explosive. a disturbing find inside a postal service mailbox in northeast washington where residents were evacuated from their homes and forced into the streets. >> eagles wings. he was convicted and served time on dogfighting charges. now nfl football star michael vick has a new place to call home. it's friday, august 14th, 2009. let's take a look outside. beautiful morning. it's 73 degrees out there. very pleasant. we ended with a pretty nice night last night, too. let's talk to tom kierein about what we can expect for the rest of this friday. tom?

>> it's a soothing summer mornin and if you are planning to head to the beach for the great foatr her that as well as around the pools for today. r ergreathsuean w oermm the y.wa p cipitatind ouar the w no 72ou. i iw 72 insh ongtwa. near 70 n iherb n tubyeaur sbsn and the rural areas es wr at nd our west and meg.fo path.y fog.gy atth ofoen aetl foen eastern shore. we have dew points in the upper 60s. that's quite humid. temperatures eastern shore near 70. out in the mountains, a cool morning there, only near 60 degrees. off to a partly cloy start this morng and a p cartly cloudy friday on the way with mudodera humidity, highs in the mid-80s. a little hotter on saturday. sunday and monday may reach the low 90s during the afternoon hours. a as we get into next week, d wednesday, highs in the upper 80s andda rather humi. maybe some mid-week thundershowers. that's the way it looks at this hour. i'm back in ten minute was another update. >> all right. thank you, tom. >> thanks very much, tom. >> let's head out to the roads. >> we'll do it that. >> see what jerry says about the commute for this friday morning. any problems so far?

>> we have a bunch of overnight road work. good morning. they're in the process of wrapping that up. let's start this time inside the capital beltway along interstate 66 eastbound and westbound. very quiet. no early hang-ups to report there. elsewhere let you know that traffic at the wilson bridge is quiet. had an accident near naylor road. authorities were still dealing with that. northeast corridor starting off quietly. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thankou very much. >> the battle of the belt ways not much to battle. the redskins fail to score in their first preseason game. they lost to the raiders 3-0. michael vick will be back on the football field soon, as a matter of fact. he agreed to a two-year contract with the redskins rival, the philadelphia eagles. we'll have much more on the vick signing and the redskins' loss >> we're following breaking news right now in southeast washington. that's where police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man. >> it happened on stat ton road

and sulin parkway? >> reporter: you can see behind me here that sulin parkway is closed here in both directions at stanton road. it was a little bit after 3:00 in the morning. police say that a pedestrian, believed to be in his 50s, was walking across suitland parkway at stanton road when he was struck by a car that was speeding westbound on suitland parkway. the victim was hit in the middle of the road, according to police, but his body was thrown quite a distance, giving you an idea of how fast this car was likely going. the driver of that car did not stop. they left the scene. we do have a description of the vehicle and police are looking for help in finding the person who was driving that car. it is described as a small, black or blue ca likely it has headlight windshield or front end damage. it may be missing the passenger side mirror. they have found some glass and other items on the scene that leads them to believe the car

may have damage of that ture. anyone with information about this vehicle and anyone who may have been driving it, you are asked to call police. in terms of the rush hour impact, we just don't know here at this point how long suitland parkway is going to be closed, but right now it is closed in both directions. of course, this is a major commuter route. the medical examiners did come here to the scene just a short time ago so we're believing they're going to move the body here shortly. that will help with them re-opening the road. but at this point, we don't have any hard data in terms of when things will get back to normal, when traffic will be allowed to flow through this area. a deay hit and run here. police are looking for help in looking for the driver responsible. >> megan mcgrath reporting live. thank you very much. >> this morning the search is on for who threw an explosive device inside a mailbox in northeast washington. the blue sidewalk mailbox exploded last night in the 4800 block of meade street northeast.

the explosion sent debris about 60 feet, damaging street lights. no one was hurt, but people were temporarily evacuated from their homes. investigators describe the device as a motor-type of fire work. >> well, the former alexandria police chief is expected in court on driving under the influence charges today. david baker was arrested last month after a crash in arlington. he resigned just days late police say baker's blood alcohol level was 0.19%. that's well above virginia's o more faout aft a judge in charles county, maryland, admits deflating a woman's car tire near the courthouse. robert nalley has resigned as chief administrator of the circuit court. "the washington post" reports that nalley will not step down from the bench, however. the woman says nalley let the air out of her tire because she was parked in his restricted spot. >> you may want to plan some extra time if you plan on taking metro this weekend. track circuit repairs could

cause delays at least a half hour on the orange and red lines. on the red line, the ft. totten station will be out of commission starting at 10:00 tonight. metro will be offering free shuttle bus service between the brookland, ft. totten and takoma stations to he. >> this morning we're getting a look at some dramatic new video of that midair crash over the hudson river. we need to warn you that this is difficult to watch. but let's take a look at it. nbc news has obtained videotape recorded by an italian tourist. the tourist zooms in on the sight-seeing helicopter and then the plane enters the picture, appears to hit the chopper from the right and from behind. here it comes. there's the impact. investigators -- both aircraft then fall into the river. investigators are hoping this video will provide some crucial clues to help them figure out how the two experienced pilots could have crashed into each other on a clear day. >> the key here is that whatever took place in the cockpit of

that piper aircraft was enough to distract the pilot and not allow him to see the helicopter as he intercepted its flight path. >> all nine people onboard both the chopper and the plane were killed. the faa is now looking into the possibility the air traffic controller who was watching the plane may have been on the tell phone at the time of the crash. they say they have no reason to believe, though, that that contributed to the accident. >> we're following a developing story in california. that's where a growing wildfire has forced thousands of people from their homes. about 2,400 people have fled if the fire in santa cruz county. it started wednesday evening and has grown to four square miles. no reports of any injuries or property damage so far. >> a maryland man who preyed on elderly women goes before a jue and learns his fate. >> plus, a possible twists not the saga of former presidential candidate john edwards and his mistress. rmer mistress. >> olympic gold medal swimmer

michael phelps involved in an automobile accident in baltimore.

beautiful start to this morning at 72 degrees out there. looks like we've got a plan net the sky above us. i'll ask tom which one that is. we expect the a pretty nice day, i think. let's see what he has to say. tom? >> what planet is that, tom? >> not planet hollywood. that is venus gleaming brilliantly in the eastern sky this morning. we've got the last quarter of the moon now in the southern sky and jupiter's there as well. and other areas have a partly cloudy start, but it's mostly clear right over washington now. 72 in washington. temperatures in nearby suburbs upper 60s to near 70. we did have a little patchy fog in some of the rural areas this morning and we'll have a few clouds around. temperatures with the dew points is feeling rather humid. the dew points are in the mid and upper 60s. that's moderate humidity. over the last six hours we've

had a few showers on the eastern shore. those have pretty much dissipated. there's one shower just now crossing the lower bay. by later on today, highs in the mid-80s, moderate humidity, partly cloudy. a slight chance of an isolated thundershower. highs in the upper 80s and partly cloudy tomorrow. just moderate humidity through the rest of the weekend, into sunday and monday. hotter sunday and monday, highs perhaps into the low 90s. tuesday, upper 80s and getting more humid again next week. maybe some mid-week thundershowers. now let's check traffic. jerry, good morning. how's the friday commute? >> good morning. out on the interstates doing pretty well. good morning, everyone. the i-270 spur, had a little congestion because of the overnight road work coming down the spur onto the outer loop toward river road. that should be wrapped up. northbound spur very light volume of traffic if you happen to be headed that direction. elsewhere making the trip into southeast this morning, reminder, suit land parkway at stanton road, that serious accident still under investigation. so far, so good on the beltway. inr loop leaving springfield up toward 66 and all the way toward tysons corner.

barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thanks very much, jerry. our time now is 5:12, 72 degrees out there. michael vick has a new place to call home. plus the battle for health care reform is heating upere at home and across the nation. next at 5:15 a.m., how the president is now responding to silence his critics.

investigators in northeast washington are trying to figure out who blew up a mailbox. they say the mailbox in the 4800 block of meade street northeast exploded around 10:00 last night. firefighters say debris from the blast landed several dozen feet away. >> alexandria's former police chief is due in court today. david baker has a pretrial hearing in connection with his dui arrest last month. he was arrested after he was involved in an accident in arlington. police say his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. he stepped down as police chief three days later. >> a wildfire's forced more than 2,000 californians from their homes. the fire's burning near santa cruz in northern california. officials say the fire's already burned more than 2,500 acres and is still spreading. they say no homes have burned yet. >> president obama is heading west to promote his plan to overhaul the nation's health care system.

he's expected to hold a town hall meeting today in montana. brooke hart has the latest. >> reporter: president obama heads west today on a health care reform rescue mission. >> fascist pig. >> let the record show the man left on his own. >> reporter: after a week of town hall flare-ups, one poll shows his efforts in troubling. >> rationing happens now. >> reporter: 34% of americans tell "usa today" they're now more sympathetic to protesters. 21% say less so. newt gingrich wants more town halls. protesters claim the president is pushing everything from abortion to euthanasia in his reform plan. >> one of the reasons we've pushed back is because of those misconceptions. >> reporter: starting today, a coalition of reform allies raises the stakes in a new ad. >> what does health insurance reform really mean? >> reporter: the ads paid for by drugmakers, the biggest doctor and hospital groups in the country, teaming up with a major

union to back the president. >> it means you can't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition or dropped if you get sick. it means putting health care decisions in the hands of you and your doct. >> reporter: the campaign is a counter punch to critics at town halls getting saturation coverage during congress' break. the ad targets a dozen states, including montana and colorado. that's where the president next makes his case for health care change. clearly behind where he thought he'd be in getting reform passed. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> gallup tracking polls from january through june indicate that of ten of the states where the president's approval rating was lowest, five are in the mountain west. president obama plans to visit two of those states this weekend. >> well, cash for clunkers may be just what the doctor ordered for the automobile industry, but the rest of the economy might still be in critical condition. automobile sales were up 2.4% last month, but the overall retail sector was actually down

0.1 of a percent. analysts say the car sales may affect the rest of the economy because the new car payments may keep consumers from buying other items. foreclosures also shot up 7% last month, and that trend may carry into the future. >> since there's typically the three to six-month lag time between when somebody loses a job and goes into foreclosure, we can expect to see foreclosure activity, unemployment-related, go well through 2010. >> some economists also warn with unemployment expected to hit double digit business the end of the year, consumers may not be able to support an economic recovery by themselves. >> today, eunice kennedy shriver will be laid to rest. a prite funeral mass is set for 10:00 this morning in massachusetts. shriver died tuesday morning at the age of 88. she was the founder of the special olympics and hundreds of mourners turned out for a memorial service yesterday. >> my name is danny harrington, and i'm here to say thank you for mrs. shriver for doing

special olympics. >> she stand tall for all of us and loved us. >> vice president biden is expected to be on hand for shriver's funeral today. >> well, it was only the first game of the preseason but it is certainly not the start that redskins' fans had hoped for. >> they traveled down i-95 and got shut out by the ravens. hakem dermish has more on the loss in this morning's sports minute. >> good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with the redskins' preseason opener. last night in baltimore, the skins' offense failed to get anything going. jason campbell played just two series, completing three of six passes for 38 yards. meanwhile, rayens' backup quarterback troy smith threw a touchdown. next week, the redskins host the steelers on saturday night. big news. michael vick signed a two-year deal with the eagles last night.

the first year of the contract is worth $1.6 million with an option for the second year. vick can immediately take part in practices and can play in the final two preseason games. commission roger goodell said he would consider vick for full reinn statement by week six. in baseball, nats on the road against the reds last night. cincinnati's jonny gomes hit three home runs and the reds shut out the nats 7-0. the nats have lost three in a row afterinhtngftig eig straight. that's your srt snumite i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> here's a picture snapped at the scene of a head on crash involving michael phelps. it happened last night. phelps and his two peaks were okay. they were in the swimmer's cadillac escalade. the other woman driving the car involved went to the hospital as a precaution. police did not issue any tickets at the scene. >> 5:21 is the time now. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's check in with tom kierein in storm center 4.

hey, tom. >> good morning. great beach and pool weather on tap here for today and into the weeken we're starting off with some low clouds around the region, some patchy fog. right now on radar getting a couple showers here in the northern neck of virginia and the lower part of the bay. those are slowly drifting off to the north and east and elsewhere we don't have any precipitation this morning. we do have a little patchy fog, though, farther to our west and north as well as down through central virginia and a few locations where temperatures are in the mid-60s. near 70 in washington, the nearby suburbs with dew points in the upper 60s. that's moderate humidity. low cloudiness and patchy fog, we have mostly clear sky. for the rest of the day, partly cloudy, highs mid-80s. just a moderate humidity in the air. that's going to be the story through the weekend, although a bit hotter each day. by mid-week next week, maybe some thundershowers around. now let's check traffic on this friday morning. how's it looking, jerry? >> looking pretty good. good morning, everyone capital beltway traveling traveling between i-66 and springfield

interchange, no worries. both directions looking all right so far. southeast corridors, with the exception of suitland parkway, which is still blocked off because of the serious crash, everything else looks okay. 295 is a viable alternative as is south capitol street with lanes open. back to you. >> fears of a swine flu outbreak continue after another local person dies from that disease. plus, the shocking announcement expected by the former presidential candidate john edwards regarding the child of his former mistress. >> then, what investigators are learning about the drugs that may be linked to the death pop star michael jacf p star michael jacksp

north carolina tv station is reporting that former senator john edwards will change his story and admit today that he is the father of a child born to his former mistress. last year, edwards acknowledged he had an affair with a woman named rielle hunter. until now, he has denied that he is the father of her 18-month-old daughter. but they are currently investigating whether edwards used campaign money to keep quiet about that affair. >> investigators working on the michael jackson case are now confirming a powerful anesthetic that may have killed the pop star came from a nevada pharmacy. that pharmacy was searched earlier this week by law enforcement. jackson's doctor apparently bought the propofol on may 12th.

dr. conrad murray reportedly told investigators he gave jackson the drug hours before the entertainer's death. >> breaking news right now. a deadly hit-and-run investigation in the district. we are live on the scene. >> plus, an explosive find inside a postal mailbox sends residents of a local neighborhood into e streets in panic. >> then the terrifying moments of that deadly midair crash over the hudson river caught on videotape.

explosive. a disturbing find inside a postal service mailbox in northeast washington. why residents were evacuated from their homes and forced out into the streets. >> eagles wings. he was convicted and serred time on dogfighting charges. now nfl football star michael vick has a new place to call home. >> collision course.

the terrifying momen that led up to the deadly midair crash over the hudson river. good morning. good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison on this 14th day of august 2009. let's take a look outside. it's beautiful, still as dark as it was the last time we looked, a half hour ago but it's going to be a really nice day, i think. we'll talk to tom kierein about that. tom, good morning. >> good morning, barbara and joe. sunrise is at 6:21. we may not see much sun this morning. we've had some low clouds forming in the last half hour or so. some patchy fog as well. on radar got a few showers in the northern neck of virginia and the lower part of the bay. elsewhere, we don't have any precipitation, but we do have some patchy fog, especially through central virginia and in a few isolated locations in the rural areas around the region where temperatures are right around 70 degrees. it's 72 in washington, 60 shenandoah valley out in the mountains, near 70 on the eastern shore. more humid there.

these are the dew points, as well as in southern virginia and southeastern virginia. and over the next several hours we'll have just a few of those showers passing through the lower part of the eastern shore. partly cloudy today, highs mid-80s. upper 80s tomorrow. moderate humidity through the weekend. hotter sunday and mondayit wh more sunshine. a look into next week in ten minutes. barbara and joe? >> there's jerry. any problems on the roads? >> unfortunately, we do have a problem on i-66. good morning, everyone. 66 westbound, westbound 66 between 7100 and 28 an accident. police are on the scene. they just moved it to either shoulder so anticipate a little bit of a delay. eastbound traffic was a bit slow due to rubber necking. elsewhere south of town to the wilson bridge we're okay. 270 off to a quiet start. back to you. >> jerry, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> well, the redskins are shut out in the battle of the beltways. the starters played only two series in the teams' first preseason game. they got a few first downs but did not get near the end zone. the ravens did, though.

they win this one 23-0. there's a touchdown pass from the ravens. >> the redskins could end up facing michael vick this season. he's agreed to a two-year contract with nfc east rival the philadelphia eagles. vick can start practicing with the team right away. eagles' coach andy reed says he thinks vick is on the right path and deserving a second chance. >> we are following breaking news out of southeast washington this morning. that is where police are still looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man. >> it happened on stanton road and suitland parkway. that's where news 4's megan mcgrad joins us live with a new development that commuters need to know. good morning, megan. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. commuters who use the suitland parkway, you are okay to use it this morning. they have removed all the cones. the victim has been removed from the scene. and suitland parkway is open in both directions. now it had been closed for a

time -- for several hours, actually, police investigated this deadly hit-and-run accident. now, this happened a little after 3:00 this morning. police say that a pedestrian, believed to be in about -- somewhere in his 50s was walking across suitland parkway at stanton road when he was struck by a car that was speeding west. the victim was hit in the middle of the road but his body was thrown quite a distance, giving police an idea of just how fast this car was traveling. now, the driver did not stop. police are looking for the person who was behind t wheel. now, we do have a description of a car. it is described as a small, black or blue vehicle. it likely has headlight and front end damage. it may also be missing a passenger side mirror. they found some shattered glass and a mirror here on the scene. they believe that that belongs to the vehicle involved in this hit and run so they're asking people to be on the lookout for any kind of a dark car, either black or blue, that has damage of this nature. they had closed the road down for a while, had closed suitland

parkway for several hours, but they have re-opened everything at this point. it should not have an impact on traffic. we do not know who the victim is in this case. they have not yet identified the person who was struck but they did die here on the scene. back to you all in the studio. >> megan mcgrath, thanks very much. a hyattsville man who preyed on elderly women is going to prison for the rest of his life. a judge sentenced jose garcia-perlera to life without the possibility of parole. back in 2007 he carried out a series of violent home invasions in montgomery county, targeting elderly women who lived alone. he tied them up before robbing them. some of those women went to yesterday's sentencing. >> the only thing that -- aside from the death penalty, which would make me happy. >> anything less would have put us all at jeopardy and other people, too, because he's the kind of an individual -- if he

had gotten out, i feel certain that he would have come back on us for retaliation. >> one victim did not live to testify. prosecutors say that garcia-perlera beat 63-year-old mary havenstein to death in her bethesda home last september. >> nbc news has obtained new video of that midair crash over the hudson, and unsuspecting tourist captured the moment of impact. some of you may find this difficult to watch, but investigators say it could help them understand what happened. nbc's kristen dahlgren reports. >> reporter: as an i tellan tourist on a boat in the hudson practices using his new camera he zooms in on the sight-seeing helicopter. inadvertently capturing its final ments. the small plane appears to hit from behind, sending pieces of debris flying as the two aircraft plunge into the rir, just a few seconds but perhaps just what investigators need to figure out how two experienced pilots could haverashed on such a beautiful, clear day.

>> the key here is that whatever took place in the cockpit of that piper aircraft was enough to distract the pilot and not allow him to see the helicopter as he intercepted its flight path. >> reporter: slowed-down frame by frame, the images appear to show the single engine piper in a slow turn before clipping the helicopter's rotors. the video then shows the aftermath as boats race to the area, finding no survivors. nine people were killed, including five italian tourists. their coffins returned home to italy on thursday. a tragic end that has lef many questioning the safety of that busy flight corridor along new york's hudson river. that as late thursday the faa announced the controller in charge of the piper flight was apparently involved in inappropriate phone conversations at the time of the accident and that the supervisor wasn't present in the building. while the faa says there is no reason to believe that contributed to the crash, both have been put on administrative leave as the investigation

continues. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> the union for the air traffic controllers has released a statement. they say they want any allegations against their members to be fully investigated before there is a rush to judgment. >> we are following a developing story out of california. that's where a growing wildfire has forced thousands of people from their homes. about 2,400 people have fled the fire in santa cruz county. it began wednesday evening. it has grown to more than four square miles. there have been no reports of injuries or property damage. what a local school district is now saying about what will happen if there is a swine flu outbreak. >> plus, a local facility where two tennis superstars have taught gets an eviction notice. >> and the dangerous -- the dangerous attack on a group of local students. w

good morning. weather and traffic on the 1s. it's 5:41 now. moderate humidity in the air, a few low clouds and patchy fog around. 72 in washington a bit cooler to our west and north. we have a few showers northern neck of virginia and the lower part of the bay and the lower eastern shore this morning. as the day progresses, partly cloudy, moderate humidity, highs in the mid-80s. more of the same tomorrow though a little bit warmer. a slight chance of an isolated thundershower this afternoon. sunday and monday a little bit hotter, highs low 90s and moetsly sunny. by mid-week next week could get some passing thundershowers. your bay and beach forecast enn tcong up inen minutes at 5:51. jerry, grnlg. how's the friday commute? >> yet another problem along interstate 66, this one also westbound. westbound 66 near route 123, accident right side of the roadway tied up so leaving the beltway toward vienna headed toward fair oaks, heads-up for that. eastbound, no problems. elsewhere, top side of the beltway from greenbelt to silver spring doing fine. and very quiet start over at the

bay bridge at this hour. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thank you very much, jerry. 5:42, 72 degrees. just in time for back to school, why textbooks got a whole lot cheaper. >> plus, an olympic gold medalist involved in a car crash. what happened last night on th me

still no word this morning on who blew up a blue curbside mailbox last night in northeast washington. investigators say the mailbox in the 4800 block of meade street northeast exploded around 10:00 last night. firefighters moved some residents near the blast away from the scene as they investigated. >> well, the redskins season got off to a bit of a sour note last night. they lost to the ravens in their first preseason game 23-0 up in baltimore. keep in mind, though, this was

just an exhibition game. many of the skins' regulars got little or no playing time. they do make their home preseason debut one week from saturday against the super bowl champion pittsburgh steelers. michael vick has a new team. the philadelphia eagles signed the former falcons quarterback to a new two-year contract. vick has not played in the nfl since 2006 and recently, of course, got out of prison for his part in a dogfighting ring. the eagles, of course, are in the sale division as the redskins which means that vick could face the burgundy and gold perhaps twice this season. >> police in fairfax county are looking for a driver who got away from them during a police chase yesterday. an officer on a motorcycle w trying to pull over this pickup truck in the clifton area. the truck got away. a little while later, the officer found it wrecked. the driver had taken off on foot, presumably. police called in a helicopter to try to find him, but they could not. and deputies in loudoun county are looking for this guy. he very calmly robbed a

convenience store, pulling a gun on the clerk. this happened at the luckettes mini part on james monroe highway. the clerk handed over the money and the guy takes off. if you think you recognize him, give the loudoun county sheriff's office a call. here's a picture. let's take a look at it, snapped at the scene of a head-on crash. we don't have the picture but i will tell you about it. it involved michael phelps, the swimmer. phelps and his two passengers are okay this morning after this crash. they were in the swimmer's cadillac escalade. the woman driving the other car involved went to the hospital as a precaution. police did not issue any tickets at the scene. >> a local facility where venus and serena williams have taught children tennis could be forced to close its doors. the southeast tennis and learning center on mississippi avenue in southeast washington got an eviction notice. jackie bensen has more on its fightoop sy taen. >> reporter: the eviction notice was served at the tennis and learning center in the 700 block of mississippi avenue southeast. it states the founding

organization, the recreation wish list committee, has 30 days to vacate the building. >> i'm hurt. >> reporter: the notice so upset founder cora masters berry she choked back tears as she spoke about creating the facility for a public/private partnership ten years ago. >> this is my reason for living. this is my mission. this is the best job anybody could ever have, doing things for kids. we've done a wonderful job of it. >> reporter: masters berry is married to but separated from marion berry. he joined d.c. mayor adrian fenty at a basketball court dedication. >> cora masters barry is an amazing contributor to the city and i am sure that this is probably just some legal or technical issue that will be resolved quickly. >> reporter: fenty referred questions to d.c. attorney general peter nichols. he told news 4 the eviction notice stemmed from the fact that masters-berry's charitable

organization does not have a current corporate status. she claims it does and noticed if there was a question it could have been resolved short of an eviction notice. >> no one called. the lease says if there's a problem, tell us. no one called. >> reporter:ennis center kids and their parents just hope everything here stays the same. >> i really like it here. we have fun playing here. we play different games, and we learn the different moves of tennis. >> reporter: in 2008, cora masters berry was inducted into the mid-atlantic tennis and education hall of fame for helping to build this facility. in southeast washington, jackie bensen, news 4. >> cora masters-berry says her attorn organization's attorney is looking for a way to appeal. >> the swine flu has claimed another life in maryland. the state department of health says an adult from the washington area has died. the person reportedly had an underlying medical condition, though. this is the sixth swine flu death in maryland and health officials fear that number could climb higher. they're urging people to get the

swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. that could be in early october. it will take more than an outbreak of swine flu to close fairfax county schools. school officials say they're taking steps they hope will prevent the spread of the illness. they say they need help from others, though. they want parents to teach their kids to wash their hands often, not share drinks or and with their friends and cover up coughs or sneezes. they also want parents to keep their kids home when they're sick. >> two dozen students in northwest washington are recovering this morning after being stung by wasps. firefighters say the two different groups of students were stung. first eight girls from a virginia private school were stung around noon. then 16 students were stung later in the day. 18 students were taken to the hospital as a precaution, but we're told their injuries are not serious and that no one suffered any allergic reactions to the stings. >> and tom joins us now to talk about the weather out there.

folks -- a lot of folks outside. with bees out there, want to be out in the beautiful weather. >> we have to share the air with everybody. insects and everything as we get going this morning the air is rather thick with some humid it, enough to cause some patchy fog to form. around our region we have some pleasant temperatures, though, as we start off this morning. about 30 minutes away from sunrise. sunrise at 6:21. there is the washington monument under a partly to mostly cloudy sky now. there is some patchy, dense fog farther to our west and down through central virginia. 72 at reagan y national. just to the right doriver. norecipitation here. wever, there is some light shower and some moderate shower activity in the northern neck where temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s. weather watchers reporting there. weather watchers in southern maryland, charles, calvert, st. mary's reporting temperatures in the low 70s. it's near 70 in montgomery as well as prince george's coun.

farther to our west, temperatures in the 60s. these are the latest visibilities. it was down to about a mile in culpepper just last hour but ed. shenandoah valley, visibilities have dropped to half a mile. visibility in washington is at ten miles. down around springfield and ft. bell voer, quantico, the visibilities there diminished. upper 60s on the eastern shore where they've got more humidity. these are the dew points. dew points upper 60s to near 70 around washington points south and east. a very steamy due point in norfolk at 73 there now. we do have a few of these showers that have popped up in the last hour in the lower eastern shore, around the northern neck. those are slowly drifting off to the south and east. elsewhere we have a little bit of low cloudiness around. traveling today, maybe some flight delays around the rockies as well as the gulf coast and northern florida and perhaps up through the southern mid-atlantic states. and around the great lakes. elsewhere, though, the weather is settled. we have this stalled front just off the coast.

that's going to be lingering here throughout the day today, maybe the focal point, a greater chance of some thundershowers there. but we have this high pressure area moving in from the mwest that will be slowly drifting over us over the weekend so that should diminish any chances of rain. is od t we'll have our an isolated todhe m0id-80s. thundershower mainly south and east of washington. otrwarise, p ctlyloudy with modeteit hidndum ay a then mostly0shear 7hrou tghbel tn0s evening, maybe a little patchy fog around, low clouds tomrow ing. re's your bayec yor fast for saturday and ndoray. saturday's highs in the m-8.0s. sunday's upper 80s to near 90.f mghbe enough to get the mg bo ilmosas atving a little bit. ththt ea a b oeeschatn ss urday should be w c crleitanr east wind. variable wind on sunday, should warm it up with quite a bit of sunshine into the mid and upper 80s. around our region for saturday, highs in the upper 80s. low 90s on sunday and monday, moderate humidity with more sunshine and remaining rather hot and rather steamy aseou wet into next week. ekmiweldd-ou c getou some passi

thundershowers. the montgomery county fai opens today, theromaf o corn dogs and cotton candy and cows will be in the air. which do you prefer? >> i don't know. joe, what do you say? >> smell that dairy air. >> nice thought, joe. jerry, which do you prefer? >> i'm speechless. i don't know. joe waits every year to use that joke. this time of year, once a year. >> county fairground. >> so worth it. let's see how we are doing. the trip along interstate 66, this is inbound as we make the trip toward the capital beltway. really loaded up. the problem is the accident westbound 66 at 28, inbound folks looking over and saying, oh, there's flashing lights there. inbound your lanes are open. elsewhere, south of town to the wilson bridge, we're okay. top side, no worries. college park toward silver spring or bethesda. traveling the inner loop of the beltway at this hour as you make

the trip from springfield toward an undale, we are okay. northeast corridors, new york avenue and kenilworth avenue, no worries. coming off the baltimore-washington parkway route 50 with the travel lanes open. i-95 between baltimore and washington looking good. if you're going down the ocean, ying to squeeze in one more nice, long weekend over the bay bridge, no worries. back to you. >> thanks very much. >> thank you, jerry. >> this weekend marks the 40th anniversary of woodstock. that iconic three-day ftival that celebrated peace, love and music and mud, rain, drugs and sex. it became a defining moment of a generation and a decade when the company -- when the country was grappling with the vietnam war, three assassinations and the civil rights movement. music lovers flocked to bethel, new york, for the festival. this weekd, many who attended the original festival will visit again to relive those memories. perhaps not in exactly the same way. >> textbooks may have just gotten a whole lot cheaper for

many college students. the publisher sengauge learning will start renting textbooks to students at 40% less than retail prices. that means students won't have to pay the full price that books usually charge because they will usually need it for one semester. initially, several hundred titles will be offered. student whose rent the book will have immediate access to the online chapter while the book is shipped out. hundreds of other college book stores are also running trial rental programs. >> consumer groups are warning about questionable deals being offered under the cash for clunkers program. the gros say that some car dealerships are making buyers sign paperwork that forces them to repay their clunker rebates if something goes wrong. right now dealerships have to front thousands of dollars for the rebates before being reimbursed by the government days or weeks later. dealerships say they're worried about being reimbursed but

consumer groups say it's unfair for dealers to pass along the risk to consumers.

breaking news. police are on the scene of a deadly hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on a major commuter route into the district. >> michael vick has landed. this morning he has a brand new team. as one of the redskins' nfc east rivals. >> neighborhood rocked. a late-night explosion in d.c. forces many families out of their homes. good morning. thanks for waking up with us this morning for "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs on this friday, the 14th day of august, 2009. let's take a look outside. sunlight already upon us.

72 degrees. looks like we might even have some clearing skies up there. let's get the latest now from meteorologist tom kierein. >> i think we've got a real pleasant start to the day. >> looks like a nice holiday weekend if you have the holiday, if you have s vniointa starting up today, congratulations. you upcked aoodyo time for i t be gusvee'oteomot s great su w geaththoiertor f i for n overestor shndnd aouhear thstshst orornd aaround the wer foe heerndd rre g tea wer there for the ekenwed. ght now on radar, no atioecre at around the northern neck in the lower part of the bay. rew let's take a look at e cast for today. partly cloudy. 'lghrinow we're in the low 70s.h l hwe the mid-80s by mid-afternoon and moderate huld . slht chance of an isolated thundershower, a little bit saturday. still not too humid.er moderate humidity. highs in the uer0pp 8 8s. mostly sunny and a bit h hter on sunday and monday, m oorning lo near 70. afternoon highs in the low 90s. a look into next week, that will be coming up in ten minutes at 6:11. >> great. thanks, tom. >> thanks very much. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network.

jerry, any signs of folks getting out of town? >> not yet, but i see a lot of folks headed in to work apparently or maybe getting out of town. 270 southbound already picking up a fair amount of volume at this hour as you head south to rockville on down toward the split. this is near the interchange of falls road. the good news is no incidents to report. lanes are open, but a lot of heavy traffic early for a friday. hmm. elsewhere, we'll check things out. downtown, 395 inbound to the 14th street bridge moving along quite nicely. headed outbound 14th street is looking good as well. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. >> we are following breaking news in southeast washington right now. that's where police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man. it happened on stanton road and suitland parkway. that's where megan mcgrath joins us live with the latest. good morning, megan. >> reporter: good morning. suitland parkway was closed in both directions for several hours whileolice investigated. they have re-opened suitland parkway, though, at this point so it's not a problem for

commuters this morning. but police are still looking for the driver who struc this pedestrian, killing this person and then fled the scene. this all happened a little bit after 3:00 this morning. according to police, a pedestrian believed to be in his 50s was walking across suitland parkway at stanton road when he was struck by a car that was speeding westbound on the suitland parkway. was heading inbound at the time. now, the victim was hit, they believe, in the middle of the road but his body was thrown quite a distance so police believe that this car was traveling at a very high rate of speed. the driver of the car did not stop, and police are looking for that individual. now, we do have a description of the car that was involved. it's described as a small black or bluehi vee.70cl it likely has headlight, front end d perhaps windshield mada. also, the car may bema missing en sssipar gede mirror. they fou a mirrorr her on the sce. eltheyththeyf ieat it may belon to tf eh vicle that was involved in this hit-and-run accident.

no word on the identity of the peon who was killed in this incident. all they will say is that it's an adult male. they believe roughly in their 50s. but again, the road has been re-opened, but police are looking for the driver of that car. anne with information you're asked to call police. barbara, back to you. >> thank you, megan. >> well, big news out of the nfl this morning. michael vick has a new home in philadelphia. he has agreed to a two-year contract with the philadelphia eagles to be the backup starting quarterback to -- backup to starting quarterback donovan mcnabb. vick has not played in the nfl since 2006 and recently got out of prison for his part in a dogfighting ring. the eagles are in the same division as the redskins, of course, which means vick could face the burgundy and gold twice a season. the redskins are not having a very good morning. they got shut out in the battle of the belt ways. the starters played only two series in this, the teams' first preseason game. the ravens won this game 23-0. much more ahead in sports.

>> swimming star michael phelps in a near vadhe-on crash in e.im here's a picture snapped at the scene. it happened last night. phelps and his two passengers are okay. they were in the swimmer's cadillac escalade. the woman driving the other car involved went to the hospital as a precaution. police did not issue any tickets at the scene. and this morning the search is on for who threw an explosive device inside a m bl. e idth skueewal the blue sidewalkedodplai ltigat last night in the 4800 block of meade street northeast. the explosion sent debris about 60 feet, damaging street lights. no one was hurt, but people were temporarily evacuated from their homes. investigators describe the device as a mortar type fire work. >> new tooufa atllfter fallout r a judge in charles county, maryland, admits to dedplating a woman's car tire near the courthouse. robert nalley, seen here, has resigned now as the chief administrator of the circuit

court. "the washington post" reports that nalley will not step down from the bench, however. the woman say that nalley let the air out of her tire because she parked in his restricted parking spot. >> the former alexandria police chief is expected in court on dui charges today. david baker was arrested last month after a crash in arlington. he resigned days later. police say baker's blood alcohol level was 0.19%. that's well above virginia's legal limit of 0.08%. >> well, this morning we're getting a look at dramatic new video of that midair crash over the hudson river. we need to warn you, tugh, that it is difficult to watch. nbc news obtained this videotape recorded by an italian tourist. he zooms in on the sight-seeing helicopter. then the plane enters the picture, appearing to hit the chopper from the right and from behind. pieces of both aircraft fall into the river. investigators are hoping this video might provide some crucial cls to help them figure out how two experienced pilots could have run into each other on a

perfectly clear day. nine people were killed in this crash. >> expect slow going on metro trains this weekend. metro will be doing repairs on the orange and red lines. track circuit repairs could cause delays of at least a half hour on. on theed line,he ft. totten station will be out of commission starting at 10:00 tonight. metro will be offering free shuttle bus service between the brookland, ft. totten and takoma stations to help. president obama will hold a town hall meeting on health care today. find out what he'll be focusing on. a local tennis center used by venus and serena wliams is in danger of closing ite its doors. fo fthr ire,sts. the

our time right now is :10, 72 degrees. beautiful pick did you of daub here in the nation's capital.

sun on its way up and a bug on the lens. couldn't be better. good morning. welcome back to "news 4 today." >> welcome back, everyone. let's check in with tom kierein now to find out about our weekend weather. tom, good morning. >> a rather steamy umrmer morning. temperatures around the region in the low 70s in washington, right near the bay. weather watchers checking in with temperatures in the 60s in the rural areas of maryland and virginia where there's patchy fog. highs today should reach the mid-80s, partly cloudy. and this patchy fog we have around this morning will be dissipating the next couple of hours. we'll have a slight chance of an isolated thundershower this afternoon. tomorrow a little bit hotter and partly cloudy and just moderate humidity. and sunday and monday, highs low 90s, mostly sunny with moderate humidity. by mid-week next week could get some passing thundershowers. now, the traffic for friday, how's it looking at this hour, jerry? >> tom, looking pretty good. good morning, everyone. start south of town on the wilson bridge between alexandria and oxon hill, traffic moving nicely.

no hang-ups. any overnight road work on the shore lines has been wrapped up. check your speeds. traveling the beltway from i-95 by way of the inner loop toward i-66, 8 minutes. i-66 to the american legion bridge, only 7 minutes. and from the american legion bridge to i-95, college park, 19 minute sews far this morning. back to you. >> thank you very much. we're learning more about the michael jackson death investigation and just what killed the pop star. president obama heads west today to hold another town hall meeting. why he'll be facing crt. >>gh crowd yet. d

dramatic new images of last weekend's midair collision over the hudson. nbc news obtained this tape-recorded by an italian tourist. he zooms in on the sight-seeing helicopter. then the plane enters the picture, appearing to hit the chopper from the right and behind. pieces of both aircraft then

fall below to the river. investigators are hoping the video will provide crucial clues to help them figure out how two experienced pilots could have crashed into each other on a clear day. there's still no word this morning on who blew up a blue curbside mailbox last night in northeast washington. investigators say the mailbox in the 4800 block of meade street northeast exploded around 10:00 lastight n. n > as >l chd psphaeel and michael phelpsccent last >> tht. phelps and his two passengers are okay this morning. they were the in the simmer's cadillac escalade. the woman driving the other car went to the hospital as a precaution. police did not issue any ticket tests scene. >> president obama embarks on a final public relations push today on health care before he takes his own august break. he'll hold a town hall meeting in montana. brooke hart is live on cll now with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is part of the country that

is typically skeptical of washington. montana state democrats are trying to rally supporters to today's town hall, bracing for what could be major opposition to the president's message. president obama heads west today on a health care reform rescue mission. >> fascist pig. >> let the record show the man left on his own. >> reporter: after a week of town hall flare-ups, one poll shows his efforts in trouble. >> rationing happens now. >> reporter: 34% of americans tell "usa today" they're now more sympathetic to protesters. 21% say less so. former gop house speaker newt gingrich wants more town halls. protesters claim the president is pushing everything from abortion to euthanasia in his reform plan. >> one of the reasons we've pushed back is because of those misconceptions. >> reporter: starting today, a coalition of reform allies raises the stakes in a new ad. >> what does health insurance reform really mean? >> reporter: the ads paid for by drugmakers, the biggest doctor

and hospital groups in the country, teaming up with a major union to back the president. >> it means you can't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition or dropped if you get sick. it means putting health care decisions in the hands of you and your doctor. >> reporter: the campaign is a counter-punch to critics at town halls getting saturation coverage during congress' break. at least one group rallying protesters, freedom works, calls the ad proof of a, quote, love affair between big business and big government, looking for profits and control, they say, but not better care. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >> thanks very much. barbara? >> today, eunice kennedy shriver will be laid to rest. a private funeral mass is set for 10:00 this morning in massachusetts. shriver died tuesday morning at the age of 88. she was the founder of the special olympics. hundreds of mourners turned out for a memorial servi yesterday. >> my name's danny harrington, and i'm here to say thank you

for mrs. shriver for doing special olympics. >> she stands tall for all of us and loved us. >> vice president biden is expected to be on hand for shriver's funeral today. >> one southeast washington tennis facility is fighting to stay open this morning. venus and serena williams once taught children how to play at the southeast tennis and learning center on mississippi avenue. but that center received an eviction notice yesterday. the notice claims that the nggatiza tononhe lt dcommittee, s so0ay t ds to vacate the premises. cora masters barry is the facility's founder. pete are nichols says the organization does not have a current corporate status. she claims that it does. >> a dmv center in the district is closing for good today. as of 6:00 this evening, the brentwood service center will shut down. it's located on brentwood road

in northeast washington. dmv officials remind city residents there are three other locations that will remain open and many things can be done online. >> well, one thing we learned from last night's redskins preseason game is that the redskins need, well, more practice. hakem dermish has your sports minute. >> good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with the redskins' preseason opener. last night in baltimore, the skins' offense failed to get anything going. jason campbell played just two series, completing 3 of 6 passes for 38 yards. meanwhile, rayens' backup quarterback troy smith threw a 19-yard touchdown and baltimore shut down the redskins 23-0. next week, the redskins host the steelers on saturday night. big news. michael vick signed a two-year deal with the eagles last night. the first year of the contract is worth $1.6 million with an option for the second year. it's $5.2 million. vick can immediately take part in practices and can play in the final two preseason games. commissioner roger goodell said

he would consider vick for full re-instatement by week six. the eagles will hold a news conference this morning to announce the deal. in baseball, nats on the road against the reds last night. cincinnati's jonny gomes hit three home runs and the reds shut out the nats 7-0. the nats have lost three in a row after winning eight straight. that's your sports minute. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> at 6:21, let's update your weather forecast. >> here's meteorologist tom kierein. he's in storm center 4. tom? >> 6:21 is the sunrise for today, though we don't quite see it because we have some clouds on the eastern horizon. right over washington it's mostly clear. there's a live picture from our city camera. 72 in washington near 70 in the nearby suburbs. rural areas down into the 60s. these are the latest visibilities in miles. zero visibility near harrisonburg so central shenandoah valley there's some dense fog there. elsewhere only some patchy fog around the region. and over the last six hours, had a few showers around the northern neck and lower part of the bay and the lower eastern shore but elsewhere no

precipitation. partly cloudy, highs in the mid-80s today with moderate humidity. a little bit warmer on saturday and partly cloudy. sunday and monday mostly sunny and a bit hotter. afternoon highs climbing into the low 90s both of those days. by mid-week next week could pick up some showers and thundershowers. otherwise, looks like mostly dry weather although it will be rather humid as we get into next week with seasonable temperatures mid and upppp0s. now let's check traffic. jerry, good morning. how are we doing? >> doingll right. a live look along 395, moving very nicely. no early issues as you make the trip up through beltway and landmark and shirlington. travel lanes are open. moving along very nicely. southbound also looking good elsewhere, a look on the map here on the beltway. objection onhill, no worries. out in southern maryland, most the major roadways moving along nicely. joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. we're following a developing story out in california. a raging wildfire has forced thousands of people from their homes. and the man who changed the lives of anyone who ever picked

up a guitar has passed away. oi

credited with changing the course of music with the electric guitar has died. les paul died yesterday of complications from pneumonia. paul helped bring about the rise of rock 'n' roll and multitrack recording with his many musical inventions. the process allows artists to record with different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves and balance the tracks in different products. paul also had a string of hits himself on the electric guitar, many with his wife mary ford. les paul was 94 years old. investigators -- >> investigators working on the

michael jackson case are now confirming a powerful anesthetic that may have killed the pop star. came from a nevada pharmacy. the pharmacy was searched earlier this week by law enforcement officials. jackson's doctor apparently bought the propofol on may the 12th. dr. conrad murray reportedly told investigators he gave jackson the drug hours before the entertainer's death. we have breaking news. police or the scene of a deadly hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on a major commuter route into the district. michael phelps gets into an accident in baltimore. find out how the olympic gold medalist is doing this morning. and firefighters try to get e upper hand on a fast-moving wildfire which has forced thousands of people from their home

good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'marbara harrison. it's friday, august 14th, 2009. looking outside, we can see some daylight now, but there are clouds out there. look, there's the sun getting

through those clouds or fog, whatever we have. tom's here. >> the world-famous sun, really. >> yeah. >> 6:30's the time, 72 degrees. here's tom with the forecast. >> sunrise was ten minutes ago. we've had a little patchy fog around, especially in parts of n the central iaenandoahal fog there.i as we look at trar,o n precipitation here, although there had been a few shint s nerhen t or light showers innd the lower partth v oni a tndhe lower part othef bay.f it's 72 in washin upper 60she ts .70 70. li arlington,anir and prince george's counties. sornut pnce george's counties. southern maryland,or near the b, e. ther0s 7 e.er in the shenandoa e arndhe around the blue t e,riat pch ns ibght-mileis vit nght-yle visibility in washington. light fog here. but near zero visibility in the centralhe taser ltix s he t as lt six al flestdront ttalled front far south end of washington has been trigriewngni aorho mng s fwers in the lowutng so brn phe, oayts southern bay, parts of the he nenortrn ,ck into southeastern ,viinia. for the rest of the day, highs reaching the mid0s ht vincsligha ce of an afternoon thundershower.

otherwise, partly cloudy. clearing out tonight, a little patchy fog tomorrow g.moharnin partly cloudy saturday,ig hhs hi upper 80s, moderate humidity. hotter sunday and monday. a look into next week in ten minutes coming up at 6:41. >> thanks, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. check things out down fredericksburg way at this hour, along i-95 near the interchange of route 17, northbound and southbou appear to be moving along well. there had been an accident near the route 3 interchange, quickly cleared to the shoulder. elsewhere, check out and see how 're doing on the rails. possible continuing delays on metrorail's red line because of ae accident invesgandti aon the speed restrictions. big delays this morning on brunic k. a train 890 and 872 are up to 25 minutes late. vre reporting no lade,ys, but mal ai rhaving a lot of issues th m worngfrniaih iteight congestion. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. we're following breaking news in southeast washington

this morning. that's where the search is on for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man. it happened on stanton road and suitland parkway and that's where news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live. she has the latest for us now. megan? >> reporter: barbara, police are still trying to find the driver who's involved in this deadly hit and run. they're also looking for help from the public. in terms of locating the vehicle which has verypecific front end-type damage. they're hoping if they can find the car, they can track down the driver. now, this all began to unfold a little after 3:00 this morning. police say that a pedestan, believed to be somewhere in his 50s, was walking across suitland parkway at stanton road when he was struck by a car that was speeding inbound on the suitland parkway. the victim was hit, they believe, in the middle of the road but his body was thrown quite some distance leading police to believe that the car was traveling at a very high rate of speed. the driver did not stop. they left the scene. now, police are looking for the vehicle that they believe was involved here. it's described as ah small bla

or blue car. it likel as h h helight, front endr windshield damage. s some glass that was fo hun gonerd te hescene. the car may also beun missing t paenger si orrrmi.si they found a mirror here on the the enat they believe belonged to that vehicle. stanton road was closed or was impacted. suitland parkway was closed in both directions for a number of hours while they investigated. as you can see behind me, everything has re-opened and we're not seeing any traffic problems in this area. police again asking for help. anyone with information, anyone who's seen a vehicle that fits that description that has too type of front end damage you are asked to call police. no word on the identity of the victim. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, megan. >> michael phelps was involved in a near head-on crash last night in baltimore. the swimming star was not injured but the other driver did go to the hospital. kimberly suiters is live in baltimore now with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. from baltimore, this accident

happened around 9:00 last night, and it wasn't clear whether or not michael phelps and his buddies had been to the polipoceceulled micel phelps whi over orac ntci,de mntde phelps and h friendse wer were all waiving ravens jerseys. this is a little bit at 9:00 at night. you can see phelps in his jersey. this is happening at the intersection of east biddle street and west calvert street in baltimore. michael phelps was not ticketed, although his cadillac escalade was banged up so badly the front hood was crashed. he collided with a lady driving a honda accord. her car was damaged badly, too, on the front driver's side. the woman was taken to the hospital as a precaution. her injuries are said not to be serious. police have not yet said what caused the collision. >> obviously, alcohol is not a significant factor or that would have been pretty evident. but we're going to wait for the

sergeant, the actual investigation to give me report. he's being interviewed. the only one who was traported to the hospital was the driver of the other vehicle. >> reporter: in 2004, phelps did plead guilty to driving while impaired after a trooper pulled him over. he had run through the stop sign. but again, in this situation last night, with the collision between michael phelps and a woman driving a honda accord, we understand that alcohol does not appear to have been involved. reporting live in baltimore, i'm kimberly suiters, news 4. joe, back to you. >> kimberly, thanks very much. >> this morning the search is on inassh.waongt an explosive .tnot washasgton. th i moxlb mox exploded last night in the 4800 block of meade street northeast. the explosion sent debris about 60 feet, damaging street lights. no one was hurt, but people were temporarily evacuated from their homes. investigators describe the device as a mortar type fire work. >> the hyattsville man who attacked elderly women is going to prison for the rest of his

life. the judge sentenced jose garcia-perlera to life without the possibility of parole. he carried out a series of violent home invasions in montgomery county. he targeted elderly women who lived alone, tying them up before he robbed them. some of those women went to yesterday's sentencing hearing. >> the only thing that -- aside from the death penalty, which would make me happy. >> anything less would have put us all in jeopardy. and other people, too. because he's the kind of an individual, if he had gotten out, i feel certain that he would have come back on us for retaliation. >> he killed one of the victims. prosecutors say that garcia-perlera beat 63-year-old mary havenstein to death in her bethesda home last september.ex >> a developing story in california. that's where a growing wildfire has forced thousands of people from their homes. about 2,400 people have fled the fire in santa cruz county.

it started wednesday evening and has grown to more than four square miles. there have been no reports of injuries or property damage. >> we're going to go live to philadelphia to see how fans are reacting to the news of the michael vick signing. some new video shows the deadly collision between a small plane and a helicopter over the hudson river. and the big admission former presidential candidate john edwards is expected to make today.

beautiful postcard-like picture out there with the sun cutting a swath across the potomac river. can't see the sun too well because we have a little bit of fog and cloudiness. let's talk to you know who. >> i would guess -- let me guess. i would say, hmm, tom kierein. >> hey, tom. >> oh, me. okay. >> just as shiny and bright as that sun. >> yeah, quite a glitter path there on the potomac, the sun's up in a mostly clear sky here but we do have some patchy fog around and some scattered low clouds around the region. temperatures now, it's 72 in washington, near 70 montgomery, fairfax, prince george's counties, arlington county as well, southern maryland near the bay weather watchers reporting low 70s. weather watchers around the blue ridge report manager the mid-60s this morning. over the last six hours had a few showers in the northern neck, the lower bay and southeastern virginia. and for the rest of the day,

partly cloudy, highs mid-80s with rather humid conditions and a small chance of an isolated afternoon thundershower. moderate humidity through the weekend. saturday in sunday and monday, going to get a little hotter sunday and monday with more sunshine around and rather steamy next week, maybe some mid-week thundershowe. your bay and beach forecast in ten minutes at 6:51. jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? >> tom, in northeast washington we are picking up plenty of volume. good morning, everyone. new york avenue inbound all lanes are open coming off the anacostia river headed down toward the 3rd street tunnel, just traffic light delays. very typical for this time of the morning, nothing to worry about. elsewhere, we'll check out the outer loop of the beltway at route 50 for an accident. that should be over to the shoulder. police were on the scene there. wilson bridge, both inner loop and outer loop moving along nicely at this hour. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. the big admission former presidential candidate john edwards is expected to make later today. and michael vick lands with a new nfl team. next at 6:45 we're going to go

live to philadelphia to see what fa re deal.

well, the redskin season is not off to a great start, or at least their preseason, that is. they lost to the ravens in the first preseason game last night 23-0 up in baltimore. keep in mind, though, this was just an exhibition game. keep saying that to yourself over and over today. many of the skins' regulars got little to no playing time. they make their home preseason debut a week from saturday, a week from tomorrow, against the super bowl champion pittsburgh steelers. but the biggest story in the

football world this morning certainly is the signing of michael vick. the three-time all pro quarterback is heading to the redskins' rival, the philadelphia eagles to be the backup quarterback for starter donovan mcnabb. philly has a reputation for being a rather unforgiving sports town, though, and rosemary connors is joining us live from philadelphia where vick is expected to be introduced in just a few hours. good morning, rosemary. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. we're here live at the four seasons hotel in center city, philadelphia, where he's rumored to be staying. we haven't laid eyes on him yet. he's expected to give a press conference later today with the eagles. he will most likely serve as backup to donovan mcnabb. that's an opportunity that head coach andy reid says vick deserved. he talked about it last night at a press conference. donovan mcnabb also spoke at the pet conference. he said, look, i'm a dog lover. i understand folks out there are dog lovers. however, vick has served his time. we need to look past and move on from here.

donovan mcnabb also spoke about what vick's role will be on the team. there's been some speculation about what he will do. brzezins mcnabb said, look, he's a quarterback. as for the fans, you can imagine in philadelphia mixed reactions everywhere. we've heard from folks who are already thinking about the super bowl. they're very thrilled that vick will be joining the eagles. we've also talked to other people who say this is a bad image for the city. this is not good news. again, we'll have to see what happens once vick takes the field. as you had hinted to earlier, philadelphia sports fans are not so forgiving. i think they booed santa claus once. we'll have to wait and see what happens. for now we're live in center city. i'm rosemary connors. back to you guys in the studio. >> yeah, donovan mcnabb himself knows how that feels. they've been on him quite a number of times over the years. it's going to be really interesting to see how the fans react to michael vick. >> reporter: exactly. well, last night athe press conference, donovan mcnabb was very positive. he was reflecting many of the same sentiments that andy reid

said. this is a second chance. we're welcoming h to the team. so he's being very diplomatic about the whole process. >> okay, rosemary, thanks very much. have a great day. barbara? >> john edwards may soon change his story about whether he is the father of his former miss stress' child. a north carolina tv station is reporting that the former senator, john edwards, will admit he is the father. last year, edwards acknowledged he had an fair with a woman named real hunter. until now he has denied he is the father of her 18-month-old daughter. he is currently under investigation as to whether he used campaign money to pay hunter. this morning we're getting a look at dramatic new video over the hudson. we need to warn you it may be difficult to watch. nbc news obtained this tape-recorded by a italian tourist. he zooms in on the sight-seeing helicopt helicopter. then the plane enters the picture, appearing to hit the chopper from the right and behind. pieces of both aircraft then

fall below to the river. investigators are hoping the video will provide crucial clues to help them figure out how two experienced pilots could have crashed into each other on a clear day. >> whatever took place in the cockpit of that piper aircraft was enough to distract the pilot and not allow him to see the helicopter as he intercepted its flight path. >> all nine people on board both the chopper and the plane died. the faa is now looking into the possibility the air traffic controller who was watching the plane may have been on the phone at the time of the crash. they say they have no reason, though, to believe that contributed to the accident. >> wall street will try to finish the week on a strong note today. cnbc's courtney reagan joins us live now with today's business headlines. courtney, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. futures are now headed slightly lower following yesterday's gains on wall street after jumping commodity prices did help to push prices higher offsetting data we got in the morning. when you exclude the impact of

the government's cash for clunkers program it seems shoppers weren't heading to the malls last month after all. asian markets slid overnight but europe is positive so far. we may get better news on the economy today with data that could show inflation remains low and industrial production is owing for the first time in months. we'll also get earnings from jp pen knee before the opening bell sounds. the dow rose to 9398. the nasdaq gained ten points to 2009. well, bank of america has dropped a requirement forcing customers with disputes on credit cards and other accounts into arbitration. this means unhappy customers can now sue for activities that they think are unfair or illegal. consumer advocates say a arbitration does favor the companies and people don't realize they're waiving the right to sue when they sign agreements to arbitration. supporters say arbitration is faster and less costly than going to court, often why companies prefer it. now back to you. >> courtney, thanks very much. have a great weekend. >> reporter: you, too, joe. >> thanks. >> news 4 is helping to find jobs 4 you.

the children's inn at nih is looking for a resident manager to manage ovnight activities. the person who accepts this position will have to live on-site. if interested in learning more and applying toano -- - just goo our websit nbcwashington.com, and search jobs 4 you. >> well, this weekend marks the 40th anniversary of woodstock, that iconic three-day festival that celebrated peacend love and music and mud and rain and drugs and sex. and all that. ♪ ah, jimi hendrix, of course, jefferson airplane and the grateful dead were all there. it became a defining moment of a generation. and a decade when the country was grappling with the vietnam war, three assassinations and the civil rights movement, music lovers flocked to bethel, new york, for the festival. >> a lot of people now who are in their, you know, 50s or 60s, whatever, they vividly remember those days.

it was a real pivotal moment in american popular culture. >> this weekend, many who attended the original festival will visit again to relive tse memories. perhaps, though, not in quite the same way. >> yeah, i suspect they all look a little bit different. >> just a little. just a little. probably all recognize each other, though. >> will they have better weather this time than they did 40 years ago? >> there will be a 40th anniversary woodstock concert on the mall here in washington, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. will you put flowers in your hair and sing "purple haze"? we'll have good weather for it, it looks like. if you have some plans for the weekend, heading to the bay or the beach, got you bay and beach forecast coming up. as we take a look outside, we do have the sun up in a mostly clear sky in washington but we do have some patchy dense fog, especially in the rural areas west of washington and around the shenandoah valley. that's a live picture from the city camera at this hour. and it's now 72 in washington. looking at radar, we don't have any precipitation here. just a few showers down around

the northern neck, near 70 in montgomery, fairfax, prince george's county and arlg counties. weather watchers reporting around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley patchy dense fog there with temperatures in he 60s. in in eiibt.isy vitiln i ghei lemiibyisitil in washington, but near zero visibility in the central shenandoah valley so some dense fog there for travelers going up interstate 81 and around the blue ridge as well. some lower visibilities due to the fog. now here's a view of the bay from tillman islands looking west across the bay, from tillman island, southwest of st. michael's. a little bit of fog over the bay there. a live picture. temperature now 71 there on tillman island. the dew point 70. it's a very humid morning there. also very humid in the eastern shore where temperatures are in the upper 60s to near 70. mid-70s in southeastern virginia and around the outer banks. from virginia beach farther to the south, there's some clouds and some passing showers this morning. got a few sprinkles in the northern neck, lower eastern shore as well. we have a stalled front just off the coast which may trigger some

showers and thunderstorms, may cause flight delays today from northern florida and the gulf coast up through the mid-atlantic states and around the great lakes.aysit from so smeel dsays from some storms as well as out in the intermountain west. for us for today, partly cloudy, highs ree t-8he mid 0s by .rn- st lelymoonar c.ig t mht of a er.ow mostly clear tonight. chat fom twchorro morning. heoure's y rreayfo. stca's saturday's highs in the m0s-8id with winds out of the southeast 15to . sunday,it lontltl b hrteitot and a variable wind, 5 to 15. beach forecast, cooler saturday, hotter on sunday. the water temperature certainly maoswime.bl they're near 80 degrees now. e.he re's theorasth ffor t e next hsur days.fo t-8 m0so0s mo ioeg and around o rn across the mountas.io we'll have a partly cloudy day with moderate humidity. hotter sunday and monday with sunshine, highs low 90s. mareg rininather steamy into ne week, maybe some thundershowers mid-week. that's the way it looks. >> great, tom, thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards, get one more look at the traffic out there on this friday morning. >> good morning. check out 270 southbound, some

live pictures here, montgomery village. it's moving along very, very nicely. frederick to montgomery village, all the way down to split, travel lanes open. northbound, headed that direction this morning, that, too, looks good. elsewhere, let you know things are moving along pretty well inbound and outbound at the 14th street bridges with no accidents to report. most of the major roadways this morning downtown very quiet. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thanks very much, jerry. today's news 4 morning person is a woman named p shaffer.ed she is always going above and beyond the kuhl call of duty. thee is a eveningnd a a weekend concierge at sunrise assisted coving of rockville. or-wrs say she trulys loreniv ac o facef the residentsn une mmcoity. it she's also a volunteer photographer who was collected ds t tanus of photos and memories over the years.an

well, if you kn somne like pat shaffer, please sen s us a r, easecl clo-up ccture to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. >> well, talk about bringing home the bacon. a candy store in pennsylvania's cashing in with a treat that may satisfy you whether you want to have something salty or something sweet. it's chocolate-covered bacon. >> oh, my. >> no. this is not a joke. the confectioners take a slab of bacon, cover it with chocolate and sprinkle more salt on top. call it a delicacy? you might call it that. you can buy it by the strip or get enough to take home a whole pound, i guess. wow. >> oh, mercy. >> are you craving that now, joe? >> do you think it's cooked first? >> i hope -- looked pretty crisp. >> looked crispy. >> i think so. -ut the door oo>>cast >> looks like great beach and pool weather and around the bay for thd,weenoyek lnj e.nj wel have seasonable smer r athetoday and tomorrow, just a slle cathanc onf a isolated thhoundetohor weday.r saturday's highs in the upper

ott hotter on sunday and monday. should be mostly sunny both of those days. moderate humidity. enjoy. >> jerry, traffic problems? >> pretty quiet all in all. outer loop at route 50, accident on the shoulder. >> that is "news 4 today." thank you for starting your day with us. >> we'll see you monday morning, 4:55. have a great weekend. >> bye. n