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tv   News 4 Today  NBC  August 19, 2009 5:00am-7:00am EDT

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credit on the line. the number one credit safety tip? never respond to an unsolicited phone call or e-mail asking for your personal information. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. and three people have been implicated in the credit card theft ring. one florida man was charged in the case. if convicted, he could spend 25 years in prison. and stay tuned, we'll be back with a full hour of news. news4 at 5:00 a.m. begins now. manual labor. metro maintains computers will no longer be yutz used until whatever caused june's crash is corrected. this will cause problems for you commute. the owner of a d.c.s resteraunt gunned down on the
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job. preparation anxiety. what the federal government has planned to help businesses in the event of an outbreak of the flu. good morning. welcome back to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. it is wednesday, august 19, 2009. we'll take a look outside. you can't tell right now if there are clouds above us. we had rain and thunder last night. it might have awakened some of you. tom is here to tell us if we'll get more rain today. >>yes, it does look like it. let's take a look at the tropics. here's the latest on hurricane es lt>>heat l testupdate. it is a monster hurricane. bill has increased in strength overnight. look at that. the winds are at 132. that's sustained with gusts over 160 miles an hour. this is a monster hurricane. thankfully, the latest track continues to tack it north of the islands, but they are going to have heavy surges on the northern islands as well as puerto rico, haiti and dominican
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republican over the next day or so, but the latest path shows it to the west of bermuda, offffst the atlantic oaabserd.b we are talking about heavyfur s getting into the the atlantic seaboard region into sunda and mo ay. could get a few passing showers here this morning with temperatures in the 70s. during the afternoon with the dew points high, we have the likelihood of passing thundershors. that's for today, tomorrow and saturday. a look at next week coming up in a few minutes. now to jerry edwards and the traffic this morning. >> we'll head out and take a sample in virginia to see how we are doing. this is 95 northbound and southbound. between the capital beltway and duffreys, we are looking good. 50 out at the bay bridge and 66 are looking okay. back to. you. thank you. new today, a tree comes stretch
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scratching down on an apartment building in prince george's county on southern avenue and boulevard heights. several people were forced from their apartments and the utilities had to be shut off. there are no reports ofny injuries. well, if you take metro to work, your ride could get a little more convenient. a little more inconvenient, that is. wait a minute, maybe it is convenient. >> right now many cell phone carriers don't provide service underground, but that's about to change. megan mcgrath is joining us from chinatown. for some it could be more convenient, and others it could be inconvenient. >> reporter: i would go for convenient because there are a lot of people out the just frustrated because they can't place ahone call in the underground areas of the metro system because their carrier doesn't have the hardware they need to provide that service. well, that's going to be changing here. soon you'll be able to place that call from inside the tunnel, from inside the underground areas within the system. over the next two months,
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sprint, nextel, at&t and other companies will have service available to the underground stations. right now there is only one company that works in the tunnel areas. installation will be done when metro is closed, so don't worry about disruptns to service. they are going to do it when the system is not open. you can expect to see large cabinet-like structures to house the electronics at the end of platforms. they are also going to install new cables and antennas. you should be able to make calls and surf the web on the new system by october, 16. they are going to be installing this at 20 of the stations, the busiest ones first. once phase one is completed, they will move on to the 27 other stations so you get more coverage throughout the system.
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back to you. >> thank you, megan. well, metro riders can expect a slower commute. the transit agency plans to continue running every train manually. the shift from manual to computer operation came after the june crash when nine people were killed. the trains willot nrs run automatically again until problems related to the crash are fixed when operators are controlling the trains they take more time to accelerate. investigators are looking for clues into the murder of a pizza shop owner in northeast washington. police discovered the owner of pizza mart in the 2400 block of the street inside the business yesterday. he is a 44-year-old from silver spring. the restaurant was locked when they arrived, so they had to force themselves in. this has been a fixture in the neighborhood and neighborhood
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residents call this a tragedy. >> we have known him for many years here, but this has struck us very hard to the core to have an assassination like this going on. >> police believe the victim might have been killed monday night. an autopsy is scheduled to determine a cause of death. this morning a prince ak tgm county teacherofin ak tgindecent liberties for fes or a child. the victims are two r-15-ydolea bo m f b boys from belleville school.el olho shannonatner pso ap inappropriately he e tothd ooytwuc bs attieps and b attind a sent inopape ripr tesaxtin msogees t one othe bo. hevestigators say the victims didn't occur on victims didn't occur on grnd ou. nd. paterson turned himself in and is being held without bond right now. taking a look at some of the news happening today, the federal government will announce its recomndations to help businesses prepare for the swine flu. health officials will begin a three-day conference to discuss plans on how to deal with the
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h1n1 pandemic. the conference is pressing with school starting nationwide in the coming weeks. the cdc recommends school nurses keep up with the status of epidemics, but what happens at schools that have no nurses, that's the question? >> there will be secretaries or other non-medical people that will have to try their best to handle it. >> federal guidelines have changed in recent months for schools dealing with swine flu. schools were urged to close for up to 14 days if they had a confirmed case last year. expect fewer closures this year. congress reached a compromise in health care reform and now one senator is calling for a new start. john kyle says democrats should think about scrapping their estimated $1 trillion proposal and starting all over. meanwhile, house democrats want to see detailed financial records from dozens of large
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insurance companies. this move is part of an investigation into executive compensation and other business practices. the probe comes as the insurance industry is voicing opposition to a proposed health care overhaul. our time right now is eight minutes after 5:00. the temperature is 77 degrees. speaking out, the doctor at the center of the michael jackson death investigation is breaking his silence in an online message. plus, amazing video of a powerful twister catching shoppers off guard. and the deep cuts coming to northern virginia and how they wi yot iu.a
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. . weather and traffic on the 1s. a steamy 77 degrees here in washington. there's some showers south of washington right now. there's one south of fredericksburg. we have other light showers as well ming across the northern
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vehicle neck of virginia through the eastern shore. elsewhere, we don't have any precipitation, but it is a steamy morning. it is 78 in washington. 70s all around the region. we'll have a high today with quite a bit of cloudiness around and a chance for an afternoon thundershower reaching near 90 degrees. more of the same on saturday remaining steamy. a chance for passing showers during the afternoon, but lower humidity is moving in on sunday and the first part of next week. the latest on hurricane bill now and the tropics. it could be a tough morning for some areas with the roads slick. 270 southbound no issues reported, but the outer loop of the beltway just to the point where it goes over the 270 spur police are still dealing with an accident. elsewhere, accident route 29 at lockwood drive, we have an overterned vehicle with the fire department just now pulling up to the scene. 5:12 is the time, 77 degrees in washington. survivor winner richard hatch is back in the headlines.
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the controversy that he claims landed him behind bars. also, credit card rates are soaring. the new rules set to take effect to crack down on unfair rate hikes.
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metro riders are going to have to get used to a slower commute. metro is going to continue to run trains manually. the shift from computer to manual operation came after the june crash when nine people were killed. when operators control the trains, they spend more time at the station platforms and take mo time to accelerate. investigators are looking for clues into a murder of a pizza shop owner in northeast washington. police discovered the body of the 44-year-old man inside his pizza mart on fourth street yesterday. the restaurant was not open at the time. the autopsy has been scheduled to determine theseau c of the ath. hurricane bill is strength t i mes ntthor of the caribbean and isth now a go te ca 4ryhurricane. it is already 4 packing winds o 5 miles an hour and could gain even more strength. later in the week it could pose a threat toos bermuda or move directly between bermuda and the
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eastern u.s. without making landfall. across this country millions of americans are seeing their credit card rates sore. companies are trying to beat a thursday deadline to crack down on unfair rate hikes and there's not much consumers can do about it. tracee wilkins is live with details on this. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. it is like we had good news followed by bad news. if you haven't been paying close attention to your credit card bills and checking your payment rates and dates, now is e time. companies have been raising rates and late fees on credit cards in response to federal new rule that is will clamp down on consumer gouging. starting on thursday the companies must be giving credit card owners a bill 21 days in advance instead of 14 to result in fewer late fees for the consumer. >> we look at this as just fairnessle. essentially, congress is stillut m noteak money bot to cheat people.
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>> this is definitely the time to be paying attention. more rate hike restrictions will be implemented in february. back to you. thank you, tracee. >> general motors announced it will boost production this fall. the demand for the cash for clunkers program has inventory running low. the company will produce an additional 60,000 vehicles in the third and fourth quarters. 1300 laid off workers will be called back and another 10,000 workers will likely get overtime. happening today, virginia governor tim kaine is expected to announce cuts of more than $1 billion to the state's budget. the governor will make the announcement later today in frontf the general assembly's combined money committees. legislative leaders say governor cain will cut the budget by $1.3 billion. it is the fourth time in less than a year that the economy has forced kaine to scale back appropriations for two-year budgets running through next
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june. the race for governor in virginia is heating up. both candidates just picked up key endorsements. political analysts say it is important to win the support of the black caucus because sheila johnson endorsed republican bob income donald last night. meanwhile, mcdonald just won the backing of the association of realtors. this is virginia's largest trade association. well, the washington nationals were flying pretty high after signing the number one overall draft pick yesterday, but that boost of confidence didn't seem to help them when they hit the playing field last night. >> lindsay czarniak has more in your sports minute. >> good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with the nationals fresh off the excitement of signing steven strasburg, the gnats try to top the rockies. the rockies hit two solo homers
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late in the game. the nationals' ninth-inning rally came up short to them falling, 4-3. yesterday brett favre signed a deal with the minnesota vikings for $12 million. favre says he wants to play at least a series in minnesota's pre-season came friday night. to the redskins, even though the rookie may start this season, he still gets treated like a rookie. yesterday he was tied up along with a teammate. two were behind the hazing as well as others. he said if he knew he was going to get hazed, he would have talked smack to the veterans. the redskins are gearing up for saturday's game against the steelers that you can see here on nbc 4. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak. have a great day. people in texas are cleaning up from a round of severe weather that sent a tornado rolling through the city of beaumont. the twister touched down yesterday ripping the roof off a
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department store there and it pummeled the cars in the parking lot scattering debris and shopping carts throughout the area. several people were taken to the hospital whin mor minor injurie. our time rogt now is 5:21. time for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> hello to tom keirein in storm center4. >> nd a arbae. and joe. we say hello to hurricane bill that has increased in strength overnight and now it is a monster category 4 hurricane. bill is continuing to move off west/northwesterly passing north of the islands. bill has sustained winds to 135 miles per hour with gusts over 160. continui on a track west/northwest for the day and turning to the north getting into the weekend passing to the north of bermuda and off the atlantic seaboard by the weekend. we have a few passing sprinkles to the south with temperatures in the 70s around the region. it is a steamy morning. as the day progresses, we'll have a chance for afternoon
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thundershowers and highs reaching near 90 and very humid. more of the same each day into saturday. then lower humidity sunday into next week. jerry, good morning. how is traffic doing? good morning, everyone. we'll head out to take a live look along 395 northbound. as you make the drive north to shirlington, lanes are open. montgomery county police are dealing with an accident at route 29 and lockwood drive. we have reports of another one near germantown and the damascus area, 27 and bring. be careful with the roads possibly slick. thank you, jerry. 5:22, 77 degrees. remembering a well-known political columnist who lost his battle with brain cancer. also, "survivor" winner richard hatch speaking out why he was arrested yet again. plus, investigators believe they know what sparked the massive wildfires out in california.
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talks of an 88,000 acre wildfire in california. they believe drug traffickers started the fire. 30,000 marijuana plants and 47 assault rifles were found nearby. officials believe there could be a lot more pot farms hidden in remote areas across the country. it is5:26, 77 degrees. hurricane bill is gaining strength as it continues to churn in the atlantic. and the new deal by metro that will make using your cell phone a little bit easier when riding the rails. also, the new guidelines for he federal government swine
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cell phone service. metro makes a deal to make sur rs de nri riders are no longer out of reach when waiting for trains. breaking his silence. the doctor another the center of the new jersey michael jackson investigation speaks out for the first time. monster storm. tom keirein is tracking hurricane bill gaining strength in the atlantic. good morning, everyone. welcome. we are glad you are with us on this wednesday morning. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. it is the 19th day of august, 2009. we see venus in the sky and 77 degrees. it is steamy already out there this morning. >> we'll talk to tom keirein about what to expect the rest of this day. good morning, again. good morning. the humidity increased w, here'p noer h he's what's happening with bill. bill increased this strength overnight. it has a well formed eye and it is now passing just to the north of the leeward island. here's the latest track. look at the wind sustainedt
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132 with gusts over 160. thankfully, it will pass north of the virgin islands and the puerto rican islands today and tomorrow. getting into friday and saturday, it looks like it will intensify more. here's bermuda. thankfully, lit pass west of bermuda and between bermuda and the outer banks staying out to sea, thankfully. around here we have a few sprinkles. now a few in stafford. we'll have quite a bit of cloudiness around today with afternoon highs climbing to around 90 degrees. we'll see perhaps a passing thundershower and more of the same into saturday. then lower humidity and cooler temperatures sunday into tuesday. i'm back in ten minutes with another update. barbara and joe. thank you, tom. >> now to jerry edwards looking at the early ways on the road. any problems, jerry? >> we have a couple problems on the secondary roads. the interstates south of town,
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no worries at the moment. either way at the wilson bridge, all lanes are open near the outer loop. we are looking good at the moment. now, in montgomery county, police are dealing with an accident near route 29 and lockwood drive with an overturned vehicle. up to germantown/damascus, 27 and brink for an overturned vehicle. and wrapping up the accident on the outer loop of the beltway, after old georgetown road, that should be t of the roadway if not completely cleared, but the roads will be slick in some locations. please slow down. back to you. thank you, jerry. here's some good news for all you workaholics out there. you may be able to get more work done during your commute. >> many cell phone providers are expanding service to include underground metro stations in the area. megan mcgrath is joining us from the chinatown area with more on this stoumplt any word whether they will have a quiet car like amtrak does? >> reporter: no word yet, but,
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yeah, it has been frustrating for a lot of people who are down on the unrground platform and they realize they forgot something for a meeting or forgot something at home, they try to place a call and can't get a cell phone signal. that could become a thing othe past very soon here. over the next two months, sprint, nextel, at&t and nextel mobile are going to install equipment at 20 metro stations. verizon folks are the only ones to get coverage in the underground platforms and tunnels. installation workill be done while the stations are closed, so it shouldn't be a disruption to service at all. wfos can expect to see large cabinet-like structures to house the electronics at the end of platforms. they will also add cables and antenn and should be able to make calls and surf the web.
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if you are a workaholic, you will start to see the work on october 16. they will expand this into all the stations soon. >> it will drive a lot of folks nuts if they are trying to keep quiet on the cars. thank you very much. etro riders can also continue to expect slower commutes. the transit agency announced plans to continue running every train manually. the shift from computer to map yule operation came after the june 22nd crash in which nine people were killed. metro general manager john cato says that trains will not run automatically again until problems related to the crash are fixed. when operators are controlling the trains, they spend more time at station platforms and take more time to accelerate. a 14-year-old girl hit by stray bullets inside her own home is talking about the experience. it i a story we first brought you yesterday morning. the gunfire came from outside the girl's home in the hanson ridge neighborhood of southeast washington. she was hit twice in the back
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while getting out of the shower. several other bullets came through the walls of her home, some hit the pillow on her bed. >> i heard a popping come through my window in the wall and it just struck me in the back. >> did you know you had been shot? >> i was grazed. they say if she was laying on her bed on the pillow she would have been shot in the head twice. >> neighbors assay the neighborhood has been plagued by crime within the last couple weeks. we are learning more about a meeting between presibant oma fo ba o and former president bill clinn. iwe en m sat dourene n anth hnrn the white house situationoom in the oval office yesterday afternoon and talked about north korea's reclusive leader kim jong-il and
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president clinton's trip to free the two journalists. secretary clinton was not at the meeting, but she said the information her husband brought back provided a window into the north korean leadership. michael jackson's family says he will be buried on what would have been his 51st birthday. he'll be laid to death on august 29th at forest lawn cemetery in california. his body will lie inside the mausoleum. he died nearly two months ago, but we don't know what caused his death. his doctor has been under a cloud of suspicion. now conrad murray is speaking publicly about it for the first time. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth and i have faith the truth will prevail. >> murray has been at the center of michael jackson's death investigation. police want to know howackson j got anesthetic that is normally reserved for hospital use.
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political columnist robert novack lost his battle with brain cancer. he died at his home in washington a little more than a year after being diagnosed with cancer. he was a columnist at the "chicago-"sun times"." he may best be known as the controversy for the person to publish the name of valley valley plain, the former cia spy. he was 78 years d. 5:37 is the time, 77 degrees out there. some advice for parents, vaccinations and what their child will need this school year. also, well-known maryland delegates release a police raid all in the dmam name of love. antheve
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good morning. it is a steamy 77 or 78 degrees in washington. there's venus shining brightly in the sky. right now on radar, we have sprinkles in stafford county and around the lower part of the eastern shore. it is certainly a steamy morning with temperatures in the 70s around the regional. we have the southwesterly flow pumping in humidity today giving us the chance for an afternoon thundershower, as well as tomoow, friday and saturday. very humid each day with highs in the 80s. lower humidity on sunday, monday and tuesday. the latest on monster hurricane bill is coming up in a few minutes. i'll show you my latest school visit as well. new york avenue and florida avenue, everything is moving along pretty well. just a few traffic light delays. elsewhere, things are moving along fairly well so far this morning on the beltway traveling between springfield, the wilson bridge, seven minutes. 16 off the wilson bridge to
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route 50. eight minutes between the john hanson highway, 995 in college park. back to you. thank you very much. jerry. 5:41 is the time. it is 78 degrees in washington right now. it is pretty humid out there right now. why maryland officials are outraged with a maryland delegate because of his connection with an elaborate hoax. plus, the number of swine flu cases continues to increase. next at 5:45, what the federal government has planned to help businesses in the event of a swine flu
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our time now, 5:45. he's a look at the top stories we are following today. metro riders will expirns longer waits and less comfortable rides. trains will run manually for an indefinite period. this came after the june 22nd
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crash which nine people were killed as a result. police are looking for the clues in the murder of a pizza shop owner. the police discovered the body of a 44-year-old man inside the pizza mart yesterday. an autopsy has been schedul to determine the cause of death. hurricane bill is gaining strength over the ocean this morning. thate cyegor 4 hurricane iseg expected to pass northwest of leewa rd island and the bbrican lea lerat today or earl rr moto.ower after that, bill's path is unclear. ceaou hld tow hdar bermuda or take a track between bermuda and the eastern u.s. well, the obama administration is expected to announce new guidelines today to help businesses get ready for the swine flu. an outbreak of the illness is expected this fall. meanwhile, state officials are discussing strategies to deal with the virus, which is already showing up in some schools. brooke hart has the latest from capitol hill.
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>> reporter: at junction elementary school in kentucky, the sign swine flu followed kids back to school. despite efforts to clean the oldhosc, there's at least one confirmed case of the h1n1 virus. by day's end on monday, more than a quarter of the staff and students were home with fever, vomiting and sore throat. >> you can't have school if you have that many people out. it is not a good thing. there's something definitely going around. >> reporter: expecting more cases like this at schools and in workplaces this fall, today the obama administers advises employers how to prepare for it. >> obviously, everybody is holding their breath about the timing knowing that this is seriously a vir that seems to have high effectivity. >> reporter: 41 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be ready by mid-october. the start of the mass vaccinations planned. >> we are going to encourage all the people to start thinking about where to get their vaccine and make plans of it knowing the additional doses come in after
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that. >> reporter: experts say aside from shots people can protect themselves. >> make sure you ride your kids with soap and water singing happy birthday as many times as they can during the day. >> reporter: h1n1 affects for people that are younger than the seasonal flu meaning more people are vulnerable. federal officials now suggest schools shouldn't close unless many students become sick. the attitude for now appears to be one of taking precautions upfront and riding it out. in washington, i'm brooke hart, nbc news. and in our area, local school officials say they are still devising their own plans for handling potential swine flu outbreaks. well, on monday summer vacation will be over for d.c. students who are heading back to school. now the district is trying to make sure they have the shots they need. thousands of students in our area still haven't received their required vaccinations. d.c. students have until september 6 to get up-to-date, but health officials say there's no reason to wait.
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>> typically, parents wait until middle or late until thehor sme to make sure their kids areme up-to-date with their shot schools are ofngaconti clinics and and satu. they are kelly miller middle school and kramer middle in southeast, coolidge high school in northwest and baleu high school in southeast. an australian couple arrived in our area setting a new world record for fuel efficiency. john and held even taylor have driven thousands of miles through 48 states in a volkswagen jetta averaging 67.9 miles per hour without the use of any extraordinary vehicles, fuels or technology. the record they set yesterday shatters t previous record of 58.8 miles per hour. the taylors set that one as well. the only difference between last
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year's trip and this year's is that they used fuel-efficient tires. they roll more easily and useless fuel. some baltimore police officials aren't in love with the way one maryland lawmaker said "i love you" to his girlfriend. john carden conducted an elaborate hogs to propose to his girlfriend. he was going to use a police boat in the inner harbor. they searched a box on the boat that contained contraband and he opened the box that contained an engagement ring. she said yes, but the baltimore police officials are angry because the fake raid wasn't auorized by police commanders. >> you know, the police department is not in the business of bachelor parties or birthday parties. we are here to up havehold the safety of the citizens.
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>> he was the nephew of ben carden and has apologized and will reimpercent for those involved in his proposal. well, there are increased police patrols in one part of megontry county thigorouai b fl firer on fire beginning at 3:00 tuesday morning in the damascus area. the bails were stacked high and worth a total of $100,000. containing the fires kept the firefighters busy much of the morning. within a few hours of the first fire, four nearby m albesoxnd a trash can were also torched. no arrests have been made. tom is here to talk about the weather for today and for the rest of the week as well. >> yes, indeed. it is a steamy morning. when you walk out the door, you will notice the humidity has cranked up this morning and it will be with us all the way into saturday. get used to it. there's the sky starting off with a partly cloudy sky this
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morning. a steamy 78 in washington. that's the live view from our city camera. meanwhile, way out in the atlantic, hurricane bill is actually increased in strength overnight, which hurricanes don't normally do over the evening hours so this is turning into quite a monster hurrice. you can see a well formed eye there. there's the atlantic seaboard, here's washington, here's florida and cuba. there's the dominican republican and haiti and puerto rico. thankfully for the island, it will pass to their north. look at the wind, 130 to 135. those are sustained winds, constant winds at that speed gusting over 160 miles an hour. it is a category 4 hurricane. it is a major hurricane and over the next couple of days the projected track here anywhere in this yellow zone looks like it will stay out to sea. here's bermuda. thankfully, it appears to pass west of bermuda near the outer banks, but there will likely be heavy surf all the way down to the outer banks.
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the shorelines of the carolinas will see this headed into the weekend. then it will head north and east. now for us, on the radar, we do have a few sprinkles passing through stafford county now dissipating. we have a couple other showers through southern maryland and southern st. mary's county. those are heading near cambridge and the wildlife refuge. it is in the steamy 70s fm the shenandoah valley to the atlantic basin. look at the dew poin. they are in the low 70s now. that is just sweltering humidity. here's the view from space over the last six hours with the flow from the southwest tapping into the humidity. there could be flight delays for florida, the gulf coast, up the wells newpi valley. england, there could be flight delays as well as in the hertnorn plains and the northern rockies. yesterday, atrt the lo elementary school, we had wefundelcl m fom wonderful welcome from the
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stentse ere. i want thank tnk nyfa s. wead a wonderful time. they are happy students. they were having a good time. we all did have a wonderful time talking about weather and all different kinds of things. here's what's been happening the last 12 hours. we have the stalled frontal zone through the midwest attached to a cold front farther to our north. that will be approaching us today and increasing the chances for showers and thundershowers this afternoon. between now and then, highs reaching 90 degrees. the sunrise at 6:26. the sunset at 7:57. we could have a i think willering shower through id-evening, then tomorrow swtering humidity will be around for thaysdriur f,day and saturday. each day there's a chance for da afrnoon thundershowers with highs reaching the upper 80s. then, thankfully, a break comgaf our way on sunday into onda and tuesday. lo r wemidity arriving withr plenty of sunshine. rnmog rnlows, low to mid-s. afternoon highs, low to mid-80s.
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it will feel delightful sunday, monday and tuesday. i'm back with frequent updates throughout the morning and the latest on hurricane bill as we go through the morning as well. we'll be ready for you. thank you. >> i think i can do delightful, what about you, jerry? >> yes, indeed. we have a couplish shoo issues. both are in montgomery county. the roads could be on the slick side. thinterstates are not giving us trouble so far. a little bit of volume on 270 typical for thisim t of the day. no hang ups reported. elsewhere, out at the wilson bridge, so far so good both ways. the southeast corners very light to each of the anna costa bridges. not a lot happening on capitol hill right now. >> thank you, jerry. well, it is hard to believe, but kids will be heading back to school again soon. that means it is time to slow down when you are behind the wheel. especially in school zones. don't go faster than 15 miles
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per hour in zones here in the district. and if you are in maryland, keep in mind the speed counter program will expand statewide come october. only in montgomery county they are using the cameras right now in school zones and near the schools as well. slow down. an alarming new study has been finding the risk of people dying with sleep and me ya. they were more than 1 1/2 times likely to die from any cause during the study. the association was particularly strong among men with sleep apnea. they were also found to be at an increased risk for early death because of cardiovas lur disease. now to the money crisis and a look at how the foreign market is doing. the asian markets were all in the red today. japan's nikkei lost .97%.
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shanghai lost 1.3%. the dow futures are poiing to a negative opening. yesterday the dow gained 82 points closing at 9217. the nasdaq gained 25 points closing at 1955. well, news4 is helping to find jobsyou. ed ag mwot emanorcoennrp odedwoge management corporation muom ctyniwomunityom magers l,ngeasi agents and te inemancnaecnshnicianc for the ic op ieresheti tner ltime,or prince george's and virginia areas. if you are interested in nglee arni mdanor applying, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. 5:57 is the time now. the interest rate on your credit card may suddenly sore. the other tactics credit card companies are using before the crackdown on unfair rates takes effect tomorrow. and the effects of guard sol gardisol. why you may think twice before giving this vaccine to your daughter. and today's weather will have it all. we'll have your weather and traffic together on the 1s
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coming up. stay with us. we have a full hour of news coming up. news4 at 6:00 a.m. in a moment.
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crash landing. talk about a wake-up call in the middle of the night when a large tree branch came down on a prince gege's apartment complex. can you hear me now? dead zones may be a thing of the past for metro riders. a monster forming. hurricane bill is now a s4rmtohy s4torm with sustained winds with over 130 miles per hour. now the question to everyone, where is this massive storm headed? rm good morning, everyone. thank you for waking up with us this morning for "news4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs on this 19th day of august, 2009.
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lovely picture of the sunrise about to take place, but look at all the bugs. it is steamy and humid out there. going to be a warm day again on this 19th day of august, 2009. >> those are gnats o there. >> they are gnats, and they are not playing baseball. >> i know. pdyela balmo pmorning. night and it was currently night and it was currently .ast loo lik steamy. itks be p loingyiolan be playing in steamy conditions gh t, too. .e have hato ad fewwersovnight o e county. sprinkles in southern maryland county and the lower part of the eastern shore. here's the forecast for today. l we'l he h lots of cloudiness in and out throughout the day, but the big story is sweerg in humidity, afternoon highs reaching near 90. and by mid-afternoon into the ening hours, we could have passing thundershowers. then they'll probably dissipate by later on this evening. then mostly cloudy starting off tomorrow morning in the sweltering humidity in place for
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owtomori fnd ay saturday. each daynig ihehs tpp uer 80s d a chance for mainly afternoon showers and thundershowers. a look at sunday into next week as well as the latest with hurricane bill coming up at 6:11. thank you. now to jerry edwards with an early look at the traffic. jerry, we have had some problems. >> joe, we have been at work well over an hour already. >> for normal humans, this is early. >> for the normal people, well, good morning normal people. here's how the commute is going, so far so good along i-270. brake lights near the chuck scales near clarksburg, but all the travel lanes are open. elsewhere, good news, the accident at 29 and lockwood is gone. the wilson bridge is fine as is 95 and 395. we just received word there's a possible medical emergency on fredericksburg train 300. so right now they are tending to that. fredericksburg train 300 will be delayed. it stopped midway.
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we'll keepou updated. thank you, jerry. a tree branch comin crashing down on an apartment building in prince george's county. it happened early this morning on southern avenue in boulevard heights. several people were forced from their apartments and the utilities had to be shut off. no reports of any injuries, though. some mixed new for metro rider this is morning. for starters, the transit agency announced slower commutes will continue indefinitely because all trains will continue bng operated manually instead of by computer. the move followed june's deadly accident in which nine people were killed. on a positive note, it can get more convenient when cell phone users provide service in the underground tunnels. we'll talk to megan mcgrath about this. how much is it going to cover out there? >> reporter: well, it is going to start in 20 of the busiest stations in the metro and expand from there, but this has been a
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frustrating situation for a lot of cell phone users down in the trains in the tunnels and they can't get a cell phone signal, so they can't surf the web, they can't do the things that they need to contact home, to contact the office, that sort of thing. they have t wait until they get out of the metro system to do that. well, they may soon be able to make that call because over the next few months sprint, nextel, at&t and t-mobile are joining verizon wireless to install hardware to get coverage in 20 of the busiest stations. right now verizon and sprint customers are the only ones who get coverage down in the underground sections of metro, but that is going to soon change. there's going to be installation work that will be done over the next two months. that work will be done while metro is closed, so it shouldn't cause any disruptions. folks can expect to see large cabinet-like structures to go up
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at the end of platforms. they will install cables and antennas and you can use the system to get coverage on the other networks beginning october 16. is this a good idea or bad idea? there are mix reviews this morning from metro riders. >> there are going to be more people talking, nobody wants to hear their conversations and they are loud. if they talk slow and low, we can't hear them, that's fine, but can you imagine all the people talking at one time? >> i think it is good for safety reasons if something were to happen inside the metro rail system, you can contact somebody for emergency systems, but also if someone happened with a loved one outside of the system. you can conta them to know what's going on. >> reporter: phase one is getting underway here in 20 stations. once all the work is completed, they will move on to some of the other stations, the other 27 stations so that eventually you'll have much, much better coverage across the entire metro system. kind of an interesting thing.
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i hadn't actually thought about that, barbara, all the people who will be chatting now on the trains that weren't before. some apparently think it could be a little irritating. >> i have heard that complaint already, but i know for many others it will be very convenient to be able to use the phones under there. thanks a lot, megan. well, today virginia governor tim kaine is expected to announce cuts of more than a billion dollars to the state's budget. the governor will make the announcement later this morning in front of the general assembly's combined money committees. legislative leaders say governor kaine will cut the budget by $1.3 billion. it's the fourth time in less than a year that the economy has forced the governor to scale back appropriations for a two-year budget running through next june. and new today, gunfire an explosions tear through the capitol of afghanistan on the eve of the presidential election. several armed men have also taken over a bank in kabul getting into a shootout with
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police who have surrounded the building outside. no casualties have been reported. however, the violence is an ominous sign ahead of tomorrow's presidential election. insurgents are threatening voters and warning them not to head to the polls. the debate over health care reform rages on and congressional democrats do not seem willing to compromise. they are now telling president obama's administration a health overhaul bill cannot pass unless it includes new government run insurance options. more than 80 house members wrote a letter to health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius the week expressing opposition to her public option not being essential to a health overhaul. liberals insist a new public insurance plan is essential. but republicans almost uniformly oppose it. well, washington is mourning the loss of one of the most well-talked about personalities. congressman novak passed away
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after having brain cancer for a year. he wrote for the chicago "sun times" for many years and he hosted the crossfire program. his colleagues remember him as a devoted reporter and a real washington original. >> bob novak leaves a huge hole in a lot of his friends and the stichlt he was authentic, one of a kind, i think he was the finestcolumnist/reporter combination of his generation in the last 50 years. >> it is certainly very sad. i think bob is a tremendous los to washington, to the political committee, to the journalism community. >> robert novak was 78 years old. our time is eight minutes after 6:00, what credit card companies are doing right now trying to beat tomorrow's deadline that will crack down on unfair rate hikes. plus, michael jackson's personal doctor breaks his silence. the mee eage wants you to hear e on.lineideo he posted and what presidentba o alimd
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former president clinton td keal about during a closed-door meeting at the white house.ke
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od morning. it is 6:11. i'm meteorologist tom keirein. on radar we have seen a few passing showers on radar, but they are lingering on the eastern shore with temperatures steamy in the 70s. the weather watchers are reporting from the mountains to the atlantic beaches with higher humidity. then later on today, maybe a passing afternoon thundershower with highs near 90. more of the same thursday, friday and saturday. getting into sunday, monday and tuesday, lower humidity moving in with highs into the 80s. certainly, it will be more pleasant. hurricane bill has increased in strength overnight. it is now a category 4 storm. i'm show you details at 6:21. jerry, how is the traffic? a developing situation downtown with live pictures of what's reported of a pedestrian
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struck. this is at constitution avenue and 14th street. this is southbound 14th street. we don't have a lot of details, but you can see the rescuews cr arriving on the scene. o ctn the rails this morning, a possible connueling day on metrog rail's red line via the ered ticicrgburain rg300. we hear that the manassas train is delayed as well. back to you. the time is 6:13, 77 degrees. the interest rate on your credit card may suddenly soar. and the other tactics credit card companies are using before a crackdown on unfair rate hikes takes effect tomorrow. plus, take a look at this. a tornado touches down without
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well, good morning. welcome back. across the country millions of americans are seeing credit card rates soar. companies are tying tryg to beat tomorrow's deadline t crack down on unfair rate hikes for consumers. tracee wilkins is here with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, joe. we have some good news coming our way, but before that happens we have this bad news to deal with. and there may not be much you can do about it. if you haven't been playing close attention to your credit card bills and checking rates and payment dates, now is the time. in recent weeks companies have been raising late fees on credit cards in response to new rules to clamp down on consumer gouging. starting tomorrow the companies must give credit card holders 45 days notice instead of 15 before raising the interest rate. they have to send bills out 21
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days in advance as opposed to 14. we spoke to say it is a change long overdue. >> thank you for getting ahead of the new law. banks are trying to cheat people while they still can. >> i try to be a smart consumer and only buy what i can afford and i think that's where they really get people is in that tough situation where they want to spend more than they have. >> right now it is more than 15%, so i'm trying to negotiate with it. if it works out, it works out. if i don't, i may have to cancel it. >> they are not supposed to give a credit card to people who cannot afford it, so they arted giving all the credit cards and now it is causing problems. >> it could get worse before it gets better. more rate hike restrictions for credit card companies will be impleasanted in february. >> tha you very much, tracee. this morning we are learning
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more about a meeting between metoincln.bama andprt en idbill billenclinton. the mainop tic was clinton's iossmin to north korea. the two satown for more than an hour in the oval office yesterday afternoon. they talked about kim jupg il and president clinton's visit to free two journalists from north korea. the king of pop will beaid to rest on what would have been his 51st birthday. a family spokesperson says michael jackson will be buried august 29th at forest lawn cemetery in glendale, california. his body will lie inside the cemetery's great mausoleum known for its elaborate artwork. he died nearly two months ago, by we still don't know what killed him. his doctor is under a clout of suspicion. now conrad murray is peeking
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publicly about this for the first time. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth and i have faith that the truth will prevail. >> murray has been at the center of michael jackson's death investigation. police want to know jonks got anesthetic normally reserved for hospital use. well, the washington nationals new $15 million man steven strausberg is expected to make his first appearance in d.c. later this week. he is flying from southern california tomorrow and the team would formerly introduce him on friday. here's lindsay czarniak with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute begins with the nationals. fresh off the excitement of signing number one draft pick steven stsberg, the nats try to top the rockies, but they snap the nationals' three-game winning streak. they hit two late solo homers and the rally from the nationals came up short as they fall, 4-3.
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brett favre decided to unretire and return to the nfl. yesterday favre signed a deal with the minnesota vikings for $12 million. favre says he wants to play at least a series in minnesa's preseason game friday night. to the redskins, even though the rook we may start this season, he is still getting treated like a rookie. two were behind the hazing as well as others. he said if he knew he was going to get hazed, he would have talked smack to the veterans. the redskins play saturday against the steelers that you can see here on nbc 4. that's your sports minute. i'm lindsay czarniak, have a great day. take a look at this. people in texas are cleaning up from a round of severe weather that sent a tornado rolling through the city of beaumont. the twister touched down yesterday afternoon ripping the roof off a department store. it also pummeled the cars in a parking lot scattering debris
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and shopping carts throughout the area. several people had to be taken to the hospital with minor injuries. well, let's get a check on what the weather will be like for today and see if we'll feel any effects from hurricane bill as it makes its way up the coast. >> hey, tom. >> hi, barbara and joe. if you are going to the beaches this weekend, you will certainly feel the effects of hurricane bill. this is the most powerful storm on the planet. right now hurricane bill is packing winds of 130 to 135 miles an hour sustained. gusts over 160. it is moving west/northwest at 15 miles per hour. here's the latest track. thankfully, mercifully, passing north of the islands over the next couple of days and maybe just west of bermuda on saturday, but by the time it gets off the atlantic seaboard on sunday east of ocean city, there could be big waves at the beaches as we get into sunday and monday. for us this morning, we have had a few passing light showers now moving out of the lower bay and towards southern parts of the eastern shore.
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temperatures are under a partly sunny sky and in the 70s. steamy humidity today, tomorrow, friday and saturday. the highs near 90 with a chance of mainly afternoon thundershowers each da improving sunday into next week with lower humidity moving in. jerry, good morning, somehow the traffic? good morning, everyone. better news for downtown commute irs with an accident involving the pedestrians. this just cleared out of the roadway, so all directions have reopened. elsewhere, headed for downtown through southeast, 295 near south capitol street is doing ne. the northeast is looking good down to new york avenue. we are also moving along without significant delay. back to you. thank you, jerry. what you do in your spleep that increases your risk of dying by nearly 50%. plus, former "survivor" richard hatch arr tngalkih itttl
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"survivor" winner richard hatch is once again behind bars. federal officials arrested hatch shortly after his interview with matt lauer yesterday on the "today" show. during the interview, hatch said he believes the judge in his tax evasion case discriminated against him because he's day. he even used a prosecutor of misconduct. they would not disclose the reason for hatch's arrest. in news4 your health this morning, a new study shows how dangerous sleep apnea is. the disease raises the risk of dying early by 46%. they say risks are most prevalent men between the ages of 40 and 70. researchers say people with milder sleep breathing problems
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do not share that same risk. an estimated 12 to 18 million adult americans do have sleep apnea, but most are not diagnosed or treated. our time now is 6:26. a teacher in northern virginia is under arrest. what he's accused of doing to ofofis studetus. plus, the murder mystery inside a local pizza izza place.
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fighting the swe flu. today the government and health leaders will meet for a swine flu summit on capitol hill to announce new guide lines to help businesses prepare for the swine flu. good morning and welcome back to "news4 today."
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i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison. it is wednesday, august 19th, 2009. taking a look outside, isn't that a beautiful picture? it looks like, i think it is the moon, but it must be the sun because we are looking towards the east there again this morning with clouds in front of it. that may mean rain is on the way. we had some last night, too. it is possible we could get showers and thundershowerserat l at s we ae tak a lod oklo outside, thehurricane bill. deta onrrhuilicane bill. s nails on that coming up traturepetu aren i atures the mid to upper 70s. it is steamy this morning with the humidity levels increasing asernight. hahe day progresses, we'll ve partly cloudy mornings and a partly cloudy afternoon with highs reaching near 90 be with lower humidity. the sunset will be at 7:57. between 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., we could get passinghowers in the steam heat. then by dawn tomorrow, into the mid-70s.
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during the day tomorrow anday aaysa ayrds each day is humid with afternoon highs in the upper 80s and a chance for passing thundershowers each day. a look into next week. improving news, details on that coming u at 6:41. thank you, tom. we'll go to jerry edwards looking at traffic. we have had some problems today. >> hey, jerry. >> hey, there. yes, we had a pedestrian struck at 14th street. the accident there is already taken care of and the one at 29th and lockwood drive. elsewhere, in from the west along interstate 66, that was 66 at fair oaks picking up volume through northeast new york avenue and kettleworth avenue. i-270 wide open so far. we have reports of an accident on i-70 westbound up at route 29. back to you. thank you, jerry. the obama administration is getting ready to announce new federal guidelines to help businesses prepare for the swine
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flu outbreak. this com as schools are already reporting cases of the virus. brooke hart is joining us live with more on today's swine flu summit. >> reporter: good morning. today the secretaries of commerce, homeland security and health and human services hold a news conference on the workplace side of this on how employers can gear up for the swine flu outbreak. they are watching schools now, too. at junction city elementary school in kentucky, the swine flu has followed students back to school. it is scary, i think. really scary. >> reporter: despite efforts to clean the school, there'sneis confirmed case of the h1n1 virus. by day's end monday, more than a quarter of the school's students and staff were home. many of them reporting fever, vomiting and sore throat. >> you can't have school if you have that many people out. it is not a good thing. there's something definitely going around. >> reporter: expecting more cases like this at schools and workplaces this fall, today the
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obama administration advises employers on how to repair prepare for it. >> obviously, everyone is holding their breath about the timing knowing this is seriously a virus that seems to have very high impactivity. >> reporter: 45 million doses of the h1n1 vaccine are expected to be ready by mid-october. the start of mass vaccinations planned. >> we are going to encourage people to start tnking about where to get their vaccine and start making plans knowing about the additional vaccinations after that. >> reporter: aside from shots, people can protect themselves. >> make sure you ride your kids, soap and water, under the sink, singing happy birthday as many times as they can throughout the day. >> reporter: still, federal officials now suggest that schools should not close unless manytudes become sick. they found in many cases closures did not much to the virus' spread and caused
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disruptions in the process. i'm brooke hart. back to you. well, thousands of students in our area haven't received the required vaccinations. d. slschc.in boo oeg n.moc.aynd theseptember 6 to get se ember 6 to get6 utoe-dp- oatnp- their shots. d.c.c. schools are offering atinn clinics tomorrow and .ayusa ily are kelly e hosc school in northeast, kramer n middle school in uthet,as co eshwndrt at, northwest, and hosch ol ule ig hinhosc in southeast. ltea department office on gia avenue will be open on friday until 7:00. well, new information about the side eects of the hpv vaccine guard sol. the cdc says there are more than 12,000 side effects after 23 million doses were stricted. 94% of the problems weren't serious, but 6% were, including patients hospitalized, permanent disabled or died. the cdc, however, says that's not an increase from what they have seen with other vax seans. vaccines. this morning a prince
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william teacher is accused of taking indecent liberties with thenagers. ewo two 15-year-olds from a school in center city. we are told that the teacher inappropriatelyou tou t tched to meesag to t one of the boys. patterson is bei held without bond. police in northeast washington are looking for a eiletherwn o killethe owner rta ma on.nzzsh shington. police discoredpo the body inside the business on fourth street yesterday. they identified the victim as a 44-year-old man of silver spring. police say the restaurant was locked when they arrived so they had to force their way in. this pizza mart has been a fixture in the edgewood neighborhood for some time. >> he was a very nice man. very quiet. >> all the time we get pizza
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there. very nice man. >> an autopsy will determine the cause of death. there are increased police patrols in one part of montgomery county thisgeantr ssf s.se cases. bails ofay aperl apart were set on fire yesterday around 3:00 in the damascus area. the bails were stacked high and worth a total of $100,000. containing the fires kept montgomery county firefighters busy much of the morning. within a few hours of the first fire, four nearby mailboxes and a trash can were also torched. no arrests have been made. and a maryland state delegate is under fire this morning. how he combined a fake police raid and a marriage proposal. plus, more cell phone service is coming to metro stations. find out whenou can use your ce pho neunderground. and hurricane bill strengthens to a 4
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weather and traffic on the 1s. it is now 6:41. here's a liveic pture with a partly sunny sky. it is a steamy summer morning in the mid to upper 70s. the weather watchers are reporting with the increased humidity, willing look at the dew points in the low 70s. that is steamy humidity. it will be with us today with afternoon showers possible with highs near 90. it will be humid tall way into saturday. each day we have a chance of minely afternoon showers and thundershowers, but sunday, monday and tuesday lower humidity and cooler with sunshine back. the latest on hurricane bill as well as my latest school visit is coming up in ten minutes. how is the traffic, jerry? well, as the sun slowly creeps up over the herrizen,
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traffic is slowing down on the beltway. this is the outer loop approaching van doran street. no accidents to report. the inner loop is fine. it is nice to see the old sun. also, looking pretty good along 395 northbound to and across the inbound 14th street bridge. outbound 14 looks good and the accident we showed you earlier this morning, 14th at constitution avenue has been cleared up. back to you. thank you, jerry. the police raid in maryland that was supposed to be a romantic gesture. plus, why the frustrations of many metroid
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good morning. welcome back. if you take the metro to work and like to talk on your cell phone, your morning talk, talk, talk on the tracks could get easier. many cell phone providers are expanding service to include underground stations and tunnels. my michigan mcgrath is join us from the chinatown area with more on the story. >> reporter: good morning, joe. things could get chatty in the underground tunnels on metro. as you just mentioned, a number of cell providers are putting in new cables and and ten in as to expand service underneath in the tunnels under ground in the metro system. now, many people have been frustrated for a long time because they couldn't get cell phone coverage underground in metro. over the next two months, sprint, nextel, at&t and sprint
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mobile will put in new equipment to work in underground stations. verizon is the only one to get service heren the underground tunnels. the installation work will be done while metro is closed, so it shouldn't cause problems or delays for anyone. expect to see large cabinet-like structes to house the electronics. you will see them at the end of the platforms. they will be installing cables and antennas and you should be able to make calls and surf the web on the new system beginning on october 16th. now, we have been talking to riders this morning. most of them think it is a pretty good idea to expand coverage. >> i think people -- i mean, they work when they leave the office, so it is great to have the access down in the tunnels. they have to make phone calls, too. >> i think it is good to have coverage. if something is going on, someone can call 911 on there rather than running to the back
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of the subway. >> is it going to get pretty noisy down there, do you think? >> well, unless people are yelling on their cell phones. >> reporter: we talked to one woman not all that keen on the idea. the woman says after a long day of work, the last thing she wants to do is sit next to a stranger on the train and listen to them yak away. they are going t put this in 20 stations and expand this to the other 27 stations. >> you do tend to learn everyone else's business when you are down there. >> reporter: could be too much information on the train. >> thank you so much, megan. well, metro riders can expect a slower commute nor the foreseeable future. they plan to continue to run every train manually. the shift from computer to manual operation came after the june 22nd crash in which nine
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people were killed. john cato says the trains will not run aicutat aallyomgain until problems related to the crash are fixed. when operators are controlling the trains, metro says they spend more time at t platforms and take more time to accelerate the trains. a maryland delegate is apologizing for an elaborate hoaxe hatched in order to propose to his girlfriend. john carden had baltimore police stage a fake raid on his boat as he and his girlfriend were sitting on it. when his girlfriend thought she was about to be arrested, carden got down on one knee and proposed. sounds like a sweet story, but the police officials are not smiling on it saying it was never authorized by commanders. baltimore police have mixed feelings about this. >> well, with the budget crisis we are in right now, i don't think that it was probably appropriate. i mean, everybody is strapped. >> he had to express his love so
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openly, i think it is a wonderful example in this day and age. >> john carden is the nephew of maryland senator ben carden. he offered to pay expenses from the whole thing. new today a skyrocketing drug problem among baby boomers. a new report says their drug use has nearly doubled while the rates for all other age groups have flenalr o remained the same that's the word from the new r statistics as ofurasge apl of 59 to. 5% of people in the age group admitted to si ung illegal udr , by 2007 the rate cedmb tlibuo o 9.4%. scientists say the druse u is dangerous and likely the strain the health care further. wall street is going to try to bounce back from monday's losses. courtney reagan is here with the latest. >> reporter: futures have, unfortunately, turned lower this morning following yesterday's
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modest rebounds on wall street. with the lack of economic data due today, china could be part of the reason for the fall. the shanghai market dropped 4% today after losing more than 5% on monday. that dragged down the rest of asia and europe as well as they are in the red. u.s. stocks did manage to push higher tuesday as investors overlooked disappointing housing data in the morning. the dow closed up 82 points to 9217. the nasdaq rising 25 points to 1955. well, sony is cutting the price on the playstation 3 by $100 in a bid to boost demand. they have been behind nintendo wii the last two years. they are also introducing a new slim model next month for $299. i'm sure the gamers will be excited about the price drop. back to you. news4 is helping to find jobs for you. edgewood management coor at oo l fiskingnor community kigent inetenc tnaichnecianshn for
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properties in t baltimore, prince george's and nnerth virginia ars. if interestein linrnorea m ge and applying, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. new today, a tree branch comes crashing down on an apartment building in prince george's county. this happened early this morning on southern avenue and boulevard heights. several people were forced from their apartments and the utilities had to be shut off. there are no reports of any injuries. tom is here now with a look at the forecast again. tom? >> when you step out the door, you will notice the humidity has increased and it is a sweltering morning. the sun is up with atl par y clou p cls a i sitay steamy 77 na teon . national. owe t the low to mimo montgomery, fairfax, prince george's and arlington counties, weather watchers are reporting it in the mid to low 70s with higher humidity in place from the blue ridge to the atlantic beaches. these are the dew points near 70 to the lower 70s. that's steamy humidity.
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are you traveling today? there could be flight delays. florida's gulf coast up the mississippi valley to the midwest as well as around our region and in to new england. ld cor bauoun se i seeth northern plains and the northern rockies. out on the west coast, it should be just fine. here's hurricane bill to get you oriented. here are the islands. here's the east coast of the u.s. here's washington. i has formed a huge eye in the last couple of hours and the wind have increased as well. it is a category 4 hurricane with sustained wind over 130 with gusts to near 160 miles per hour. it is traveling west/northwest at 15 miles per hour. at this rate it will continue to pass north of the islands mercifully. here's bermuda passing west of the area by sunday. ey sunday and monday, we could have strong surf at the bch a as it passes to our east. yesterday morning i visited the camelot d hai ael wrgviinia. with a terrhe sifichit f a terrific sd fkealtohetu t sntdt i thehe ialketo thetudentnt t wet rouheat andll about weather a esenff oypt
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erff ttypes of thank t tnt that fotts pitts foe. athe. what a wonderful school and a great group of students. hay i had a great time at the camelot school. a hot and sunny day up near 90. we could get early afternoon and evening thundershowers. tomorrow into the mid-70 horen aeaendt men heeat and humidity around for thursday, friday and saturday. each day we have a passing afternoon storm with highs in the 80s. ood news, lower humndit ay cooler temperatures move in for sunday, monday and tuesday. students at the camelot school gave me this ctinue wonderful fan. i might use it today. you be cleopatra. >> how did i luck out? i can go on with that for a while now. now to jerry. >> hey! stop taking my job! good morning, let's head out to see how the commute is going. so far so good.
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it has been a relatively quiet commute with a couple issues from earlier in the day. college park near silver spring, we are doing fine. the inner loop is going to slow down into the sunshine if not right now before too long. elsewhere, the accident on route 70 westbound up near route 29 has been cleared. very quiet along i-270 all the way from frederick to rockville. toll road, of 66, sunshine delays could cost you a few minutes. northeast and southeast washington, major corridors are moving along nicely. back to you. thank you, jerry. updating the top stories, the obama administration is expected to announce new guidelines for businesses on how to handle a possible swine flu outbreak. it comes at the beginning of a three-day international conference here in washington where health officials will discuss responses to a possible h1n1 pandemic. violence has broken out in afghanistan on the eve of the presidential election. several armed men have taken
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over a bank in the capitol of kabul. i surry gents are also threatening voters telling them not to head to the polls tomorrow. metro trains will continue running a little slower than normal. the transit agency announced plans to keep running every train manually. the shift from computer to manual operation came after the june 22nd crash in which nine people were killed. metro says that when operators are controlling the trains they tend to spend more time at the station platforms and take more. well, news4 is always loing for people who make the y y daecial in the early morning hour if you know someone lik nd s tirhetory along with a r, cleair close-up picture or acl video of them doing their job t com.ingperson@nbcwashingn. trl to feature that person and their sto ltr rivivight her on nbc 4 today every morning at 6:55. when you get home from work, you may like to change into slippers to rest your feet. this elephant feels the same
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way, but she wears the slippers all day long. this is a 40-year-old elephant at the zoo in england. she was suffering from foot abscesses on her front feet, so the zoo got her red slippers to keep her comfortable. the strippers are more costly than the average ir, slippers are more costly near $825 per pair. she enjoys wearing them. >> it is hard to get those things on. >> hard to keep them on once they are on there. >> i wish i could get my wife and kids to put my shoesn o like that. >> i suppose you want me to fan you, too. this morning we are starting ofthf twihe syam humidity in place. there's the sunrise with a live picture from the city camera at this hour with highs reachin near 90. mr. prepared for passing thundershowers. i don't anticipate any severe storms today. we could get heavyth thunder a with thunder and lightning. more of the same thursday, friday and saturday with highs
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near 90 each day. no strong winds or damaging winds. looking at the traffic, jerry? >> the biggest issue is sunshine. that's a quality problem. enjoy the commute. that's "news4 today." thank you for starting your day with us. have a great day. we hope you wake up with us at 4:55 a.m. have a terrific day. seyou in the morning. >> bye. nd
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