she's been volunteering to make contacts. >> have organizations get to know me and hopefully throw my

hat in the ring whenever i see a great job opening. >> reporter: she says this allows her to meet professionals in her field while scoping out job responsibilities. >> by doing the right thing today it will pay off. either that employer or the next position. >> reporter: pacy chang, "today in new york." >> the president said over the weekend we can expect the recession to continue for many more months to come. the d.c. council is extending unemployment benefits for thousands of people who are out of work. the mayor says the benefits of 5,000 people would have expired if the council hadn't taken action. unemployment benefits normally last for 26 weeks. this move extends them to anoth years. >> the search continues for two suspect whose robbed a 99-year-old woman. police say someone called the 99-year-old and asked her to take an in-home survey. they told her cto come to the door.

when she did, they held her down and robbed her. a congressman's wife has died at her home in great falls, virginia. lu young was the wife of alaskan republican don young. in 2003, rumors surfaced that don young was considering leaving office because of his wife's health. he called a press conference then and introduced his wife, sayings she had a slight stroke six months earlier but that she was fine. the couple was married for 46 years old. lu young was 67. >> the harvard professor whose arrest has gained national attention is already laughing about what happened now. a white officer arrested dr. henry louis gates in his own home, prompting claims of racial profiling. gates says he and the officer have spoken and may even spend some time together now. >> i asked him if he would have lunch with me, one-on-one. i asked him maybe we could get to a red sox game together, a celtics game together, have dinner with our families, you know? why not? i offered to get his kids into

harvard. if he doesn't arrest me every day. >> gates made that comment at a book-signing on martha's vineyard over the weekend. he also said one woman told him he looked taller in his mug shot. >> the redskins will be back on the field for training kamg' today and it appears a young redskins wide receiver is finally catching on. here's dan hellie with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. starting your sports minute in ashburn, virginia, with redskins training camp. one member of the offense who continues to impress is second year receiver malcolm kelly. he has the opportunity to win a starting job which would quickly make critics forget about his lack of production last season. the skins go back to work later this afternoon. in golf, tiger woods shot a bogey-free final round at the buick open.

it's tigers's third buick open title, the 69th victory of his career on the pga tour. tiger won by three strokes at 20 under par. at the u.s. senior open, takoma park native fred funk captured his second maiming or championship. he set a record at 20 under par as well. in baseball, the nationals on the road in pittsburgh. josh willingham had a heck of a game. he went 2 for 3, with three rbis. the nationals win 5-3. that ends a four-game losing streak. elsewhere, the red sox taking on the orioles and the sox hung 18 on the os. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great monday. >> well, this is not the way a demolition is supposed to happen, but it's the scene that greeted spectators this weekend in turkey. an old flour factory was supposed to come down to make room for a shopping mall. instead of collapsing, the building rolled over, completely over, landing on its side --

actually landing upside down. no one, thankfully, was injured. >> that is amazing. i think the company -- the demolition company has quite a few questions to answer this morning. >> that is amazing, isn't it? actually rolled all the way over. >> thank goodness no one was hurt. >> let's talk to tom kierein now about our weather out there. tom? >> good morning. the sun's up in a mows which i clear sky. it has turned less humid overnight. on this monday, heading to the beach, lucky enough to have the day off or heading to the pool, you will love today. right now near 70 in washington, the nearby suburbs, southern maryland near the bay low 70s to mid-70s on the water. farther to our west, blue ridge, shenandoah valley, into the mountains in the 60s. lots of sun today with highs near 90. lower humidity. a little more humid tomorrow but still not too bad. highs low 90s, though. looks like a hot summer day with lots of sun on tuesday. turning more humid wednesdaynd thursday. could get a passing afternoon thunderstorm each day. as well as on friday. the weekend looking nice. partly cloudy to mostly sunny with highs in the 80s. now, jerry, how's the monday

commute? >> tom, just as soon as i said things on the top side are moving along nicely, wouldn't you know, i jinxed it. got a little fender-bender, the outer loop of the beltway between connecticut avenue and rockville pike. everything is over to the shoulder, squeezing the left lane a little bit. behind it, pretty good sized backup has developed out of silver spring trying to get to bethesda. heads-up. hopefully that will move on quickly. heading to downtown, a pretty picture for you of 395. all lanes open. checking reports of an accident 270 southbound after montrose road. we'll let you know. barbara and keith, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. a fire overnight at a local fire station. the problems firefighters had trying to put it out. a stage collapses, killing one person at a concert. and well-known hollywood ator pp underneath all of the r al

a tragedy at a music concert in canada. one woman was killed and 75 others were injured when a stage collapsed during a storm. 100 people were on the stage at the time, including country singer billy kurg ton. actor kevin costner and his country music band were also on stage. they were all trapped under

debris but are expected to be okay. >> the washington redskins are apologizing for traffic troubles at the paul mccartney cobb certain. there were a lot of frustrated fans because of long delays getting to fedex field. officials apologized for the traffic backups. the team says part of the problem was that many of the concertgoers were unfamiliar with the stadium and most only used one entrance. the redskins' plan to work with state police to direct fans to different entrances in the but the. >> the mystery of a u.s. fighter pilot has finally been solved. he was shot down 18 years ago in the gulf war. and the fate of three american tourists who went hiking and were seized by guards in iran. >> how you can save some money on your back to school shopping if you wait until the end of the week. xñcâ]é

bright and early. and it's only august 3rd but it's already back to school today for thousands of students in this area. family matters. the big decisions a laung judge has before him today about the future of michael jackson's money and children. >> good morning, everyone. thanks for waking up with us this morning for "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm keith garvin in for joe krebs. today monday, august 3rd, 2009. can't believe august is already here. >> boy, this summer has gone by just a little too fast for me. >> it has, yeah. >> look at that day out there. we got some clouds and it looks a little on the hazy side, but tom can tell us exactly what's going on and what we can expect today. >> if you're lucky enough to have the of congralations. wonderful summer morning is y.der waon we have temperatures around the ongin the comfort zone. inonnoth s uhowingnop on radar, no wi

precipitation. it has turned less humid ernight as wl. so, a day wit lowh ere th ratures atl have opeemres atut right now near 70, ay we troea n byn.er o 90 by later on.sreuntu region are much more pleasant n that green zone out of the mouns,tay oinr nnl ea60tade gre, aeesreheur t c th ewe are the current .ts in th ints. g zreisonenre we the .e r g zenloone is where the he loheus in in. mos, dew points intas,ewoi ptants in thepp0ser uig. 5 now at is just to our west. some of that lower humidity will be continuing to move over the region as the day progresses, so enjoy. lots of sunshine, highs reaching near 90 degrees. our sunset at 8:17. hal a nearly fulght. nihat.gh inould be a pleasan g.evt.en temperatures by this time tomorrow morning near 70. i'll show you the forecast for tuesday. that will be in ten minutes at 6:41. >> tom, thank you. >> thanks, tom. >> let's check traffic. >> jerry, how are things looking so far? 6:30 now. >> take a live look along i-270. good morning. had report of an accident

southbound after montrose road. fire department has ran the entire stretch from falls road on down. they haven't found anything. i looked. i couldn't find anything except a couple of slow spots so right now it appears the lanes are open. we'll keep a watch on it, though. sometimes we get bad information. one more stop we'll head south, check out the wilson bridge approach with no issues. so far, very quiet. 95 and 395 headed for down town. barbara and keith, back to you. >> thanks. new today, a fire at an unexpected place, a fire nkstation. flames broke out at volunteer fire station number 17 in prince george's county. firefighters say an engine caught fire inside a bay. there wasn't too much damage to the station itself but the fire truck was destroyed. it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace. no word on what sparked the fire. >> some students in northern virginia ain wregak uigp n row fo atheir first day of school. august 3rd marks the beginning of the school year for students

at several schools across fairfax fshg. it's part of a modified calendar program. news 4's megan mcgrath is live in glen forest elementary school in fairfax county with more now. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morng. kind of seems strange to talk about going back to school when it's only august the 3rd, but there are hundreds of students in fairfax county who will be going to classes today. it's part of this modified calendar schedule. there are ten schools in fairfax county that run on that schedule, so instead of having a long summer break, the students actually go to school for nine weeks, and then they go on break for three weeks. that three-week break is coming to an end today and they're going to be headed back to class. we're here at glen forest elementary school. this is one of the ten schools that is participating in this program. the program actually started back in 1996 with timber lane elementary school. it expanded from there. there are now seven elementary schools, one middle school and two high scols that follow this modified calendar schedule. now, here at glen forest elementary school, they're

starting at about 8:45 this morning. we're just starting to see a little bit of activity here at the school, but the students won't be coming yet for a couple more hours. but big day for the faculty and the students here at this particular elementary school. again, there are a number of schools, ten of them in the county, where the kids will be hitting the books today. back to you. >> thank you, megan. virginians will soon be able to save money on their back to school shopping. the commonwealth's annual tax holiday runs this friday, august 7th, through monday, august 9th. school supplies that cost less than $20 each will be tax-free. the 5% tax on all clothes and shoes costs particular less than $100 each will be dropped. >> metro riders can expect another week of delays on the red line. the ntsb is done testing the tracks between ft. totten and takoma metro station. now metro must begin replacing the track's circuitry in the area of the deadly accident back in june. the work will take about a month.

federal investigators say metro's control system is to blame for the crash that killed nine people. the system failed to detect the stopped train. >> an 18-year-old military mystery is solved. the department of defense says they have found the remains of missing navy pilot captain michael "scott" speicher. his plane was shot down on the first night of the gulf war in 1991. dick cheney, defense secretary at the time, immediately declared him dead, but over the years, suspicion grew that he may have survived and been captured, fueled by a finding in an iraqi prison. what appeared to be speicher's initials carved in the wall. those suspicions ended last week when some iraqi citizens led marines to speicher's grave. his case has changed the way the military treats search missions, something his family takes solace in. >> be our dult i to people who put themselves in danger for the defense of the country. you just do it. you just do the part that you can. >> never give up? >> never give up. >> president obama called

finding speicher's remains a reminder of had is selfless service. >> swiss diplomats on behalf of the united states are trying to learn more this morning about three american tourists weeg detained in iran. shane bauer, sarah shourd and joshua fattal went hiking last week. they were arrested. according to iranian television reports, the three americans were detained after refusing to heed warnings from border guards. the state department says it's working with swiss officials who represent american interests in iran. and new today in iran, the country's supreme leader has formally endossed mahmoud ahmadinejad for his second term as president. that's the final step leading up to his inauguration and parliament. the supreme leader endorsed the result of the june 12th election and demanded an end to the protests that followed the vote. at least 20 people were killed in protests following the election. ahmadinejad will be sworn in on wednesday. >> three years ago, someone murdered a d.c. attorney.

today the case remains unsolved, but a group of bloggers are not giving up. d.c. police say robert won was murdered inside a dupont circle row house. he was restrained, sexually assaulted and stabbed. no one has been charged in the murder. a group of bloggers who don't know anyone connected to the case are taking matters into their own hands. >> i think that's very sad. it's a travesty for a murder to take that long to be investigated. >> we're trying to figure out what exactly happened that night, so through whatever means we can, by cultivating sources. >> they have a blog filled with their own research and leads that they have chased down. the former roommates who lived at that dupont circle home, joes of bryce, victor and dylan ward are accused of covering up evidence at the crime scene. police in prince george's county are trying to solve a murder in brandywine. yesterday morning a woman's bodi was found on baden-naylor

road. she had been stabbed to death. police believe an argument may have sparked the deadly attack. so far, no one has been arrested. we're following breaking news from miami. that's where a plane has made an emergency landing after turbulence left as many as two dozen passengers were injuries ranging from fractured wrists to bumps and bruises. the continental flight was heading to houston from rio de janeiro. we're told the plane landed safely was at least 158 people on board. we will bring you information on this story as soon as we get it. >> the cash for clunkers program is running on fumes now. the state of the lies in the hands of the senate. the b court hearing today about michael jackson's legacy. what will happen with his money and children. why the obama administration is not ruling out higher taxes .

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of day it's going to be. good morning again. >> good morning. there's the sky over the potomac river. you can see the calm waters of the potomac and a gentle breeze is blowing this morning out of the northwest which is ushering in some lower humidity. now 71 in washington. it's in the upper 60s to near 70 in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. weather watchers in southern maryland calvert county reporting over three inches of rain fell there yesterday, but the rains of ended around the region. lots of sun today with highs reaching near 90 with not as much humidity as we had over the weekend. should be a mostly clear night tonight. tomorrow, mostly sunny and hotter. climbing into the low 90s, maybe a little more humid, light breezes out of the southwest around 5 to 15. i'll show you the forecast for wednesday, the rest of the week as well as some wonderful photos of monday at this cello. that's coming up in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> looking forward to that. 270 southbound we told you ms. police were looking for an accident. nothing found there but we do have an issue with an accident 270 southbound just before the

interchange at 370, that's the washingtonian complex down there. police should be on the scene right in the middle of the rowa on 270, beginning to back up. the bi wilson bridge doing okay. the trip into southeasts well as northeast, all the major roadways seem to be doing pretty well. very quiet morning there. keith, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. time now 6:42. why a northern virginia man was ticketed for helping a flock of geese cross the street. the big decision today, a los angeles judge has before him los angeles judge has before him a sand castle?re of michael dadd sure, pal. let's just find a good spot. [ dramatic music plays ] a big day at the beach with the legendary taste of dunkin' donuts coffee on ice. this looks like a good spot.

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it's the first step toward tying up some of those loose ends left after michael jackson's death. today an l.a. judge could decide some key issues having to do with the singer's children and his estate. as jinah kim reports, this hearing has been postponed several times before, but it's finally happening today. >> reporter: at this morning's court hearing in los angeles, the judge is expected to rule on a custody agreement already reached between michael jackson's mother and his ex-wife.

the deal, struck last week, gives 79-year-old katherine jackson full custody of jackson's three young children while debbie rowe, the mother of the two oldest children, will get visitation and legal parental rights. legal experts say it appears to be a win-win arrangement. >> i think it's excellent. it's a ten. they have seemed to have done it quickly, they seemed to have done it without publicity, they have seemed to have done it apparently without money changing hands. >> reporter: the judge will also consider arguments about who will have a bigger say over jackson's estate, his mother or the two men named in jackson's will. >> this is a music lawyer who knows michael's particular assets and his business and that's invaluable. you couldn't pay to replace him. there's probably nobody who could replace him that has the same amount of knowledge about this asset base and how to handle it for the benefit of everybody. >> reporter: meanwhile, the los angeles coroner's office has delayed the release of jackson's

autopsy results indefinitely, even as police and district attorney investigators continue to seize evidence from jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray. search warrants filed at the court indicate the focus is still on propofol, the powerful surgery anesthetic that detectives allegedly found in jackson's home. dr. conrad murray's attorney maintains his client is innocent and has never given jackson any drugs that "should have caused his death." again, a court hearing is scheduled for 8:30 this morning. in los angeles, jinah kim, nbc news. >> katherine jackson wants to know if she can challenge the men administering her son's estate without actually contesting his will. that is because the pop star's will has a no could than test clause. without the judge's protection she could risk losinger 40% share of the estate. >> the cash for clunkers program is running on empty. the popular program gets drivers

out of their old cars and behind the wheels of new fuel-efcient models. congress is racing to inject billions of dollars more into the program. last week the house approved a $2 billion plan. its fate is now in hands of the senate. many are rushing to buy before the incentive ends. >> no way i would have bought a car. the only reason i bought it is because you get $4,500. i can get a car for less than $10,000. the last new car i bought was '91. this car didn't even cost 4,500 deduction when we bought it 100,000 miles ago. my daughter can get into a new car. >> if the money holds up, the program's slated to run until november 1st. the clunkers are supposed to be destroyed. everything but the engine and the drive train can be resold for salvage. in the cash for clunkers program is paying off for automakers. courtn

courtney reagan join us. >> reporter: ford is positioned to post its first monthly sales increase in nearly two years. the automaker's top sales analyst says demand is indeed surging from the government's cash for clunkers program, as i'm sure ford hopes they're able to continue it. two top white house officials are making the rounds on the morning talk shows saying they can't guarantee that taxes won't go up. treasury secretary tim geithner says he can't rule out higher taxes to tame an exploding budget deficit. the president's chief economic adviser says he wouldn't dismiss raising them on middle class americans as part of a health care overhaul. ouch. the dow closed on friday at 9171. that means it gained 17 points to make july the biggest point gain for the dow in history. good news there for july. the nasdaq did fall to close at 1978. the s & p did pick up a fraction of a point.

all in all, pretty good day. futures are way up right now so bodes for a good day so far today. back to you. >> all right, courtney, thank you. have a great day. >> new today, a fire at a fire station. the flames broke out early this morning at volunteer fire station number 17 on alton street in capital heights. news 4's tracy whip kie wilkins live from the scene. >> reporter: when the volunteer fire department called for baup, it looked like the next fire station over didn't get here in a timely manner, according to some fire officials. you can see here they're still trying to clean up what was left. the truck has been moved. this happened here in the boulevard heights area. this is the boulevard heights volunteer fire department number 17. we're told that no one again was injured in this and we're still looking for more information. for instance, exactly how this fire truck caught fire. we still don't know that. but it has been removed at this time. i'm tracee wilkins, live this morning in district heights. keith, back to you in the

studio. >> tracee, thank you. >> a virginia man is set to appear in court today after running into some trouble with the flock of geese. 60-year-old man was driving on the fairfax county parkway back in june when he saw a family of geese trying to cross the road. he tells "the washington post" that he parked his car, got out and tried to help herd the birds across the street. that's when a police officer pulled up and wrote him a ticket for jaywalking. he will fight the ticket later this morning in court and, of course, the question is, why did the geese cross the road? >> why wasn't the ticket for goose walking instead of jaywalking? >> oh. >> it was there. i went for it. >> we have a lot of them around here, too. they're not migratory geese. they come here and live here. around our region this morning, some humidity migrated in. it's migrating east where there are some clouding lingering 

here. sucamep aca 6:11. right now on radarpe have no precipitatar temperatures, well, it's near 70 in washington. in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties, mid-70s right near the bay. parts of calvert county and st. mary's had over three inches of rain from heavy downpours yesterday. we had those scattered heavy thunderstorms around. as a result this morning, behind that we've had some drier air moving in. right now it's in the upper 60s to mid-60s in the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia. around the neighborhood network, montgomery village is at 69. the dew point is down to a comfortable 64. that is much lower humidity that has moved in. the eastern shore near 70. right now out of the mountains, temperatures are near 60 degrees where the humidity is eastbound lower this morning, these are the current dew points. where you seehe green is the lower humid it from pennsylvania, into west virginia, western maryland. it's still rather steamy just to the south and east of washington and around the outer nks. now over the last six hours we've had some cloud cover

coming and going here. a partly cloudy start traveling today. could be some flight delays along the gulf coast, northern florida into carolinas as well as parts of the mississippi valley and around chicago, into the upper midwest. but elsewhere should not have any flight delays. for u today, highs reaching near90it wowh l l humidity. a little hotter tomorrow, still not too humid with lots of sunshine. turning more humid on wednesday and thursday. could get some passing afternoon storms both days as well as on friday. over the weekend, looks like it will be partly cloudy to mostly sunny with highs in the 80s and in wtenweek i last week i wt ar ll j andvitt charlottesville an j tusdheot t hot od theresho ima ts fferson's home, monticello. and there's the front entrance. he tatro fntnt entrance there's weeran w ve that was v designedy b created by thomas re y0rs ago.20 that weatherane yis still working. and inag mnificent condition. f ho o m te us roof of the house. he was a weather observer for 50 years. .e took t tbucetionllolls i a aonulde wrf

acvie tot.si this is t.>> wo >> >> wow. us rd .>yaac b yard. a ow. fmow. reautifuw. frlolwe garrd as,nhe as .wedear g tarrehe as wellre that house is 200 years old and just wonderful. beautiful windows. rooms okay to began. he didn't want to have any dark corners. a wonderful design for the house. it's a great place to visit. >> an easy drive from here. >> sure is. >> thanks, tom. i'm glad you're back. looks like you had a great vacation. >> thanks, tom. >> let's check traffic. >> now look who's back. jerry edwards. >> along i-270, loaded up from at least montgomery village to a point near i-370 where police are dealing with an accident in the roadway so heads-up there. northbound you're good to go. south of town, no hangups to the wilson bridge. picking up a little volume now. inner loop toward of 66 or tysons corner. back to you. >> thank you. >> we have some breaking news to get to. a plane has made an emergency landing in miami after turbulence left as many as two

dozen passengers with injuries ranging from fractured wrists to bumps and bruises. getting a live look now out of miami international airport. the continental flight was heading to houston from rio de janeiro. we are told the plane was diverted to miami where it landed safely with at least 158 people on board. we'll bring you more iormation on this story as it becomes available. >> checking the top store this the news for today, the future of michael jackson's children and estate go before a judge today. the judge could approve a custody agreement that makes jackson's mother the permanent guardian of the chirp. katherine jackson also wants to know whether she can challenge the men who are administering her son's estate without contesting the will. >> u.s. has enlisted swiss diplomats to help free three americans being held in iran. they went hiking in the mountains of kurdistan last week. they were reportedly arrested after they strayed over the border into iran. >> some fairfax county students

are heading back to school today. a number of schools are running on a modified schedule. those students will be in class for nine weeks and will then have a break for three weeks. >> today's news 4 morning person is described as someone who brightens up every morning. raymond young distributes "the washington post" express at the tenleytown metro every morning. one of our viewers said raymond is always smiling, laughing, cheerful and has a nice thing to sato. if you know someone like raymond young, e-mail their story and a clear, close-up picture or video to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. >> there have been many tributes to michael jackson since his death, but this latest one has a very unique spin. these are three members of south korea's synchronized swimming team dancing under the water to "billie jean." they attempted some of jackson's signature moves like his

gravity-defying lean. the swimmers have turned out to be one of the most popular at trackings at the aquarium in seoul. might want to think about going swimming today. we have some warm weather coming. >>erheat w is swimmable. temperatures are great at the beacats. looks like a terrific day. if have the day off, rangcotulatis. ng sunny, hot weather. wednesday and thursday, turning more humid. could get some passing afternoon stms o b hotfhhose days as well as perhaps on friday. right now weekend looks night, partly to mostly sunghheitinh t highs in the low 80s, morning lows in the 60s. enjoy some typical summer weather on the way for the week ahead. >> thank you, tom. >> jerry, how about the roads? >> 270 southbound had the accident just before 370. police a clearing that. >> okay. thank you, jerry. sgorinr rtou yyday." thanks for starting your day with us. >>pe'le hoou yl join us for ou"ns 4 midday" at"n 11:00 toda. stay connected with us. we're on facebook and twitter. wake up with us tomorrow

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