this is a highly talented person that that organization is going to want to keep. going to be much more open to that conversation. >> reporter: those who plan, she says, will have a distinct advantage in the end. >> that was christine nelson reporting. >> stay with us, everyone. "news 4 today" continues now at 5:00 a.m. south of the border. president obama travels to mexico to meet with top leaders. the immediate health concerns and urgent money matters on the agenda. >> murky mission. crews back in action searching for bod this the depths of the hudson river. what investigators are focusing on that could pinpoint the cause of the deadly midair collision. >> summer scorcher. after months of only average temperatures across the region, big changes are here now. how long meteorologist tom kierein says these dog days of summer are going to stick around. good morning and welcome

back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. it's monday, august 10th, 2009. let's take a look outside. see how it is looking out there. you can't tell from this picture, but it's already hot. 80 degrees. tom says it's going to be sweater weather out there. you're going to be sweating. >> that's right. dangerous heat, too, for the elderly especially. heat can be quite dangerous and heat illness is possible this afternoon with the high heat and the high humidity moving in. but right now, by comparison it eselfrs h and cool. lookfr t n' adoveha nyipgprioecit start.rareem t dtura nowreow no no 78. oh, that's much w he t ownow in the low thsu ie snrbbu the suburbs and rural esas.ar e countiesr de hunisthteaou ar dedvthis heat advisoryooth o 10:00 p.m., includes the washington metro area, southernn maryland, the northern neck and the eastern shore. we have a clear start to the day. as the day og,reessses lots of sunshine. temperatures soaring. bewel t'ln ihen mid-80s by 9:0. oon the low 90s.by

upper 90s by mid-afternn. mbcoation of the heat and humidity can make imbt feel lik 100 to 105. sunrise 6:17. sunset at 8:09.t partly cloudy tonight and .coerol and a bit highs low to mid-90s.er afternoon showers and thundershowers as a cool front sweeps through. a weak area of low pressure riding along that fntro may give us showers and thundershowers wednesday and thursday with highs just innthe t low 80s. so, the heat wave is not going to last too long. a look at friday and the weekend, that will be in ten minutes coming up at 5:11. stay tuned. >> thank you, tom. >> thanks. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. jerry? >> hi. >> joe, welcome back. barbara, tom, good morning. happy monday, everybody. so far, so good as we get going here, top side of the capital beltway. traveling from college park past new hampshiravenue around to silver spring, bethesda, all lanes are open. the inner loop also moving along nicely. elsewhere headed for downtown by way of northeast, new york avenue, kenilworth avenue, rhode island avenue all doing fine. no early hang-ups either

direction across the woodrow wilson bridge. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you. >> thank you. as tom mentioned, the national weather service has issued a heat advisory for the d.c. metro area. >> the temperatures are expected to reach at least 90 degrees in some areas and the heat index may approach 105 degrees today. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live along the national mall with some tips on how to brave these hot and humid temperatures. good morning, tracee. >> hi. >> reporter: good morning, joe and barbara. foegs who are elderly and people with respiratory illnesses need to be especially careful today. this is going to be the hottest day of the year, and it is really important that folks take care. now, we got a taste of what it's going to be like today yesterday with temperatures that were in the high 90s, but today we may reach 100 degrees but it's going to feel like it's a whole lot hotter than that. heat is the number one weather killer, so here are some tips to make sure you take care of yourself. stay indoors as much as possible. do not leave children or pets in

vehicles. make sure that you drink plenty of water. and also wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothes. now, also, be sure to apply sunscreen. they're saying you should use an spf 15 through 30 and to apply it at least 20 minutes before leaving your home. also, limit your exposure to the sun, especially between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. they're saying that's when it's definitely going to be the hottest. and look out for the possibility of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. now if you have any elderly neighbors, be sure to check on them in ts extreme heat. make sure they've got their air conditioning on or a fan going. this is just going to be a miserably hot day. you have to take care. i'm tracee wilkins, live on the mall. back to you. >> thanks. >> thank you. now to a developing story out of metro, a metro worker was killed on the tracks. the accident happened last night between the did you know laurg, merry field and vienna metrorail

station. that's to western end of the orange line in fairfax county. the repairman was struck and killed by a piece of track equipment. he was part of the crew that had been working to replace cross ties near vienna. metro stopped all orange line service between west falls church and vienna after that accident. an investigation is under way. and we are learning more about a close call on metro. a train operator narrowly avoided a similar crash months before the deadly metro collision backn june. according to documents obtained by "the washington post," a blue line train overran the potomac avenue station, coming within 500 feet of another train already in the tunnel. the driver hit the emergency brake. metro says equipment onboard that train was to blame. >> today president obama has begun his second trip to mexico as president with a 45-minute meeting with his mexican counterpart. the two have been discussing trade issues, swine flu and the violent mexican gangs dominating the drug trade. the talks are ahead of a

three-way summit between the united states, mexico and canada. brooke hart is following the story from capitol hill. good morning, brooke. >> reporter: gng. the president's trip is coming as his health care reform plans are under increasing fire here at home. these town hall meetings with lawmakers now on august break have literally turned into shouting matches. critics are aiming at middle of the road democrats in conservative districts who could decide the fate of the president's health care plan. as barack obama's trip abroad began, his domestic priority, health care reform, faced a barrage of criticism. >> this is not health reform. this is control. >> reporter: health care town halls are being called town brawls. >>ho sent me here? i sent myself! republican democratic senator tom harken of iowa got an earful from opponents. an event in tampa kept a rowdy overflow crowd outside as

participants inside bumped lawmakers from the spotlight. >> you guys don't have any ideas. you have no ideas. >> reporter: some opponents in tampa got wind of the event through the 9/12 comment, conservative commentator glenn beck's website, aimed at rallying antitax tea parties, now protests of the democrats' health care plans. the top republican says outrage is genuine. >> of course, many americans are concerned about it. >> reporter: democrats see the opposition as manufactured. they cite internet flyers like this one, encouraging critics, yell back and have someone else follow up with a shoutout, facing antistimulus bill rallies this spring, they gave it a name. >> they call it astroturf. not really a grassroots movement. >> reporter: former alaska governor sarah palin turned up the heat on facebook, claiming terminally ill americans would face "obama's death panel." president obama hit back. >> let me start by dispelling

the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia, cut medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. >> reporter: dozens more of town halls are scheduled this month. liberal groups are also mobilizing supporters of democrats' health care plans to these town halls. the president intends to hold his own event tomorrow in new hampshire. he says to correct, quote, misleading information. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >> brooke, thanks very much. >> the latest now on that midair collision between a sight-seeing helicopter and a small plane in new york city. this morning, divers will return to the hudson river to continue the search for bodies. nine people were killed in saturday's crash. seven bodies have been recovered so far. faa sources tell nbc news the plane may have been performing a climbing right tur coheli.hepte. new, dramatic photos show the moment of impact. a fellow pilot was standing on

the ground and tried to radio for help when he saw the small plane getting too close. >> he did everything right. he did everything perfectly. he was doing his prescribed altitude that we've been doing for 25 years. he just didn't have -- nothing could be done. it was a blind side. it was from his back right. there's no way we could see him. >> today investigators will focus on the wreckage of the helicopter, which was pud from the river. this is new york city's worst air disaster since 9/11. >> 5:09 is the time, 78 degrees. the sister of john f. kennedy is hospitalized in critical condition. >> plus, shocking allegations surrounding the paternity of michael jackson's dghter paris. >> and why you may want to think twice before valet parking your car in the district. te

our time now is 5:11 but still time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's talk to tom kierein up in storm center 4. >> now 78 in washington and montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties now in the low and mid-70s as is much of the region. these are the current dew points. they're in the mid and upper 60s so that's quite humid. all these counties in orange, including montgomery, fairfax, prince george's county, including washington, arlington county, southern maryland,

northe neck and the eastern shore, heat advisory noon to 10:00 p.m. off to a clear start. shouldn't have any precipitation today but a lot of heat and humidity making it feel like 100 to 105 mid-afternoon as highs reach the upper 90s with lots of sun. some relief on the way after thundershowers tomorrow afternoon. looks like it will be cooler wednesday and thursday with a chance of a few passing showers, highs low 80s. friday, saturday and sunday, partly cloudy, highs in the 80s. so the heat wave's not going to last too long. jerry, how's the traffic? >> tom, good morning to you. good morning, everyone. doing pretty well so far. kind of easing into the early morning commute along i-95, 395, 66 and the virginia beltway. nothing too much to worry about. a little bit of volume but any overnight road work should be wrapped up. as a matter of fact, check your speeds this morning, see how we are doing out there. on the beltway traveling between spri springfield to inner loop up to 66, 8 minutes. 66 minutes to american legion bridge, 7 minutes. looking good over to college

park, just 19 minutes as we kick into high gear on a monday. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. thank you. >> 5:13, 78 degrees. the paternity of one of michael jackson's children is being questioned. >> plus, if going green is as important to you as getting greenbacks, next at 5:15, the jobs waiting for you across our area.

5:16 is our time. updating the top stories in the news for today, a metro worker was killed overnight. the accident happened before 10:00 last night on the orange line between the dunn loring-merrifield and vienna metro stops. the repairman was struck and killed by a piece of track equipment. he was part of a crew that had been working to replace cross ties near vienna. the president's health care plans are coming under attack. some town halls have turned into shouting matches and brawls. the president will hold his own health care town hall in new hampshire tomorrow. this video is from today's meeting in mexico where he'll be meeting with leaders from canada and mexico. a deadly typhoon has killed at least 12 people in japan.

typhoon etow struck the country's west coast today. hundreds of homes have been flooded out by heavy rain and landslides. ten people are reported to be missing. >> in this economy, while many banks are closing branches, at least one bank is growing, expanding and that means hiring. pnc bank has 140 branches in our area and the company's hoping to lure customers and employees to its newer, green branches. news 4's kimberly suiters joins us with this monday morning jobs 4 you report. good morning. >> good morning. lots of banks are promoting online services in an effort to go green, but thisnelso prints checks on recycled paper, makes check cards out of 100% recycled plastic and since 2000 all new pnc construction is green. the dulles branch sits in a busy shopping center, a highly visible spot. those who do venture in to bank

the old fashioned way or to resolve an issue face-to-face, get the green tour. >> if i take a customer in -- >> reporter: fro the branch manager. >> see how the lights just turned on? >> reporter: not to be confused with this green, used for down time and client contacts. >> tell you, hey, you know what? the temperature's outside 70. the branch is set for 70. let's turn it off and bring in the fan, bringngn fresh air. >> reporter: look closely and you'll see old bits of glass in the tiles. the windows, two-paned, filled with gas for insulation. the carpet made of recyclable rubber and nylon. the furniture filled with a wheat byproduct comfortably seats two satisfied employees. >> not a lot of jobs that are going to accommodate a full college student's schedule. >> i feel like a big asset to the branch because everybody have a lot of spanish clients, and they always come to me. so i feel very important. >> reporter: javier and habib

say they do value an environmentally friendly building almost as much as the bullet proof glass. they're the kind of employees pnc bank is looking to hire. >> what really matters to us is that the employees are engaged, they have leadership qualities, talent, passion, dedication, a commitment to their own success, that they wantmano tke ao difference. rr:eporte that's exactly the way the bank sees itself. pnc has more buildings certified by the u.s. green building council than any company on orrth. there are also other green branches in the pipeline. the company's first carbon net viewer building will go up in oakton in 2010. here at 17th and 18th in downtown washington, this will serve as the nd a regnal hequrste and it's platinum certified. platinum being the highest rating and the highest personal rating for some of the ds employees who manage your

greenbacks in their green branch. there are more than 100 jobs open at pnc bank, from part-time tellers up to full-time branch managers. some of those jobs are in the green branches. to apply, go to nbcwashington.com and search the jobs 4 you section. barbara, back to you. >> okay. thanks, kimberly. >> well, it is certainly a hassle trying to find legal places to park in the district and that's where a valet parking comes in, but it is getting a bad rap as of late. some residents and tourists are getting more than they bargained for. they say valet parkers are parking their cars illegally but they don't find out until they get a summons in the mail. >> anywhere from the resident who says that somebody is parking in their neighborhood, using their neighborhood to valet-park cars or from a person who's gone to an event, perhaps has gotten a ticket because they were parked in an area that was not a designated legal area. >> apparently the valets are tossing out the tickets without

the customers knowing. that's why the d.c. department of transportation passed its first-ever valet rules in june. under the plan, valet companies have to pay the district for so-called staging spots. if they don't, they face a $300 fine. if they park illegally, they face a $250 fine. >> well, it took a few months but the nationals seem to be finally on track. >> they've won eight games in a row, believe it or don't. hakem dermish has more on that. >> good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with a great eight for the nationals. with 50 games left in the regular season, the nationals are riding an eight-game winning streak. adam dunn hit his 30th home run of the season as the nationals beat the diamondbacks 9-2. the nats are off today before beginning a road trip in atlanta tomorrow. in canton, ohio, terrell owens made his preseason debut for the buffalo bills and the hall of fame game but it was the tennessee titans who took the victory, beating the bills

21-18. the redskins' preseason starts thursday against the ravens here on nbc 4. in tennis, juan martin del potro defended his title in rock creek park, defeating three-time champion andy roddick yesterday in three sets. in golf, tiger woods hit this shot of the tournament to go from one shot down to victory at the bridgestone invitational. tiger outlasted padraig harrington to win for the seventh time on the akron, ohio, course. that's your sports minute. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> we will go to tom kierein in storm center 4. >> temperatures now in the 70s under a mostly clear sky and for today we'll have the temperatures soaring into the upper 90s by mid-afternoon. it will feel like 100 to 105 with the heat index. lots of snipe. partly cloudy tonight, in the low 70s tomorrow morning to mid-70s. afternoon highs mid-90s. a cool front coming through may

trigger some passing thundershowers tomorrow afternoon. wednesday and thursday, cooler with highs in the low 80s, maybe a passing shower or thundershower. looks like partly cloudy friday, saturday and sun y with highs in the 80s. now the traffic. jerry, how's it looking? >> doing pretty well so far this morning, no major accidents or incidents reported. let's check things out. not bad. all the interstates picking up some follow, of course, but no accidents to report. elsewhere check things out, let you know that route 50 coming and going over the bay bridge, no worries. i-95 between baltimore and washington is quiet. dulles toll road and 66 so far, so good. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks. our time is 5:23, 78 degrees. caught on camera. the aftermath of what went down after shots rang out inside a health club. >> and why the paternity of michael jackson's daughter paris is being put into question. >> plus, how you might be able to get cash for your clunker even if you don't qualify for the government's incentive program.

the sister of john f. kennedy remains in critical condition at a massachusetts hospital. eunice shriver's family, including her daughter maria and her husband, california governor arnold schwarzenegger are at her had side. eunice shriver is 88 years old. she suffered a series of strokes in recent years.

shriver is well-known, of course, as the founder of the special olympics. >> happening today. a hearing for michael jackson's estate continues in los angeles. last week, a judge named jackson's lawyer and music producer the temporary administrators of his estate. jackson's mother is also seeking to gain some kind of control. also this morning, the godfather of jackson's daughter claims he may actually be her father. mark lester says he donated sperm to jackson and his wife, debbie rowe, and points out the similarities between paris and his own daughter, harriet. lester now wants a paternity test to prove that he is paris' father. >> our time is now 5:27, 78 degrees. well, the dog days of summer are here. how meteorologist tom kierein says -- how long he says they'll stick around. >> also, we're live on the scene of a deadly accident involving a metro train. >> then, what investigators are focusing on, trying to determine the cause of a midair collision over the hudson river.

just in time, the swine flu will be a big concern this fall. how one local university is doing its part to help find a vaccine. >> murky mission. crews back in action searching for bodies in the depths of the hudson river. what investigators are now focusing on that could pine ththe cacaof deay midadair collision. >> summer scorcher. after months of only average temperatures across the region, big changes are in the works.

how long meteorologist tom kierein says these dog days are going to stick around. >> good morning and welcome, everyone, to "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. it's monday, august 10th, 2009. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. let's take a look outside right now. you can see the humidity in the air right now. 78 degrees at this early hour, 5:31 on this 10th day of august. meteorologist tom kierein is here with the forecast. >> hey, tom, good morning. hi. first light of dawn showing up in that view from our city camera. it's rather humid. temperatures are in the 70s and we have all these counties in orange under an excessive heat advisory. includes washington, arlington, fairfax, prince george's county, counties south and east. temperatures around the region from the 70s from the blue ridge to the atlantic beaches. out in the mountains it's in the 60s.

these are the current dew points. in the upper 60s to 70. that's quite humid. as we look at the view from space off to a clear start, lots of sun today. we'll start to cook. in fact by noon the low 90s. by mid-afternoon the upper 90s with a heat index 100 to 105. relief on the way tomorrow. afternoon thundershowers and cooler wednesday and thursday with possible showers and thundershowers. look at friday and the weebened in ten minutes. barbara and joe? >> thank you very much, tom. >> thaun. jerry, how is it looking on the roads out there on this monday morn? >> almost forgot it was monday, didn't you? >> i wish it was thursday. i'm wishing. >> there you go. come sooner or later. we're actually doing pretty well. good morning. check things out along i-270, no early concerns just a few brake lights through clarksburg and germantown. along 270 moving fine to frederick so no worries there. 95 northbound before dale city getting the initial reports of an accident. 66 and the toll road so far, so

good. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> well, as tom mentioned, the national weather service has issued a heat advisory for the d.c. metro area today. temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees in some areas. and the heat index may approach 105 degrees. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live along theda national mall with how people are braving these hot and humid temperatures. one way is getting out at this hour, not waiting until later in the day, right, tracee? looks like we had a problem with her live picture down there. maybe the heat got to the camera. try to get back to her later in the newscast. >> a developing story in northern virginia, a metro worker has been killed while working on the tracks. the employee was work alongside -- outboard track when he was struck by the regulator. t happened between the driand , fa ,x, mraro stations.il

megan mcgrath joins us live with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. a veteran metro track repairman who's worked for metro for about 25 years was working on the outbound stretch of track between the vienna and dunn loring stations around 10:00 last night when he was struck by a piece of maintenance equipment and killed. now, the equipment involved, we're told, is a balance last regulator. it actually deposits and spreads gravel between the cross ties and the tracks down on the track bed. he was struck by that piece of equipment and killed. metro says there were between 10 and 15 other workers who were part of that team, doing that work last night. they closed a stretch of the orange line and ran shuttle service for a time until metro closed at midnight last night. the orange line, though, this morning is not showing any delays. everything here appears to be normal here today. we've been talking to riders this morning. they say it's very disturbing that there would be an incident like this so soon after that deadly crash.

>> i still feel relatively confident in metro, but there's a lot going on lately. it does shake your confidence. too much in too short of a period of time. you would think that after a major accident that so much attention would be given to the safety usuissues that there wou be a lull in activity. >> i mean, accidents happen, but safety ought to be higher on their priority, i guess. >> reporter: now, while riders say that it's disturbing, they also say that they have enough confidence to get on the train this morning and make their way to work. metro has not released the name of the worker who was killed, but again, he worked for metro for about 25 years. right now, the orange line is not showing any delays this morning. back to you, barbara. >> all right, megan, thank you. >> president obama is in mexico to take part in the north american suit he's already met with the mexican president whe the two discussed trade, violence along

the border and the swine flu. back at home, however, lawmakers are continuing to debate the president's health care reform plan. congress is on vacation, but their members are getting an earful back in their home districts. some want to know how their representatives plan to vote on a bill, even though there isn't one yet. e house and senate failed to reach an agreement on a bill. the president and top democrats want a compromise but they're willing to go it alone, they say, if they have to. >> it reaches the point where we cannot reach a bipartisan agreement, i don't want to see health care reform fail. we only get a chance once in a political lifetime to do something. >> the white house is also trying to correct some misinformation about health care reform, including false reports that it would promote euthanasia. >> the latest now on that midair collision between a sight-seeing helicopter and a small plane in new york city. this morning, divers will return to the hudson river to continue to search for bodies. nine people were killed in saturday's crash.

seven bodies have been recovered so far. yesterday, crews pulled up most of the wreckage from the helicopter. they've also located the plane, but they're still working o pulling its parts out of the river. investigators will study the wreckage to try to determine what caused the crash. >> well, trials of the experimental new swine flu vaccine continues around the country. today it starts up at the university of maryland. 67 healthy adult volunteers are taking part in the testing at the school of medicine today. they'll have their blood drawn and then will receive the vaccine. 21 days later they'll receive another injection. the university of maryland is the lead center for the nationwide trials. >> our time now is 5:37. gas prices are on the rise. how much it's going to cost you to fill up before you headut this morning. >> plus, the panic that unfolded after shots rang out inside a health club in suburban pittsburgh. >> and how you might be able to get cash for your clunker even if you don't qualify for the

government's incentive pro

good morning. welcome back. it is expected to be a very hot day across the region. temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees in some areas. >> it's already hot out there. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live along the national mall with how people are braving these hot and humid temperatures. tracee, do you see those runners out there this morning that we usually see at this hour? >> reporter: yes, and this is the best time for them to be out because it is going to be so hot

later on today. let me tell you, it's like 70-something right now. feels really good out here. later on we're looking at it going up to about 100 degrees and feeling even hotter than that. we've got a taste of what it might be like later on today yesterday but it's going to be much worse. aveth.athe avbrthe heat. arst ofav, ndstt iayoors i much as possible. do not leave you creld ohinr your pets in the vehicle.n kema sureounkri d plenty of ndls a aolsea wear ght-colored, lightweight, ttos fie-ing clothes. applyfi sunscreen, spa 15 to30. do about 20 minutes befe you go out. limit your exposure to theu sun specifically between 12 t0 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. flo outlot hea o cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. i tell you what's going to make this feel a whole lot worse. we have not had a day this hot yet so it will feel even worse than it already is. tom kierein is live with more on what you can expect today. >> good advice, tracee. heat is the number one weather

killer. you've got to respect the heat. more fatalities from heat-related illnesses than any other weather type. there's venus in the eastern sky this morning. starting off with a clear start. in the western sky got the moon and jupiter. it's now 78 in washington. mid and upper 70s elsewhere. really not too uncomfortable. the humidity levels are in the mid and upper 60s to near 70 but by later on today it will be very uncomfortable, excessive heat advisory all these areas in orange. rockville and up into prince george's county, the eastern shore. off at that time clear start. highs today reaching near 100 degrees. it will feel like 105 with that heat inn debs. relief on the way tomorrow afternoon and into wednesday and thursday with a chance of showers and thundershowers each one of those days. and cooler with highs in the 80s. looks like friday, saturday and sunday will be dry. now, jerry, how's the traffic? >> tom, picking up some early morning, monday morning volume. good morning. head over to t american legion

bridge, inner loop toward river road and beyond, lanes are open. no worries there. outer loop looks okay here. we do have a report of one lane closed on the beltway, outer loop near 123 for late-clearing road work. check on that. elsewhere in virginia an accident 95 northbound approaching dale city between dumfries and dale city, right side of the roadway blocked. police are on the scene. back to you. >> thank you. our time is 5:43. gas prices are on the rise. how much it's going to cost you to fill up before you head out this morning. >> plus, new details following that deadly metro crash on the red line. next at 5:45, what a investigators have discovered about equipment that may have played a role in that ac h

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vina wepasantr a repairman was struck and tra bpiecedpicke e reuipment. whear pfas ot a c he working to pre navi.enrk vienna.ross ties the president's health care plan is facing growing criticism. some town halls have turned into shouting matches and brawls. president obama will hold his own health care town hall in new hampshire tomorrow. today he's in mexico for a summit with leaders from canada and mexico. divers will retur to the hudson river this morning to find the last two bodies from saturday's fatal crash. nine people were killed when a small plane crashed into a sight-seeing helicopter near manhattan. federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused that accident. >> well, we are learning more about problems on metro before that deadly crash in june. newly obtained records show that a train operator narrowly avoided a similar crash just months earlier. derrick ward has that story. >> reporter: the track work continues between the ft. totten to takoma stations on the red line. next weekend the totten station

will be closed completely while that work continues. shuttle buses will bridge the gap. it all comes in the wake of the deadly accident in june on that stretch of the red line. >> the 18 years that i've lived in washington, d.c., they've been reliable to me, gotten me where need to go. but with the system crashing and everything, now it makes you think. wonder if you're safe. >> reporter: that tragic incident in june is apparently part of a pattern. we are now learning there h been a close call between two trains during rush hour back in march here at the potomac avenue station. according to documents obtained by "the washington post," a blue line train overran the station. metro's chief safety officers says that 500 feet was well within metro's acceptable distance between trains in this kind of situation, and that the problem in that independent was with equipment onboard the train, not a track-mounted sensor as is expected in the crash in june. riders we spoke to say it's

troubling but it won't keep them from riding the system. in fact, it just makes some more aware. >> now i listen to whathey're saying a lot more, a lot closer. i look around, try to be aware what's going on. >> reporter: metro says you are safe in the system. the chief safy officer stresses she also rides the trains. another rider we spoke to says while some of the system's technology may be involved in the crash and while replacing it is causing delays -- >> i think the combination of technology and good human eye will keep us in good shape. >> at the same time, you need it. >> reporter: derrick ward, news 4. >> federal investigators say metro did not tell them about the march incident until after the red line crash in june. they found out about it through an oversight committee that was created 12 years ago to monitor metro. metro has not said why it did not notify the ntsb earlier. >> it was a deadly weekend for mo un tyco county. six biker lost control and d alongcr bumpy oak road in la plataan in

man his 40s was killed. pl cou e hours later there was a cr ch at a second locatn,hi t ng rsllioayd inhi rte wte plains. fire officlshe s tay tar c mld lhiean a and hit a man on a motorcycle er e.th dhe de atht th scene.hearri ced t r to car tried to run away but police caught them a short time later. >> a va rahman was killed in a small plane crash. that plane crashed into louiana county yesterday c afternoon. 46-year-old edward toth of fauquier county died. his 17-year-old dghter survived. she's in the hospital this morning. stliataye s pce thepolane experienced problemsly s trtho after takeoff. investe rtorars e wno looking into what did cause that crash. >> new surveillance video out this morning shows the terrifying moments following a deadly health club shooting near pittsburgh. this is video from a pizza place which is close to the la fitness club where last tuesday's shooting occurred. it shows people running from the gym through the restaurant

parking lot and out the back door. about a dozen people still in their gym clothes hid inside the pizza shop after it happened. the alleged gunman, george sodini, killed three women and injured nine others before killing himself. more than three dozen inmates are out of the hospital after a riot broke out inside a california prison. it happened over the weekend in chino, california. more than 250 inmates were hurt. the fight was sparked by racial tension between some 1,300 black and hispanic prisoners. more than 50 had to be sent to the hospital. this morning, all ten prisons in southern california remain on lockdown. >> well, south carolina governor mark sanford has been dealt another blow. new reports say the state aircraft for political and personal trips. the associated press found the governor often took his wife and children along with him. that's against state rules, apparently. records show the two-term republican used the aircraft to get to his children's sporting events, to his hair and dentist appointments and to political

party gatherings. the governor's office says sanford has done nothing wrong. in other news on friday, sanford's wife and their four sons moved out of the governor's mansion. back in june, sanford admitted to having an affair. >> our time right now 5:51. tom is here with our forecast. good morning again. >> the hottest day of the summer likely on the way. later on today as we'll have excessive heat moving in here certainly by noontime. it will linger at all way into early evening. we'll have that heat index, that combination of heat and humidity, going to make the air feel like 105 for a while. now at low tide this morning there's the potomac river under a mostly clear sky. a few clouds on the eastern horizon. sunrise is about 25 minutes away. it's now 78 at reagan national. it is rather humid this morning. as we look at radar, an atipprarioitn ou tnde ecprheipitation around the region as weetngoi o g gn this monday. temperatures are in the low and mid-70s in arlington and in fairfax, montgomery, prince george's counties. southern maryland, near the bay, northern neck, eastern shore in

the low and mid-70s. also low to mid-70s off to our west and north and around the shenandoah valley. as we look at the current dew points, they are in the mid and upper 60s and that is rather humid. it's going to stay rather humid here as we get into the rest of the afternoon. all these counties in orange are under this excessive heat advisory in effect from noon until 10:00 p.m. you really do have to respect the heat as we're going to have that combination of heat and humidity really making it feel like the hottest day of the year so far. right now eastern shore's near 70. in the mid-60s in the mountains. we have a mostly clear start, although we have a few clouds here to our east at this hour. traveling today, could have some flight delays, florida, the gulf coast, all the way up along the mississippi valley into the upper midwest and through the central plains, maybe a little bit of rain in the pacific rthwest. asak w tee a look at what's been happening around the region over the last 1 hours, some showers and thundershowers along a front that's just now moving across the great lakes out of the upper midwest. that's going to begin to drift

our way by later on tomorrow. ahead of that, a lot of humidity sweeping in on a southwesterly breeze pumping it in from the gulf of mexico. where you see those colors is where we could get a few scattered showers and thundershowers but nothing happening around here today. as we get into tomorrow and tomorrow evening we'll have that front coming through and it may trigger some passing showers and thundershowers. that to be followed by some cooler weather on the way so the heat wave is not going to lt too long. yesterday weit t the mid-90s. l twe'lhithe m and upper 90s thisafternoon. by midonftnoer with lots of nshine, heat inoex 100 to 105. that's the combination ofhudity. that's wtyhe haat. liat's what it's going to feel bkemid-afternoon. b so as we get into the evening, it should be a pleasant evening. down into the low 70s. by dawn tomorrow, then during the day on tuesday we'll have afternoon highs into the mid-90s. an t thentha cool front arrives, bringing maybe some showers and thundershowers and some cooler weather behind that. so this is only going to be about a three-day heat wave. then wednesday and thursday,

passing showers and thundershowers are possible and cooler, highs only in the low 80s both of those days. as we get intt friday and the eekend, im iovpr neld.gend,weimproving news. drshoue bying out. still not too hot.e afternoon highs mid-80s on idaynd saturday. mae uerpp0sern o sunday. so that'sngoi go t feel nice. an tthlyulhis is not one of those extended heat s.lyvewa we've had them go for a couple of weeks in summers gone by. but this one only a three-day heat wave, but today easily the hottest day of the year so far. >> we'll get ready for it then. thanks a lot. >> i'm more in favor of like a two to three-hour heat wave. >> wave good-bye. >> yes. thanks. >> talk to jerry about the traffic out there now. how's it looking? >> good morning. one incident of note, accident 95 northbound between dumfries and dale city. had the right side of the roadway tied up. last check police were fulg pulling it out of the roadway. with any luck, you should find the lanes open from dumfries on up. elsewhere take a little gander see how we're doing. a little volume along i-270 from

frederick off and on through the interchanges but nothing too much to worry about. the beltway from college park to silver spring at this early hour accident free. barbara and joe, back to you. >> all right, jerry, thank you. >> thank you very much, jerry. gasoline prices are on the increase and they seem to be picking up a little speed. according to aaa the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is now $2.65, up ten cents. in the district, drivers are paying $2.66 a gallon. virginia, low at $2.51. >> the cash for clunkers program has been such a success that some dealers are banding together to bring a new incentive to people who don't qualify for that program. the group of about 40 car and truck dealers across the country are now offering what they call the automotive stimulus program. it offers drivers a bonus on their trade-ins no matter what kind of car it is. the bonus is based on the value of the car and the improvement in fuel efficiency of their new vehicle.

>> well, it seems the face of facebook is getting older by the month. new demographic figures show the number of facebook members who are 55 years of age and older grew 25% in the last month alone. researchers believe more and more older people are looking to keep up with their friends and families via the internet. that's also, of course, good news for facebook. that means more money from advertisers who want to appeal to that aging population. >> to the money crisis now and a look at how foreign markets are ing today. asian stocks are soaring on the heels of friday's rally on wall street. japan's nikkei gained 1.1%. the hang sen gained 2. 7%. stocks in taiwan and australia so gained ground. to wall street, futures are pointing to a positive opening. friday it gained 114 points. the nasdaq closed at 2000 after gaining 27 points at the end of last week. >> well, every morning here on

"news to bs fjoveor ng or fjoyou. the dep.en dtmart of health care fin icetms lsookingram man. the ogprmam nager. the position pays between 98 and $137,000 per. you can get more information b y going to nbcwashington.com. onet y tou gheheseobarar jchs 4 you. >> and there's much more still ahead on our next hour of "news 4 today." more trouble on the tracks for metro. a worker is killed late last night. what that could mean for your commute this morning. >> a custody shocker. find out who is now claiming paternity of one of michael jackson's children. >> and it's going to be hot and humid today. just how bad will it get and how can you keep cool? find out when "news 4 today" continues in just two minutes. stay with us. j

right now at 6:00 a.m., more trouble for metro. a worker killed on the tracks late last night. wore ae live with what you should expect. >> it is august. it is hot. it ishumid. and today could be the hottest day of the year. tom has the steamy forecast. >> and the future of fighting the swine flu rests a great deal on what will happen in our area starting today. good morning, everyone. welcome. we're glad you're up with us this morning. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. a live look outside this morning on this monday morning where the temperature is 78 degrees. the sun is heading on up. it is 6:00 and steamy.

hot and humid. what else should we expect for august, though? >> what's that sun going to do to us, tom kierein? >> it's going to cook us by mid-afternoon. respect the heat. use common sense. don't engage in any kind of y ayity mid-afternoon. it is going to be a life-threatening situation with that heat in the upper 90s. right now nothing on radar. off to a mostly clear start. the forecast for the afternoon upper 90s for highs, perhaps ne 10areede0s.gr it will feel like 105 when you add in the humidity. so that is reallyesxc h evesieat and could really cause physicale problems, certainly for the elderly as well as those who have heart or respiratory illness. stay in the a.c., stay inside all afternoon if you can. if you have to b outside, stay out of the sun. drink plenty of water. tomorrow, some relief on theay as a cool front comes in, may trigger someft anoon a thundershowers. highs before that low to mid-90s. much cooler wednesday and thursday, maybe showers and un showers and thundershowers. a look at friday and the

weekend, that will be in ten minutes at 6:11. >> thanks, tom. >> did you hear that, jerry? no excessive exercise this afternoon in this heat. may be time to see dr. nap. >> thank you, tom, thank you, tom, thank you, tom. going to have to postpone the lawn for another day, i guess. good morning. let's take a live look and see how your monday commute is going. for those of you planning on heading south of town, the inner loop passing the 295 off-ramp there. so far, so good. both directions on the beltway between oxon hill and alexandria. had an accident 95 northbound between dumfries and dale city. that should be wrapped up. you may find it heavy headed north from 234 but at last report the lanes re-opened. back to you. >> thanks very much. we begin at 6:00 a.m. with the ou cavat h bld ae iign ry t that could have a big impactinmn a th moing.rn at etroateil l repair workige repair work on the tracks near the vienna station on the orange line. megan mcgrath is live at the vienna station with more on what happened and on any possible

impact on commuters this morning. megan? >> reporter: well, joe, the the good news for commuters here this morning who take the orange line is that we are not seeing any delays. metro is not posting any delays on the orange line this morning. things are back to normal, but the investigation continues. this accident involved a veteran track maintenance worker. he's been with metro for about 25 years, we're told. last night at around 10:00 he was working on an outbound stretch of trek between vienna and dunn loring when he was hit by a piece of equipment and killed. the piece of equipment is a ballast regulator. it deposits and spreads gravel between the cross ties and tracks. there were between 10 and 15 other workers in the team that was -- in the team working on that job last night. they closed a stretch of the orange line in the area where the accident occurred. they ran shuttle service along that stretch there. the orange line, again, though today back to normal. we're not seeing any delays being posted here. now,alen mereran ag

tr gsalo'meeren managerd a stat. he said, quote, our hearts go .lt ou the family members ofeeoy e aavngut eeoy. e have begun ahorohugoy instigation to find out the facts and to determine t w we can do to r emoueepls. wof ouoyr plemees.pl again, a metrora tck worker killed on the tracks last night, hit by a piece of equipment. ves investigation continues. joe, back to you. >> megan mcgrath reporting live. thanks very much. new details are emerging in the middle of that investigation into june's deadly metro crash. a train operator narrowly avoided a similar crash just months before that collision in june. according to documents obtained by "the washington post," a blue line train overran the potomac avenue station, coming within 500 feet of another train already in the tunnel. the driver hit the emergency brake. metro says equipment onboard the train, not on the tracks, was to blame. meanwhile, track work does continue between the ft. totten an takoma stations on the red line as metro continues to

repair that area after the accident. and maintenance work is inusing delays along other les well. g along the yellow atr ano mes plto fhinis memeo plans to finishmplete tran teleweckra berethaulov between he t ennd ahe t .ns ethtioat there will also oee graon e orange lineffngec aheti tff church ahurc c and nd ioatstns s crstripecxp that trips to take up to 45 minutes longer than usual. >> the heat is on. it's going to be hot and muggy and down right oppressive today. today could be the hottest day of the year so far. as tom told you, temperatures in the upper 90s and could come close to 100 degrees today. it could feel even hotter than that with the humidity. tracee wilkins is on the national mall where it's already starting to feel a little bit warm out there, right, tracee? >> reporter: yeah, warming up some, barbara. doesn't feel as cool as it did about 10 minutes ago. if you're trying to exercise, this is definitely the time to get out. we've got some folks who are already doing that, taking advantage of the fact that it is

not burning up hot right now. but it's going to get hot later. what's going to make it even worse is that we haven't had a real summer day yet. yesterday we got a taste of it. but what we're going to experience today is going to be really bad. the hottest day of the year so far. it was in the high 90s yesterday but we're looking at it being 100 degrees today and feeling even hotter than that. up to 105. heat is the number one weather killer. here are some tips for folks who are looking for dealing with the heat today. stay indoors as much as possible. remember, do not leave children nor your pets in vehicles. drink plenty of water. wear light-colored, lightweight and lofie-gosttin clothes. apply thattt sunscreen, s 15 to 30 is what is recommended. do that about 20 minutes before yogo outside. limit your exposureo t the sun, ci opeesally between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00pe..m p mpd look out for hea c ra at exhaustion and heat stroke. if you feel any of that, come inside. also, look out for your elderly

neighbors and make sure that they're taking care of themselves as well, that they're in air-conditioned space. if not, get them to a cooling center here in d.c., just whatever's necessary to make sure we make it through this hot day. we've got another one coming up tomorrow. we're going to have to take care of one another. i'm tracee wilkins, live. back to you in the studio. >> okay, tracee, thank you. and as tracee was saying, there are some things you can do to keep your cool in this heat. first, as we said, try to wear some loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. cotton tends to beh wit stick with water. sports drinks are gitood to comt dedration. at lunch sointhvimeng g mething hot, go with a smaller and cooler meal. joe? >> sounds good. happening today, the president is in mexico for a summit with leaders from canada and mexico. when he arrived in the guadalajara capital last night he briefly met with mexican president felipe calderon. today, presidentobama, calderon

and canadian prime minister steven harper will talk about trade and immigration at the summit. meanwhile, here at home, the president's health care plan is facing growing criticism. president obama will hold his own health care town hall in new hampshire tomorrow. >> our time right now is eight minutes after 6:00. 78 degrees here in washington. another hot, sticky day as we've been telling you. tom will be back to tell you just how hot it's going to get. >> plus, the search for bodie continues in the hudson river after this weekend's midair crash. coming up, hear from another pilot who saw the whole thing unfold. >> and incredible video of a hotel that collapsed and fell into a river. find out what caused it to happen.

let's take a look at our forecast now. let's go to tom kierein with the pleasant news about the weather. tom? >> well, it is pleasant now. good morning, barbara and joe. weather and traffic on the 1satn 6:11. mostly clear. sunrise is in six minutes. now 77 degrees in washington. in the low and mid-70s in montgomery, fairfax, prince george's county and arlington counties. highs today soaring into the upper 90s to near 100. it will feel like 105 when you add in the humidity by mid-afteoon. lots of sun today. tomorrow, relief on the way before a cool front ar rice, though, into the low and

mid-90s. may trigger thundershowers in the early afternoon and evening. cool weather for wednesday and thursday, highs low 80s. maybe passing showers and thundershowers. dry weather returns friday into the weekend with highs in the 80s. jerry, good morning. how's the monday commute? >> good morning, everyone. picking up some volume on all the interstates including i-66 in several stretches headed eastbound. at this point, there are no accidents to report, although i'm going to check with vdot because they're moving a couple cameras around. they were looking for something. right now can't find anything blocking. that is good news. elsewhere let you know the top side of the capital beltway outer loop from greenbelt to college park to silver spring all the way to the american legion bridge incident-free. as is i-270 between frederick and rockville, all lanes there open and available. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks. >> 6:12, 77 degrees. swine flu fears spreading across the world. coming up how one local university could play a major role in easing them. >> and giving back. next at 6:15, the local company

that's trying to improve the environment and change lives

take a look now at some of the top stories in the news for today. a metro track repairman has been killed on the job. it happened just before 10:00 last night on the orange line between the dunn loring-merrifield and vienna metro stations. we're told the repairman was struck by a piece of track equipment. he was part of a crew that was working to replace cross ties

near vienna. president obama is in mexico this morning wrapping up the north american summit with mexican and canadian leaders. the summit began at dip ner last night and ends with a joint news conference before lunchtime today. the leaders will be discussing several issues, including the joint efforts to fight the swine flu. well, it is certainly going to be hot today. really hot. temperatures in our area could hit close to 100 degrees, and with the humidity it's going to feel even hotter. cooling centers will be open around the area and swimming pools in the district have extended their hours. >> divers will return to the hudson river this morning to continue to search for bodies after a midair collision involving a plane and a helicopter. nine people were killed in saturday's crash. seven bodies have been recovered so far. new, dramatic photos show the moment of impact. faa sources tell nbc news the plane may have been trying to turn when it hit the helicopter. a fellow pilot was standing on

the ground and tried to radio for help when he saw the plane getting too close. he believes the helicopter pilot did everything he could. >> he did everything right. he did everything perfectly. he was doing his prescribed altitude that we've been doing for 25 years. he just didn't have -- there's nothing could be done. >> it was a blindside, from his back righ no way he could see him. >> investigators will focus on the wreckage to try and determine the cause. that plane was carrying a family fr pennsylvania. while the helicopter was carrying five italian tourists celebrating a couple's 25th wedding anniversary. investigators in our area are trying to figure out what caused a tragic plane crash in virginia it happened yesterday afternoon. a all plane crashed into lake anna. 46-year-old edward toth of uquier county died. his 17-year-o daughter surved is in the hospital this morning. state police say the plane experienced problems after

takeoff. >> more trouble for south carolina governor mark sanford this morning. new reports say he used state aircraft for political and personal trips. the associad press found the governor often took his wife and children along with him. that's against state rules. records show the two-rm republican used the aircraft to get to his children's sporting events, hair and dentist appointments and to political party gatherings. the governor's office says sanford has done nothing wrong. on friday, sanford's wife and their four sons moved out of the governor's mansion. back in june, sanford admitted that he had had an affair. well, this morning in our jobs 4 you segment in this economy, while many banks are closing their branches, at least one bank is growing. that means hiring. pnc bank has 140 branches in our area. the company's hoping to lure customers and employees to its newer, green branches. >> kimberly suiters is here now and she has details of this. good morning. >> good morning. lots of banks are promoting online services in an effort to

go green, but this one also prints checks on recycled paper, makes checkards out of 100% recycled plastic and, since 2000, all new pnc bank construction is green. ♪ the dulles branch sits in a busy shopping center, a highly visible spot. those who do venture in to bank the old fashioned way or to resolve an issue face-to-face, get the green tour. >> if i take a cusmer in -- >> reporter: from the branch manager. >> see how the lights just turned on? >> reporter: not to be confused with this green, used for down time and client contacts. >> tell you, hey, you know what? the temperature's outside 70. the branch is set for 70. let's turn it off and brg in sh the fan, bring in fresh air. >> reporter: look closely and you'll see old bits of glass in the tiles. the windows, two-paned, filled with gas for insulation. the carpet made of recyclable rubber and nylon. the furniture filled with a

wheat byproduct comfortably seats two satisfied employees. >> not a lot of jobs that are going to accommodate a full college student's schedule. so, pny c's great at doing that. >> i feel like a big asset to the branch because everybody have a lot of spanish clients, and they always come to me. so i feel very important. >> reporter: javier and habib say they do value an environmentally friendly building almost as much as the bullet proof glass. they're the kind of employees pnc bank is looking to hire. >> what really matters to us is that the employees are engaged, they have leadership qualities, talent, passion, dedication, a commitment to their own success, that they want to make a difference. >> reporter: that's exactly the way the bank sees itself. pnc has more buildings certified by the u.s. green building council than any company on earth. there are also other green branches in the pipeline.

the company's first carbon net zero building will go up in oakton in 2010. here at 17th and 18th in downtown washington, this will serve as the bank's regional headquarters and it's platinum certified. in atplum being the council's highest rating and the highest personal rating for some of the dulles employees who manage your greenbacks in their green branch. there are more than 100 jobs open at pnc bank, from part-time tellers up to full-time branch managers. some of those jobs are in the green branches. to apply, go to nbcwashington.com and search the jobs 4 you section. barbara, back to you. >> kimberly, thank you. >> the nats are doing something that many would have thought impossible just a couple of weeks ago, and the nfl preseason is under way. hakem dermish has the highlights in this morning's sports minute.

good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with a great eight for the nationals. with 50 games left in the regular season, the nationals are riding an eight-game winning streak. adam dunn hit his 30th home run of the season as the nationals beat the diamondbacks 9-2. the nats are off today before beginning a road trip in atlanta tomorrow. in canton, ohio, terrell owens made his preseason debut for the buffalo bills in the hall of fame game, but it was the tennessee titans who took the victory, beating the bills 21-18. the redskins' preseason starts thursday against the ravens here on nbc 4. in tennis, juan martin del potro defended his title in rock creek park, defeating three-time champion andy roddick yesterday in three sets. to win the legg mason title. in golf, tiger woods hit the shot of the tournament on the 16th hole to go from one shot down to victory at the bridgestone invitational. tiger outlasted padraig harrington to win for the seventh time on the akron, ohio, course. that's your sports minute. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day.

>> and what a day it's going to be out there with this heat we're expecting. >> 6:21 isur time. time for traffic and weather on the 1s. here's tom. >> hey, tom. >> day two of a three-day heat wave. today will likely be the hottest day of our summer so far. off to a mostly clear start. there are a few clouds on the eastern horizon. sunrise was three minutes ago. can't quite see the sun because of tat it's clear over washington and points west. it's 77 in washington to landover as well as falls church and silver spring. it's rather humid in the low and mid-70s. highs soaring to the upper 90s. it will feel like 100 to 105 when you add in the humidity with lots of sunshine. tonight, 70s tomorrow morning. mid-90s tomorrow afternoon. some showers and thundershowers after that. that will bring in some cooler weather for wednesday and thursday, maybe passing showers and thundershowe bot of those da ys fr y,iday, saturday and sunday, highs in the 80s. jerry, good morning. how's the monday commute? >> good morning, everyone. let's take a trip along 16th

street at scott circle where volume, all the major roadways in town pretty quiet so far northeast, southeast, southwest, everything's looking good. elsewhere let you know the beltway south of town picking up just a bit of volume now. the inner loop approaching the wilson bridge, lanes are open there from springfield on the inner loop toward 66 we're okay. the top side headed for the american legion bridge, just a bit of volume but no accidents, broken down vehicles to worry about. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. let's -- you don't have think much about it when you give them your keys, but valets could be getting into a lot of trouble. coming up, the effort to crack down on them. >> plus, the startling new accusation in the custody battle over michael jackson children. our time now 6:23. the temperature about 73 degrees.

well, the rocky relationship between jon and kate gosselin of "jon & kate plus eight" is back in the spotlight. in a few minutes, kate will sit down with meredith vieira for her first live interview since she and jon announced plans to d-i-v-o-r-c-e. that's coming up at the top of the hour on the "today" show. >> elizabeth has tmorhihe t rd

mom for the third ortime. thehoo- cst of "the vi" ge av iasa to her second son, ih timothy, atia a new york city spital yesterday afternoon. hasselbeck is married to former redskins quarterback tim h hasselbe hasselbeck. >> inmates used to die trying to escape from alcatraz prison, of course, but on its 75th anniversary, lots of folks lined up to get in. tickets sold out weeks ago. alcatraz was a foort, then an army disciplinary barracks before the prison took over until 1963. during that time, alcatraz housed p.m. notorious murderers and other criminals. yesterday, ex-cons, prison guards and their children all returned to alcatraz to talk about life on the rock. >> much more still ahead on "news 4 today" including more bad news for metro. >> reporter: a metro worker was killed on the tracks late last

night. i'm megan mcgrath. i'll have the latest on that investigation coming up in a live report. >> plus, what's happening in our area today that could prove to be critical in the fight against the swine flu. >> and if you thought yesterday was hot, you haven't seen anything yet. tom will be back with details of another scorcher. "news 4 today" is back in two minute

more problems for metro. a track worker killed late last night. we're live with details and more on what you should expect when you board the trains today.

>> plus, fighting the swine flu. what will happen in our area today that could help save millions of lives worldwide. good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. let's take a live look outside at 6:30 on this monday morning. here's what we saw. the sun -- you can see it through the clouds. a lot of haze out there and it's hot. 77 degrees. tom's here to tell you what's coming. >> we're going to be cooking. a torrid afternoon with het r summer sor so t far which hasrorompted aexcessip sse ceativclud arlingtonat , montgomery,montgomery, george's, the george's, the counties, much of vindinia a the ernteaste sre under this ryson tooo 010:0..mooon to right now, though, it' pleasant. we're in the toeny alahhetole lashendoah valley to the nlahi wn.ngasto es reeth d t aanhengtoas these are the dew points. they're in the mid and upper 60s so that is quite humid. now for the rest the day, we'll inchea nearch r

100. rit il wfeel like 105 with that humid it added in by mid-afilrnoon. then overnight tonight in the 80s through the evening, mid-70s by dawn tomorrow. cool front sweeping through tomorrow afternoon. ahead of that, though nooshgs the low and mid-90s but it may trigger shers and thundershowers. behind that front, some cooler weather moving in for wednesday and thursday and maybe some showers and thundershowers both of those days. look at friday and the weekend, that will be in ten minutes. >> okay, tom, thanks. >> thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. any problems on this monday? >> relatively quiet so far. that is good news for those of you getting ready to head out the door. last time around we checked out northwest. here's northeast. new york avenue picking up the usual volume now as you head d-toward bladensburg road. no incidents reported blocking. on the beltway south of town to the wilson bridge we're okay. the outer loop from greenbelt to college park to silver spring picking up a bit of volume now through the interchanges but again no accidents. we're okay up on 270 frederick all the way down to the split.

barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks. >> thank you very much. >> we are following a developing story right now that cimct on m b inbia mog impan rng.tr othis mea ro met worker was kildatlee l oile repair torkrack ohe ts tracks n the vienna station on the orange line. megan mcgrath is live at the vienna station with more on what happened and the possible impact on riders today. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. for a while they did have a stretch of the orange line in the area where the accident occurred shut down and they had to run shuttle bus service. however, this morning things are back to normal. metro is not posting any delays on the orange line so that's good news. now, this accident involved a veteran metro track maintenance worker. he's been with metro for 25 years. he was working on an outbound stretch of track between the vienna and dunn loring station when he was hit by a piece of equipment and killed just before 10:00 p.m. last night. the equipment involved is a ballast regulator. it deposits and spreads gravel

between cross ties and tracks. there are between 10 and 15 other workers in the team that was doing that work last night. as i mentioned, they closed a stretch of the orange line for a time. had to run shuttle service. but things are back to normal this morning. we've been talking to riders here. they say the accident is very disturbing, especially when considering the deadly crash that happened just back in june. >> i still feel relively confident in metro, but there's a lot going on lately. it does shake your confidence. just too much in too short of a period of time. you would think that after a major accident that so much attention would be given to the safety issues that there would be a lull in activity. >> i mean, accidents happen, but safety ought to be higher on their priority, i guess. n el rdseseahi tta s released thi "o, hearts go out to

thile"o famybeem mrs of ourem employee. av hwee guan h thorough veiostat figto on dinut the d o de mierne what we can do to primovhe tov safety o r employees." metro has not released the name of the worker who was killed. they're still trying to locate family members and explain to them exactly what happened. now, i should also mention that the riders we spoke to this morning say that while this is all very disturbing, it is not going to prevent them from taking the metro this morning. they say that they are still confident in the system, but are certainly very interested in watching very closely what's been happening as of late. back to you. >> thanks very much. happening today, the university of maryland school of medicine is testing out the h1n1 vaccine. 67 heahy adults have volunteered to take part in the testing. they'll have their blood drun and receive the vaccine. in three weeks they get another shot. the university of maryland is the lead center for the clinical trials that are now going on.

well, the swine flu is one major issue being discussed by international leaders at the north american summit today. president obama is attending that event in mention koechlt the meeting comes as his health care plan is coming under some withering attacks here at home. brooke hart has more on that from capitol hill. >> reporter: as barack obama's trip abroad began, his domestic priority -- health care reform -- faced a barrage of criticism. >> this is not health reform. this is control. >> reporter: health care town halls are being called town brawls. >> who sent me here? i sent myself! >> reporter: an event in tampa kept a rowdy overflow crowd outside as participants inside bumped lawmakers from the spotlight. >> you guys don't have any ideas. you have no ideas. t reporter: some opponents in through the 9/12 project, conservative commentator glenn beck's website, aimed at rallying antitax tea parties, now protests of the democrats' health care plans.

the senate's top republican says the outrage is genuine. >> of course american citizens are concerned about it. many of them are upset about it. >> reporter: democrats see the opposition as manufactured. they cite internet flyers like this one, encouraging critics, yell back and have someone else follow up with a shoutout, facing antistimulus bill rallies this spring, they gave it a name. >> we call it astroturf. not really a grassroots movement. >> reporter: with this health care reform plan on the ne, president obama said it's being misrepresented. >> let me spart by dispelling the outladies and gentlemens on rumors that reform will promote euthanasia or cut medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. >> reporter: dozens more town halls are scheduled this month. liberal groups have also mobilized supporters of the president's health care reform plans to these town halls. the president intends to conduct his own tomorrow in new hampshire. he says to correct misleading

information. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> the heat is on. get ready for a hot, sticky, steamy afternoon. it could be one of the hottest days of the summer and here's what you should expect today. the temperatures could reach as high as 100 degrees but the humidity could make it feel even hotter than that. and more uncomfortable. cooling centers across our area will be open and pools in the district will stay open later than normal tonight. here are some tips to keep your cool in this oppressive heat make sure you wear light-weight, light-colored cotton clothing. drink plenty of water or sports drinks. avoid c afeeinnd alcohol. stay inside inhe t air conditning as much as possible. if you don't have a.c., go toss mall or a movie theater to try to stay cool. our time right now is 5:38 -- 6:38. moving right along. >> moving right along. >> details of a new part chershnership between a major automaker and

ebay. >> a hotel collapses and get swept away. you won't want to miss this. >> yet another shocker. the battle over michael jackson's children. wait until you hear who is claiming he is the father of

some amazing video that you

just need to see this morning. take a look at this. a hotel in taiwan collapsed and fell into a raging river yesterday. it came as tie fon morakot dumped torrential rains on the island, prompting the worst flooding in over 50 years. authorities believe the hotel had been evacuated before it collapsed. so far -- there it goes -- it is collapsing into -- that's amazing. so far, the typhoon has forced nearly 1 million people to h a head heirnd ad ea for higher ground. >> amazing video. let's take a look at our weather now. let's go to tom kierein who's got the news for you on how hot it's going to be. >> going to be an amazing day today. >> yeah. in fact, maybe record heat. the record for the day is 98 set back on this date in 1943. we may tie or even exceed the record high for the afternoon. but right no it's a pleasant morning. we're in the 70s generally around the region. 77 in washington. weather watchers checking in around the area reporting quite

a bit of humidity in the air. afternoon highs climbing the upper 90s and the heat advisory in effect noon to to:00 p.m. we'll have hazy sunshine. tomorrow, a cool front arrives by the afternoon. before that low and mid-90s. it may trigger passing afternoon thundershowers during the afternoon and evening. that followed by cooler weather on wednesday and thursday. drying out friday into the weekend. highs in the 80s. now let's check traffic. jerry, how's it looking? >> still doing pretty well. good morning, everyone. top side of the beltway, a little volume in a couple of spots as you travel between college park and silver spring. this is the camera west of connecticut avenue. here's the outer loop exit for rockville pike, 270 right about there. the inner loop also looking good. we did have a report ofolice activity on 355 at cedar lane just inside the beltway so you might find ate bit slow coming down from grove nor. other than that, southeast, northeast looking good. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thanks. our time is 6:43, 77 degrees. what you can be paying if

you stop to fill up this morning. plus, could atms become a thing of the past? in just a couple of minutes how the iphone could transform the way you bank. >> and if you want to valet park your car in the district you could get yourself in some

good morning. welcome back. the sister of john f. kennedy remains in critical condition at a massachusetts hospital this morning. eunice shriver's family, including her daughter maria and her husband, california governor arnold schwarzenegger, are at eunice shriver's side. eunice shriver is 88 years old. she suffered a series of strokes in recent years. of course, she's well-known as the founder of the special olympics. well, today a judge will decide what will become of michael jackson's estate. meanwhile, the godfather of michael jackson's three children claims that he is actually the father -- the biological father of the late singer's daughter paris. mark lester is a long time jackson friend. a london newspaper quotes him as saying he gave his sperm so

jackson could have children. he believes paris resembles his own daughter. lester says he's comingorward because he believes it is the only way he will be able to stay in contact with the jackson children. just a few minutes ago, concert organizers in austria announced that they will do a michael jackson tribute concert. there are reports the concert would include u 2, madonna, lionel richie and whitney houston. >> the district is cracking down on illegal valet parking. vdot says some valets are breaking the law and parking illegally. valets are tossing out the tickets without letting customers know. to prevent that from happening, vdot passed its first-ever valet rules in june. under the plan, valet companies have to pay the district for so-called staging spots. if they don't, they face a $300 fine. if they park illegally, they face a $250 fine. >> well, if you need to fill up your tan okay the way to work this morning get ready to dig

deeper. the national average for a price of a a gallon of regular gasoline is up 11 cents from last monday. the average price is now $2.64 per gallon. in d.c., drivers are paying about $2.66 above the national average. in maryland, below at $2.59. virginia around $2.51 for a gallon of regular. but before you get too upset, this time last year the national average was $4.11 per gallon. >> and an interesting partnership between general motors and ebay and how your iphone could change the way you bank. cnbc's courtney reagan joins us live with more on those stories and rest of the morning's business headlines. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. futures still slightly lower this morning as wall street looks to hopefully continue its winning ways this week when the opening bell sounds. the markets did close at new highs for the year on friday after the government reported fewer jobs were lost last month than expected. and the unemployment rate fell

for the first time in more than a year. that was quite a welcome surprise. but the fate of the rally can hinge on the consumer. we're going to get reports this week on retail sales and earnings from the likes of walmart and macy's. that could give us a little hint into how consumers are spending or maybe not spending. investors also will like high focus on the fed. it does hold a two-day policy meeting this week. asian markets were higher overnight on the back of friday's u.s. jobs data. europe is in the red so far in early trading. the dow rose 113 points on friday so we're going to start the day off at 9370. the nasdaq gained 27 points to 2011. banks are poised to collect more than $38 million in overdraft fees this year. the fincial crisis has prompted banks to hike many charges. the average overdraft fee has gone up this year to $26. that's the first time it's risen in a recession in more than 40 years. general motors plans to

announce a partnership with ebay today to sell new cars through the online auction site. currently, ebay motors only sells used vehicles. the program will be tested with gm dealers in california first and then, if successful, could be expanded nationwide. and one company wants to take nearly all of the paperwork out of banking. insurance and financial firm usaa will let customers make deposits with their apple e iphone by taking a dij cal photo of a check. usaa says about 60% of its customers will qualify for the new feature. i don't know if i trust that. a picture of the check? couldn't you take a picture of anybody's check? how does that work? >> i don't even like to put it in the evening box. i like to walk in there. >> we're so old-fashioned. me, too. >> have a great day. we'll see you later today. >> reporter: see you later. >> thank you. >> every morning here on news 4 today we're finding jobs for you. the d.c. department of health care finance is looking for a

program manager. position ay ps bet pen 98 a a $137,000. morinioform rmbyn going to nbcwashington.com and searching jobs 4 you.by >> tom is here to talk about the weather today, making news because it is going to be a hot one. >> we have not had this kind of heat so far this summer so we're really not used to it. that's the -- the effects will be stronger. that's something you have to watch out for. tracee wilkins is down on the mall right now where it's already beginning to feel a lile uncomfortable. she'll have some tips for us on how to deal with the heat. tracee? >> reporter: good morning, tom. yes, it is starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable. you're right. because we have not had one of these burning hot days we're really going to feel it today but we do have some tips for you. here are some great things that you're going to want to think of when you're out there in the heat today. try not to be out in the heat today. chay indoorss s mu a possible. that's the first tip. do not leave children ts esipenve pets in vehicles. make sure you dnkri y pntle of nt

water. and wear light-colored,t d oslo clots. hein spf 15 throughha wcosrede enmmr deen you should do that about 20 minutes before you go ou lit your exposure to the lisun, especially between 12:00 p.m..m and 6:00 p.m. that's when it's reay supposed to be hot out. look out for heat cramps, heat haustion or heat stroke. ifee y y foul any of the sympto as wci fedatited that you shoul all 1s y asoon as possible. and al o l koout for your elderly neighbors today, especially those who don't have air conditioning. there are cooling centers throughout our area. here in the district of columbia looking for a cooling center, call 311. they will put you in contact with one. but definitely take it easy today. these folks have the right idea. folks who are getting out a little bit earlier today and getting their exercise in before it gets really hot. that's the best thing to do. i'm tracee wilkins live on the mall. tom, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, tracee. those were some excellent tips. you really do have to respect this kind of heat because we just are not used to it. we may have a record high this

afternoon. right now around the region we don't have any precipitation on radar. all these areas in orange under this excessive heat advisory noon to 10:00 p.m., includes washington, all these counties in southern maryland, the northern neck, toward the eastern shore. temperatures now are pleasant and it looked pleasant on the mall. now in the mid-70s. weather watchers reporting northern shenandoah valley and around the blue ridge and around montgomery, fairfax, prince george's countys in the low and mid-70s. weather watchers in southern maryland reporting steamy humidity. charles, calvert, st. mary's, on the eastern shore, not quite as much humidity farther to our west. dew point in washington now 68. that is quite humid. around the neighborhood network in prince george's county,k college park now's now at 72. low is 71. the dew point is a steamy 70 there. eastern shore now temperatures near 70. mountains, it's pleasant. temperatures there in the low 60s. we've got a mostly clear start to the day but we have quite a bit of haze in the air.

the wider view showing a cool front now moving through the upper midwest triggering some showers and thundershowers there. that may cause some flight delays from detroit over to chicago down to st. louis later on today. that front will begin to arrive here by later on this afternoon. all this humidity in place now but as the front does move in it will push the humidity and heat away from us. so just a three-day heat wave, thankfully. so,or f today,9:y b00 we olt to be in ty he mid-80s by m noon t low 90 by midonft noerheno upper 90s. the recordigsh i i98 set on this dat back in 1943. add in the humidity it will feel like 100 to 105. tonight, partly cloudy. in the 80s through the evening so quite a warm evening. by dawn tomorrow, mid-70s and quite a humid day tomorrow. t chatool front arriving by lateonftnoerntnoo the evening may trigger some showers and thundershowers. before it arrives, temperatures will climb into the mid-90s. behind that front, some cooler air moving in for wednesday and thursday. should be turning less humid but we might also have a passing

shower or thundershower both of those days. otherwise, quite a bitf cloudiness aroundit on friday, saturday and sunday, should be pasthanwit highs in the 80s,otoo tidum h aumnd partly cloudy. that's the way it looks on this monday morning. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> hi, jerry. >> hello there. we'll head out, see how things are progressing on the -- that's the beltway north of town again. obviously the computer's frozen. on the approach to the wilson bridge, travel lanes are open. 66 picking up volume through vienna. outer loop of the beltway getting through the van dorn street work zone, two lanes to the left, one to the right beginning to bog down just a bit now. be forewarned of that. downtown 395 between the anacostia and the potomac picking up volume as well. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. our time right now is 6:55. time to take a look at top stories of the morning. a metro worker has been killed while trying to repair the track.

the accident happened just before 10:00 last night on the orange line between the dunn loring-merrifield and vienna metro stops. we're told the repairman was struck by a piece of track equipment. the accident will not affect morning metro travelers, we're told. >> president obama is i mexico in the middle of the north american summit with mexican and canadian leaders. the summit began with dinner last night, ends with a joint news conference before lunch today. the leaders will talk about several issues, including joint efforts to fight the swine flu. >> today's news 4 morninger t t matter how his dayy perry keeps wo perry keeps interstate ce servisce lioocn rg virginia, cln or he ts therdest, noncomplaining r plt,esncnoomplaining worker evule anerd tt wo be ssociated with. who works eeons im jthmy 's'shehe the picture-perfect employee. >> hard working and noncomplaining? when was the last time you saw that? >> not recently, not around here. >> we see a lot of that around

here. happens every day. that's "news 4 today." thank you for starting your day with us. >> we'll see you later for "news 4 midday" at 11:00. throughout the day, stay connected with us. we're on facebook andtwr.teit wake up with us tomro w morning. webe will waiting for you. we start at 4:55 a.m. have a terrific monday. >> bye. il