the first is the out loop of the belay in rispelngfid. police shut down theng adn twutbr between brad dock roadnd a 95 just before 4:00 thisor mning m ntdeci. el beactwntdeay the beltway remains closed at . os .hour emtherblrobl spot is route 1 in woodbridge. throad was closed in both directions at the prince william parkway. now one lane of traffic is getting by in both directions. history is happening today. the first hispanic supreme court justice will be sworn in. judge sonia sotomayor will take the oath twice, first in a public ceremony and then a private ceremony. she will take her seat on the high court in september when the justices convene for a special meeting. the family of eunice kennedy shriver are gathered at her

hospital bedside this morning. the 88-year-old sister of president john f. kennedy has been hospilized for about a week. governor arnold schwarzenegger who is married to her daughter maria is also at her bedside. she has suffered a series of strokes in recent years. she was a tireless impact for the disabled. she was a champion for special ee olympics, the cause closest to her heart. jackie bensen explains. >> it's a very reasonable experience of people. >> reporter: many people in the washington area whoave been touched by the good work of eunice kennedy shriver say they are keeping her and her family in their prayers. they worship at our lady of catholic church near her home.

as a teenager she worked as a summer camp that eunice and sergeant shriver had established in their home. >> that was my first introduction and it impacted me tremendous tremendously. mrs. shriver came out every day and worked with the children. she was very inspirational to me. >> reporter: the summer camp grew in a recognized. senator brady lumm release add statement that said our thoughts and prayers are with mrs. shriver ear and her family at this time. >> we have a program here, and mrs. shriver and the kennedy foundation orange namely helped us to get started by granting with grant money for the foundation. >> reporter: archbishop of washington spoke to the shriver family in massachusetts. w

jack jackie bensen, "news 4." the ruling against john allen mao hand was unanimous. laerses argd h he shouldn't have beenwy alledow to represen himself. they also argued prosecutor withheld key documents from the defense. friday's ruling leaves few tirops foed apal.s he's currently on death row for the murder on his part in d deaths of ten people in 2002. there's a new concern for swine flu as parents and student get ready to return to school. the guidelines come as maryland announces another person has diedm fthroe s. fruviru cetadeil nr haces r >> eporter: a fifth person in maryland, a prince georges's county resident has died from swine flu. health officials say it's a reminder that the disease is still spreading. the death comes as the centers for disease control released new guidelines on how the school

district should happen cases when their doors open in several weeks. >> two flu seasons back to back, they're going to erlap by a couple of months. >> several schools in prince georges and montgomery counties were closed. isolated ip affected students and staff, give them masks and send them home. >> i think that's a better approach because it impacted the countywide. i think on the school-by-school basis will be the best way to handle it. again, it's up to the parents whether your child has a sniffle or anything like that to send your child to school. >> my concern would be whether or not they caught the infected child in time and whether or not they've taken the necessary precautions to o get all of the children that may have been exposed. >> reporter: prince george's county plans to offer missed school plans and clinical trials

have begun on the swine flu vaccine that could caught out in mid-october but some people say they will pass. >> when i was younger hay add bad reaction from the dvt shots and it gave me con vulingses and i got sick. especially with it being knew, i'm scared with my kids trying it. >> reporter: the swine flu ccine is expected to come in two doses. darcy spencer, "news 4 today." metro announced it will be doing major work on the track this month. starting at 10:00 every night this month the red line trains will single track between the fort totten and takoma stations and it will be completely shut down between the stations next wekd and the weekend of the 21st. it is tax-free weekend for virginia, just in time for back-to-school shopping. now is the time to stock up on goods if you haven't done so

already. "news 4's" derrick ward joins us from alexandria with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the national retail association expected spending to be down about 8% this year. that's because of the economy. so 15 states are doing what they can to bridge the gap, both for the retail sector and the other sector. it's expected to save shoppers about $4 million. it runs from august 7 t the 9th. you can save 5% on school supplies for the items itself or 20 dollars or less. now some other retailers are actually suspending the retail tax on their own such as electronics, but that's only for certain retailers. if you're buying summer clothes, winter clothes, musical instruments, too, they're considereded school supplies.

you will save the 5%. also applies to online purchases. now, joining me now is eric edwards. he's with the staples here in alexandria. you see a big upturn around here this time of year, don't you? >> yes. it does. it gets to the point where there's so many people. lines do get very long. >> you see a lot of people here because it's just a sad reall that teacher have to buy their own supply. you sort of make special arrangements with the teachers. >> absolutely. they get to purchase larger quantities than customers. it's a good thing to bring up. >> do you go by the honor system. >> yes. please do what you can to support us. >> reporter: there'll be a lot more traffic and savings across

the river. derrick ward. derrick, thank you. it us now 9:07. 73 degrees. coming up on saturday morns's "news 4 today." >> you guys don't have any ideas. the debate over health care reform becomes heated over the country, plus new concerns about the safety of the widely used airplane. we'll tell you what's being done. the fight over a tattered flag is over. new concerns a

safety of the widely used airbus a-330 airlines. it meade it impossible to mow how fast they were flying. they managed to land safely. a similar problem is believed to have contributed to the air france bus crash in june. 228 people died when their plane went down off a wra still coast. they have learned the faa and its european counter part plan to change the devices. the nation's unemployment rate dipped slightly from 9.5% to 9.4%.

that is the first drop in unemployment in 15 months. president obama says the numbers signal a change. >> today we're pointed in the right direction. we're losing jobs at less than half the rate we were when i took office. >> the president says the improvement can be traced back to a stimulus package of middle class taxcuts, massive infrastructure spending and green technology investments. the other item on the radar is health care. member of congress returning home to their from their constituents are hearing a lot more than they have expected. >> reporter: temperatures rising across the country from florida to michigan, texas to colorado. the town hall meeting is democracy 101, forums for free speech.

>> i actually have read this bill. >> yay! >> reporter: but many of them have turned into free-for-alls. >> at one point people seemed to be more worried about drowning each other than listening. >> reporter: and where members of congress like memberses of john dingell get shouted down. much of the passion and protest comes from conservatives for the government's plan for a government-run option for health care. the democratic national committee in web video charged these protests are staged. >> now desperate republicans are organizing angry mobs. >> reporter: some get stoked by the megaphone of rush limbaugh who went so far. the obama health care logo is damn close to a nazi swastika

logo. >> reporter: they argue the emit is rule. >> i think that the politicians should be careful about so easily dismissing this many people showing up and participating in the process. >> reporter: virginia democrat jim moran expects to get an earful. >> it's fine to be opposed. i don't think it's fine to come in with the objective of disrupting the town hall meetings. that was kelly o'donnell reporting. president obama used his weekly radio address to zplan health care reform and explain what it will do for most people it. >> knows not about putting government in charge of your health care zmurns. it's about you putting your health care insurance. if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. >> bob mcdonnell says the answer

for people who have no insurance is a free market, not a nationalized system. senator martinez made a surprising announcement yesterday. >> as a private sector citizen i do hope i have a voice to speak on issues that i consider important bus that's as far as it goes. i have no specific plans for my future. >> martinez is a former chairman of the republican party. he had previously announced planses not to run for re-election, opening up speculation former governor charlie crist may run for the vacant senate seat. south carolina's first lady moved out of the governor's mansion. jenny sanford says she's taking her sons and moving them the out of columbia. in june her husband governor mark sanford addmied to a

kear-long affair in argentina. it is now 9 17b 15. 74 degrees. up next, thesptsg's sportses

some young volunteers doing

a little yardwork for a very appreciative woman. 109-year-old woman has an immaculate lawn. the program does just what it says, gives people in need a helping hand with yardwork. ms. williams tells us she is very grateful for the help. she looks like she ee fit enough to do her own yardwork but it's nice to get a helping hand. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> are you ready for the heat? no? maybe? kinda? >> we're all spoiled. i'm not surprised. >> it's coming. the heat has been trapped on the west coast all summerlong but finally it's breaking way and moving east. it's going to get here tomorrow. today temperatures will climb up to about 90 degrees. so it will be a warm day with

again daytime high of around # 0. but it's going to get warmer tomorrow. in fact, downright hot tomorrow with temperatures in the mid 90s and by the time we get to monday, 100 degrees. then you factor the humidity, and, boy, yes, it will feel like summer in washington. all right. here's what's happening right now which do have a mix of sun and clouds out there this morning and that's what we're going to see all day. we'll have clouds that continue to feed on through. right now it is 74 degrees here in the beltway. elsewhere let's see. 70 down in springs port, 70 in pax river, dew points currently are in the low 60s. so it's quite comfortable out there. tomorrow the winds go southwesterly and the numbers will climb. all is quiet on digital doppler. a smidge warmer down the road in raleigh at 76. this is where the heat is rolling. you can see the air sitting in your 80s.

they do have excessive heat advisories in effect from chicago westward. so this is where it's going to be quite hot today and then eventually all of this will start to shift in our direction as we head in to tomorrow and again especially into monday. a big batch of rain across the great lakes. that's going to stay to the north. it's tied to this frontal band right here. for us the main player over the next couple of days will be the area of higher pressure. eventually the winds will go southwesterly on your sunday and this in turn will warm us up into the mid 9 and increase our humidity by the time we get to monday. downright hot. there's a front to the north and this will cool us down by the time we get to the middle of the week. for today, partly cloudy, warm, delightful. temperatures in the upper 80s to around 90. and then tomorrow, yes, , yechlt 96 degrees, eun yang.

stay cool. we'll call it oppressive on monday. on tuesday, a little cooler, 95, with a chance of a thunderstorm. by tend of the week that's when we cool it town to the 80s behind the cool front. we've been very spoiled and lucky. now it's time to pay the piper. >> i think this is the first time this year you said oppressive. hard to believe the nationals have now won six in a rear. here's hakem der mission to explain in today's "sports minute." good morning, everyone. your "sports minute" begins with the red hot nationals. josh willingham drove in the game-winning run in the seventh inning. the nats extended their win streak to a big league best six games. today at redskins park it's fan appreciation day. to avoid injury coach zorn is holding out nine players including veterans haynes

workts, clinton porter and santana moss. the semifinals of the leg mason last night by defeating 6'10" evil car let vich. and in the wnba miss stiks hosting the shock last night. led them away to help the mystics to a 70 to 66 victory. the mystics improved to 11-9. that's your sports minute. i'm hakem dermish. ve a great day. >> pitchers dominated last night's red sox game for about five hours. the two teams played into the morning that featured some dramatic play including this incredible catch to save the game for the red sox by it was only temporary. at 12:42 a.m. new york finally got the best of boston. alex rodriguez got a home run.

some local students are getting down and dirty for a good cause. spring hill elementary schoolers are playing with worms and dirt and gbage in a bid to save their planet. they encourage the students to go green. wendy rieger reports. >> reporter: lunchtime at spring hill el e mentry in mclean, west virginia and something is happened. they are collecting fruit and vegetabling scraps for the compost bin. >> throw it in the sigh lowe. >> the silo or compost bin is just outside the door. it's ready to turn their goods into dirt. >> turn it around so it's not in one big clump at the bottom. >> reporter: meanwhile by the wetland in another courtyard the

first graders have just discovered something. >> there's a caterpillar right there. right there. >> we're going to take partners and we're going to dig a home. >> reporter: springfield elementary is teaching them about the environmental by letting them get their hand into the earth. by planting vegetables. >> you are the digger, you're the planter, and you are the corners. >> reporter: they also have a worm guard about where the worms take their scraps and create great fertilizer. >> what's it known as? >> worm castings. >> otherwise known as? >> worm poop. >> reporter: they'll understand growing food as a way of life. >> it becomes natural to them. they think this is what you really do. >> reporter: this teacher did it with inner city kids in southside chicago and saw how well they caught on. >> i just want them to realize that everything that we have is because we're doing it.

>> reporter: they're also turning the students into teachers so they can take their new passion back home o and introduce it to their parents. imagine if your kid came home and said this to you. >> it just helps out the environmental and the small things that you do really impact it. >> how the earth is going to like live and turn out because if we don't start now it's going to be too late. >> reporter: take it from dylan and jonathan, reduce your garbage by composting. get your hands back into the dirt. and renew your passion for life's simple wonders. wendy rieger, "news 4." >> and they look like they're having fun too. for more information on how to live green visit our website at nbcwashington.com and search "going green." it is now 9:26. 74 degrees. still ahead on the weekend ee indication, the latest on the american hikers arrested in

iran. iraqi leaders are now getting involved. plus the happy home coming and the end to a fight over an old tattered flag, why a father refused to take it down. and air. updating the to

the outer loop in springfld is starting t move.s veit happened on the beltway road and thek

exit for southbound 95. it had been closed since 4 x this morning and traffic is backing up. sonia sotomayor will be sworn in as the first hispanic supreme court justice. she won during her confirmation vote. she will take her seat on the high court in september when this justices convene for a special meeting. and republicans, democrats are talking about health care reform and the economy this morning. president obama said in his radio address this morning that health care reform is key to future economic growth. in the republicans' address gubernatorial nominee said it should be marketing free incentives and helping small business owners. good morning and welcome back to the 9:00 edition of

"news 4 today." the news is straight ahead, but first let's take a check in with exsteve up in "storm center 4." >> temperatures will be climbing out to 100 when we get to monday. we're heading into the upper 80s. dew point is still pretty low. it will get more humid. here's what's going on on radar. nothing. we are dry. there are clouds moving overhead. we'll call it partly sunny for this afteoon. temperatures climbing up to around 89 degrees. tomorrow, hot and humid. temperatures tomorrow in the mid 90s. by the time we get to monday, temperatures flirting with 100 degrees and it will be quite humid as well. of course, we'll give you all the details coming up in a few minutes. >> we'll see you then. thank you, steve. today in iran a french woman is on charge charged with espionage. she wu arrested at tehran

airplane. nicolas sarkozy has called the charges baseless and called for her immediate relief. they put mer moderate people on trial. three american tourists remain under arrest in iran. shane bauer, sarah shourd and josh fattal were detained last week after allegedly straying across. united states are still trying to free them. the details of their talks have not yet been released. for 11 months a vietnam veteran angered sof neighbors in order to keep a promise to his son. yesterday he wu finally able to take it down. justin willis talked with both men.

>> reporter: a joyful reunion for military families as the first battalionf the 185th armored regiment returned home after a tour of duty in iraq. of the 80 soldiers returned the home coming was a special honor for corporal paul hariros who w finally able to have his father remove the tattered flag. 11 months ago he promised his son that the old flag they rads together would not come down until he returned from his second tour of duty in iraq. for the time corporal haros was gone, it suffered rips and tears, neighbors were raising eyebrows. some were very supportive and dropped off new ones. >> when he said i'll take it

down when i come back, it was a sure thing that god made sure to see he came back alive and safe. >> reporter: almost as soon as he got home he pulled down the flag with fellow soldiers from his platoon and raised the new one. >> we all went over there. we know what it takes to honor the flag, and we just want people to know that and that in no way, shape, or form my family and i would ever disgrace the flag, the american flag. we believe in this country, and we'll do anything for this country to step up to the plate and fight for the flag. >> hopefully theyon't go through the same story as the one we just brought down. >> for any veteran, it mean as lot to put the vet up there. it sim bombizes our country, the freedom, and the people past and present that have stood by it and believe in it. >> now we can all be neighbors again.

now to a fun story. there is a new way to recognize u.s. troops back from war. a rockville man has created bumper stickers to identify where the service member fought. the hope is they'll see the sticker and thank their troops for their service to the united states. thanks for joining us this morning. >> not a problem. thank you very having me. >> tell us about it. let me see them. how did you come one this idea? >> the whole situation was i've seen a lot of people do a nice thing for soldiers when they're in uniform. buy them lunch, dinner, groceries, but once they take the uniform off, there's no way to identify them. what a great way for people to identify a soldier, give thanks to them, for another soldier to identify each other or for a veteran to go up and try to help somebody out. >> and tell me. this one obviously for iraq and afghanistan. >> that's correct. >> are you passing them out?

>> these things are going all over the world. i am so excited because today we have 40 volunteers that are sending these out. we're sending out 200,000 of these, so these thing will be all over the country. we want the public to feel comfortable to go up when they see a sticker like this on a car and say thank you for your service. >> and that's your big event today. you're getting the volunteers together to send the stickers out. >> that's correct. >> where are you sending them? >> we're sending them all over the world. we're sending them every single state. we're sending them to coalition countries that served, have requested them. one really neat thing we're doing to collect donations, we're doing all this by private funding. we have -- i wanted to get kids involved and i remember when i was young weed that unicef box. we gave the kids plastic canteens and they're going around collecting change.

each sticker kaufts 4 cents. >> 394. >> i said 394, what's that? >> i just helped 394 soldiers. 4 cents, # 94 soldiers. these stickers cost 4 cents and if only a solder gets one thank you, is that not worth four pennies? >> and what's the response that i'm sure people have thanked you and have wanted to get involved as well, right? >> yeah. the response has been overwhelming. there'so many good people out there willing to help a cause, and, you know, it has nothing to do with if you believe we should be in i rack or afghanistan. it has not to do with that. it's irrelevant. it's about helping people and soldiers. >> right. it has no -- regardless of whether or not you support the war or don't support the war, everyone supports our troops serving our country. >> absolutely, absolutely.

>> you say this all comes from private donations. the economy is tough. how's that going? >> it's actually going very well because when people realize it's four cents a sticker, we don't need large donations. in fact, if northbound wants to go on our website, www.iservedstick www.iservedsticker.org, there's a place. they can request a sticker. they can also make a donation. it does not take a lot. >> so besides the cteen if you go on that website that's how you can make a donation to your cause. >> that's correct. that's correct. >> can people come to volunteer? >> we're 10:00 to 2:00. today -- we don't need any more volunteers today but we're going have more stuffing parties and we will certainly need more. so if anybody wants to volunteer our l, please go on webse. nd me an e-mail. we'll let you know when our next

event it and we'd love to have anybody. >> you made 200,000 stickers or more than that? >> we are sending out 200,000. we estimate we'll need about 1.5 million. we're delivering 150,000 of them to kuwait. the soldiers love them. i have air force pilots putting them on their pilot jets. they love them. >> thank you so much. i think this is a wonderfully. next time we see the stickers we'll know to send big thanks to our troops. >> thank you for having me. >> a look at the new movies in theaters this weekend and lunch with lindsey. she sits down with vinny serrao.

vied for air guitar champion right here in the district last night. it was quite a turnout and quite a lot of folks onstage making fools of themselves on stage as you can say. the winner will travel to finland to compete for the world title. this weekend at the box office an elite team of soldiers takes on an inspirational chef and a killer stops people in paradise. rafael seth has a look at what's in theaters.

>> i'm going to try to flip this thing over now, which is a rather daring thing to do. >> reporter: meryl strep brings the original julia childs back to life. this blensd child's memoir, "my life in france," with blogger julie. they share a plucky passion for life's possibilities. julie and julia is rated pg-13. summer may be winding down but big bang actn ki eabrngllti breaking out. g.i. joe brings the plastic doll cartoon to the silver screen. they are two members of a unique military unit using technology to fight the corrupt cobra

organization. drop me off right here. >> they get some action they didn't bargain for in a great when rumors of a murder on the trail reach the honeymooners they join up with other hikers who may have bad intentions. "the perfect getaway" is rated r. >> interesting. >> what's he doing? >> if i'm going to die, i want to die comfortable. >> "the hurt locker" is in movie'nationwide. his job is to infuse insur eligibility bombs in baghdad. his cavalier attitude toward his work threatens to turn soldier against soldier with only five weeks left until they go home.

that's rated r. >>at's the box office preview.c > and we have sports and weather straight ahead. steve will be back with your forecast. stay with us

technology is changing medicine. it's saving lives in hagerstown, maryland. mary king explains. >> as you know, now touch my finger -- >> reporter: and only 51 barbara horn had all the symptoms of a stroke. >> everything is far away from

you. you look at your hands and they don't look like yours. >> reporter: the first step was to determine what was happening so the doctor was page and bedside in eight minutes on this television screen. >> first thing through my mind is this is so silly. it changed quickly. >> reporter: while there are three neurologists at washington county they're not always in the hospital but now what's called telestroke, doctors are always available to examine a patient. >> he can look at my eyes, my legs, how i'm holding my arms very that was decided if she needed tpa, the only approved. in the two months since the telestroke technology came on line, 12 patients have been assessed and four have been given the tpa drug. there are over 50 teleports

throughout the hospital so whethethe patient is in the emergency department or critical care, the physician can get connected. >> if they start the medications as soon as the stroke symptoms start, the outcome is better. >> reporter: doctors are still trying to determine what horn skpernd but with the technology they were able to rule out a major stroke. >> the next step is carrying for this patient is tpa or not. >> reporter: technology on the air when a life is on the air. i'm mary king for nbc news. the university of pittsburgh medical center specializes in strokes. that's where telestroke is based. 15 hospitals offer telestroke. the washington county hospital is the only hospital that uses the technology in maryland. technology, saving lives in dint was. very cool. >> america.

d.c., what a hot city. >> this is the type of weather we expect. >> right. you know -- >> in july and august in d.c. >> now middle of august is just nout getting to us. >> and it's finally catching up. the heat has been basically on the west coast. we were quite comfortable for most of the summer. a bit rainy but most of the time the temperatures have been held at bay. this weekend, yes, the door is swinging wide open. today's not so bad. it's tomorrow and monday. thosare the two hottest days. monday being the peak of the heat. at least for today it's going to be pretty comfortable with t #, #,up deees. plus the hidity wilbe onn the low side. tomorrow, though, we jump into the mid 90s. the humidity goes up. again, by the time we get to monday, ooh, boy, yep, just plain old hot. here's what it looked like. the sun is shining. it is breaking through the clouds we have streaming across

the area. we will be in and out of the clouds today. we'll call it partly sunny skies out there. enough sunshine to warm it up to about 90 degrees. right now we're at 74. 78 in wichita. this is where the warm weather is building today. they'll be in the mid 90s through wichita and 100 down toward dallas. there is some cooler weather across looks like montana and up toward boise and we're going to eventually tap into that behind is warm weather that will push into the area started tomorrow. we do have some heat advisories in effect just west of the chicagoland area. so the place to be today, yes, out toward the bay, out toward the beaches. for this afternoon, out toward annapolis. temperatures in the upper 80s with partly cloudy sky. temperatures in the low to mid 90s and out toward the beaches. lo at that. the water temperature really nice. temperatures in the mid 70s. mid # mid-80s today. we'll be in and out of the

clouts today. notice this big batch of rain all tied to a warm front. that's going to stay to the nokt of u. high pressure will dominate. tomorrow we'll bring in the wam weather and humid weather. this will last right on into monday. monday looked hot and muggy with temperatures around 100 degrees but eventually this front right here will drop down into the area brings us a chance of a thunderstorm or two and then cooling things down on the backside of that front. so for this afternoon, partly cloudy, warm, delightful. enjoy it because tomorrow the heat is on, baby. 96 degrees. 98 as we head toward monday. monday should be the hottest day so far this season and then looks like on tuesday that's when the front comes in. still hot. chance of a storm or two. then on the backside we cool it town. >> all right. we're ready for it. we're expecting it. thankn you, steve. they begin their preseason game for this wee. they travel to baltimore this wednesday to take on the ravens,

then the 22nd, thesteereal22om c to town, the patriots are here the 28th and the finally preseason game has the redskins traveling to jacksonville on the third of september. we'll say go skins. they're two of washington's two most influential men. redskins vinny cerrato and flip saunders. now that they've been reunited in the district, lindsay czarniak sat down with them for lunch to find out what makes them tick. >> i got a chance to know vinny in school. he played basketball his freshmen year. we actually roomed together. he came in. tony actually hosted him. so it's always funny how things -- >> flip was their point guard

and the warm-up is what everybody wanted to watch. they did the harlem globe trotter warm-up. he was doing this and all that. >> what's a fish burger? >> it's really good. i am going to do the fish burger. >> okay, good. >> i'll have the goat cheese salad. that's small, right? and the fish burger. >> what's that fish burger again? >> striped bass. >> they don't have walleye here. >> and when you found out you were coming here or when you were interviewing for this job, how much did you keep vinny in the loop? >> he called me like early. >> early. things started heating up a little bit. i talked to him. he would always text me all the time. he would text me. i would say i'm at the best restaurant in d.c. if you come to d.c. this is where we have to come. >> really. >> yeah.

he had gone into the games. >> good guy, bad guys. >> you've actually hung up on me before, did you know that? >> no. >> absolutely. >> you say you always ask him information. he wants to get some from you and you don't give him any. >> i give you lunch. >> how tough was that to do? did you look at it as -- >> it's a unique situation that you have two -- you know -- >> you start out together. >> you start out together. being in a situation where you're making major decisions. you can learn a lot from each other and they're both good and bad. >> just like draft philosophies,

you know, like flip told me. he said, i want to come out and i want to watch db drills. >> then he came over and watched our draft workout. >> when i went up there, the first thing he said, i can see why you like to watch the d'backs because what we do is very similar. what we ask our guys to do defensively. do you feel like as a coach are you -- are you somebody that is just always on? are you always thinking of new ideas? i guess part of my question is because of that midnight texting and all that. >> i'm a night person. i do my best work at night when no one else is around. that's the one time we get the opportunity to kind of relax. >> usually i go to bed. we'll have people wanting us to come out, have lunch.

>> i leave all my guys working out to come have lunch. >> the lizards fans really appreciate that >> i hope both. i hope it's like pittsburgh. >> you're seeded before us. >> right. then i hope it's the wizards. >> i think from my perspective, i think, you know, i think it's about time these other teams stop going to the white house and start maybe getting me to start going tohe h wteomhise.. here, here. coming up in the final half hour of "news 4 today." the sales tax holiday not easy to find. it's only on one sigh of the potomac. new iofoatnrm on who was responsible for hacking into twitter this week and causing a major outage and how much would

you pay to name a stranger's baby? one woman hopes

the beltway is finally moving. it had been closed for more than five hours. sonia sotomayor will be sworp in today as the first hispanic supreme court justice. she will take her seat on the high court in september when the justices convene for a special meeting. >> and a spokes man says the

family of eunice kennedy shriver has gathered in a massachusetts hospital where shriver is said to be in critical condition. the 88-year-old shriver is a sister of president john f. kennedy and is best known for establishing the special olympics. good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm eun yang. the news is straight ahead. but first we're going to take a look at the forecast up in "storm center 4." good morning, steve. >> good morning, eun. good morng, everyone. it's going to be a very warm weekend in our nation's capital. eventually temperatures could climb up to about 100 degrees. right now it's 74. we're heading up to about 89 today. dew points are quite low so it's pretty comfortable out there. by tomorrow it will get humid. so all is quiet currently on radar. there are some clouds moves

across the area. we'll be in and out of the clouds throughout the day. we'll call it partly sunny. tomorrow it's hot. 96. almost 100 on monday. all the details coming up in just a bit. back to you, eun. it may not feel like suer -- like it but summer is coming to an end. if you need school supplies, head to virginia. it's tax free weekend. derrick ward joins us live with details. good morning. >> good morning. we're outside a staples store and this is the kind of destination that people are finding themselves at this morning. overall spending is expected to be down 8%. this is from the national retail association. so 15 states are doing something to sten the blow to retailers and consumers. now, in virginia the weekend tax relief gives you a 5% sales tack discount on certain items, specifically items of clothing

that cost 100 dollars or less and school supplies that cost $20 or less so that meanses things like back packs and notebooks and binders. they have a list of about 42 items that do qualify and it's aud good news for parents, students, and teachers. >> very limited quantity. if you're a teacher, let us know, bau you can buy a lot more than the consumer. >> it doesn't cover things like electronics but it covers choir robes and vestments. they the district will not be

doing it. a lot of people will be crossing the river. live back to you. >> the closing bell signified an end to another day. stocks soaring. the dow gained 114 points friday to close at 9370. that's a duane of more that 2% for the week. the nasdaq closed up 1 points. this is the fourth straight week of gains for the major. the day the world stood still, that's how many people felt on thursday when twitter went offline for a few hours and now company officials want to know what caused it.to twitter says cyber attacksn i a republican of georgia caused the sites to crash. it also targeted facebook and live journal which slows down but were still operating. >> a band of burglars bege tar targetingtyouunco lngko county looking cintaer a certai

decoration. there16eeave bee16 since january, mostly in tern with part of the county. the most recent is last week. this is the deity, the niche. gar lands like this has been hanging in almost all the hosses that were burglar rised. police say they don't know why the houses are being targeted. old water mains and a narrow winding road both presented problems for firefighters at the house of peggy cooper. flames doused her home. initially firefighters reported difficulty getting additional water pressure to fight the fire. so far a investigation finds two major problems. the difficulty firefighters had accessing high drapts because of the layout of t neighborhood and the aim of the water mains near the home. >> not only has been here since

the homes were a muchifferent size but it's also caused significant corrosion to have a tremendous impact on the amount of gallons that can be pumped through the pipes. >> the mayor acknowledged that will could be a problem if another fire breaks out in the claim bridge neighborhood. he said in narrow and high neighborhoods like chambridge may need more. coming up on this saturday morning edition of "news 4 today" it can be tricky to keep produce fresh for a long period of time. liz crenshaw has some tricks of the trade and the latest from th rn tletoun ihe t

the metro stop is closed. d.c. police and fire are investigating reports of heavy smoke and fire comin from the tracks atta station. it's unclear how it started. trains are also being turned back at mt. vernon square, arlington. fruits and vegetables are in bountiful supply right now. the way you store it could be the key. liz crenshaw shows us how in tricks of the trade.

we're here with tony stallone. welcome. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: tony has tricks of the trades for storing fruits and vegetables. i love tomatoes. what should i do. >>o not ever put them in the refrigerato refrigeror. it destroys the flavor. >> lethem on the counter with the heart up. >> tony i love basil with tomatoes. how do i store it? >> what a great combination. a lot is coming out of fresh gardens. if you pick it. put a glak of water and store the fresh sprigs in there. here's a trick. in your refrigerator in the butter comepartment. >> just a chunk in the butter

come partible the way to keep them fresh is in the refrigerator. green beans like it dry but asparagus like it wet. >> i love asparagus. to keep it fresh, take a wet paper towel. it get sucked up by the stalks to keep it wet. >> you put it in the fridge? >> the coldest part of the refrigerator. asparagus likes it cold. >> gotcha. mushrooms are great on the grill. i never know where to put it. what should you do? >> in the refrigerator. coldest part. it will keep them cold for five or seven days. >> what if they were loose. >> brown paper bag becausethy don't like moisture. >> what about the washing business? do we need to watch them?

>> good question. presliced, you don't need to watch them at all. if they're whole, take a paper towel and knock the dirt off them. >> these all. >> that eats it. >> fruits of the summer hoo how do we keep them tasting great but not going bad. >> on the kitchen count ter until they develop a buflt fragrance. >> then what sh. >> in the coldest part. they don't like temperatures between 45 and # 5 others they will turn mely and mushy on you. >> life is a bowl of cherries. >> how do we store them. >> coldest part. >> do you wash them? >> no. don't wash them before they go in. just before eating them wash them. when you get a big bag i prefer you to put them in a container to spret them out because they're versus acceptable to bruising.

the trick is to leave then on the refrigerator. when you're ready to use them, thiel have a lot of juice to them. what could be more cool and refreshing than water mel lon in the summertime. >> the trick is if it's a whole watermelon, put it in the garage or kitchen. do not store it in the fridge rateer. >> why not? >> the meat will start to separate from the rind and lose its moisture as well. >> what if it's already cut like this from the store. >> keep that as cold as possible. store it in the refrigerator. if you're going on a picnic, cool it on summer ice. >> there's good advice. thank you, tony. liz crenshaw, "news 4 today." >> that was some good trips of the trade. >> there's nothing more annoying than coming home with produce and coming home. >> all those tricks with aspare gus and green beans, now i no. >> no moreesxcus>> nmore excuse

blesge >> weekends here. looks like summer is here too. that's right. we're going to talk about your forecast. stay with us.

an arkansas mother is turning to ebay to help name her baby. 36-year-old levon drummond has

bat the rights up to name her by. she's raising money to he eraneld herself meysoilam mrsbe aem h freamilme members are opposed to selling her child's name online but she's cautiously optimistic and is willing to honor the winning name. i guess she's hoping if someone doesn't come one a crazy name, she'll honor it. i'll give her a quarter. we'll name her george. good morning. there you go. >> good morning. >> what's going on? >> not a whole lot. it's feels like it's getting warmer and warmer and warmer. >> you're correct. this is the hottest season. this is more typical washington weather in the middle of july -- in the middle of summer. we're done with july. >> it's august. >> it's august. you expect the heat to get here. it's going to be very warm and by the time we get to monday, that's going to be the peak of the heat. by monday temperatures in some spots could break 100 degrees.

so the heat is on. let's talk about it. here's what's going on out there this morning. we are in and out of the clouds. we have partly cloudy skies out there. so we'll have enough sunshine to warm us up, up to about 90 degrees today. it's going to be a warm day, but at least the humidity will be low. tomorrow, hot and humid. monday, hotter and humid. so right now as we look down on the airport you can see there are a couple of clouds out there. currently it's 74 degrees here in the district. elsewhere let's see what's going on. we just warmed it up. we're now at # 7 in thesdy strict. 76 down at pax river, 76 also down at dulles. dew points in the low 60s baptism the time we get to tomorrow, it could get to 70s. 77 locally. 66 up in buffalo. that's pretty comfortable. but our weather will be coming from the west. this is where the heat is building. temperatures right now up and

down the mississippi are basically in the lower 80s. oem ha right now at 84 degrees. they're heading into the mid and upper 90s. it's going to be very warm. in fact, we have heat advisory just west of chicago out west so this is where the heat will be spreading. now, there is a lot of rain across the great lakes, but all of this is going to stay to the north. it's all tied to this warm front right here. for us, high pressure will dominate. eventually the high will push to the south. the southwesterly winds kick in. this will start to bring in the heat and the humidity which will last until monday. monday, temperatures climb up to about 100 degrees. as we head toward the middle of the week. it will drop down into the area, and cooling us down on the backside of that front. so for today, partly cloudy, warm, delightful. temperatures around 90 degrees. all in all, a really pretty afternoon. because by the time we get to tomorrow. i don't know if you can say 96 is pretty. definitely not 98.

it's oppressive. that's what it says right there. 95, a fewrm'sto ss likewise on wednesday. tuesday, a few storms, then cooler for the end of the week. >> the first oppressive streak of the summer. >> it is. >> okay. thank you, steve. >> you got it. >> up next on "news 4 today," the weekend edition, fan appreciation day. redskins players toon put on

in sports andy roddick moves on to the semifinals right here in d.c. and the nats keep their streak alive. here's hakem dermish with the sports. >> if you're like me you're asking where have the nats been all season. they snaked the diamondbacks to extend their winning league to a big 6 games. let's go to the ballpark. nats down 5-4. ryan zin zimmerman at the plate. the all-star swinging a bat. pitched high and deep to right center. it's out for a home run. it's zimmerman's 24th of the season, tying a career high. we're all tied at five. josh willingham up with two outs and bases lowed. willingham sends one into left. nyjer morgan scores and here comes cristian guzman. the nats take a 7-5 lead.

top eight. it's still 7-5 nats. ron vallone in the game. gets a ground ball to short. check out guzman. makes a great play. spins and goes to first and just get him or does he. watch the replay and it clearly shows the runner was safe. arizona's manager a.j. hinn. comes out to argue. he's like, you blew the call. jerry crawford says you can watch the rest of this game if the clubhouse, see you later my friend. hinn. get wants his money work. crawford giving him an earful right back. they extend their winning stree streak to game six. how about that. jim zorn and the team are hosting a guest. he has a message for his guests traveling. there's one way in and one way out. everybody has to be patient. they had a light workout

yesterday before today ee skrim miami and the fans who are going to the park, you'll see safety chris horton in action but not everyone will be playing. to avoid injury he's holding out nine veterans includes haynesworth, portis, and santana moss. he says, hey, it's still going to be worth it. >> it will be worth it but it may be fast. you may not see the stars in -- i'm not going to practice albert tomorrow. if you're going to see albert haynesworth you can see him on the sidelines but that's probably going to be it. but you're going to see a lot of great veterans and a lot of good rookies trying to make this football team. and it will be -- it will be spirited. >> a lot of fun out at the park today. talking tennis. and thursday night andy roddick experienced a good achievement. last night he facet a giant

6'ten karlovic. roddick serving in the near court. hits a slice backhand. he pushes the volley wide. karlovic breaks serve and roddick is not happy. crushes the ball on to 16th street. somehow roddick returns serve. roddick then hits the forehand. karlovic with the volley. a lob over the 6'10" opponent. that was nifty. match point and the tie breaker. roddick in the far court pounces on the short ball. comes to the met and then puts away the lob. roddick wins in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6. he'll help play another tall man, 6 foot 9 john isner. the miss tiks beat the detroit

shock 70-66. that's all for sports. i'm ha keen dermish. >> that's all for us. we'll be back tomorrow morning. until then, have a great day.