good afternoon, everyone. welcome to "news4 at 4:00." i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. shriver died in a massachusetts hospital this morning surrounded by her family. she was part of one of the most famous families in the world. bt she was un tdifopehengci sal founding the special olympics. kimberly suiters has more on how eunice kennedy shriver is being remembered. >> reporter: >> no question in my mind. eunice kennedy shriver is as much a hero of every one of these athletes as she is of mine. >> reporter: at the olympics headquarters in washington, photographic tributes to the woman who believed there is no limit to the human spirit. >> what more can you be doing? that is a phrase i take to my heart every day and wake up and say what more can i be doing? you know, i take that in my personal life and work life and

i hope that that phrase people will take and think of whenyhe t approach lifehe m whatwhore can you be doing? >> reporter: after her death his morning the shriv dsae said this. e o tha cnge the world c sto chang use and she did that and more. she fndedathe the movement that becamecipe speal olympics. the largestemovfo ment r acceptance and incsi fonenor people with intellectual osabilities in the history the world.nsraed trm tfo khensraformed the lives of hundreds oed millions of oproleac sshe t goeb. and they in turn are her living legacy. those who knewhe t private side of mrs. shriver say she was a humble woman and mary pierce has known the kennedy family since her high school day and attended mass with the shrivers almost every day for the past 25 years. >> this is a very good setting to start with that. i think that people may nothe kw how dedicated theyereo t their a ep s rr:tehe says the shrirsbe hr:e aven me sed by this toc,maen maryland,

y,mmituninycecehe t left for cape cod and that her prayer this morning are for her friend, eunice shriver kennedy. here at the headquarters for special olympics in downtown d.c., the condolences are pouring in. also, a public condolence from congresswoman eleanor holmes norton to the shriver family and the public saying that what mrs. shriver did for people with mental disabilities surpassed that of any other. she goes on to say that mrs. shriver's legacy knows no ending. reporting in d.c., kimberly suiters, news4. ir president obama and fhest la uess id a lam statement today afterssrn leain of mrs. shriver's death. sntemeeate rds in part le.r d pihemany r things tope mp dr iloch tveenerhe sth ihootrepid children to servewhheo sd o supported her sbhuand, hu ea porps cndcsli.ti aps cnd d waan shcstie sd an ashe was a s an si siblings, tcl a ndob at edward. oe gnit a os to say her leadershio greatly enricd the lives of

special olympians throughout the world. president obama is in new hampshire this afternoon with a retooled pitch in support of health care reform. it includes a new message targeting insurance companies. the topic continues to whip up a motion across the country. steve handelsman has the latest. >> reporter: president obama went to new hampshire to reformulate his health care pitch. it has taken a beating in the latest polls and town halls. >> health insurance reform. >> reporter: insurance reform is the new obama spin. >> getting a good deal from the insurance companies. that's what i'm fighting for. >> reporter: no ban on pre-existing conditions, no hike in rates or fees, no canceling insurance if you get sick. >> your health insurance should be there for you when it counts. not just when you are paying premiums. but when you actually get sick and it will be when we pass this plan. >> reporter: outside were pro-obama demonstrators and

opponents. some with nasty signs. one wearing a handgun licensed said police. >> as long as it is carried openly, you know, there is no violation at ts point. >> reporter: some fear forced you don't know natsz a of sen r seniors. >> where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real. not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblan resemblance. >> reporter: par advertise brants no screened but none disrupted. but this was democrat arnold specter's town hall in pennsylvania this morning. >> he --ait a minute. wait a minute! wait a minute! >> reporter: democrat senator mccaskill's meeting in missouri this afternoon. >> i don't want this to be who talks the loudest. >> reporter: is this fakeout rage created by republican organizers, protesters say no. >> every time they say this is manufactured, they are pouring gasoline on the fire.

>> reporter: heating up the summer debate over what president obama calls health insurance reform. retooling what he calls it seen here as a sure sign the president believes his health initiative is in trouble. i'm steve handelsman, news4, capitol hill. people in virginia have give yen their congressmen an earful about health care reform. a town hall meeting was hosted last tonight hoping to get feedback from the constituents. most were against it. many showed up with signs ndemning the reform plan. there's also booing and shouting. later described the event as terrific and exactly what such gatherings should be about. metro says drug use may have been a factor in the case of a train that left the rail yard with too many cars last month. the train left the greenbelt station with ten cars. it can only accommodate eight cars. workers that day underwent drug

and alcohol tests and one of the workers tested positive for drugs. that employee is now in rehab without pay. metro is temporarily rasir repairman was killed by equipment. 63-year-old michael mash died sunday night at the vienna station on the orange line and acting as a spotter for a machine that spreads gvel between cross ties on the tracks. metro'sen manager ordered what he called a three-day safety standdown during the time there will be no track maintenance and safety procedures will be reviewed. divers are back in the hudson river this afternoon at the site of sat daes horrific mid air collision. they are trying to recover the last two of nine victims killed when a plane struc a helicopter between new jersey and manhattan. the plane's wing was sheered off on impact. that plane is mao under 60 feet of water with a body still inside. aviation experts now say that the crash was preventible and lawmakers are calling on the faa

to toughen aerospace regulations. >> this accident is not a fluke. a fluke accident is an zhaent cannot be prevented. this accident could have easily been prevented by the faa. >> three family members were aboard the aircraft. five italian tourists and a pilot were aboard the helicopter. our heat wave continues today. but there is cooler weather coming. eventually. bob ryan has our fast forecast from the storm center. when, bob? >> tomorrow. let's say not as hot. how about that? today not as hot as yesterday. we -- this is three days in a row. officially we have to go four. there's our hazy skies. our temperature right here in northwest washington, 91. it feels like it is over 100, though. because of that humidity. wear not getting rid of that august humidity. look at the temperature down at quantico. the heat index there, not as high as yesterday. and into the mid 90s. but still more -- a day for the pool rather than a run.

look at the pittsburgh temperatures. elkins, there are showers and you can see se thundershowers and there are a couple of that are popping up to our west. if possible we might see more of those like we did last evening. heaviest to our south and then to our north. i will tell you all about that when i join you downstairs and may be seeing our first tropical system of the season form in the atlantic, too. i will join new aoue opl minutes. > in > inonertg muny om ptycooo,lool hours are being help t sielp sis dere tbentheathe re ousnt cie of the td 9:r ouols will be open until 00nitoght. toftmwi aft it is fr.eet is fr jurisdictions are jurisdictions are edixtoongen . there is a cometext list of purs e.bs website. nbcwashington.com. just search pools. bernie madoff's former cfo is pleading guilty today to conspiracy and other charges. frank dipiscali was the cfo for the disgraced money manager.

madoff's defrauded clients have described them as their main contact at the firm and pleaded guilt gli a federal courtroom in manhattan this afternoon. madoff, meaning while is serving a 150-year prison sentence for that ponzi scheme. thousands of investors and charities in financeal ruin. dante stallworth is free to work out with a coach starting today. the cleveland browns wide receiver pleaded guilty to dwi manslaughter in june. he served 30 days in jane and is now on eight years probation. three years under house arrest. before today, stallworth could only leave the house for community service and other limited activities. now he can go to a local high school to train with a coach. stallworth is still on the browns team roster but is suspended from the nfl. it is back-to-school time for some area teachers. >> and local home owners are not too happy about their tax assessment. >> four other stories making headlines in our area ic pnoldai

ic le iol i leesburg have identified the manilnle ind a apparent d mauling yesterday. th syayhe t found the inde of his home on laza y deads street in leesburg. it is not clear whether delaney was trying to break up a dogfight when he was mauled. and investigators tell us they found four dogs, two owned by the victim's brother, one in a cage, another that was dead. those dogs are now with animal control. falling home values has thousands of maryland and d.c. residents appealing their property taxes assessments. maryland, more than 20,000 homeowners are challenging their assessments. some 4,000 of those are in montgomery county. d.c. 11,800 appeals. that's up from just over 10,000 last year. school year does not start for another two weeks but some area teachers are going back a bit early. today prince george's county teachers got primed for the new semester at a rally in upper marlboro.

the program is meant to help new teachers smoothly transition into their daily classroom routines. hope they all had a.c. in the class today. >> let's hope so. when "news4 at 4:00" continues this afternoon, a travelers worst nightmare. a plane full of people stuck on the runway for 14 hours. we will tell you what your rights are if this happens to you. threatening text messages targeting kids who have cell phones. now parents have a way of fighting back. >> also, 230 miles on one gallon of gas. gm says it built a car that you will hardly ever have to fill up. there's something big happening at pizza hut. - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone...

and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut.

over the weekend some 50 con tintal airline passengers experienced quite a trying ordeal. they were stuck on the tarmac overnight. what an ordeal that must have been. you wrote about it. a lot of you readers were interested in this story. recap what happened. >> this is one of the most talked about stories we had quite some time at usatoday.com. a flight on a small regional jet. hit to land and refuel in rochester, minnesota after the airport closed. for a variety of reasons everyone pointed the finger at each other. the passengers got stuck overnature on this tiny regional jet. room for 50 seats and was full. one bathroom on the flight. there are children and people with special medical needs. these people were there from midnight until 6:00 a.m.

finally allowed into the terminal around 6:30, put back the same plane and sent to minneapolis 12, 14 hours after they started. >> that's hard to believe. according to one of your articles, airlines reported that 577 domestic flights were delay order the tarmac for at least three hours between october of last year and may of this year. >> that's right. and the worst offenders tend to be the regional carriers that fly through the big airlines. one of the reasons is because minnesota,rier like delta, for, ontinental express jet, continental clears the biggest planes first. air risk.ff ond esereor fffe w. om air. two regir.on cerarals.rial delta. la tysde. j afk n hisarea, us r hi brrie aan carrier an a asot o lfd li aot f o of flights out reaga >> congress is considering

legislation that would improve passenger rights or strengthen them. is this kind of delay included? >> this is -- included in the -- re-authorization bill for the faa. whether it makes it through congress remains to be seen. we will find out more in the fall after the recess. instances like this certainly increase the likelihood that something like this will be addressed by congress. >> okay. what happens? you are on a plane and you are stuck. there is nothing you can do. what should do you? >> that's the question. one of the reasons the passengers bill of rights is coming soeated right now. you don't have any rights. you are at the discretion of the airline. and of cose, behoove it is airlines to get you out of the plane after a delay of two, three hours, headlines like the one we are talking about now. you are at the whim of the airline. sadly the finger has been proven to be the most effective and has been to call local news anchors antext the media and to, you know, put it in twitter and create outrage. >> pressure on the airlines? >> yes. >> hurry up and do --

>> not the way it should work. >> doesn't sound like it. starting saturday passengers will have to provide birth dates and gender when they start making airline reservations. why is that? >> this is part of an effort by the tsa to improve its terror watch list and fly people that shouldn't be flying. fa phasing it in over time. making sure it match tess i.d. you are using. if you have problems they will spot stop you if your middle initial is different. if your birthday is different you plain into problems. the best advice, make sure for your freedom flier program they have the most accurate information including your full name and birth dated. that can help speed you through. >> all right. one more thing for us to remember. thank you. >> you're welcome. should you rent or buy? that's the question facing many americans. it follows news new home sales soared in june. thanks to low-interest rates and bargain home prices.

carmen wong ulrich tells us what we need to know before we make that big decision. >> reporter: after a loss of $4 trillion in equity in our homes during this recession only a home has become attractive again. combine it with first-ti home buyer tax perks, many are tempted to take the lease. it can be a big boon for your money than buying before you are ready. how do you know if you should buy or rent? ask yourself the following. how long are you willing to stay put? if it is less than five years keep representing. how big is your emergency fund? don't take on a mortgage unless have you an ample stash of cash. besides street down payment. banks want to see the emergency fund, too, before they lend. how is your credit? interest rates may be low but you won't get the low rates unless you have the best credit. these days that means a fico score around or over 760. homeownership can be much more expensive than representing. so make sure you and your money are ready. no matter what the market.

i'm carmen wong ulrich, cnbc. coming up on "news4 at 4:00" -- >> much more ahead. >> you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am. >> thanks got heated during the secretary of state hillary clinton's trip overseas. it may have been due to a misunderstanding. >> woman labeled as the ring leader of an assault against a man that cheat order her and four other women tells her story today. are women creating their own glass ceilings at the workplace? new study shows women may underestimate themselves.

julie loves target, it's got the supplies teacher told her to get and for a great deal. she also expects he'll love the sandwich. she expects he'll think of her when he sees the note. so she shops target. gotta have deals on the stuff she's gotta get. target. expect more. pay less.

a new studyhows some female managers don't think it is highly of themselves as their superviseors. research done by the university of new mexico shows women are about three times more likely to underestimate how their managers rate them compared to their male counterparts. the study also shows that women over 50 were more likely to underestimate their value. researchers say the figure could explain why there is a wage

difference between men ask women. lots to talk about in the weather world today. not quite as hot as yesterday. but still -- >> still august. and we may have anna out there. i will show you what could be the kindergarten of tropical storms outside now. it is another hazy day. there are -- our sky. buildups and we will have to keep an eye, think, on the radar. yesterday, boy, we had some of those pop-up variety showers that did come through, thunderstorms, too, put on a light show. especially for the folks over the eastern shore and prince george's county. don't have that again tonight. 90 degrees. do you remember a year ago we were into another august beauty. dew point was 50. what a difference with our heat index now being up closeo 100. the record is 100 degrees. okay. here is the wide look at the tropics. remember how quiet it has been. not much in the caribbean but there is the first tropical depression to really show signs that it is beginning to get its circulation. winds now at 30 miles an hour. you can see how far away it is

from the united states. so heading out to the beaches this weekend, don't worry. it is not coming our way. 90 now. 98 in raleigh-durham. a dew point in the high 60s. it feels like it is 94 here. 103 at raleigh durham. over the last 12 hours, you can see that we have had clouds. there is a little weak weather front and along that, that's where there have been showers and thundershowers fire up once again in parts of new york state. they don't need that. those showers and the rumbles of thunder that came through last evening, about a .2 of an inch in alexandria. you folks, still 91 degrees. look at annapolis. also did get some rain as did calvert county and those came through. knocked the temperature down. 89 degrees right now. so as we go through the evening what we are going to be seeing is some -- they will die down and then tomorrow as we go through tomorrow morning, that front by tomorrow morning will be stretching a bit to our south. so we will have partly sunny skies and moisture coming around eventually with more

northeasterly breeze. during the afternoon there could be some popping up in the mountains of west virginia. just a slight chance here and there could also be stronger ones south of that front for you folks into extreme southern maryland and down towards fredericksburg but especially out towards the eastern areas. so for this evening, hazy, humid. and it is still hot out there with temperatures in the hot 80s to 90. better than 98 as we were yesterday. tomorrow morning when you get up and head out, look for partly cloudy skies. it is going to be still a muggy morning. but getting a little bit better. the humidity will be up there. the dew points in the mid 60s. then tomorrow afternoon, overall, partly sunny. and slight risk for a shower or thundershower. but not as hot. i think tomorrow our temperatures will be in the mid to high 80s and t uv index tomorrow is 7. air quality with a little bit of a light northerly breeze will be good. tell you more about the upcoming weekend which is going to be feuring more shower. i will tell you about that in a couple of minutes. back to you. >> all right. thanks, bob.

>> stay right there. we have a lot more to come in the next half hour. children harassed with threatening text messages. how parents can block you wanted contacts. what if one gallon of gas could take you more than 200 miles? a new car that's offering that. >> there she is. scorned lovers team up against a man they say cheat order them. one of the women tells her side of the story. 0

welcome back to news 4 at 4:30. i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. eunice kennedy shriver is being remembered today as a family matriarch, social worker and activist. she died overnight at a massachusetts hospital. her husband, her five children, and all 19 of their grandchildren were by her side. shriver was 88 years old. president obama went to new hampshire today with a retooled pitch for health care reform. now he is saying the key is reforming the way insurance companies charge patients. he insists that the overhaul will be paid for. today's town hall was relatively quiet compared to recent health care events and held by lawmakers across the country. metro says drug use may have been a factor in a case of a train with too many cars. the train left the greenbelt station with ten cars on it but metro can only accommodate

eight. metro says one of the workers who assembled the trains was test position for drugs. that employee is in rehab now without pay. general motors announced today that its new electric car, the volt,ill get 230 miles a gammon. the car which goes on sale next fall uses gas only to recharge the batteries. it will come with a sizable price tag. but gm is hoping consumers care more about other numbers. brian mooar has details. >> reporter: 230 miles a gallon. that's a jaw-dropping bottom line for chevy's volt. the electric car expected to hit the market late next year. >> three-quarters of americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day, most volt drivers will operate on daily basis without having to use a single drop of gas. >> reporter: the price tag is estimated at $40,000. it would cost roughly three cents a mile to drive. kit go 300 miles but then have

to be plugged in. >> it definitely isn't a vehicle for everybody. gm isn't intending it to be a vehicle for everybody. what is important about the volt is the technology. for future applications. >> reporter: gm is trying to rebuild itself. the auto maker is experimenting with selling cars through the online auction site ebay. still for some, the volt, a little too radical. >> i'm used to these type of ca. >> reporter: others are eager for change. would you pay $40,000 for an electric vehicle? >> we were just talking about this. yes, i would. >> reporter: why? >> because of how much gas it would save and better for the environment. >> reporter: there is one big problem. where will volley drivers plug in? >> back in the 1900s wondering where are you going get gas if you drive your car for from point a to point b. they come up with gas stations. >> reporter: faith shared by gm as it looks to the future of

auto making. the volt will be a limited production model and won't do much to help gm or its biggest shareholder the american taxpayer. brian mooar, nbc news, ington. >> if you want to know howwa t get a 230-mile per gammon chevy olt, there's more information coming up on "nbc's nightly use" at 7:00. a woman is in police custody charged with shooting her husband to death inside of a tattoo parlor in southeast washington. she opened fire last night inside the liquidity jones tattoo and body art shop. it is near the potomac avenue metro stop. there were no customers inside at the time. police say the couple owned the shop together and no word a a motive for the> spotsylvani p eolic spotsylvania pol heeav ic e inog a p wk dattac attack st .ek 32.ea-ydr- 32-year-old michael baggett and

mo erthere both charged withtibsuctroner ofti jndceus a filing a falseeseol report. olorlye poinald t she originally told poce sli he ngalserkiab l when another dog ran towards the andeg ban attacking heran baggepydl ous tggto nf d escopihisets lactt aked his mother and her dog. the lab had to be euthanized. one of the scorned women accused of assaulting the man who had several relationships going on at the same time is speaking out now about the case. prosecutors called theresa ziemann the ringleader of the crime and she and three other women are accused of luring don davis to a wisconsin motel room, tying him to a bed, and blindfolding him and then super gluing his sex organs to his leg. the women whoimngst'sedratt inc ctviim's engraed wife face false imprisonment charges. >> it was just going to be for to see his face, you know, let him see we all knew about each other and the gig was up.

>> reporter: >> in another twist of the story, davis' estranged wife filed charges which sent him to jail. those charges include child abuse and stealing the ashes of his wife's dead father. still to come on "news4 at 4:00," college students aren't getting the sleep they need. but it is not parting that's keeping they will up at night. a hotel without beds. one resort wants travelers tore rough it. but will the no frills tec

good evening. bob ryan, storm center 4. we have haze and humidity and a couple of thunderstorms beginning to fire up now. as a matter of fact, warning up around gettysburg. couple of around hagerstown and we will keep an eye on that. as we go through the evening, the showers that you can see that have been firing up through pennsylvania will be coming our way. we may see a few evening ones. once again. our heat index yesterday, rememb, we were under the heat advisory. it was 101 because it was 98 but the humidity wasn't quite as bad. today the temperatures are down. but the humidity is up a bit. it feels like it is 99 degrees out there. we are going to continue to keep an eye on the showers, thundershowers, that are firing up. and keep you posted. not as hot tomorrow, though. back to you. >> thanks, bob. a crack in theure calm

demeanor of the secretary of state during a visit to the congo. it turns out it may all have been because of a misunderstanding. hillary clinton was taking questions through a translator at a news conference. a student intended to ask her what president obama thinks about his multibillion dollar loan offer from china to congo. but his question was translated incorrectly. leading clinton to believe she was being asked about her husband's opinion. >> wait. you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is mott the secretary of state. am. ask my opinion and i will tell you my opinion. i'm not going to channel my husband. >> after the news conference the student explained what his real question was. the state department says that it is not clear whether the student or the translator was responsible for the mistranslation. coming up next on "news4 at 4:00," fuel for your brain. the diet that has been linked to reducing the risk of

alzheimer's. the dangers of sharing prescription drugs. your children might be getting their hands on potentially dangerous medication. my husband and i, we love to go to steakhouses i can smile, i can carry on our conversation i do most of the talking yes i wear dentures and they fit wonderful super poligrip acts as a seal between my dentures and my gums super poligrip makes eating more comfortable. even well fitting dentures can feel more comfortable with super poligrip. just a few dabs of super poligrip

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alzheimer's is a heartbreaking disease with no cure researchers are focused on how to prevent it. a new study takes a closer look at the role of diet and

exercise. kristen dahlgren has details. >> reporter: doctors long touted the benefits of mediterranean diet for a healthy body. but now they say it could also be good for a healthy brain. a new study published in the journal of the american medical association shows elderly people who were active and consume ad diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish and low in red meat and poultry showed a lower risk of alzheimer's disease. >> certainly a genetic component in the terms of risk for alzheimer's disease. but certainly there is some part of the risk that may be related to our lifestyle and behavior. >> reporter: the doctor of columbia university medical center observed over 10 elderly new yorks are doenchts a five-year period. his research team found with high levels of physical activity, stuck to a mediterranean-type diet, and had

up to a 44% relative risk reduction for all tirms compared to those with low physical activity levels who didn't adhere to a diet. >> touch your nose. now my finger. >> reporter: while more research is needed to see just how closely diet and exercise are linked to alzheimer's many nutritionists say eating a diet rich in healthy fats and vitamins makes sense. >> the mediterranean diet can help maintain healthy blood vessels. and good cholesterol levels. so maintaining blood flow to the brain obviously is imperative for maintaining brang vungs. >> reporter: so sticking to a healthy diet and exercise may really be using your head. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> experts agree a healthy diet and exercise can help at any age. new findings about the way some food drugs affect children may change the way doctors treat kids with a swine flu. experts sat the university of objection forpd found that

tamiflu may actually do more harm than good for children with the flu. they found that the drugs reduced the time the children were sick by a day but they had no effect on asthma symptoms, ear infections, or the need for antibiotics. researchers say because most swine flu cases are mild more children would benefit if the drugs were sold over the counter. more teens are sharing their prescription drugs. a new study of nearly 600 teens and preteens found that 20% had borrowed or given prescription drugs to their friends. experts at n.c. state are concerned about this because no only can the drugs result in adverse side effects but the teens may delay seeing a doctor because they think they already treated their problems. the popular drug to swap the most popular ranged from acne medication to allergy drugs to antibiotics. long nights are common for college students. but not because they are up all night parting. researchers at the university of st. thomas surveyed more

sthounts about their sleep habits. nearly 70% reported that stress keeps them up at night. and 20% are being kept awake at least once a week. more than 60% said they used drugs or alcohol to help them go to bed or to stay awake the day after the bad night's sleep. none of that is good. still to come on "news4 at 4:00," new video out of asia after the powerful typhoon ravaged parts of taiwan. there are lots of no-frills hotels to choose from. imagine getting a hotel room with no bed. that's exactly what one hotel is trying, hoping to attract new guests. i'm wendy rieger. relief for two customers of two major credit card companies as they announce they are dropping some of their fees. a controversial ad campaign feature it is first daughters stirring up a food fight in

washington. lindsay czarniak sits down for lunch with former redskins coach joe gibbs. those stories are coming up in a few minutes. there's something big happeng at pizza hut. - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut.

- woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. in taiwan, military choppers are carrying survivors to safety from remote areas devastated by a typhoon. at least 70 people are dead but hundreds of others are feared trapped in the muds and rocks

that buried their homes. choppers are scanning therea looking for signs of life as the floodwaters recede. tropical storm felicia made her presence known in hawaii. the storm sent huge waves crashing to shore. however, she is losing some of her strength. today the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression. still search of the island's remain under a flood watch and tropical storm watch remains in effect as a precaution. automatic. calm on the home front here today but plenty of heat. there's some relief en route? >> yes. as a matter of fact, felicia is moving through maui with rain and, as you can see, the surf there, we are at 90 degrees. hagerstown and 88 degrees. because up there, there have been showers, thundershowers, and coming out of pennsylvania. we will keep an eye on those. there is a warning up around gettysburg for folks up there for a few more minutes. for another 15 minutes or so. our dew points into the high 60s to low 70s. meaning the heat index now, spots like manassas and dulles

about where it was yesterday. into the mid 90s. overnight tonight we will see the temperatures only drop into the 70s by later tonight. tomorrow morning when you get up and head out, low 70s. by the afternoon, there might be a scattered thunderstorm pop up. i think principally of the mountains of west virginia, martinsburg and into southern maryland, too. that's where the weather front will take up residence. our temperatures tomorrow only, i think, into the high 80s. after that the risk with the humidity of an afternoon shower or thundershower on thursday could be a lot more moisture coming our way. now on friday and perhaps into saturday, too, with temperatures only in the 80s and then for sunday, that's the better of the two day it is way i see it now for the upcoming weekend with temperatures in the 80s. not an extended heat wave. today may be our last 90 for a while. >> that is good to hear. >> yes. still ahead, young cell phone users terrified by threatening text messages. something xarpts do to stop

this. >> we have seen ducks stuck in the sewer, even kittens. what about elephants?wyññ?ñ?ñ 5

here are some of the stories making news on the web today. >> a pennsylvania man today faced the music for assaulting minnie mouse at disney world. his name is john moyer. back in june, a woman would

played minnie mouse at the resort said he grabbed her breast. this morning moyer was convicted of misdemeanor erttbay. 180 days rvunpesuedisbaedro pti and will do 50 hours ofro community service and pay a in court costs he also has to undergo a an antal evaluationi atendri w letter of apology to minnie mouse. moyer claims he is innocent. >> where is mickey to stick up for her? splits vilville, brooks andn say they are finished making music together. they posted a message on their web cited saying it is done. a farewell tour will be next year. no surprise hotels are suffering in had economy. some are finding unique ways to attract customers. when some guests check in this summer they will find their room has no bed. that's right. no bed.

you get a plasma screen tv there. there's also no ac, no towels, no electricity. it is called the survivor package. it all costs just $19. so far 20 guests have taken the inn up on this deal. an incredibkrecredible sigh thailand. the accident happened while the handlers were taking it to work. the animal struggled in the nfines of the small hole. rescue crews freed it with a bulldozer. luckily the animal wasn't harmed. you ow he had to be scared. imagine getting a text message threatening that if you don't forward it on, someone will be come to your home and kill you. now image ain't that message to coming to your child. it is happening more often than you might think. nbc's luann caan has our report.

>> if you don't text this to 15 people, i will come with a knife and kill you tonit. it scared me. >> reporter: this 10-year-old is talking about the text message she receive order her cell phone and her mother says she hasn't been the same since. >> really been traumatizing for her. >> waiting at the bedside to slice him in his neck and his parents won find him floating in the bathtub, overflowing with blood and water. >> reporter: she is talking about the same horrifying text message her 10-year-old son read on his cell phone. >> he was petrified. petrified. >> reporter: the cell phone text is a prank well documented on the internet. the tt comes into the cell phone like spam anonymously but claims to be sent by 57-year-old ghost namedeny. the haunting tale is graphically gruesome and says it is if not forwarded to 15 others the child will face certain doom. of course, it is all make

believe. but the terror it is causing children with cell phones in our area is very real. >> beside himself. he won't leave my side. >> hearing i'm going kill you or your parents, it is terrifying. >> reporter: psychologist nicole lipton says it is incidents like this that make her question the wisdom of giving cell phones to young children. she knows cell phone companies are marketing it as a good thing to do. as parents are buying it. >> very frightening you buy your child a cell phone for safety issues and then they are receiving these kind of things. >> reporter: that's because the cell phone is now like the internet. put it in the hands of your child and anyone can reach out and touch them. psychologically. >> important to be in touch with your kids. there are ways when you can limit what the phone is used for. >> reporter: at&t is the cell phone provider of the families we interviewed and in a written statement,t&t sayses that it is vigilant in protecting our customers from text message spam. we use filters and other mets

orders to prevent spam from reaching our customers. one way customers can guard against sp ibys being careful they diere and hyhe t stribute their wireless number. meanwhile, in light of what happened, at&t offered the family a couple of free months of phone service called smart limit. it will block calls or text messages on their phone except from her family and a few friends. >> that's a great idea. >> reporter: this mom says she will happily pay for the service to help protect her son. both parents hope others will hear their story before more children read the ghastly ghost story or something worse on their cell phone. >> they should talk to their child about it because it is going to happen again. >> ifou do get a cell phone for your child, experts say most companies on offer security options that can help protect children from unwanted messages. that's "news4 at 4:00." i will see you again at 6:00. "news4 at 5:00" starts right now.

tonight on "news4 at 5:00," dropping fees. some good news about your credit card as two major companies reverse a recent trend. hyper miling. gm's big green hope. unprecedented mileage claim for the new chevy volt. a cup of joe with joe. joe gibbs discusses cars and football in our lunch with lindsay. good evening. welcome to "news4 at 5:00." i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm wendy rieger. we are going to begin with new details about that deadly attack by two dogs in a leesburg, virginia, home. today we are learning more about the victim. and what exactly happened in that house. the attack happene ydrdesayten i the ne100laza p st.reet plaza s. tr ilackieens is the leesburg police department. >> reporter: there were five dogs inside of that home. some separate and some roaming. but they all knew one another and also the owner. now investigators are working to find out what caused two of those dogs to turn on the own