right now at midday, firefighters say they couldn't get enough water to fight a massive house fire. d.c. authorities are responding with what they say is the real problem. a firefighter arrested in an internet sex sting, whom he's accused of trying to meet through craigslist. and the grasp of your glass. some say you are what you drink, but you how you hold your cup could say a lot more than you think. news 4 midday starts right now. good morning.

it was a frightening scene in the district, frames lighting up the night sky. it was a massive and devastating fire and last week it destroyed the home of the former president of the d.c. school board. it gave firighters major trouble and now authorities say they know why. megan mcgrath joins us live where a news conference just wrapped up. >> reporter: firefighters say that 80% of the first floor was fully engulfed by flames when they aived on the scene. this was a very, very large house. so this was a huge job from the get go. then fire crews arrived and tried to hook up to the hydrants. they could not get water on to the fire. and as they struggled, the home continued to burn. so what happened? the city released a preliminary report. we some have some answers. a 75-year-old corroded water pipe, that's what was servicing the fire hydrants in the neighborhood and that pipe and

the inability to get enough water is one of the major factors that thwarted efforts to put out a massive fire. >> not only has it been here probably since the homes were of a much different size, but it is also probably of significant corrosion to have a tremendous impact on the amount of gallons that can be pumped through the pipes. >> reporter: according to a preliminary report released by the city, the two hydrants closest to the home pumped 323 and 296 gallons of water per minute respectively. that is significantly less water than needed to put out a fire in such a large home without sprinkrs. >> significantly off of what we needed, but it's psht to remember, again, as the mayor said, the home was 15,000 square feet, which is a very big house. and the house was significantly involved. so it was probably, you know,

800 to 1,000 gallons or more short of what we needed. >> reporter: responding crews have said they just cooperate get enough water to do their job. as emergency crews ran hose lines to hydrants thousand of feet away, the home burned it to the ground. and the size of the home was another big factor here as you heard. it's a very very large home. so it was a very, very big fire. and those are just tough to fight. also, another issue, the location of fire hydrants in the neighborhood. some of the ones that were close here obviously affected by the low flow because of that pipe. well, there are other hydrants in the area, but this stretch of chain bridge road didn't have any cross streets. so while there may be another hydrant maybe 500 feet away if you cut through yards or the like, you can't reach it because there aren't those cross streets. you have to go down to the end, take another road and cut over. and that thwarted efforts to run the long hose lines that they

had to run here. it was a maze to go see smftd hose lines that were involved with this fire. so a number of different issues. another they think that they mentioned, also, is just the area that we're in is very high, so of course if you're trying to get water up a steep hill, that's also a challenge, as well. so there were a number of lesser factors that contributed are but the big thing was the age of that pipe, the fact it was corroded, so it wasn't allowing much water to get through and then the shear size of the fire. >> a lot of those questions now being answered. thank you. we're following a developing story in the water on terror the taliban is con if you remember maki mehsud has been killed. he led a violent campaign of suicide attackses against pakistan's government. according to in-tell against officials, his demise would be a major boost to u.s. efforts to

eradicate the taliban and al queda. now to the nation's money crisis. let's take a live look at wall street this midday. right now the dow is up 160 points. this do comes as in-ve tors react to an encouraging jobs report. the labor department says employers cut back on layoffs in july a quarter million jobs lost. and that's the lowest monthly total in a year. it's better news than analysts and even the obama administration had expected. brooke hart has the report. >> reporter: president obama looked like he was campaigning in virginia last night, and he was, not just for the democrat for governor, but for his handling of the economy. >> we'ring jobs at half the rate we were at the beginning of this year. >> reporter: in fact respect the jobless rate has fallen according to the labor department today, down to 9.4%. >> i think we're going to be on an improving track. >> reporter: still, to out of work american, the job market is hardly well coming. >> we have many more months of

difficult labor situation ahead. >> reporter: critics expected better news by now. the challenges are sometimes bold and public. this was the house majority leader in new york. >> the bill we passed was a recovery to bring us out of this deep recession. >> reporter: democrats are you said fire, too, in pennsylvania. and in missouri where one lawmaker plugging cash for clunkers had to shut out protestors at the door. the senate last night extended the program until labor day over gop objections. >> the program i believe is little more than a clunker itself. >> reporter: will hefty car rebates steer spending from retailers? sales are slow. americans are on hold waiting for stimulus promises to bloom. >> we anticipate that the

effects will build through the end of this year and begin of the next. >> reporter: and waiting for the security that comes with jobs. analysts today will be pouring over details of the jobs report, including the number of hours worked and temp workers hired. they'll indicate how busy u.s. companies are and how many new workers they might need in the coming months. in washington, brooke heart, nbc news. >> new at midday, a $5.6 million wind fall for stafford county schools and an accounting error is to blame. it turns out the schools requested $174 million from the treasurer ear office for the payroll during the 20006/2007 school year, but the school staff accidentally entered more than $179 million in the ledger. the money sat in a bank account unnoticed and unused for two years until the county treasurer noticed the mistak also new t nso at midday, a n fost county man is accused of killing his 7 son. son. wan sode andre has been charged with murder and child neglect.

the baby died after being taken he tpiittahe wlh breathing e.bloutr held t chi had riesinsi wst ctenith shaken baby tndsy.mero police arrested andreeryey.dast he's also fg facing weacons an marijuana charges. he's currently in jail without bond. a live look outside. it is a comfortable friday morning, but are some uleasant changes in the works? tom is in storm center4 withd d omom askeke>>lilie e for >> somlike it hot i and h they'll happypy c atainly by tomorrow and into sunday, but today, a break om our usual high heat and humidity in early august. look at that beautiful blue sky. a few witch pi high clouds drifting over the nation's capital. low humidity in lays. now 78 in washington. mid and upper0s in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. around the shenandoah valley and the blue ridge, low and mid-70s as well as around the bay and eastern shore. look at the dew points. they're down at just the low to mid-50s. washington now at 50 52.

our dew points usually this time of year are near 70, but we don't have it today. eastern shore mid 70s. and lots of sunshine. just a few high clouds coming through. it will be a mostly sunny afternoon with low humidity. also a quick bpywiurtthn ou protection. highs reaching the mid-80s. a look at the heat wave. looks like on tap for the weekend. details in a few minutes. and for this weekend, a lot of people heading out on the roadways. hopefully heading to some beaches to get away from this heat. jar re has a look at traffic. good morning. indeed rear already picking up a lot of volume. here's 95 southbound in virginia coming off the capital beltway as theriday get away is already under way. lanes are all open, no midday construction that we could find. if you are headed toward the eastern shore, we do have a couple problem, route 50 on the bay bridge, brn down vehicle, and another one this the back of the toll plaza, so we're look at delays eastbound 50 trying to

get over the bay bridge. a man is dead after being run over during the morning rush in prince william county. police say he was hit by multiple vehicles along the jefferson davis highway near the intersection of wood side drive and wood bridge. police have not released the victim's identity, but they say the drivers who hit him did stay at the scene. a local beauty queen in an ugly situation. coming up, we'll tell you what land her in court. and then a montg hery county firefighter busted if an internet sex sting. find out whom police say he tried to meet on craigslist. plus, a slithery surprise in fairfax county. just wait until you find out how many snakes nortauthorities fou. and is all that coffee good

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new at mid day, police heav aredrean ast a medccus oedf makg pr 91 # 1. th say bannc bhalaalrdled c dfefentre pay phones. s eay m tlphend ahen leaveoff td e the onthf okho and runs officers sayho officers sayncla b chardsson blanchard confessed when they arrested help yesterday. police say he just needed someone to talk to. new detail in the arrest of a local beauty queen, a former miss matter land usa has pleaded guilty to ob vukting a police investigation in a drug case. ti aechlt entered the plea

yesterday. shorts was crowned miss maryland usa in 2004. she was also named miss congeniality by her fellow competitors. she had been charged initially with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and drug possession. her boyfriend, his brother and their 67-year-old mother were also arrested. shorts will be sentenced in november. a veteran firefighter in mego county busted. niisor mutngiet lan wenmeayne thd moeasshrgfaceha ces in an internet sex stg.ha th tried to hook up o leagid n 16-year-old girl on craigslist.6 ad e th was actually posted by ane. undercover police officer. jackie has the story. >> reporter: the veteran montgomery county firefighter was arrested in the parking lot in gait you aresburg. court documents allege wayne mothershead had agreed to meet there and pay $150 for sex to a person he'd contacted through an ad in the adult services section of craigslist. >> a female police officer went

on the internet using classified for sale and social networking sites to post advertisements as though she were a 16-year-old girl placing an ad for prostitution. >> reporter: mothershead used his county e-mail address. richard bowers tells us he took immediate action. >> i was fully aware of the situation, yes, and as a result onuahat, i took action ad anteivoivndl u administrativeea ihi wch ichs paid leave at this time. s >> reporter: mothershe mothershd dne declined to addre specifics except to say that in herli ct' 2s c # two years, he has gained the highest respect from his col aag aues earned a great reputation. she weo nt imo h,ix month, i have seen an increase tha w i consider to be ti lequesabon prs kugss involving ads placedabn the adulte erityo came sections of craigslist.

jackie bensen, news 4. plus say this is part of an on going investigation into online prostitution involving minors. they tell us it has resulted in more than 20 arrests. mothershead is free on a $100,000 bond. officers did act appropriately when using a stun gun to arrest a man and a woman at a christening party. it happened at a home back on july 26th. ngr called for a noise complaint, officers say the homeowner, edgar rodrigue was hilyingh-tox indicated and refused to turn down the volume. then they say family members tried to interfere wit the arrest. and in the end, rodriguez and 25-year-old letitia elias were tased. there was no language barrier because an officer explained the noise ordinance in both spanish and english. firefighters responding to a house fire in alex andrea got even more than what they bear gained for. inside the house were dozens of snakes. the reptiles belong to a teenager who lives in the house.

most of the snakes died, but a few including a bow a con contribute h. district tore suived. the teen's mother says her son rescued most of the snakes after they were an ban did noted by their previous owners. >> they're all very well secured, which is why the fire was very near where they were all housed and they couldn't get out and perished. >> firefighters say the fire was accidental caused by an extension considered. we've got a beautiful start to the day out there right now. this weekend, going to be a little different. here comes the heat. >> so enjoy the wonderful break that we have right now. around our region, wadvee' h our temperatures down into the low 60s and now criming in to the 70s. it has been a delightful summer morning. just a few high clouds coming in from the west and there is the view from our sky watcher camera. excellent visibility with the low humidity in the air. the view from our city camera showing the sunshine pouring

down on the potomac river and you definitely need sun block. a quick burn is possible in a short amount of time. right now 78 in washington where the average august rainfall is d 3.44 inches and we've had only about a half an inch so far this month of august. now looking at radar, no precipitation around the region at this hour. temperatures are in the comfort zone in the mid and upper 70s with low humidity in place from the shenandoah valley all the way to the atlantic beaches. right now it's in the mid-70s in prince george's county and sorry maryland near the bay. and as we look at the due points, this is comfortably dry for august. dew points only 52 in washington and it is dry from the month continues all the way to the atlantic beaches. so we've swept away the humidity overnight. speaking of the atlantic beach, had there's ocean city at 81 from a morning low of 6. their dew point a comfortably dry 54. a wonderful day at the beach. humidity only 39% with a north

early breeze coming down the beach. and all around our region, we've had the humidity dropping out of the mountains, it's just in the 60s right now. and down in southeastern virginia where it's been so steamy the last couple of week, it has dried out there, as well. so quite a break from the humidity as the dew points there now are in the mid-60s while it's just in the 50s farther to the west and north. it has certainly changed dramatically since yesterday. we've had just a few 6 these high clouds drifting through over the last couple hours and we'll have lots of sunshine hend this as we've got a large area of high pressure now sittingoff the ohio valley. this high pressure will drift right over us here today and the western flow around that high will unfortunately take this humidity away and begin to bring in the heat. we've got a warm front now building throughout the central plains. so to for us for the afternoon, mostly sunny with low humidity and high ultraviolet index. temperatures climbing into the low and mid-80s for highs this afternoon. g.oueneinev ou e ldsh w bgoodevering. should be good weather foren th

ationals and t ckba atark. first tcpi p hk. first pitch 7:. by then we ought to be in the uppeessohwutt under a mostly clhwsky. a great night for baseball. also theni tens classic in rock creek pa under way today. goodea wther for wthat. then tonight, a beautiful evening if you're going to be out on the town. should be a great night. tempatnurhees the 70s andhen t dauraty.awn on s if you're headinguro t the beacs and to the bay,o here's the bay fore.st saturday's highs in the 8.0s, bt 90s on sunday. should be a day for sailing on su aitayhe rhat breeze across the bay anwa bri breeze across the bay and water help temraintus rehe m t0s-7id there. forecast.ch wate temperature low 70s. t'ss swimmable the n oul ulrdtu a bifndutn ea o saturday and sunday. it's going to be hot at the beach, too, with a southwest wind ki loong for we' the next several y, hhsr neaig 90 tomorrow nit wh increasing

humidity. nstill gotngoi to be too humid 9,t 15ng butllewiomec i swngelrisuten a oayonndnd mday with highs in the mid and upper 90s. the hottest weather of the summer so far. looks like that will lingerntond tuesday, as well, so sort ea mini heat wave because it appears we'll get a break from that by wednesday and thursday. could get passing thundershowers and it should be turning a bit cooler, as well. >> so it will finally feel like august. thanks. a lot of folks already heading out on the roadway. let's check in with jerry to see what the roadways are looking like. >> yeah, a lot of folks out and about at this hour. capital beltway, there had been an accident inner loop just before university boulevard. that's been pushed to the shoulder. so might be a little slow there. outer loop, just some brief rubber necking delays, but the lanes are open. now there's improvingews for those of you heading toward the eastern shore. both broken down vehicles eastbound 50 on the bay bridge, they have been cleared out of

the roadway. so the delays which did reach toward point state park are beginning to ease barring any additional problems. back to you. time is now 11:21. 78 degrees outside. shots rang out inside a health club. coming up, new details about the gunman's strange life and what may have been the motive behind his rampage. >> buehler. >> he made us laugh, he made us cry. in his films, he captured the stories of a generation. a look at the legacy of film maker john hughes. plus, a life like doll, perhaps a little too life like. why hat ni what she's teaching little girls. a as we go ba re, aklook, some of the top stories on

a rough ride for ashton occur cher and demi moore. their private jet had to make an emergency landing. shortly after takeoff, a pilot noticed a warning light with the right engine. he landed safely. they said the engine overheated. happy to be alive. breast feeding is a healthy and natural way to for a mother to feed and bond with her

newborn child, but there's mixed reaction over a new dole that teaches little girls how it's done. it looks like a regular baby doll oig, but she comes with a bra like alter top and the doll makes suck link sounds like a breast feeding baby. some parents think it's too much too soon. >> i nursed my daughter until she was six months old, but i think it goes a little bit far to having your little girls do it. >> i think a lot of moms don't breast feed especially in public, so to ep kunlg our kirds to see that and make it natural. >> it's made by a span esh company and is not yet available on the u.s. market. > the time is 11:26. 7 degrees outside. they're back from a harrowing ordeal. next at 11:30, new details about what life was like for two journalists held captive in north korea. then coffee junkies, what's your habit doing to your health?

we'll hear from the experts. plus, tired of eating your veggies? join the club. we'll tell yoth

let's take a look at what's happening. mayor fenty wrapped up a news conference. he re leased new information about a fire that destroyed the home of school board chair former school board chair peggy

cooper caftz. the fire happened last week. a preliminary report has found that a 75-year-old corroded water pipe which carried water to that fire was not able to carry enough water to put the large fire out. a firefighter is facing internet sex charges this morning. police say lieutenant wayne mothershead answered a crai he believed was believed was a 16-year-old girl bus r. but was a an undercover cop. employers cut back on layoffs in july. 247,000 jobs were lost last month, the lowest in a year. the unemployment vat now 9.4%. these numbers are better than analysts were expecting and some say it cld be a sign the recession is ending. the swine flu virus is expected to make a comeback when kids go back to school and that's why the federal government is taking action now.

new guidelines are out for-to-avoid a repeat of the spring. this time around, local school leaders are being urged to consider closing only if a high number of students come down with the flu. >> incredibly important to all of us that our students continue to learn. educators need to start thinking now about having temporary home schooling plans in place using both phone asnd the internet, whether it's for just a few students or potentially for an entire school. we plan on releasing guidance for colleges and universities by august 23rd. additionally, cdc will be issuing a version of the k-12 guidance specific to free k and early learning groups shortly. >> authorities say the vaccine will be available by mid october. children are on the priority list for the first doses. however, it's still not clear whether schools will be turned in to vaccine clinics. federal officials say states and school districts should be

prepared for mass vaccinations about. now to history made on capitol hill. >> the nomination of sonia sotomayor of new york to be apassociate justice of the supreme court of the united states is confirmed. >> the senate approving the nomination of sonia sotomayor late yesterday afternoon. and she'll continue to make history when she's worn in tomorrow. sonia sotomayor is just one day away from becoming the first hispanic to sit on the u.s. preme court. the 57-year-old new york native was confirmed by vote of 68-31 last night. democrats applauded her smooth confirmation hearing, however, only nine republicans voted in favor of sotomayor. most republicans worry that she has a liberal bias. president obama praised her confirmation calling it a, quote, wonderful day for america. with this historic vote, the senate has affirmed that judge sotomayor has the intellect, the temperament, the history, the integrity and the independence

of mind toablebly serve on her nation's highest court. >> sotomayor will be sworn in tomorrow on live television, another first for the supreme court. the popular cash for clunkers program has been refueled last night the senate joined the house in p a approvaling an additional $2 billion worth of funding. that bill now awaits president obama's signature. under the program, consumers can get up to $4500 in rebates if they swap out their gas guzzler for a new more fuel efficient car. the program's initial $1 billion ran out of money only after ten days. lawmakers expect this new funding to last through labor day. new details this morning about two american journalists pardoned by north korea after an emotional reunion. laura is weak, exhausted and emotional. laura told her family she was treated humanely, but meals were meager and her phone calls were monitored. laura plans to write an editorial explaining what happened and how she was captured. she and fellow journalist euna

lee were apparently captured just seconds after entering north korea. the women were sentenced to a labor camp for entering north korea illegally. they were released this week after a visit to pyongyang by former president clinton. new details in that deadly shootout inside a health club near pittsburgh. we're learning more about the gin man after video were found on the internet. st night people gathered to remember the three women shot to death by george sodini. he walked in to la fitness and opened fire. afterwards, he killed himself. video found on on youtube shows sodini lived a sad life and that he desperately wanted to be involved with a woman. >> my objective is to be real and to learn to be emotional. couch and chair,hey match. the woman will really be impressed. >> our nbc afternoon fill i can't tell in pittsburgh also uncovered several receipts. they show that sodini bought gun parts and ammunition from the

same online gun store used by the shooters in both the virginia tech and the northern illinois university shooting rampage. the widower of a woman who caused a horrific wrnk way crash is defending his late wife. diane schuler's actions killed eight people including her 2-year-old daughter and three young thesnieces. her sus says it's not true. >> i go toe bed every night knowing my heart is clear. she did not drink. she's not an alcoholic. listen to all that. my heart rests every night when i go bed. something medically had to have happened. >> they suggested that gestational diabetes o abscessed tooth could have caused diane's behavior. the medical examiner says there was no evidence of a stroke, heart attack or aneurysm. in news for your health, some call it the best part of waking up, but is coffee good for your health in the debate

has raged for years and now the national institute of health is weighing in on the subject. diana gonzalez takes a closer look. >> reporter: could our favorite stimulant actually be good for the heart? >> there's some suggestion maybe in women it may be a little bit cardio protective, but i don't think anyone should have coffee thinking they're getting a benefit out offed buzz they get from the coffee or getting nupt morning. >> reporter: but it does increase our heart rate, which can be a problem for some. >> in some people who are susceptible to and i rit arrhythmias, it can increase the rate. so you need to stay away from coffee. >> reporter: that goes for pregnant women, as well. here's another thing to consider. >> caffeine can block the absorption of calcium. so when you block the absorption

of colisea calcium, your bones weaker. >> reporter: but for most of us, a couple cups don't pose any health risks. coffee has been the focus havlat 6 recent research. >> coffee beans are seeds. so they have a protective coating on them. so just like they protect their coating, they contain antioxidants and they're finding now that it could potentially protect dna. >> reporter: which might explain possible coffee benefits which include recuse duesing the risk of liver cancer, type 2 rp diabetes and parkinson's disease. while coffee might help keep blood sugar more stable, it can also lead to a rise in ldl cholesterol. >> that was diana gonzalez reporting. if you're constantly nagged about your bad eating habits, here's something you might appreciate. a group of people fed up with healthy eating has created the beb sight this is why you're fat daumt. it has hundreds of pictures of extremely fattening food like waffles stuffed with bacon and

deep fried spam. some people have dubbed it the gross food movement and despite the gross factor, the website still gets tens of thousands of page views every day. >> i don't think that it is inherently dangerous. i think people are doing it for fun. but i think the unhealthy aspect of it is what makes it attractive. >> a this this is why you're fat book hits store shelves this october. and tom is in storm center4 with our weekend forecast. i don't know how many folks will be taking them up on that new interesting way of life, but, hey, you got to kill time somehow. >> good weather for exercising anyway as we look at our sky, we've got a few high clouds passing through. otherwise lots of sunshine. 78 in washington. and we're in the 70s all around the region with low humidity in place with a dew point comfortably dry down into the 50s. whenever that's around 07 or higher that's when we notice

swell terg humidity and that's what will happen overs end of the weekend. we'll contin to see lots of sunshine for the rest of the day with low humidity and temperatures climbing in to 9 mid-80s and a fresh northwesterly bree and partly cloudy tonight and we'll have temperatures by dawn into the 60s and then tomorrow getting hotter, up around 90, with some clouds around. it looks like the humidity will increase saturday night and be in place for sunday and monday. high heat and high humidity with hazy sunshine lingering into tuesday. and then maybe a break on wednesday and thursday. passing showers and storms possible. it's getting busy out there. the friday get away is well under way. northern virginia 9 southbound coming off the beltway, loaded up very rapidly now heading dn from the beltway through the interchanges and n. springfield. the good news is no road work to impede the flow. just volume. elsewhere, south of town to the wilson bridge, no worries. good news, the broken down vehicles and there were two of them eastbound 50 at the bay

bridge and toll plaza are now gone. so good new if you're heading to it the eastern shore. plan for some serious delays if you use metro this weekend. on the red line, passengers should plan for delays up up to 30 minutes as crews will be working on the trackeefr the friendship heights station. and orange line track work in vienna could cause delays, as well. time now 11:40. 78 degrees oside. his movies captured childhood and defined it for a generation before coming up, a look at the legacy of john hughes. and then something new from an intnet giant. we'll tell you how google is getting into the phone business about. and if you are what you eat, you're also how you drink. the way you hold your glass is saying about you.

google ew n new way of using your pwane. after signing up for a free account, you get your ownho pne number through google,r phich sentially a super number which yfollsou everywhere. all your texts esgesaand voice messages arele cgepiomdpiogethe in a entrance crypt of everything is display order youd phone. you canlso do conference call, record calls or route them to your land line, work or cell phone and call anywhere in the u.s. for free. it's a tough economy, but here's the sign thing might be

turning around. brothels are reporting an uptick in business. a 25% increase, in fact. that's a's verse from the past several months when brothels reported a negative impact from the recession. some see it as a sign the economy is improving. br brth he will owners think an increase in conventions is also driving up business. time to take a look at other business head leans. cou courtney ray gone joins us with more. >> the jobs report yielded surprising results. only 240,000 jobs lost. much lower than what with us expected. and also the lowest number since august of 2008. we also saw the unemployment rate improve to 9.4%, but that number is still high, but considerably better than where we were and what we thought we could have been. the jobs data also turned around european trading. markets in asia did close lower

overnight, but that's before the jobs data came out. aig also posted strong second quarter earnings coming in well above estimates. aig of course seeing a profit after being pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy by all of us last year. and general motors plans to launch a plug-in buick suv in 2010 1 1, just the latest move to more fuel efficient vehicles. the crossover is expected to be the first commercially plug-in hybrid suv from a major automaker. it will follow gm's heavily anticipated electric car chevy volt. the taxpayer bill from the housing market slump keeps getting beggar. fannie mae says it needs more money from the treasury department after the mortgage giant reported a nearly $15 million quarterly loss. fannie and freddie were seized by the government last september as i'm sure we all remember. asking for $11.7 billion more.

ouch. that's a tough one. back to you. >> ouch the operative word there. thank you, courtney. getting more banfor your buck. if you need school supply, head to virginia. all weekend long, shoppers are getting a tax break. that mean nos 5% sales tax on clothing and shoes under $100 and school supplies you said $20 per item. this is virginia's fourth back to school sales tax hole bi day. jay leno has booked his first guest. his first show in the 10:00 p.m time lot had l. begin with a performance by jay-z, rihanna and kanye west. they will perform run this town from jay-z's new album. you can see leno's new prime time show starting september 14th. a man whose movies defined the 80s and 90s as died. john hughes wrote a series of films that had a huge impact on the entire generation and one that continues even day.

george lewis has more. >> reporter: he was the guy who had movie audiences roaring at films such as home alone, "fer." john lose jr. was born in michigan in 1950 and proud of ak self made man who began his career in chicago writing advertising copy. chicago became the setting for many of his pictures. >> anything is peace ifful from 1353 feet. >> a brain, a beauty. >> reporter: in 1985, he won critical praise for the movie the breakfast club. a look into the psyche of teenagers. >> commonly made and hollywood teenager pictures is going for the bucks. >> reporter: and he helped launch the careers of several young actors later known as the brat pack. they included molly ringwald and

alley she'ddy. >> are we going to be like our parents is this sn. >> not me. >> its he unavoidable. just happens. >> what happens? >> when you grow up, your heart dies. >> when you get older, you can't be that sensitive. your skin gets a little thicker and you have more responsibilities. and the world starts to press in on you. >> reporter: john hughes spoke to a whole generation. he didn't talk down to them, he seemed to get it. john hughes, a man whose work focused on youth was only 59 when he died. george lewis, nbc news. >> he's survived by a wife and two children. 78 degrees outside. looking for something to do? we have some ideas in the weekend scene. plus, tom will have your weekend forecast.

oo lng for people who makeoo today special. ifno t kmehesoliw one ke that, e-mail their sryic aon pndture or pideo to morninpetrs aon nbastonghin.com and

nothing says summer like a picking in youtd doors. here's great spots you can visit. wendy has nor in your weekend

scen. >> reporter: time to look ahead to the weekend scene. good to see you again. so it's the lazy days of summer. we're getting off to a great weekend. >> and ourlliseeut abo ahe tre this week is all about the great places to picnic a bey th r.wate we're so lucky around here, we have so much water front area. and we want to you get out of your own neighborhood. so we have picked ten of our favorite waterfront picnic places around the area. one of the onese we really like is lake mead wood in rockville, actually 75 and he canner lake and i think a lot of people don't know about it.le that's huge with great hiking trails. you have to get there. it's just such a gem. we'll tell you some other places, too. >> signature theater in arlington is opening its doors. what can we expect? >> this is their year.

they won a regional tony which is basically the high he is honor a theater company can get. they are throwing their doors on ep on saturday from noon to:0:00 p.m. they have everything going on. they're having tony nominated emily skin they are to perform, the broadway dream girl july i can't nixon will be there, you can take chanlasses, something every 15 minutes. classes for kids and adults. you can check out costumes. you got to get there. >> air guitar championships. oh, my lord. >> are you ready? >> yeah, how can you ever not love a good air guitar? >> these are the national air guitar champions. it's the first time d.c. has gotten to host the national air guitar championship. it is exactly what you think. these guys have practiced, they have 60 seconds to show you their best moves. fully choreographed move, by the way. they really have practiced and competed to get to this level.

and you can check out the best of the pest on friday night at 9:30 -- it starts at 8:00 actually, but it will be a wild time. >>ou know r> eally sell it.th an. you can find these stories and a t vere elonts going on this we. go to the around townon stiec oo nbcwashington.com or visit "washington post".com/weekend. time to find out about some of the stories in the works for news 4 this afternoon. jim is here with a preview. good to see you. coming up at 4:00 this afternoon, it was the wedding day processional that enthralled the nation. now some are raising issues because of the song the couple danced to. so the newlyweds are taking action. we'll check this with the reliable source team. then at 5:00, a dangerous scenario during pregnancy. what happens when women take diet and exercise toage extreme?

and find out what hot off the grill. we'll have barbeque dishes that will make your mouth water. for these stories and all the day's new, new 4/begins right here at 4:00. we'll make you hungry. have a goo g. weekend. >> we'll be watching. thanks. it is now 11:55. let's check in with tom. it is a beautiful day. the air is soothing and dry as you ten out. you will enjoy it. low humidity, look at the visibility. certainly much better than it has been the last number of days. a blue sky. just a you few high clouds drifting over.over. right now 78 in washington. and on radar, no precipitation around the region at this hour. around the neighborhood network, there the ocean city shore line. 81 degrees. the dew point a comfortably dry 54 even there at the beefrps. it's been sweltering there for the last number of days.

very low humidity there at the beaches. north early breeze, as well. elsewhere, temperatures here in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties are in the mid and upper 70s. a beautiful day into the mountain, as well, high pressure drifting over our region from the west. in the mid 70s from southern maryland. and due points all around our region are in the 50s from the mountains all the way to the atlantic beaches. dew point in washington is at 52. that is comfortably dry. here's what's been happening over the last six hours. just had aew of these high clouds coming in moving southwest to northeast. and lots of sunshine over the mountains and throughout much of virginia into the carolinas. we will have lots of sun through the afternoon with a high ultraviolet index, quick burn without protection is likely. highs reaching the mid-80s. overnight tonight, partly cloudy, we'll be in the 60s by dawn tomorrow. still not too humid on saturday. perhaps by saturday night is when the humidity will really

begin to move in. it will be hotter tomorrow up around 90. into the mid and perhaps upper 90s on sunday and monday with hazy sunshine and high humidity. wednesday and thursday, maybe storms around. we'll see you a monday. have a great weekend. if you you are out at the bar this weekend, take a good look around because the way the person next to you holding their drink could say a lot about them. a british psychologist studied 500 drinkers and divided them into different personality types. first, there's the peacock. these people lean if while pushing their glass away. it symbolizes someone who is confident and arrogant. then there's the flirt, someone who holds their glass provocatively and wants attention. the fun lover holds his drink loosely in front of him and enjoy as good time, but beware of the ice queen she holding her drink firmly with one arm across the body and does not want to be bothered. that's new 4/midday. thanks for joining us. tune in the at 4:00 for all the

day's news and we'll be back tomorrow morning at 6:00 with news 4 today, the would he eeke edition. have a great day.