sure. >> reporter: fate shared by gm as it looks to the future of auto-making. brian moore, nbc news, washington. >> the chevy volt isn't expected to much impact gm's bottom line, meaning sales probably won't help them refund the taxpayer bailout. >> stay with us. "news 4 today" continues now at 5:00 a.m. because for all the scare tactics out there, what is truly scary, what is truly risky is if we do nothing. >> president obama tries to quiet angry protests against his health care reform plan by getting what he calls the real story out. a new clue. police release videorom outside an annandale home business where a woman was killed last month. investigators hope it could lead them to her killer. and new concerns.

veterinarians downgrade the condition of a badly beaten dog found in eastern washington. good morning and welcome, everyone. we're glad you're up with us this wednesday morning. this week moving right along. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. it's wednesday, the 12th of august, 2009, and this is what it looks like outside this morning, 77 degrees. still pretty humid, i do believe. let's check, though, with the expert. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein, who is sitting right here, ready to tell us all about today. >> unfortunately, it's mostly cloudy, so most people did not see the perseid meteor shower.m igig no w, up 100 per hour. if you're little view of t. ahe righnow, look athedsclre .ie oouclahere. aatcocolor, we've had ows.nighsh those have p ss edipdiatt , bu dissipated, but inia southwrgviia,vi southwestern virginia and eastern ntucky, the's cluster of rain there. that's heading to the northeast and maybe moving into the metro area later this morning, then a de thr deunn shower. cooler today, highs in the mid-80s, and mid-80s each day as

we get in toward the weekend and a small chance of mainly hu ter showers as well and remaining huhumid. yere's a look s iunydant next week. partly cloudy each day. just a very small chance of a assing, mainly isoted afternoon thunder shower. istlrw os my dry, highs in the 8in, osrnmog r wsea n.70rn , no htea wave in thet foreseeable future. and that's the way it looks on this wednesday morning. i'm back in ten minutes with another update. stay tuned. >> all right, tom, thanks. >> i'd like to wave that heat good-bye. let's go to jerry edwards now in the news 4 traffic network. jerry. >> hey, jerry. >> good morning. we'll look live at 395 northbound. so far, so good. light volume of traffic from the beltway to and across the inbound 14th street bridge. southbound side uneventful as well. making the trip along the 270 corridor between frederick and rockville, we're okay. i-95 between baltire and washington, no issues. out of southern maryland, all the major roadways doing just fine. barbara and joe, back to you.

y. thank you, jerry. rr je our top story this morning, the ongoing and increasingly emotional debate about health care reform. >> president obama pitched his plan to people in new hampshire yesterday in a more subdued setting than we've seen in other places, but more town halls are scheduled for today, and that means more opportunities for people to express their feelings. >> brooke hart joins us now live this morning from capitol hill. good morning, brooke. >> hey, brooke. >> good morning, barbara and joe. president obama met a mostly friendly audience in new hampshire in his town hall, but he had to focus on dispelling rumors. and as these town has continue, it's a measure of how far reform critics have come. town halls into the night meant more venting from all sides of the health care debate. >> i'm having to go into free clinics and wait in line. >> reporter: this was kansas. >> we have just had it out here. we have had it with government. we are fed up. we think it stinks. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: earlier in new hampshire, president obama tried to counter what he called wild misrepresentations about what

reform would bring. >> death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma. i am not in favor of that. we're not talking about cutting medicare benefits. this is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. >> get back in your bus and go home! >> reporter: protestors outside dug in. they're with janet dylan of massachusetts for her mother. >> under obama's plan, she, along with millions of elderly people-not get the care they deserve. they will be given the pill to make them comfortable while they die. >> is there fear here? yes, there is, but it is mixed in with anxiety and a sense that people have that things are being taken away from me, my home isn't worth what it was, my retirement account. i don't know if i can keep my job. at least i want to keep my health care. at least that's working. >> reporter: not for 1,500 people who have no insurance, some despite having jobs like danine powell. >> i'm grateful to be here

today. >> reporter: they packed the l.a. forum in california to get care yesterday for free. private insurers agree that getting them coverage is a priority and would bring down premiums for everyone with insurance, but it's made democrats' job harder this month that there's no agreement even among them on how to pay for it. live on capitol hill, i, brooke hart. back to you. >> thanks. maryland senoryo benjamin cardin will hold a town hall meeting at hagerstown community college beginning at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. we'll have more on the meeting coming up at 5:30 this morning. a dramatic rcue caught on tape. police were able to rescue an injured hiker from the shenandoah mountains. derrick ward reports on the crew's play-by-play mission. >> reporter: a 34-year-old hiker injured and immobile in the shenandoah mountains. his best hope is help from above. that's where a crew from the national park police aviation unit came in. they made the 84-mile flight before rangers could get to him, and they began a dangerous aerial rescue mission.

it started with sergeant david hurley being lowered to the victim. >> he looked a little bit surprised because i came on with my full helmet and safety vest and gear. he looked surprised, but he looked very grateful. >> got it. >> reporter: for a pilot it was no easy task. sergeant kenneth burchill wasn't on this mission, but he knows the dangers of hovering above a rocky and wooded mountainside. >> you can't really see what's going on bow you, so you're counting on the rescue technician in back who's telling you your position's good, your altitude's good, come left two, come right three. >> reporter: even they know a lapse could tangle the line and hurt the aircraft. not a good thing. >> try to revert back to your training. i sort of think of it as just another training mission and everything's going to work out. >> reporter: and it worked out for this hiker after he was ferried to rescuers on the ground, the crew flew back for sergeant hurley. he was brought back not in the

rescue basket, but on is device, commonly known as a jungle extractor. all in a normal day's work? not really. >> i'd say it was certainly beyond the pal. >> reporter: and it certainly was for the hiker. >> once they see your face, it's usually a calming effect. >> reporter: derrick ward news 4. well, it's been more than two weeks since a popular acupuncturist was found murdered in fairfax county and police now say sa mthey may have the murde on tape. the body of 53-year-old chung ah was found onth hummer road in annande on july 24th. now police have this surveillance video recorded from a camera at a korean restaurant next door. it shows a black suv pulling up to the clinic and then someone getting out of the vehicle and running up the driveway. investigators think the vehicle is a black infinity with a model year ranging between 2003 and 2008. anyone with any information is certainly being asked to call the police. more troubles for metro, and this morning word of drugs being

involved with that operator who made a dangerous mistake. the agency is investigating an incident late last month in which a train was allowed to leave the yard with too many cars. the system can only handle trains with as many as eight cars. this train had ten when it pulled into the greenbelt station. metro says it learned later that the operator was using drugs. >> the operator that was involved in bringing the train from the yard to the greenbelt station platform tested positive for drugs. he is currently in a drug rehabilitation program. >> reporter: metro says no formal disciplinary action has been taken against the employee. news of this comes two days after a metro employee was hit and killed by a piece of equipment while doing track repairs in fairfax county. veterinarians have downgraded the condition of a dog found badly beaten in southeast washington. trooper was found inside a dumpster last friday. her vets were hopeful that she would make a recovery, but now they say trooper is acting

lethargically. the wounds on her face also do not seem to be healing properly. trooper's prognosis is now listed as guarded. if she does recover, the humane society hopes to rehabilitate her and put her up for adoption. our time now is 5:09. 77 degrees. coming up on "news 4 today," a special visit to the white house today for the newest u.s. supreme court justice. and the famous mona lisa painting at the lourve museum under attack. we'll explain. stay with us. ús>>ñ???/ñ?/ñ/ñ/ñ

is hes iod t today's ay"nsew t ar dsturffyo oay w start your day off w coffee. f o coffee. cnpooun prtout coupon at w b nbcwashington.com. just search "bargain blast." >> what would a hand-roasted cup of coffee be? do you hold it until they roast it some. >> i could use one of those right now. what have you got over there? >> my coffee? you want my coffee, that's what you want? >> not hand-rsted, huh? let's check on the weather. good morning. >> good morning. starting out with a cloudy sky, temperatures around the region, mid-70s in the metro area, 75 in washington and montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties, low to mid-70s. southern maryland, weather watchers from charles, calvert, anne arundel county, mid-70s there.

and weather watchers farther west checking in with cloudy skies and temperatures around 70 in the blue ridge and shenandoah valley. dew points are in the mid-to-upper 60s, so that's more comfortable than it was yesterday, but it's still going to be rather humid here today. we have a cluster of some showers now moving into southern west virginia and southwestern virginia. those may be arriving here by late this morning and into the afternoon, maybe a little bit of thunder, highs reaching the mid-80s. then tomorrow, mid-80s, maybe an afternoon thunder shower, small chance. otherwise, partly sunny, as wel as on friday and saturday. each day pretty much the same, remaining humid. udy, a sncmallma chance ofay, la afrnoon thunder showers, highs in the 80s. jerry, good morning. how's our traffic now? >> hey, tom, good morning to you. good morning, everyone. clear, dry road surfaces as we get under way for a wednesday. along interstate 66, no early issues to report coming out of manassas, headed on in towards centerville. the westbound side moving along nicely as well. elsewhere, the trip over the bay bridge, no concerns. 270 southbound out of frederick

toward germantown, gaithersburg and rockville moving along nice nicely. wilson bridge off to a quiet start. and barbara, trust me, you don't want to try joe's coffee. >> no. >> it will make your hair stand on end. >> no, i wouldn't want that. >> it's actually very good coffee. >> i have enough problems with my hair. thank you. >> causing mine to fall out. 5:14 is the time, 75 degrees. still ahead, the latest from the hudson river crash site where a helicopter and small plane went down. all nine victims in that crash have now been accounted for. plus, why homeowners are turning to fake grass? stay with us.

5:16's the time, 75 degrees. updating the top stories in the news for today. president obama plans two more town hall meetings this week on health care. yesterday he attacked what he calls wild misrepresentations of his plan. he attended a town hall meeting in portsmouth, new hampshire. police in fairfax county think they may have caught a murder suspect on videotape. the body of 53-year-old chung ahh was found inside an acupuncture clinic in annandale back on july 24th. now police have surveillance video recorded from a nearby restaurant. it shows a black suv pulling up to the clinic and then someone running up the driveway. police are now trying to

identify the vehicle and those inside. an injured hiker was rescued from the shenandoah mountains. u.s. park police say the man used his cell phone to direct rescuers. police used a helicopter to pull the man to safety. he was taken to the hospital with a broken ankle. crews pulled two more bodies from the wreckage of that horrific midair crash over the hudson river. that means all nine victims in the crash are now accounted for. the bodies found yesterday were inside a mangled part of a single-engine aircraft which was carefully lifted from the water. the plane struck a sight-seeing helicopter on saturday. the collision killed three pennsylvania residents, a helicopter pilot and five italian tourists. authorities say 250 aircraft pass over that area of the hudson every day. the white house will hold a reception later this morning for the new supreme court justice. president obama will host the reception for the new associate justice, sonia sotomayor, in the white house east room. sotomayor is the first hispanic

and the third woman to serve on the high court. she was confirmed last week and sworn in in two different ceremonies on saturday. well, across the world, people are remembering eunice kennedy shriver, the 88-year-old sister of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy passed away yesterday at a hospital in cape cod. she had suffered a series of strokes in recent years. she may be best known for founding the special olympics. staff members at the special olympics headquarters here in washington say they were always inspired by her, who often asked what more could you be doing? >> and that is a phrase that i take to my heart every day, and i wake up and i say, what more could i be doing? and you know, i take that in my personal life, in my work life, and i hope that that phrase people will take and think of when they approach life. what more can you be doing? >> members of the kennedy family are now gathering in massachusetts. eunice kennedy shriver will be laid to rest there on friday. an ad campaign that targets

school nutrition policy is accused of exploiting president obama's daughters. a non-profit group called the physicians committee for responsible medicine has put up posters at union station. they read, "president obama's daughters get healthy school lunches. why don't i?" the obama girls go to private school where vegetarians options are on the menu. they're not featured on the ad, but they say it violates their rights. the people behind the ad says it's targeted at congress. a las vegas pharmacy is taking center stage in the michael jackson investigation. federal and local agents searched the pharmacy yesterday morning. one official says they found evidence that jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray, legally bought the powerful anesthetic propofol there. it's a sleep aid and now a central focus of the jackson manslaughter investigation. a russian tourist threw a mug at the famous mona lisa

painting in paris. the painting was not damaged. the mug did, though, shatter -- rather, the mug shattered on a glass case that protects the painting. the lourve museum says that the incident happened last week. security alarms went off when the mug hit the glass and security guards whisked the female visitor away. she refused to say who she was or why she did it. the painting by leonardo da vinci is one of the more popular works of art at the lourve. the nationals were going for their ninth straight win, but unfortunately, the atlanta braves stopped them and one of their more reliable pitchers dead in their tracks. >> lindsay czarniak has more in your "sports minute." hey there, everybody. good morning, your "sports minute" begins with the nationals. and unfortunately, the streak is over. last night in atlanta, the nationals got on the board first. ryan zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 14 games, but it all went downhill from there. the braves win big, 8-1.

they snap the nationals' eight-game winning streak. we're in boston. tigers against the red sox. rick porcello hits kevin youkilis in the back and the brawl is on. check this out. youkilis charges the mound, tackles porcello to the ground. both were ejected. in football, all focus is on getting the players ready for thursday's preseason game in baltimore for the redskins. veterans like albert haynesworth and clinton portis won't see action in thursday's game, but those hoping to solidify starting spots certainly will. game time is set for 7:30. and in the wnba last night, mystics hosting the shock. detroit guard deanna nolan scored 24 points to help the shock win 81-77. that's your "sports minute." i'm lindsay czarniak. have a good day. a heads-up play by todd helton in the eighth inning between the pirates androckies. with runners at first and third, steven pierce hits a foul pop-up down the first-base line. helton reaches into the stands

but can't get the ball out of his glove! it gets stuck in the webbing of that glove, but he runs to the infield trying to get the ball out of the webbing and still holding the runner on third base. it's in there somewhere. finally got it out. it is time now for another look at traffic and weather together. >> let's go to tom kierein up in stormcenter 4 for a look at our forecast today. >> hate when that happens with your baseball glove. >> that's for sure, and then you try to drive. well, good morning. as you do plan on your morning commute, shouldn't have any travel problems this morning. it's now 75 in washington. we're in the low and mid-70s in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's county. from ada morgan to suitland, vienna and potomac, it's still rather humid this morning. current dew points in the mid-to-upper 70 near 60 dew points around the bay and eastern shore, so steamy there. overnight we had a few passing showers and those have moved off to the east. some other light rain now in southern west virginia and eastern kentucky, southwestern virginia. that may move our way here by

late this morning and this afternoon maybe a thunder shower coming by. highs reaching the mid-80s and remaining humid. more of the same on thursday, friday and saturday. look at sunday into next week. partly cloudy and a small chance of an afternoon thunder shower with highs in the 80s. and now jerry, how is the morning commute? >> tom, morning commute is a-okay so far. good morning. the trip into downtown, everything's moving along well. here is south captiol street up to the douglas bridge, also pennsylvania avenue to the souza doing fine as is 295 to the alum street bridge. checking speeds this morning, on the beltway, as you travel from springfield by way of the inner loop up toward i-66, eight minutes. from i-66 to the american legion bridge, seven minutes. off the bridge, over toward college park, just 23 minutes. so, so far, so good. barbara and joe, back to you. >> all right. thanks very much, jerry. >> thank you, jerry. >> time now 5:23. 75 degrees outside. still ahead, get ready for a light show in the sky. we're at the peak of the annual perseid meteor show.

and a grocery store chain in our area is promising lower prices. we'll have details. and here now is your "liz on the money" money-saving tip of the day. >> harr yowhat are your options you're behind on your mortgage? "money" magazine says find out if you're eligible to refinance or restructure your loan. also, contact your lender if you're struggling to make payments. and as a last resort, consider selling your home in a short sale, where the lender accepts less than you owe. i'm liz crenshaw, "on the lñ

the most watched natural sky show of the year is taking place. the annual perseid meteor shower peaks this morning. astronomers say in the right conditions, watchers could see as much as one to two meteor showers a minute. the perseid shower happens when the earth passes through debris left by the swiss tuttle comet, which last came this way back in 1992. a giant rock with a price tag you might describe as astronomical. a store in santa fe, new mexico, is selling this 5,000-pound rock for a cool $500,000. the reason is that it's not from this planet. it is a meteorite, and it's become quite the attraction. the man who found it has been collecting fossils and

meteorites for years. he runs a store where he sells other space stuff. most of the atoms are a whole lot smaller, of course. he says he hopes his biggest discovery will get more people hooked on this passion. >> i think it's catching on fast. and so, having something from outer space. but yet, if you look at the bigger picture, we're in outer space. >> there you go! ain't that the truth? charlie schnell says if somebody shells out the money for the meteorite, he plans to use the money to expand his business. well, good luck. $500,000 for a big rock? i don't know. >> incredible. >> you could make a nice table out of it, right? maybe a lamp. 5:28. 75 degrees. coming up in the next half hour of "news 4 today," the latest on the health care reform debate. another town hall meeting is scheduled for maryland today. and the upkeep a nice, green yard takes. if you're tired of that, how about some fake grass? it's becoming more popular. &y?ñ

heated debate, rowdy crowds pack into a town hall meetings that were held across the country to debate health care reform. the president is now making the rounds of his own meetings. metro mistake. metro discovers a dangerous mistake and an employee involved tests positive for drugs. and mudslide. police say there is no way to know for sure how many people remain buried in that

catastrophic mudslide that struck a remote village in taiwan after a typhoon lashed the region. well, good morning, and web to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs on this wednesday, this 12th day of august. >> and i'm barbara harrison. let's take a look outside at what it's looking like on this wednesday morning. it's still dark out there. we've got some clouds, tom tells us, which is why you cannot see that perseid meteor shower going on right now. tom is in stormcenter 4. tom, good morning. >> yeah, too bad, because it's pret putting on a pretty good show. we have reports of that off west where there is some clearing in the upper midwest. we have had overnight showers, temperatures in the low and mid-70s across the region. weather watchers are reporting from arlington, fairfax, montgomery and prince george's counties, and elsewhere from takoma park to oxon hill,

fairfax county and germantown, it's rather humid with dew points in the mid-to-upper 60s. and it's little more humid, dew points in the low 70s around the bay and eastern shore. in the mountains it's a pleasant morning temperaturewise, low to mid-60s there with a few overnight showers and there are a few light showers now coming into the southern shenandoah valley, southern west virginia. those may make their way here later on this morning, then maybe an afternoon passing thunder shower, highs in the mid-80s and remaining humid. and more of the same thursday, fridays and saturday. we'll look at sunday and next week, coming up in ten minutes at 5:41. barbara and joe? >> thanks very much, tom. >> thanks, tom. let's head out to the roads and see what jerry has to tell us. how's the commute looking so far this morning? >> good morning. it's looking fine. no big deals to report. overnight road work has been wrapped up on the capital beltway, doing okay. there is the inner loop, those headlights. outer loop, on river road between rockville pike and tyson's corner, both directions, beltry moving along without delay. elsewhere, headed into northeast washington, rhode island avenue, new york avenue, kenilworth

avenue, east captiol street all doing fine. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thanks very much. maryland senator benjamin cardin will hold a town hall meeting today on health care reform at hagerstown community college. >> already this week the democrat was at towson state university where the crowd got rowdy. dmo demonstrators for and against the reform confronted each other outside and confronted the senator inside. kimberly suiters joins us. >> reporter: engaged, enraged and engaged your combat. for now, fortunately, no violent incidents. predominantly, a war of words. we're going to hear from more of those people in the next hour. for now, senator ben cardin had to shout his way through the town hall at towson university, where angry constituents booed and jeered at the maryland senator trying to explain health care reform working through congress. the crowd had to be asked to calm down to let him finish.

cardin said paying for the bill has not yet been worked out, a comment that prompted more from the audience. let's listen in now. metro has had a difficult year. most recently on sunday. >> and that's not what we wanted to show you either, but we promise it will be coming. some people shouted "taxes" in an angry way. others shouted "spend, spend, spend." at one point, four police officers strolled down two aisles of the auditorium at towson university and stood in front of the stage just to let everyone know they were there. cardin defended the health bill, saying they would provide more choice, that there would be more people, not fewer, with insurance. now, the senator said he was pleased with the turnout and that the meeting was a good exchange. as these town halls are taking place all over the country, senators are not shying away from taking on their constituents' concerns and

riding rumors face to face. senator cardin's back in the ring at 1:00 tod at hagerstown community college. we'll be back in an hour and you'll hear from more folks then. joe, back to you. >> thanks very much, kimberly. a charles county judge is under investigation for allegedly deflating a courthouse employee's car tires. "the washington post" is reporting that two county sheriff's jail officers witnessed the incident. one ofhem apparently used their cell phone camera to photograph what happened. they say they saw circuit court judge robert nationally let the air out of a woman's back, right tire. the woman is a part-time cleaning worker at the courthouse. she's seen the judge around the courthouse but never spoken to him. police will decide today whether to file charges in this case. police now confirm that a man found dead in northern virginia was inedde killed by two t s.bull 20-year-old carterel daney was diovnser ihied de id e grandfather's home on plaza istreet n leesburg on monday. investigators y that carter was mauled to death by two pit bulls that belonged to his older

brother. those dogs are now with animal control. police believe delaney was trying to help a small dog that was being attacked when the pit bulls then turned on him. well, more troubles for metro. we've just learned that drugs may have caused a train operator to make a dangerous mistake. >> last month, a greenline train left the station with too many cars. this comes less than two days after a metro employee was struck and killed on the tracks in fairfax county. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live from the greenbelt metro with details. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. metro has been under scrutiny since that deadly collision that happened back in june. and as that iestigation goes forward, we're learning about some other disturbing incidents, including one in which a metro worker was killed and another whera train operator tested positive for drugs. metro has had a difficult year. most recently on sunday, michael nash, a track repairman with 21 years of experience, was struck and killed by a piece of maintenance equipment.

his death, the tenth on the system in 2009, coming on the heels of june's deadly collision. and now, word of another disturbing incident. on july 31st, an operator delivered a train from the yard to the greenbelt station with too many cars, ten instead of eight. a passenger pointed out the mistake. operator later tested positive for drugs and is now in rehab. >> the operator that was involved in bringing the train from the yard to the greenbelt station platform tested positive for drugs. he is currently in a drug rehabilitation program. and under our policies and procedures here, there were collective bargaining agreements. that employee has the opportunity to take advantage of that. >> reporter: by our count, in 2009, there have been four derailments, 16 premature door openings, three wrong-side door openings and ten deaths. to put those numbers in context,

metro carries 750,000 passengers every single day. they operate 1,500 trains a day. now, as for the operator who tested positive for drugs, that worker is on leave, unpaid leave, and again, is going through a rehabilitation program. back to you, joe, barbara. >> megan, thank you. >> thanks, megan. our time right now is 5:39. still ahead, finally, there may be a good use for kudzu. we'll explain. and a foreign leader a victim of swine flu. we'll have details. (announcer) now skating...jim perdue.

there's no skating around the fact that my perdue perfect portions fresh chicken breasts are perfect. each piece come individually wrapped,

so you can cook what you need and easily store what you don't. and they're perfectly sized to cook quickly and evenly in only 10 minutes. it's the perfect answer to your dinner routine. (announcer) perdue perfect portions. also in a variety of all natural seasonings.

good morning. at this hour we have a mostly cloudy sky, starting off with temperatures around the region in the mid-70s. it's now 75 in washington. it's little bit cooler around the shenandoah valley. on the eastern shore it's a little more humid. and we have some showers now moving into southern west virginia, now just heading into the shenandoah valley. those ma arrive here later on this morning. maybe a passing thunder shower this afternoon. otherwise, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-80s and rather humid. and more of the same for thursday, friday and saturday. sunday into next week, partly cloudy, highs in the 80s. small chance of afternoon thunder showers. i'm back in ten minutes with an expanded report. we'll look at the tropics. jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? >> tom, good morning to you. good morning, everyone. happy wednesday and so far, so good. volume only, that's the headline so far this morning. 95 headed up from dale city on up toward the prince william

parkway, continuing on up toward the capital beltway, just volume. no incidents to report. the southbound side, light volume of traffic. let's see what else is happening. the top side of the capital beltway to college spring we're okay. 270 is fine and no early issues in from the west, i-66 haymarket all the way in. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank jerry. >> thank you, jerry. >> our time now 5:43. the federal reserve is meeting today. we'll have a preview of today's session. plus, synthetic turf. why some homeowners are choosing it for their lawns. ñ

our time now, 5:45. updating our top stories of the morning. president obama plans two more town hall meetings this week on health care. yesterday he attacked what he calls wild misrepresentations of his plan. he attended a town hall meeting in portsmouth, new hampshire. police now confirm that a man found dead in northern virginia was indeed killed by

two pit bulls. 20-year-old carter delaney was discovered inside his grandfather's home on plaza street in leesburg on monday. investigators say carter was mauled to death by two pit bulls that belonged to his older brother. ose dogs are now with animal control. more troubles for metro. drugs may have caused an operator to make a dangerous mistake. last month a train was allowed to leave the yard with too many cars. the system can only handle trains with as many as eight cars. the train had ten when it pulled into the greenbelt station. metro says it learned later that the operator was using drugs. well, interest rates may not be on the rise any time soon. the federal reserve is expected to keep a key lending rate at a record low, near zero, and economists think that will stay that way through the end of this year. the fed will wrap up a two-day meeting today. the number of analysts believe the economy is recovering, so the fed is also considering whether some programs designed

to ease the recession need to be extended. any final decisions may not come, though, this week. safeway shoppers are about to get a break on some everay items, according to "the washington post." they will let out a new price cut initiative today, with banners and signs throughout the store. cuts will be primarily on lestapgss including paper produc, laundry supplies and coffee. cuts on some items will be as high as 25%. store executives say that it is an attem to lure frugal customers during this recession. more furloughsld coust be o the way in c maryland. another round of state employe will have to sit out for a few days as the state grapples w ith million budget hole.it details are still being worked ut, but maryland leaders say wer paid employees will likely taewer furlough days, and the with higher salaries. it's going to be similar to the furloughs of last l tashetisca ndialaicreff aryls ting maryland officials are trying to

cut $470 million from its budget by labor day. some good news if u have an american express or discover card. the companies say they'll stop charging fees when consumers spend over their credit limit. new credit card laws will toughen restrictions on those fees in about six months. the fees generate about $4 billion a year for credit card companies. it's not clear whether other card issuers will follow american express and discover's lead. well, the president of costa rica is in quarantine this morning. he is sick with the swine flu. president oscar arias is being treated with antiflu medicine. he is 69 years old. a government statement says that the president has asthma and is at higher risk than most people. according to doctors, though, he is recovering. they told him to rest this week and say he could be back at work on monday. in taiwan, police officials there say there is no way of knowing exactly how many people are missing after those

catastrophic mudslides and flooding. dramatic pictures show an emergency worker trying to cross raging floodwaters in eastern taiwan. the worker himself had to be rescued when he was nearly swept downstream as his boat flipped over in the churning waters. it's feared that hundreds of residents may still be trapped after entire villages were buried under tons of mud on sunday. ♪ in news 4 your health this morning, the ever-present kudzu vine may actually do more than clutter yards and highways. a study shows it can help manage binge drinking. researchers in california gave rodents a compound extracted from that vine. it turns out, it reduced the amount of alcohol the rats consumed. the researchers say the compound triggers side effects when someone drinks alcohol like flushing and feeling ill, which makes them drink less. artificial turf is becoming more popular. high schools and recreation leagues are investing in the green stuff for their athletic

fields, and now some local homeowners are using it, too. chris gordon reports. >> reporter: this is not thest roeturf of the 1960s that used to cause scratches and injuries. this year the university of maryland has three artificial turf fields used for recreational and intramural sports with a synthetic surface that's much closer to nature. >> this particular product is a polyethylene fiber that has rubber and sand filled in around it. the fibers are about 2 1/2 inches long and the rubber's filled up to within a half inch. it's a much softer product. the grip is consistent with that of natural grass field so that you don't get the excessive grip and it reduces the potential for ankle injuries and knee injuries and such. >> reporter: some homeowners have installed an entire lawn of synthetic turf. rich schumacher, owner of southwest greens of northern virginia, put in this backyard for a fairfax, virginia, homeowner who couldn't grow real

grass because there's too mhls shade and poor soil this lawn was installed at a cost of about $19,000. >> if he were to put sod in here, he probably could get it done for $2,000 or $3,000, but in a year and a half, it's gone, he's going to have to do it again. >> reporter: gone because of all the shade? >> shade and soil and the wear and tear from the dogs and kids and everything else. >> reporter: for the serious golfer, a synthetic turf putting green. it costs $25,000, but the maintenance is minimal compared to the care and feeding of a natural grass putting green. its design includes holes with every kind of contour and slope that a golfer will face on the links. >> you can expect this green to putt perfectly 365 days a year. >> reporter: now it's possible to imagine beating tiger woods in your own backyard. chris gordon, news 4. >> what do you think? >> that's the problem, putting greens don't always play perfectly. that's the challenge of golf, i

would think. >> well, you don't have to mow the lawn, you have to vacuum it. get out the vacuum cleaner. >> looks a bit like indoor/outdoor carpet, doesn't it? >> i would be afraid when it gets hot it would melt. >> it'd have to get really hot. >> but you wouldn't want anyone to drop a cigarette on it, not realizing it's fake. i guess. we'll have to find out more. anyway, tell us about the weather. >> yeah. well, we had some clouds overnight producing a few showers. those have now dissipated, and this morning the clouds remain with us and they're obscuring the perseid meteor shower, unfortunately. and at this hour, it's still rather humid. there's our sky and sunrise is about 25 minutes away. and we have the predawn glow showing up in the mostly cloudy skyline view from our city camera. right now, 75 in washington. as we look at the radar, we don't have any precipitation here. there is one little s rho just ho now coming into the north-central shenandoah valley out of west virginia. temperatures out that way are in the upper 60s to near 70. weather watchers checking in in the muriel areas of maryland and virginia in the low to mid-70s to mid-70s in fairfax, arlington

and montgomery, prince george's counties, and right near the bay it's little more humid as well as on the eastern shore, where temperatures are in the low and mid-70s. out in the mountains, lower humidity and low 60s there. overnight, seeing a cluster of showers now coming into central west vginia. those may move our way later this morning and into the afternoon. and are you traveling today? well, there could be flight delays in texas, the gulf coast into florida as well as up along the atlantic seaboard from some isolated thunder showers and thunderstorms. there may be severe storms down in the carolinas later today. meanwhile, out in the atlantic, here's the eastern seaboard. here is washington. and we have this developing tropical storm, perhaps. it may become tropical storm ana later today. and the circulation from that is still rather weak. here's the latest track. does look like by thursday and friday, it will continue on a westerly track and probably only maybe become a minimal tropical storm. then, by the weekend andirst part of next week, it begins to take a turn to the north and

west. right now it's over 3,000 miles east-southeast of ocean city and continuing on that northerly track. for us, we've got this weak cool front that's sort of been hanging around our region here, a weak area of l pressure has formed along that front that's now sitting over west virginia, and that's what's going to drift over us today and maybe give us a passing shower or a thunder shower. here's how we're looking for the rest of the day. l he a little sunshine in and out this morning through .onme til by late this morning, faro our h utsoand west there may be a thunder shower or shower. and during the afternoon in the metro area and points north and east, could be a passing thunder shower. highs in the mid-80s. sunrise atut 6:19, sunset at 8:. maybe a passing shower through the evening, in the 70s. we'll bottom out near 70 mo .nirtongorow ur d t oheuray dn thursday, looks like iwillay be partly sunny, still rather humid, highs in the mid-80s and perpsha a passing afternoon thunder shower. a small chance of that. more of the same ondapsri fy an saturday, remaining humid. afternoon highs mid-80s, morning

lows near 70. and a small chance of a passing afternoon thunder shower. overall, though, it should stay mostly dry throughout the period. it's just a chance of isolated s.rider sher then sunday, monday and tuesday, still no heat wave, m and partly dycl .ou yb amacl passing afternoon thunder shower, jus allma s a chance as well as on monday an tuesday. may tma ikkeaco bnt i the upper 80s bythen. and our average high this t ime low,ha us, average got' tins ognd t thagos go t drop as we get into september. in fact, by mid-september, average highs only around 80, so, yeah, we're on a cooling trend on average, anyway, as we get into the fall. >> oh, that's a nice thought. >> yeah. >> not be as hot as it was -- when was it, yesterday? >> we had a three-day heat wave. yesterday was the last day of it. >> okay, tom, thank you. >> let's go back to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. we'll start this time around top side of the capital beltway, where we're still pretty quiet. this is the inner loop coming around from connecticut avenue, east toward georgia avenue and

beyond. doing fine. a little volume now on the outer loop, but again, no accidents or incidents to report. elsewhere, let you know that on bradley boulevard, just a little west of wisconsin avenue, apparently a power pole down. you will be able to get by under police direction. out to the west, route 28 at sterling boulevard, police dealing with an accident. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> jerry, thanks. to the money crisis and a look at foreign markets day. asian stock markets took a tumble today. japan's nikkei lost 1.42%. hong kong's hang seng lost 3.03%. and china's shanghai lost 4.66%. and stocks sank yesterday. the dow lost 96 1/2 points, the nasdaq lost 22 1/2 points and the s&p finished below the 1,000 mark, losing more than 12 points. passengers stuck on a continental airlines plane for six hours are getting their money back this morning. the continental express jet was bound for minneapolis, but it

landed in rochester, minnesota, due to bad weather around midnight on saturday. no one was allowed off the plane until 6:00 in the morning. federal authorities now want to know why the passengers weren't allowed off the plane. the department of transportation secretary ray lahood has written the airline asking for answers. discount carrier air tran is expanding its service at reagan international airport. the carrier is adding six takeoff and landing slots. the move comes in response to increased competition from southwest airlines. southwest is poised to start flying out of reagan national if its bid to buy bankrupt frontier airlines goes through this week. f s ngindi finding jobs for you. j paghttime care cte crsnypaom in crofton, ma,ryndasla h a job opening for an teinivctrae and ct th msoarte tee m sirone fo responsible for authoring, onitoring and promong isa dioss cu media discussions involving that time care centers andnd ailtedfe s.ganition th job requires a bachelor's degree in marketing, business or

umrelated field and a mfim o three years experience. for more jobs, just visit nbc this is more than my easy button. it's my "save-so-much-on- his-graphing-calculator... look. i made it say, "booger." ...i-can-get-him-a- math-tutor" button. it's my "save-souch- on-school-supplies- he-can-stop-using-his-sister's- old-backpack" button. it's my "save-so-much-i-can- get-a-binder-for-every- day-of-the-week" button. there's no school on saturday and sunday, genius. don't ruin this for me. (announcer) staples equals savings onverything for back to school. staples. that was ea. onverything for back to school.

a heated debate. things could get testy again today at another health care town hall meeting in maryland. why senorardi cn ben cardin sayt is a good thing. trouble on the tracks. more problems for metro. we'll tell you what a train operator did while apparently on drugs. well, good morning to you. welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. let's take a look outside, see what it's looking like out there. some sun getting through and a lot o clouds, too. let's talk to tomierein about our day's forecast. >> what a beautiful sky, though, at sunrise.

are we at sunrise? it's coming up, i guess. >> at 6:19, but we're seeing the reflection of the sun, which is now below the horizon on some of those high clouds. as we get going today, off to a mostly cloudy start. re have temperatures around the gion gennally i i the mi70s. and as we look at the radar now, no precipitation here, but there is still littlelofb o blue o enft on thlusc.ree th newe.ho sho drifting off about tmo about to move juso hef harrisonburg in t caltren tr shenandoah valley. elsewhere, no precipitation around. here's the forecast for today. by midmorning we'll beea n 8r 8 and a little sun eou t. overall, a mostly cloudy day. weybe a late morningr sweho coming in out of the sstouweth for the shenandoah valley. then around the metro area, maybe a passing shower or thunder shower this afternoon into this evening, highs into the mid-80s. then by dawn tomorrow, should be near 70 degrees. thursday, the day on looks like it would be partly y, msunn warnd a humid, mid-80s for highs, maybe an afternoon innd sspag thunder shower. small chance of that. and looks like we'll have more of the same for friday and again on saturday. a look at sunday and next week,

in ten minutes. >> all right, tom, thank you. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. jerry, any problems on this wednesday? >> relatively quiet. >> okay. >> we're going to keep our fingers crossed it stays that way. good morning. out on the interstates, really very, very fine commute so far this morning, as we check out the capital beltway over the american legion bridge. there is the out loop headed to the bridge span, the inner loop headed up over the bridge towards the interchange of river road or beyond. both directions moving along nicely. elsewhere, take a look, feast your eyes on the wilson bridge and all its sparkling glory this morning. both directions, traffic on the inner loop and outer loop between alexandria and oxon hill moving along nicely. joe, back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. more trouble for metro. a traiss operator was one d atro mi akan mistake. this happenedst t gsthe re on the green the operator ethraper lefthe ttati sonwi th tooy mans car on train. th jft aer

metro worker was kleild while doing track work in fairfax county. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us now live from the greenbelt metro station with more on this story. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. metro has had some disturbing incidents lately. of course, there was that deadly crash that took place back in june, and now we're learning more about another incident in which a worker was killed and yet another where a train operator tested positive for drugs. metro has had a difficult year. most recently on sunday, michael nash, a track repairman with 21 years of experience, was struck and kled by a piece of maintenance equipment. his death the tenth on the system in 2009, coming on the heels of june's deadly collision. and now, word of another disturbing incident. on july 31st, an operator delivered a train from the yard to the greenbelt station with too many cars, ten instead of eight. a passenger pointed out the mistake. the operator later tested

positive for drugs and is now in rehab. >> the operator that was involved in briing the train from the yard to the greenbelt station platform tested positive for drugs. he is currently in a drug rehabilitation program. and under our policies and procedures here, through our collective bargaining agreements, that employee has the opportunity to take advantage of that. >> reporter: by our count, in 2009, there have been four derailments, sixteen premature door openings, three wrong-side door openings and ten deaths. now, to put those numbers in context, on an average day, metro runs 1,500 trains and transports 750,000 passengers. do riders feel safe? we're going to talk to them, hear what they had to say, coming up in the next half hour. back to you, joe. >> megan, thanks very much. police are investigating the murder of a popular acupuncturist in annandale and they now say they may have caught the suspect on videotape. the body of r-53-yeaold chung

ahh was found inside her home-based clinic on hummer road back on july 24th. now police have surveillance video recorded from a camera at a restaurant next door. it shows this black vehicle pulling up to the clinic and then someone getting out of the vehicle, running up the driveway. investigators think the vehicle is a black infinity, model year ranging between 2003 and 2008. anyone with any information is asked to call the police. police say they have nabbed a guy who broke into an apartmenedaglenir gn i eenagte girl in co.ty theythes aterrdstveylerster laravolana and charged him with burglary and abduction. police say he broke into an apartment on peach orchard drive last monday. once inside, they say he held down a 14-year-old girl who was sleeping on the couch. police say larabulana ran away after the girl screamed. also happening today, president obama is playing host to the newest supreme court justice. he'll host a reception for sonia sotomayor in the white house east room. sotomayor is the first hispanic

and third woman to serve on the high court. she was confirmed last week and sworn in on saturday. a tv host is under arrest. he's accused of ordering hit jobs to boost his ratings. and a dog left for dead inside a dumpster. why her chances of survival have taken an unfortunate turn. and forget cutting the lawn. why some people are skipping the sod and chog 1esús ????/ñ/ñ/ñ/ñ

good morning, and welcome back. >> in the news, angry, worried and downright mad. those are just some of the sentiments americans are

expressing over proposed health care reform at town halls in our area and around the country. senator ben cardin was greeted with some of those emotions in towson, maryland at a tow hall this week and he'll be in hagerstown today. >> kimberly suiters is joining us with more on what is scheduled for today. >> good morning, joe and barbara. enraged in combat, fortunately, no violent incidents. this is predominantly a war of words. [ shouting ] >> and i've had it. i have friends in other countries who do not worry about this ever, and i'm sick of it. >> you want it to be more efficient and you want it to be cheaper. so you want the government to do it? come on. >> i think it added to the process. it was a town hall meeting. people got a chance t ask their questions. i had a chance to answer those

questions. i think we got some facts out, which i think is very helpful to the debate. i heard from my constituents. it certainly was noisy that's their right, but we were able to accomplish wha a town hall meeting should. >> senator ben cardin speaking in low tones there, but he had to shout his way through this ton haul at towson university, where angry constituents booed and jeered as the maryland senator tried to explain health care reform working its way through congress. the crowd had to be asked to calm down to let him finish. cardin said paying for the bill has not yet been worked out, a comment that prompted even more drision from the audience. some shouted "taxes," others shouted "spend, spend, spend." at one point, four police officers strolled down the two aisles of the auditorium at towson university and stood at the stage just to let everyone know they were there. cardin defended the health bill, saying they would provide more choice and that there would be more people, not fewer, with insurance. the senator said he was pleased with the turnout at the meeting and that it was a good exchange.

as these town halls are taking place all over the country, senators are not shying away from taking on their constituents' concerns and riding rumors face to face. senator cardin's back in the ring at 1:00 today at hagerstown community college. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, kimberly. >> back in the ring see to be accurate way to say it, too. our time is now 6:11. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's talk to tom kierein about our weather. tom, good morning again. >> hi, barbara and joe. here's a view of our sky over washington, a live picture, city camera showing cloud cover, a few breaks in the clouds there on the eastern horizon. sunrise is about eight minutes away. right now at 75 in washington from cleveland park to hyattsville, alexandria and sandy spring, we're in the low 70s and it's rather humid. we have showers just coming into the shenandoah valley out of west virginia. those may make their way around the metro area by late morning or early afternoon and maybe a passing thunder shower this afternoon and this evening. highs mid-80s. and remaining humid, too, for

thursday, friday and saturday. highs mid-80s. maybe an afternoon passing thunder shower each day, a small chance of that. and sunday, monday, tuesday. still highs in the 80s, no big heat wave and slight chance of afternoon thunder showers. jerry, good morning. how's our wednesday traffic? >> hey, tom. we're doing fine out there this morning. picking up some volume as we check out interstate 66 close in to the capital beltway, the metro. eastbound traffic moving along nicely. westbound, very light volume out towards fair oaks or continuing outo centerville. travel lanes are all open. south of town to the wilson bridge, no incidents to report either direction. should find the travel lanes open. top side of the capital beltway from i-95 to 355, we're doing fine. barbara, back to you. >> okay, thank you, jerry. a priceless piece of artwork under attack. find out how a tourist tried to wipe the smile off of the mona lisa. and dramatic video of a hiker being saved in the shenandoah mountains. what made this mission especially dangerous for the rescuers.

updating the top stories for today. maryland senator benjamin cardin will hold another town hall meeting on health care reform

today at 1:00 this afternoon at hagerstown community college. on monday, the crowd got unruly at cardin's town hall at towson university. well, drugs may have caused a metro operator to make a dangerous miste. the agency's investigating an incident late last month in which a train was allowed to leave the yard with ten cars instead of the maximum of eight cars. metro says it learned later that the operator was using drugs at the time. connecticut senator christopher dodd is recovering from cancer surgery this morning. he underwent the procedure yesterday. do announced earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. according to a spokesperson, the senator is doing well. he is expected to return to work at the end of this month. police have confirmed that a man killed in northerniragi v ni des d mir tauleoo death by twoit s.bulls. 20-year-old carter delan was foeaund dd inside his dfdanr'grhemeat hos nho plaza street in leesburg. investigators say he was killed by two pit bulls that belonged

to his older brother. those dogs are now with animal control. police say they believe carter delaney tried to help a small dog that was being attacked when the pit bulls turned on him. veterinarians have downgraded the condition of the dog found discarded in a dumpster in southeast washington. we first told you about trooper on monday. she had been badly beaten and left to die. still, her vets told us that they were hopeful she would recover, but now they say trooper is acting very lethargic. the wounds on her face don't seem to be healing. trooper's proosis is now guarded. if she gets better, the humane society hopes she can be rehabilitated and adopted. today a few scary moments for peaks on board an air canada flight, flight 541 from toronto to seattle made an unscheduled landing at an unusual airport. the pilot reported aossible malfunction with the plane's flaps and wanted to land on a long runway, the longest runway at seattle sea-tac airport is

currently under repair. so as a safety precaution, the plane was diverted to nearby boeing field. it did last safely. no one was injured. it's not known yet what caused the problem on the plane. and the bodies of all nine victims of that deadly midair collision over the hudson river have now been recovere crews removed the final two bodies from the water last night. they foundhem inside a mangled part of a single-engine aircraft which was carefully lifted out of the water. the plane struck a sight-seeing helicopter on saturday. three pennsylvania residents, the helicopter pilot and five italian tourists all were killed. the crash has some questioning whether more regulation is needed for the airspace around manhattan. >> a fluke accident's an accident that can not be prevented. this accident could have easily been prevented by the faa. >> authorities say 250 aircraft pass over that area of the hudson river every day, most flying low enough that they are not even being watched by air

traffic controllers. a russian tourist threw a mug at the famous mona lisa painting in paris. the painting was not damaged, but the mug shattered the glass that protects it. the lourve museum says the incident happened last week. security alarms went off when the mug hit the glass and security guards whisked the female visitor away. she refused to sayho she was or why she did it. the painting by leonardo da vinci is the most popular work of art at the lourve. to britain now, where police released pictures of two men wanted in connection with one of the country's biggest gem heists. the pair went into graff jewelers in the mayfair district last week. they took over 4 items, including rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches, valued $65 $65 million. police hope someone recognizes the men and comes forward to identify them. the robbery is thought to be one of britain's biggest ever jewel heists. well, the host of a television crime show in brazil is accused of ordering murders

to boost his ratings. authorities say thatallace souza orders hits on people and then shows the footage on his reality crime show. investigators seized $175,000 at his home along with illegal firearms and ammunition. 15 others suspected of participating in souza's scheme have also been arrested. souza was kicked out of the brazilian police force before he became host of the show. well, the washington nationals were going for their ninth straight win, but the atlanta braves stopped them dead in their tracks. lindsay czarniak has more now in your "sports minute." >> hey there, everybody, good morning. your "sports minute" begins with the nationals. and unfortunately, the streak is over. last night in atlanta, the nationals got on the board first. ryan zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 14 games, but it all went downhill from there. the braves win big, 8-1. they snap the nationals'

eight-game winning streak. we're in boston. tigers against the red sox. rick porcello hits kevin youkilis in the back and the brawl is on! check this out. youkilis charges the mound, chucks his helmet, tackles porcello to the ground. both players were ejected. in football, all focus is on getting the players ready for thursday's preseason game in baltimore for the redskins. veterans like albert haynesworth and clinton ptis won't see action in thursday's game, but those hoping to solidify starting spots certainly will. game time is set for 7:30. and in the wnba last night, mystics hosting the shot. detroit guard deanna nolan helped the shock beat the mystics 81-77. that's your "sports minute." i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. artificial turf is not just for sports stadiums anymore. more and more homeowners are installing synthetic grass in their backyards. for some, they provide a surface for outdoor activities where poor soil and too much shade t prenevgrens fromasgrowing.

for others, it's a way to have a year-round putting green without the maintenance hassles. the installations cost tens of thousands of dollars, but this isn't your father's astroturf. >> this particular product is a polyethylene fiber that has rubber and sand filled in around it. the fibers are about 2 1/2 inches long and the rubber's filled up to within about a half inch. it's a much softer product. the grip is consistent with that of a natural grass field. >> despite the benefits, some people argue that artificial turf harms the environment by destroying ecosystems. and new today, an astronaut om virginia is getting ready to make his third t space. space.ro astay snaut astronaut foster ofprinield is flying onfo sgfins flying on siiscovery's" nextldis sce mlet. "d covery's" next mission. ed ul au gusteduledch 5r auguth. .re trester is one oev sen trmi ym mwrsbelil wre c m rs will a nd ands,ra a ckra are research samples, a

search samples, compartment and a ain armpten and a treadmill named after comedian stephen colbert following an online contest. 6:21 is our time now. time to begin with traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's go to tom kierein, in stormcenter 4. tom, good morning again. >> good morning. off to a cloudy start. it's still humid. weather watchers checking in, all reporting around the region temperatures in the low and mid-70s. 75 in washington. and from dupont circle to new carrollton, oakton and montgomery village, we have considerable cloudiness this morning. we have a few showers showing up on radar where you see that color there in eastern west virginia, southern west virginia, southwestern virginia, just now coming into the central shenandoah valley, and we may have some of those arriving late morning in the metro area and during the afternoon maybe a passing shower or thunder shower. otherwise, mostly cloudy, high 80s and humid. more of the same thursday, friday and saturday. then sunday, monday, tuesday, afternoon thunder a small shower, highs in the 80s. i'm back in ten minutes with another update. jerry, how's traffic? >> tom, some trouble now coming

in from the west along interstate 66 near 28 centerville. an accident, left lane taken away. police are on the scene. everything getting to that point on 66 jammed back up against just outside of manassas all the way to centerville. after that, your pace will begin to pick up. so, be forewarned. elsewhere, south of town to the wilson bridge, no issues. back to virginia, route 28 at sterling boulevard, authorities dealing with an accident there. the southbound lanes of route 28 do remain closed off. joe, back to you. >> well, jerry, thanks very much. the oscar-winning actress who is now a new mother. and the latest on the michael jackson death investigation. find out who authorities are raiding now. but first, here is your "liz on the money" money-saving tip of the day. >> what are your options if you're behind on your mortgage? "money" magazine says find out if you're eligible to refinance or restructure your loan. also, contact your lender if you're struggling to make payments. and as a last resort, consider

selling your home in a short sale, where the lender accepts less than you owe. i'm liz crenshaw, "on the money." ñ er

dealer: during the autobahn for all event, you can get great deals. it's perfect. i just want to make sure it's the right decision. future...us? we got here as quick as we could. look it's the cc. you don't pay for scheduled maintenance, you get the car of your dreams... seriously us, just drive it. you're right. dealer: let's take this one. it's a time-space continuum thing. the future... oh! celebrate summer with giant and enjoy mouthwatering fruits and vegetables at prices you can handle, like strawberries -- 3, 1-pound cartons for just $5.00. this week only at giant. what's better than steak on the gll? steak, chicken, ribs, and burgers on the grill. at giant, you'll find fresh, delicious quality meats at prices that sizzle, like super-g boneless chicken breast just $1.79 a pound. this week only at giant.

introducing anytime gourmet culinary kits for two. it has everything you need. just prep, cook and share your way into a gourmet meal. wild salmon dijon in puff pastry with whole-wheat orzo and vegetables. new stouffer's anytime gourmet. make it amazing. it's a boy for jennifer

hudson. the singer gave birth to her first child on monday. his name is david daniel otunga jr., named after his father, actor david otunga. the couple has been engaged for almost a year. her publicist says they are ecstatic about the new addition to their family. a las vegas pharmacy is at the center of michael jackson's death investigation. federal and local agents searched the pharmacy yesterday. one official says they found evidence that jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad rray, legally bought the powerful anesthetic propofol there. this is at the center of the investigation into why and how jackson died. it's gm's best bet for reinventing itself. we'll show you its new car that gets 230 miles to the gallon. and it's heading to a showroom near you. then, some credit card compassion. how two companies are giving customers a break. and a dramatic helicopter rescue caught on tape. what made it especially dangerous fopark

hmmm... well... naaa... yeah! calculating for getaway. ♪ find your way to a perfect destination at busch gardens... and water country usa... where family-fun surrounds you... and world-class rides astound. start at buschgardens.com. what is it to lead? at pnc, it's doing what most benefits our customers. whether that's building more certified green buildings than anyone on earth. creating online banking tools for the next generation. or making a 10 year, $100 million investment in kids. it's how we've always done business. and will for a very long time to come. pnc. leading the way.

it's the all new sesame street forest of fun... at busch gardens in williamsburg. with four family-friendly rides... and everyone's sesame street friends. ( elmo giggles )

♪ big and small! there's fun for all! ♪ getting an earful. senator ben cardin gearing up for another health care town hall meeng in maryland. why he says it's a good thing tempers flared in his first one. under the influence. more troubles for metro. the mistake a train operator made while apparently on drugs. >> good morning, everyone. welcome. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. let's take a live look outside right now, see what it looks like. pretty, pretty sunrise with all those dramatic clouds above us right now. see little hole in the sky where the sun is gleaming through. 75 degrees right now, but i love the way the color reflects off those clouds up there. >> tom can tell us if those clouds are going to bring us any rain today. let's talk to him right now.

good morning. >> not those clouds, but other clouds that will be coming our way later on. we have a chance of a passing shower. e weav a hdha cloudy ws adk leo the radry h oistover the last thho, urat moving blo, lo of bl in the left of your screen, that'sn aarea ofight ln r ai 'sov m ogatinfut o west virginia into the shenandoah thlley now. at may arrive in our western suburbs in two or three hours or t, eron. around the leerat deaontl i now, it's in the noingt washington. weather watchers all around the sshihi checking inlow and mid-7t w d mid-70 underer this and it' humid. miouern shore in the mid-s,70 mt t he tountains in the low these are thehe these are the current dew points. whenever they're in the upper 60s to near rrheat rhe humid. dritar is r iendou t mnsher aint now, even though they had a few areas of light rain. not that humid. and that area of rain likely moving in from time to laor mon ingernto the afternoon around the area, and in pnohaps this evening. and otherwise, mostly cloudy, into the mid-80 remaining that way thursday, friday and saturday, maybe passing afternoon thunder showers, partly cloudy, highs in

the mid-80s. and as we look at sunday and into next week, it looks like it will just be partly cloudy and again, no heat wave in the foreseeable future. >> well, good. >> yeah. >> all right. >> see if we've got any traffic jams in the foreseeable future. what's it look like out there, jerry, any problems? >> yes. good morning. unfortunately, we do have one continuing issue here along interstate 66 near route 28 innerville. accident remains left side of the roadway in centerville. blocked, one, two, three lanes getting by to the right with the backup beginning close to manassas now and growing quickly east on 66. also want to tell you, police are still dealing with the accident 28 at sterling boulevard and there are significant delays now associated with that wreck. elsewhere, see how we're doing, drive in along interstate 270 from i-70 down toward montrose road and beyond doing fine. i-70 between baltimore and frederick, uneventful at this hour. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thank you, jerry. metro is under the spotlight again, this time after a train n mistake whileus aen arpp

s.ilak apparently peap l hdnetthasyon m ug it happened last month greeeenbelelt. grmetroo sayays tnbgree tr ayome ts shera l ttotefrhe th es lt th atatju ftss der a a a m m atetetn c comioioro just dsfter a innrfrf faxaxai . news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live from the greenbelt metro station with more now. erayay ell, wrbcr t happppeneded bacack i in june. and since that accident, there have been a number of other disturbing incidents, including one in which a worker was killed and another where a train operator tested positive for drugs. metro has had a difficult year. most recently, on sunday, michael nash, a track repairman with 21 years of experience, was struck and killed by a piece of maintenance equipment. his death the tenth on the system in 2009, coming on the heels of june's deadly collision. and now, word of another disturbing incident. on july 31st, an operator delivered a train from the yard

to the greenbelt station with too many cars, ten instead of eight. a passenger pointed out the mistake. the operator later tested positive for drugs and is now in rehab. >> the operator that was involved in bringing the train from the yard to the greenbelt station platform tested positive for drugs. he is currently in a drug rehabilitation program. and under our policies and procedes here, through our collective bargaining agreements, that employee has the opportunity to take advantage of that. >> reporter: by our count, in 2009, there have been four derailments, sixteen premature door openings, three wrong-side door openings and ten deaths. to put those numbers in context, on an average day, metro runs 1,500 trains and carries 750,000 passengers. so, what do riders think? do they feel safe? >> i feel i'm safe. i mean, i've been traveling this for probably three, four years,

pretty much every day, and i've never had a problem. >> sometimes i do, but sometimes i don't feel safe on the system. >> reporter: still taking it, though? >> yes. i mean, it's too much for me to park downtown in d.c. >> i feel safe. it's convenient and it makes sense to ride the metro. >> reporter: and the operator who tested positive for drugs has been placed on leave and is undergoing that rehabilitation program. barbara, back to you. >> thank you, megan. it's been more than two weeks since a popular acupuncturist was found murdered in fairfax county, and now police say they may hav the suspect on tape. the body of53 -year-old chung ahwas found inside her home-based clinic on hummer road back on july 24th. now police have this surveillance video recorded from a camera at a restaurant next door. it shows a black vehicle pulling up to the clinic and then someone running up the driveway. investigators think the vehicle is a black infinity with a model year ranging from 2003 to 2008.

anyone with information is asked to call police. today, maryland senator ben cardin is hosting another health care town hall meeting, this time in hagerstown. you're looking at the scene earlier this week in towson, where he was greeted by outraged residents. the crowd had to be asked to calm down and at one point police officers stood in front of the stage. president obama is also keeping up his push for health care reform with two more town hall meetings this week in montana and colorado. at a relatively calm town hall meeting in new hampshire yesterday, the president began calling his initiative by a new name. he's calling it insurance reform. he said that those with private insurance will be able to keep it with more protections if they get sick. those without insurance will be able to choose from a number of plans, one of which would be government-run. mr. obama also shot down rumors that his plan calls for the

forced euthanasia of seniors. >> where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no reselance to anything that's actually been proposed. >> about 200 demonstrators showed up outside the meeting. one man came with an unconcealed gun, which is legal in new hampshire. he said he wanted to make a political statement that if you don't exercise your rights, you lose them. a close call for an injured hiker. his dramatic rescue was caught on tape. the 34-year-old broke his ankle while hiking along the shenandoah national park. he was able to call police for help. the mission turned out to be more difficult than expected, though. the hiker was stuck on the side of the mountain. a helicopter crew came to the rescue. >> he looked a little surprised because i came on with my full helmet and my safety vest and gear. he looked a little surprised, but he looked very grateful. >> the hiker was eventually

pulled to safety and was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. eunice kennedy shriver's funeral is scheduled to take place this friday in hyannis, massachusetts. the 88-year-old sister of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy passed away early yesterday morning. inspired by her mentally disabled sister, shriver founded the special olympics in 1968. more than 160 countries now participate in the games she created. our time right now is 6:38. more fallout from a credit card crackdown. how two companies are changing their tune and giving customers a break. and cash for clunkers under the microscope. why buyers could have to wait a little while longer to get a new car. plus, playing the name game. why some say the government hould force bribes q

hey smart, how? well, funny you should ask. you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel,

3 at a boutique, and 5 at a beach resort... and boom! free night. ( dings, monkey chatters ) ( in a baby voice ) aren't you a smart one? ( monkey laughs ) accumulate 10 nights and get a night free. welcomerewards from hotels.com. smart. so smart. inre's today's "news 4 barga

t'soday's "news 4 bargain blast." asbl" y dacan gu a free redoasteru ye a roasted itub sdwich w aithny soft dr k .seha tsit arcobys.m aarbys.com ando eco ano t be an extra member to see a list of participating restaurants. you can get an arby's roasted

chicken club sandwich -- can't you do that most days? >> i would think so. so, what do you get free? >> i don't have any idea. we'll have to check that out. it's 6:41. let's check the weather. we get that free from tom. good morning. >> hi, barbara and joe, good morning. on radar, getting a few sprinkles now just showing up in charles county, and southern prince george's county, drifting to the north and east. a few light sprinkles coming into the shenandoah valley, those, too, heading north and east. we are off to a cloudy start. temperatures reported by weather watchers around the region in the low and mid-70s. it's 75 in washington. and over the last six hours, been watching the cloud cover drifting over us, getting other areas of light rain in western and southwestern virginia. for the rest of the day, mostly cloudy, mid-80s. maybe a passing shower or afternoon thunder shower. and tomorrow, partly sunny, still rather humid, highs mid-80s. could get an afternoon shower or thunder shower. more of the same friday, saturday. sunday, monday and tuesday, partly cloudy, highs in the 80s. slight chance of an afternoon thunder shower each one of those days. a look at the tropics in ten

minutes. jerry is how's the traffic? >> tom, there's good news and bad news along interstate 66. first the good news. the accident, 66 eastbound near 28 completely over the shoulder. the bad news is the jam-up will begin at least in manassas. all lanes are now open, but again, rubbernecking is going to be an issue. and there's a squeeze in the left lane just a bit. elsewhere, headed for downtown along 395 to the 14th street bridge, all the bridges in and outbound right now moving along quite nicely. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks. >> all right, thanks, jerry. what's in a name? just wait until you hear how many people want the government to make sure brides have to take their husband's last names. and tired of the pain at the pump? we'll show you a new car that gets 230 miles to the glon and when it could show up at a car ar you.

just as we promise 100% fresh produce... and rancher's reserve beef, guaranteed tender 100% of the time. at safeway, we now promise something new. something big. a commitment... to thousands of new everyday low prices. so you can get what you want. when you want it. at the price you need. today... and tomorrow. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway.

anger and anxiety, fear and frustration. constituents venting at each other and directly at u.s.

senators in health care town hall meetings across the country. maryland senator benjamin cardin will hold another town hall meeting today on health care reform. already this week the democrat was at towson state university, where the crowd got rowdy. demonstratorsgainst and for government reform confronted each other outside the auditorium and the senator inside. news 4's kimberly suiters joins us with more on what's happening today. people are certainly engaged in this debate, kimberly. >> joe, engaged in near combat, to people are literally shouting down their members of congress. fortunately, no physically violent incidents. for now, it's predominantly a war of words. [ shouting ] >> and i've had it. i have friends in other countries who do not worry about this ever, and i'm sick of it. >> you want it to be more efficient and you want it to be

cheaper, so you want the government to do it? come on. >> i think it added to the process. it was a town hall meeting. people got a chance to ask their questions. i had a chance to answer those questions. i think we got some facts out, which i think is very helpful to the debate. i heard from my constituents. it certainly was noisy. that's their right, but we were able to accomplish what a town hall meeting should. >> that's the senator speaking in normal tones there, but at times, senator ben cardin had to shout his wathrough this town hall at towson university, where constituents booed and jeered as the maryland senator tried to explain health care reform working its way through congress. the crowd had to be asked to calm down to let him finish. cardin said paying for the bill has not yet been worked out, a commen tha prompted even more derision from the audience. some shouted "taxes." others shouted "spend, spend, spend." at one point, four police officers strolled down the aisle at towson university auditorium

and stood in front of the stage just to let everyone know they were there. cardin defended the health bill, saying they would provide more choice and there would be more people, not fewer, with insurance. the senator said he was pleased with the turnout at the meeting and that it was a good exchange. as these town halls are taking place around the country, senators are simply not shying away from taking on their constituents' concerns and riding rumors face to face. senator cardin is back in the pit today at 1:00 at hagerstown community college. joe, now back to you. a full and frank exchange of views, i guess, as they say. >> democracy at work. >> thanks very much, kimberly. the swine flu pandemic has now led to a lawsuit. it's a $40 million wrongful death suit against new york city filed by the family of the first person there to die from the virus. mitchell wiener was a school administrator who died back in may. meanwhile, the president of costa rica is now under quarantine after coming down with the virus. oscar arias is recovering at his home now. he's the first head of state to contract the disease.

the 68-year-old expects to be back at work on monday. well, the fed will be making a decision on interest rates today, and there's word that credit card companies are giving customers a bit of a break. here now is cnbc's courtney reagan with more. good morning, courtney. >> reporter: hi, good morning, joe. right now, futures relatively flat to somewhat mixed as we sort of teeter back and forth over that flat line ahead of the fed decision, which comes this afternoon. the central bank this time is not expected to move on interest rates, but they could decide to end a program to buy billions of dollars in government bonds. one of the moves that has made to help stalize the financial system. so, we'll have to, again, look for clues in the language when that statement does come out this afternoon. asian markets closed lower overnight, somewhat tracking wall street's losses on tuesday. europe is a bit lower as well. we'll get one major economic report today on trade deficit figures as well as hear from department store macy's. they do report their results before the opening bell. the dow's at 9,241 after falling 96 points on tuesday. the nasdaq lost 22 points to

1,969. well, the obama administration is considering making changes to the cash for clunkers program. reports say that consumers would be allowed to use vouchers towards the future purchase of a vehicle. congress requested the change considering the lean supply could slow sales and dampen the impact of the clunkers program. american express and discover are dropping fees for customers who exceed their credit limit. amex currently charges $35. the move comes ahead of new rules that take effect in february. they curb fees and interest rate hikes by card issuers. under those rules, consumers must agree to pay f beefee f ber they can charge more than their credit limit. and microsoft is expected to announce a dee with nokia today to develop a version of its office software for your cell phone or handheld device. it could boost microsoft's office business, which is facing strong competition from three web-based programs. and competition is always good back to you,umer. back joe and barbara. >> courtney, thanks very much.

>> thank you, courtney. >> have a great day. >> reporter: you, too. >> thanks. news 4 is finding jobs for you. gh cni eimare centers in n,croftoe maryland, have aor fn social media marketer. th marketer is responsible for authoring, monitoring and diomoting social media siusscons involving nighttime care centers aus affiliated organization the job requires a orbaelchti's degree in del n and related fields and ain r mim yeth mree- arexperience. for more bsjo, just visit nbcwashington.com and search "jobs for you." well, it's an old question -- what's in a name? for new brides, it turns out, most people say a whole lot. the american social logical association conducted a survey asking people if they think it's important a bride take her husband's last name. 70% say yes. about half of those questioned take it one step further. they say the government should make it a law that brides make that change. 6:51 now is the time. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s.

>> and tom is here now with a look at our forecast. tom? >> yesterday it got to 93, our third day of a three-day heat wave and now it's over, thankfully. and that was our 15th 90-degree day so far this summer of 2009. that's way below the average. it's only about half the number to date that we have on average. and now we have the clouds around this morning. live picture from our city camera. a few tiny little breaks of the cloud core on the eastern horizon. it's 7 n i5own wngasn.hi n right now on radar, where you see the a tas of blue on the screen is where we are getting light rain, shenandoah valley and northern charles county and into southern prince george's county. that area of light rain is heading off to the north and east, and this one here in the shenandoah valley as well sort of heading up the valley toward front royal. may cross the blue ridge and move into our western suburbs in a few hours. temperatures around the region are in the low and mid-70s from the blue ridge to the bay. montgomery, fairfax, prince george's, arlington counties now in the low 70s. and weather watchers reporting quite a bit of humidity in the

air in southern maryland on the eastern shore. weather watchers to our west and north reporting humidity levels not as bad. these are the dew point temperatures. whenever they're in the upper 60s to near 70, that's humid, but it's little drier to our west and north. right now the eastern shore is steamy and so is southeastern virginia and the outer banks, but it's not too bad in the mountains, low 60s there now. and over the last six hours, we've seen a cluster of showers moving off to the north and east, heading out of the southwest, and those will be moving on through here as the day progresses. if you're traveling today, could be flight delays in texas, gulf coast, florida and up the atlantic seaboard. meanwhile, way out in the atlantic, here's the atlantic seaboard. here's washington. we've got this developing tropical storm, perhaps the first one of the season, may become tropical storm ana later on today. right now it's a tropical depression with winds only about gusts to 46 and sustained at about 35. right now it's over 3,000 miles away from ocean city, and the track over the next few days taking it due west, may become a minimal tropical storm later

today, remain that way as we get toward the weekend. and there's a small chance it might become a hurricane by the first part of next week as it heads off to the north and west. for us, we've got this weak front right around our region here that's going to give us a chance of showers later on today as this weak low tralshe on through. and then we'll have highs in the mid-80s. and then overnight tonight mbe a lingering shower. then tomorrow morning, near 70. and dr unde and thunder tn erdahuonriy,rs da fy af ri fdars day and saturday. just a small chance othwise partly sunny each day with h oig in the mid-80s. partly cloudy sunday, monday and tuesday, highs in the 80s. that's the way it looks this morning. >> thank you, tom. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. jerry? >> good morning. and improving news for those of you coming in from the west on 66. earlier accident we showed you at centerville to the shoulder. even the backup is starting to dissipate already this morning, headed downstream a little bit outside of manassas. so, that is good news. elsewhere, let you know we're doing pretty well at the wilson bridge. springfield to 66 on the beltway inner loop, no incidents

blocking it this hour. joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. in its latest move to reinvent itself, gm has unveiled an electric car that boasted unheard of fuel efficiency. the chevy volt gets 230 miles per gallon, more than four times the mileage of the toyota prius hybrid, which is currently the most fuel-efficient car on the road. the volt only uses gasoline to power its electric motor. it can go a total of 300 milesre before it needs to be plugged into the wall. >> since three quarters of americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day, most volt drivers will operate on a daily basis without using a single drop of gas. >> the chevy volt will hit showrooms by late 2010. it's not cheap, though, with a $40,000 price tag. gm hopes the mileage will be worth it for consumers. sales, however, are not expected to help the troubled automaker repay the $50 billion taxpayer bailout it took earlier this year. checking the top stories in the news for today.

more troubles for metro. word that drugs may have caused an operator to make a dangerous mistake. the agency is investigating an incident late last month in which a train was allowed to leave the yard with too many cars. the system can only handle trains with as many as eight cars. the train had ten when it pulled into the greenbelt station. critics of health care reform are getting ready to confront maryland senator ben cardin at a town hall meeting in hagerstown today. it's his second town hall on the topic this week. on monday, opponents booed and jeered the maryland democrat at a similar event in towson. now let's take a look rnis isthmosmorning'sin morningsoer . person. .e e is she .is ynd a veryribed awind a v, inovr rd rk haerwo. she's always there when someone is n ineed. who'sn that someone?rsho nomina michel nehishe their nssuhine. if, kllou. y sno well, if you know someone like e-mail that person's story and a clear, close-up

video or picture to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. and that's "news 4 today." lhank you for starting your >> we hope you'll join us for or "news 4" at midday at 0. :011 roughout the day, sta:0 connected with us. we're on facebook and twitter. wake up with us tomorrow morning. we'll be here at 4:55 a.m. have a terrific day. >> bye. .

since re/max first opened its doors back in 1973, we've helped millions of families buy or sell a home. through good times and bad, including five previous recessions, re/max agents have provided the kind of experience america relies on to get the job done. today, in the worst housing market most of us have ever seen, that experience is more important than ever. find out what re/max can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max.