well, good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it's friday, august 21st, 2009. >> end of the road. the popular cash for clunkers program is now winding down. how long car buyers have left to wheel and deal on the federal government's dime. >> eye of the storm. hurricane bill churning out there in the atlantic, and now threatening bermuda. what this massive weather system is expected to bring to parts of our region. >> imminent threat. a dangerous disease looming on college campuses. as students return to classes, the guidelines from the federal government in the event of an outbreak. >> and meteorologist tom kierein is here in the studio to talk about the recast and bill out there churning in the atlantic. >> yeah, we could have some heavy surf at our beaches on the weekend. details on that coming up. first, our radar locally at this hour. we have -- there's national airport under a partly cloudy sky. r dara radaratpritipn,io a e leupwers ihothe upn rshoth e

panhandle of west virginia. it is a ste ammogrny in in y washington. upper 70s to near all around the region with high humidity. out in the mountains, a bit cooler, 70 there. athwe soulostst flyw tapping the f the pyid h oit gulf of mexico. thatitanh approhing front may give us strong storms in this yellow zone, 3:00 to 7 o'clock p.m. we cld d getinagamg winds and hail during thim teeshis afternoon. and then for saturday, mostly m, adycloray m ningbeshower, some afternoon thundershowers. then some lower humidity moves in for sunday, into monday. a look at next week and the latest on hurricane bill. i'll have a bill update coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> all right, tom, thanks. >> bills. i hate bills. let's go to jerry edwards now, take a look at the roadways. >> good morning. we'll show you a map here, let you know what's going on. the outer loop of the beltway approaching river road had the overnight road work, with the rams closed off. very confusing situation. so far, so good. 66, wilson bridge, northeast. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. see you in a few minutes.

>>a heads-up if you plan on riding metro this weekend. there will be no red line service at ft. totten from 9:30 tonight until midnight on sunday. crews are fixing trackcircuits. metro will run shuttle buses between brookland, ft. totten and takoma. on saturday there will be a shuttle that takes passengers directly from takoma to union station. >> you may hear a loud screeching sound this weekend. >> that's right. the cash forlunkers program is coming to a halt out there.ni counting today, youowave h four more days to participate. the obama administrationmonda i moa ay deadline. cash flu cnkers officially runs out of gas monday night at 8:00. brooke hart joins us live on capitol hill now with more. hey, brooke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this comes as sort of a surprise to many people. monday night is now the deadline for dealers to submit that 13-page application for reimbursement, sooner than anyone expected. the obama administration is under pressure to make sure that dealers and taxpayers get what they bargained for car dealers

expect heavy traffic in showrooms this weekend now that word's out cash for clunkers ends monday. >> i think it is a great program. i do hate to see it end. >> reporter: customers had expected rebates offered until labor day at least. >> i think it's a good program. you know, too bad the money's running out. >> reporter: but the obama administration acknowledged that $2 billion added to cash for clunkers two weeks ago is draining fast. on the radio, president obama called it good news. >> we're now slightly victims of success because the thing happened so quick, there was so much more demand than anybody expected. >> reporter: the trouble for many dealers is sales are happening a lot faster than reimbursements. >> we're probably owed about 45 million at this point. >> it's a great program. just not exactly the best execution from the government. >> reporter: transportation secretary ray lahood said he's tripled his staff to review dealers' claims. >> they're going to get their

money. we have the money. congress provided the money. they're going to get their money. >> reporter: the program's credited with 450,000 trade-ins, guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles. some say a needed economic jolt. >> you sell a car, trucking for raw materials, puts suppliers to work, puts assembly lines to work, advertising on your station. it's good for everything. >> reporter: gm plans to rehire more than 1,300 workers and carmakers have been paying overtime to boost production. for president obama, a lot is riding on whether cash for clunkers is seen as a success. critics have warned that mismanagement of $3 billion in clunkers funds would doom his chances for a trillion dollar health care overhaul. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >> thank you, brooke. >> thanks very much. >> charlgs county police are hopeful they've gotten a break in a case of more than a dozen motorcycles stolen in and around the county in recent months. police say the thieves have been

targeting motorcycle owners for months with 16 bikes. c they'll go to parking lots or scope out areas looking for motorcycles. >> police say most of the thefts have taken place early in the morning on weekdays. >> also in charles county, police are investigating the death of a little boy. a 3-year-old de shaun wade was foundnrivesponse in his po mother's apartment on wednesday morning. he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. an autopsy will be performed to determine what caused his death. as for now, police are just calling his case, a, quote, death investigation. >> hurricane bill is still menacing the atlantic.

right now it's a category 3 but it's threatening to strengthen into a category 4 today. here's what bill looks like from space. it's a huge storm with a well-formed eye. it has bermuda in its cross hairs. the government is warning people on the island to get ready, and that includes bill and hillary clinton who just arrived for a getaway this week there in bermuda. meteorologist tom kierein tracking things in storm cenr 4. tom? >> yeah, bill maintains strength overnight. it continues to churn away now, still over the open waters of the western atlantic. here's bermuda. it does look like it's going to pass just to the west of bermuda. it has winds of 120 with gusts to 150. but this yellow zone you see out here, these are tropical storm force winds. here it is. here's cape cod. it does look like by sunday early in the morning cape cod, martha's vineyard, nantuet could get hit with near hurricane force winds as it scoots just by there during the day on sunday. then it passes just to the east of nova scotia as we get into

monday morning. that's the way it looks right now. our local forecast for the next several days coming up at 5:11. >> all right. thank you, tom. >> the health care depabate tooa more subdued tone la night in prince george's county. dozens showed up for a meeting in landover. that scene was a far cry from the heated forums taking place in other parts of the country. one by one, residents asked questions about proposed health care legislation. edwards says she supports a public option in that legislation and she criticized president obama for not demanding it. >> i think that it's really important to have what i describe as a robust public plan option. that is a choice that body's going to be forced into. >> edwards plans to hold another town hall meeting next tuesday in germantown. she says she does not expect that crowd to be as friendly. >> today, loved ones will say good-bye to a man who became a washington institution. robert novak died this week, one

year after being diagnosed with brain cancer. he was a conservative columnist who spent many years writing for the "chicago sun-times." he also co-hosted cnn's "cross fire." today he will be remembered during private funeral mass. robert novak was 78 years old. >> 5:08, 80 degrees out there this morning. a convicted terrorist gets rock star treatment after being released from prison and returns home. >> plus, why a man strips down to nothing 30,000 feet in the air and had to be subdued and escorted off the flight. >> and the video of what really happened inside a local diner that caused a gay couple to be thrown out for what some say was inappropriate behavior.

weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 5:11. it's a steamy 79 in washington. we're in the 70s all around the region. we've t this flow out of the southwest bringing in the tropical humidity, and in this yellow zone a chance of strong

storms 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., some isolated storms, including most of virginia, maryland, parts of west virginia. northeast and east of us could get damaging winds with hail as well. tomorrow, maybe some morning showers, maybe some afternoon and evening thundershowers. could get some thundershowers this evening as well. should be cooler tomorrow after a high today in the low 90s. it will be a bit cooler saturday but still humid. sunday and monday, into next week, each day lower humid witness with highs in the 80s so much more comfortable as we end the weekend and get into next week. how's the traffic? >> a live look here. good morning, everyone. happy friday. at the capital beltway and river road, looks like everything has been picked up from the overnight road work, but there's a lot of dust that's been kicked up, so roll up the windows if you're headed through there. it will be a little nasty for a while but the lanes are open. northeast washington, new york avenue and kenilworth avenue doing okay. wilson bridge, no early concerns. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. >> time is 5:12. it's 79 degrees already here in washington. got some spare change around the house or in your car?

you could use that to cash in on a ticket to tonight's nats game. >> i don't know if i have that much. plus, th threat of a dangerous disease as college students return to campus. next, what administrators and the feveraatgol mentgo

now here's a look at some of the top stories in the news for today. car shoppers interested in

the cash for clunkers program have only four more days to get that rebate. the popular program will end monday at 8:00 p.m. in just one month, more than 450,000 deals have already been made. police in charles county may have made an arrest in a rash of motorcycle thefts. at least 16 motorcycles in and around the county have been stolen since may. yesterday, investigators say someone at a park and road commuter lot saw a man loading a motorcycle into a minivan. the person reported it to police who confirmed that the suspect is now in custody. people in bermuda are getting ready for hurricane bill. the storm's churning in the atlantic ocean as a category 3 storm but warm waters could help strengthen it into a category 4 storm today. >> the swine fwlu is still a vey real concern, especially with so many students getting ready to head back to school this fall. health experts are now focusing on college students since they

tend to live in close quarters. that's why they're giving schools advice on what to do if the virus starts spreading. derrick ward joins us from our studio with more. good morning. >> good morning, barbara. this is a threat that's causing the most concern in places where a lot of people fm different places tend to gather in close proximity, namely college campuses. this fall it's all about preparation for the h1n1 virus. campuses all over the country are readying themsels for a potential outbreak of the so-called swine flu virus. a vaccine is expected sometime in tober. but cases of the virus continue. in the meantime, it's all about preparing for the worst. their rule of thumb is if you get it or you think you have it, don't come to close. >> the student's missing class, misses a midterm exam or a final exam, they're doing the right thing by not coming to class. >> it's not just about staying away. some students are being advised to bring thermometers to class to keep tabs on their temperatures. on campuses like american university here, in the district, the contingency plans would have instructors preparing

distance or online learning crick rum while the virus can be contracted face to face, they're pretty sure it won't b contract in cyber face. back to you. >> i hope not. in a few days, students in the district will head back to the classroom, but before that happens, parents have to make sure they have all the shots they need. this year there are six additional vaccine needed on top of the five needed last yir. that's why the department of health in the district has opened up severalac cl clinics. one will be held today at the department of healts. ia aven avenue. it will be openm ro f.009: a.m. to 7:00 p.m.00 toro oowm saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. tdyhe include the ke,erlly miller -- kelly, mrille middle school, ballou high school, cramer middle school and blue ridge high school. >> new information about the lesbian couple that staged a kiss-in protest at a local diner. they say they filed a discrimination complaint with the state. this couple claims that they were kicked out of the tastee

diner in silver spring, maryland, recently, simply because they were holding each other. management at the restaurant says that's not entirely true. they released surveillance video from that night. you can see the couple in the middle of the screen engaged in a long embrace. and managers say that's not all. >> they had their bodies pressed and rubbed up against one another, and at one point, one of their faces goes down in the other -- in the other girl's breast. we found that to be inappropriate. >> the general manager of the diner says he is willing to meet with the women to talk about what happened and put the entire conflict to rest. >> well, the washington nationals will introduce their newest star today, the number one draft pick in the league. >> after being swept by the colorado rockies, it seems like the team could use his help. dan hellie has more in your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the nationals who introduced

mike rizzo as the club's general manager yesterday. meanwhile, on the field, the nationals just couldn't catch a break. this is carlos gonzalez with a bloop single for the rbi. then the rockies go on to win it 4-1. they complete the three-game sweep. later this afternoon the nationals will welcome number one overall pick stephen strasburg to town with an on the field news conference. everybody with a ticket to the game is welcome to attend. that starts at 2:00. o's on the road in tampa. reimold hit a three-run home run. they win 8-7. redskins training camp for the most part is over. no more two a days, and no major injuries which any nfl coach will tell you is a victory in itself. now, the redskins would like to see some progress, especially on the offensive side of the ball. jim zorn say he will play his starters until he sees something good against the steelers on saturday night.

that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great day. >> well, if you haven't been out to the ballpark yesterday this summer, tonight is the perfect time to go. the team is offering $1 tickets for tonight's game against the milwaukee brewers. there are no more $1 seats ailable for purchase online, but the main box office will be selling 1,000 $1 tickets beginning at noon. if you get that early you'll see the news conference at which they will introduce new pitcher stephen strasburg. our time is 5:21. >> it is. time for a check on weather and traffic. we begin with weather. here's meteorologist tom kierein. >> could be a rain delay for tonight's game so be prepared for that. now, for today we've got a southwest flow continuing to pump in the humidity and, as a result, with that approaching front we could have strong storms 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. across most of virginia, all of maryland just about except far, far southeastern part and much of eastern west virginia. some isolated storms could produce damaging winds. highs low 90s. tomorrow, mostly cloudy, maybe a morning shower, afternoon thundershower, lower humidity

for sunday into monday. i' m back in ten minutes with another update. jerry, how's the friday traffic? >> good morning to you. picking up some volume along interstate 66 inbound as you head in from fair oaks toward vienna en rout to the capital beltway. the good news is lanes are open westbound, very light volume. elsewhere southeast corridors all seem to be doing okay. 295, south cap, pennsylvania avenue out of southern prince george's county, no worries headed on up to the capital beltway. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. 5:22 now, 79 degrees. the weather gets a little too hot to handle and a dozen local students are sent to the hospital. >> also, the terrifying moments for a police officer behind the wheel when the driver of another car loses control. >> plus, the naked truth about what happened on a southwest airliner and why one man was escorted off that flight.

check out this video. pretty terrifying. a floyd county, indiana, sheriff's deputy was driving down the road when all of a sudden, crash. a car swerved directly into the path of the police cruiser. the head-on crash was captured on the department's new in-car video camera system. neither the driver of the car or the deputy was seriously hurt. >> well, one woman found something less than friendly skies, or at least a friendly guy on a southwest airlines flight from oakland, rncalifoia, to las vegas. midway through thefl aigli,htan, sitting next to her snluddey pudosed hndse an lfhehe tnc her.d the man then took his clothes off and began yelling and fighting with other passengers. the pilot turdhene tla p around, and the man wasrrested when they got back tote oakld.an both the man and the woman he punched were taken to the hospital. >> that sounds pretty weird to me. >> that was one of those -- what was that about? >> exactly. 5:26 the time. it is 79 degrees in washington.

how the lockerbie bomber was welcomed home after his very controversial release from prison. >> and how much longeronsumers have to take advantage of the popular cash for clunkers program. >> also, a group of local kids throw a house party at a home that doesn't even belong to eith oned. of them.em

last lap. it's the end of the road for the popular cash for clunkers program. why some dealers are calling on roadside assistance from the federal government. >> storm watch. right now hurricane bill continues to churn in the atlantic ocean. this morning there is concern how that massive storm will affect our region. >> good morning, everyone. happy friday. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. it is friday, it's the 21st day of august, 2009. a live look outside right now.

79 degrees. muggy as well. going to be a warm, warm summer day. >> going to feel like you're walking into a sauna when you head outside. tom kiein is standing by with the forecast. >> hopefully your air conditioning will stay on through the day today. we have the warmest, muggiest morning of the summer under way all around the region, from the shenandoah valley to the atlantic beaches. upper 70s to 80 degrees with high humidity. it's cooler in the mountains, near 70 there. a southwesterly flow coming in ayos the last 36, 48 hours and that's continuing to pump in the tropical humid it. an approaching front, along with the humidity could get us some strong storms from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. we could have, indeed, as the day progresses, some strong thunderstorms developing with damaging winds during that time. highs low 90s. otherwise, maybe some showers tomorrow morningr thundershowers in the afternoon. lower humidity sunday into monday. a look at bill coming up in this half hour.

>> tom, thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network, see if we have any friday problems. >> so far, so good. things have settled down most if not all of the overnight road work has been wrapped up. we head to virginia take a live lock along 95 northbound and southbound, so far a little bit of volume both directions, but other than that good to go. the drive in on the b-w parkway and route 50 this morning, no concerns. 270 looks good as does the dulles toll road. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. >> get ready for weekend delays on metro's red line. there will be no red line metrorail service through the ft. totten station from 9:30 tonight until midnight on sunday so all weekend. crews are fixing track circuits there. metro will run shuttle buses between the brookland, ft. totten and takoma stations. on saturday there will be a shuttle to take passengers directly from takoma to union

station. hitting the brakes. cash for clunkers is approaching its finish line. if you have not yet taken advantage of it, time is running out. >> in fact,here are only four days left in ahe t program. at 8:00 monday night, ch r fo clunkers is officially out of gas. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live from alexandria with more on what this means for prospective car buyers. >> reporter: it means they better hurry up. this is a program that was so successful two weeks into it, the government had to fuel it with more money. now, five weeks later, cash for clunkers is coming to an end. >> it has been successful beyond anybody's imagination. >> reporter: and now it's coming to an end. $3 billion cash for clunkers program has run its course, offering more than $1.9 billion in rebates. it's being called one of the most successful short-term economic stimulus government plans in history. >> the benefits are really twofold. it's gotten the consumer back into the showroom. it's gotten dealerships in better financial condition and,

of course, it's helped the manufactures as well. >> reporter: that success has also meant a slow-moving program, specifically for dealers who have fronted thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates. they're now waiting for the government to reimburse them. >> we have well over a quarter million dollars right now invested, so we're -- we think that hopefully soon, know, we'll start to get some of that money. we're confident that the government's going to come through but justing a little bit slow. >> reporter: the president insisted yesterday that those reimbursements are on the way. >> i think this is a high-class problem to have, that we're selling too many cars, too quickly. thersome bag log in the application process. it is getting fixed. >> reporter: government officials say 457,000 vehicles have been sold under this program. now, remember, $3,500 to $4,500, that's how much you can get back if your car qualifies to be transferred in for a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle. but it all ends on monday.

i'm tracee wilkins, live in alexandria. back to you in the studio. >> those showrooms will be filled, i suspect, this weekend. >> i imagine. >> reporter: let's see. >> thank you, tracee. >> investigators in charles county are waiting for the results of an autopsy in the death of a child. 3-year-old desean wade died wednesday. he lived with his father in prince geope nr he t aiguntht hb had spent the night at his mother's home in waldorf. his mother says e he woke up early and she told him to go back to bed. then he never woke up again. >> he was in good health and everything. didn't show no signs that anything was wrong with him or anything. >> what do you make of this? >> i don't know. i'm lost. i'm -- i'm lost and confused. >> d mother had left him m had 1oersi esndag a4 1es nd a .11 they're the ones who called for help when he did not wake up. >> charles county police are hopeful that they have gotten a break in the case of more than a dozen motorcycles stolen around the county in recent months. police say the thieves have been

targeting motorcycle owners for months with at least 16 bikes taken since may. yesterday, investigators say someone at a park and ride commuter lot saw a man loading a motorcycle into a minivan. the person reported it to police who confirmed that they have a suspt in custody now. >> well, maryland is getting a chance to have their questions about health care reform answered. congresswoman donna edwards held a town hall meeting last night in landover. you have probably seen some heated forums in recent weeks around the country, but last night's was much quieter. edwards told the crowd she supports a public option in any health care bill, and she criticized president obama for not pushing for that more. >> the president has to be more declare tif, and the president, for a lot of reasons -- >> edwards will be holding another town hall meeting next week. it wl take place on tuesday in germantown. >> a somewhat startling scene in libya for a mass murderer.

the freed lockerbie bomber received a warm welcome in his home country. take a look at this. abdel baset al megrahi arrived home to a cheering crowd. al megrahi is the only man ever convicted for blowing up the flight over scotland back in 1988. 270 people died, most of them americans, many of them students on their way home for the holidays. a scottish judge decided to release him because he has terminal cancer. the terrorist served just eight years of his life sentence. president obama spoke out against his release and warned libya not to give him a hero's welcome. in afghanistan, two men are declaring themselves the winner of the presidential election. current president hamid karzai says he won re-election, but his chief rival, abdullah abdullah has also claimed victory. millions of afghans cast their ballots yesterday, despite threats from the taliban, but turnout was far lower than it was four years ago. that could hurt karzai's chances for re-election.

the first official results aren't expected until tomorrow at the earliest. >> our time right now is 5:37. 79 degrees. a quiet home in anne arundel county becomes the scene of a wild party where partygoers pay to drink and smoke pot and wreck the joint. >> also, why a dozen kids at a local high school were rushed to the hospital. >> plus, plans to help you kick back and relax.

weather and traffic on the 1s. it's now 5:41. good morning. a steamy 79 in washington and we've got thehick humidity on tap here again for today, tonight and morrow. we could get a passing thunderstorm this afternoon. there's a slight risk of an isolated storm producing damaging winds. highs low 90s. otherwise, partly sunny, steamy day. mostly cloudy on saturday, maybe a morning shower and a likelihood of afternoon thundershowers. then a front coming in saturday night should bring those showers and thundershowers to an end and usher in some comfortable weather.

lower humidity and pleasant temperatures for sunday all the way into thursday. hi maybe a little more humid by the end of the week. a look at hurricane bill, that will be in ten minutes. jerry, how's the traffic? >> pretty quiet friday morning, at least in town. so far, so good. new york avenue right at florida avenue northeast, a little bit of volume through the traffic lights but that's about it. obviously, clear, dry road surfaces and that's a plus. let you know that 95 and 395 still doing okay. some volume. 66 no worries. all the overnight road work on the beltway over near river road has been picked up. you might find the travel lanes bumpy, though, so heads-up for that. southeast we're okay right now. barbara and joe, back to you. >> thank you, jerry. our time is 5:42, 79 degrees the temperature here in the nation's capital. metro makes an attempt to get with the times but it learned the hard way that posting advisories on twitter might not be such a good idea. >> plus, a brazen break-in by a group of local kids. next at 5:45, what went down inside one maryland home that

has some kids in a lot of trouble, if they're ever caught.

our time now 5:45. the popular cash for clunkers rebate program is winding down. the white house announced that the program will end monday at 8:00 p.m. those who hurry can still get rebates of $3,500 to $4,500 for trading in old vehicles for newer more fuel-efficient models. if you take immediate row's red line, be prepared for delays this weekend. crews are repairing track circuits. there will be shuttle buses between brookland, ft. totten and takoma. tomorrow, another shuttle will runirectly from takoma to union station. there's a new sign that the job market may not be improving. for the second week in a row, the number of newly laid off workers filing for unemployment increased. experts say while the economy may be improving it may take

more time for the labor market to catch up. joe? >> any homeowner will tell you how irritating it can be when a neighbor throws a loud and wild party, but what happens when that party is at the home that doesn't even belong to the party-throwers? that's exactly what happened in one quiet neighborhood in anne arundel county. the people who threwhe bash actually broke into the house. chris gordon has more. >> reporter: this house has been for sale for several weeks. it's been empty since its owners moved tohe state of washington. but friday night, neighbors suspected something was wrong. >> about 11:30 i woke up, and i heard a lot of noise out. then again about, i imagine about 2:30. there was still a lot of noise. >> i noticed a lot of cars, but i figured some of the dogs were barking so i figured something was going on. >> reporter: here's how a party came to be thrown in a kvacant house. earlier on friday, the organizers visited neighbors saying that they had just bought the house, that their family was

moving in, that they were in the air force and about to be deployed to korea. they seemed neighborly, delivering a gift, a bottle of wine. but friday night, this was the scene of a wild party with 200 teens and young adults. they were attracted by a facebook posting. they paid organizers $10 to $20 each to drink and dance to loud music. >> i saw a bunch of kids. and i said, okay, if they're out here past 1:00, i'm going to call the cops. but somebody beat me to it. >> reporter: when police cruisers arrived, the partygoers ran across lawns, breaking fences, leaving behind a mess, carpets ruined, smoke detectors destroyed and the basement door broken. >> it wasn't jt booze. it was also drugs. they found a lot of drug pair a if a nail ya in there. >> reporter: the anne arundel county police secured the premises, but party organizers were brazen enough to come back the next day, and saturda night they broke in a second time to take back the table that they had brought here for their party.

anne arundel county police made no arrests at the time because they didn't learn until the next day that the party organizers weren't the owners of the house and that they ha broken in without permission. chris gordon, news 4. >> anne arundel county police are investigating the case as a break-in. they say they do have one suspect. barbara? >> fairfax county police are cracking down on what they call one of the most serious problems facing young people today. yesterday, the department announced a campaign to help curb underage drinking. it includes an education program for bars, restaurants and liquor stores and a tool kit that includes a special magnifying glass to check i.d.s. authorities warn those who serve alcohol to minors and minors who try to get alcohol face fines and up to a year in jail if convicted. >> again, it's the number one problem, i think, our young people face. we have to get past the rite of passage kind of discussion and it's okay to drink. 21 is the legal age. again, i encourage the

community, and i encourage parents to help us combat this serious problem. >> police will also have young cadets performing undercover checks at bars and restaurants to make sure those restaurants don't sell or serve alcohol to minors. >> well, a new hosy tamal be be t ,tyun un .ounty, chovioriainal the hospital corporation ofsepog medical center o i w yoy remember thatu earlier te ofd eraruprs sidvino kso board of supervisors a a eeiv miles iv fawthroayocism n.at lid 16hare0n re16n beds stan eedatim50 an estimated 500ropp b adheve ty croppved byhe county and the stat ildt wou be open in december of 2015. >> if you bought a designer handbag from a manassas mall store it may be a knock-off. police raided luxury fashion accessories or lfa as it's called yesterday morning. they say they recovered several boxes of counterfeit handbags,

jewelry and other accessories. they also arrested the store owner, taoufik lamharhar. police say the store never hid the fact that the items weren't authentic, but investigators say the lower prices hurt who other retailers who were selling the real deal. >> they had a sign posted that advertised the fact that these are not authentic items. and that's why they're being sold at such reduced prices as compared to legitimate sales. >> the store's owner is charged with infringement. he's free on bond and due back in court in october. >> well, a group of maryland high school football players is recovering after getting a little too hot. a dozen teenagers from kent island high school in stevensville had to be taken to the hospital after they started feeling sick and overheated last evening. everyone is expected to be okay. authorities say most of the kids just needed some water to cool off. but kids on teams ought to be really careful this time of

year. this is the time of year that all the football teams of all the high schools get out and start practicing. it is very, very rough. >> a l of sports at schools have the kids coming back. in fact, i saw a bunch of young girls running in the heat yesterda afternoon. i was thinking, oh, my goodness. >> yeah, you really have to respect the heat and humidity because the heat stroke, heat exhaustion can come on quickly. today we're starting off with our warmest, muggiest summer morning under way. there's the predawn glow. sunrise about half an hour away. it is a steamy and muggy mo wing. washington. as we look at radar, we don't have any precipitation here but far off toheur o west we do hava few showerr.la at thou hr. and temperatures are muggy, in the 70s from the shenandoah valley all the way to the atlantic beaches. over the last six hours, we've had this persistent southwesterly flow that's going to continue with us. and as a front approaching this yellow zone, we could get strong storms across virginia, maryland, west virginia into pennsylvania later on this afternoon. some isolated storms could

produce some damaging winds. here's what's happening with hurricane bill er the lastself hours, it's maintained its strength. still a category 3 hurricane. bill is approaching bermuda, but the latest track does look like it will take bill just to the west of bermuda, but bermuda may be lashed by avy, dangerous surf. winds are at 120 and gust to 150 near the center, which is in this dark zone here. now, as bill continues tracking north and turning to the northeast it will be just off our atlantic beaches on saturday. dangerous surf there. then outer parts of cape cod, nantucket and martha's vineyard could be lashed by tropical storm force winds on sunday as it pulls away farther to the north and east. if you're traveling today, could be flight delays from the gulf coast to new england as well as the upper midwest. and then farther to the west, don't have any travel problems. for us today, hhs reaching the low 90s. likelihood of afternoon and evening owers and thundershowers. and some of which could produce damaging winds and maybe some lingering showers into tomorrow

morning as well. here's your forecast for the bay. on saturday, could be some stn e sunday, sunshine and in the 80s. at the beaches ontu ,ayrdsa there could be dangerous surf with overfon-teot waves and some showers and thunderstorms as hurricane bill passes east of ote atlantic seaboard. at sunday improving news e beaches. here, too,ave' hlle lower hmidity in place supp d into monday and next week. tomorrow, though, we could have more showers and thunderstorms as that front does sweep on through. but getting into next week, o,to ohe humidityaiem ro,ns l a th eratures into the 80s. that's the way it looks right now. i'm back with frequent updates all throughout the morning. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards, take a look at the roads out there. how's it look on this friday? >> looking pretty good all in all. not too much to worry about. 395 northbound right at the 14th street bridge, lanes are open. a few brake lights about midspan on the bridge headed to the eastbound free way or lower 14th street but looking all right.

elsewhere south of ton to the woodrow wilson bridge, both the outer loop and inner loop looking okay. heading to the bay bridge for what may be the last weekend of the season for a lot of folks, no worries. coming in from the eastern shore, westbound 5 50 toward annapolis, continuing toward bowie, everything is moving well. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> sounded like a great idea but metro's learning that posting itse twitter may not be quite as practical as it once thought. it seems that many of its alerts about delays and service disruptions are more than the 140 characters which are the limit for a tweet. that means that those updates sometimes leave out valuable information like which line and which stations are experiencing delays. metro says it's trying to shorten its advisories to be more twitter-friendly. >> well, this next story might intrigue you or it might make your skin crawl. maybe you're familiar with that saying, you need a hug. well, now there are places where

you can get one -- cuddle parties. a new york woman started a trend that has spread all the way to california. a cuddle party is exactly what it sounds like. people, many of them total strangers, coming together and cuddling. there are rules. no alcohol or drugs. pajamas stay on at all times. and respect your cuddling partner's boundaries. the founder of cuddle parties started the trend to help people relax. she says some people use the parties to make friends. network and more. >> it's been really interesting because i know people have found work, found roommates. it's almost like a social. >> cuddleparty.com has a list of upcoming cuddle parties. we found two right in our own back yard. there's one scheduled in falls church, virginia, and another in columbia, maryland. do you think think talk to each other when they're -- >> well, they network. i guess they apply for jobs.

they do job interviews. looks like a group grope to me. >> that's what they used to call them. >> one in our back yard, that's what you say? check that out have to lk into that. let's take a look at the money crisis. hands off. a check on how the foreign markets are doing. the asian stock markets were mixed today. japan lost 1.4%. in china, shanghai gained 1.69%. to wall street now where the dow futures are pointing toward a slightly negative opening. yesterday, the dow gained 70 points cloeging at 9350 points. the nasdaq gained 19 points closing at 1989. >> news 4's helping find jobs for you. the financial crimes enforcement network is looking for a rtcilities ang ppey magement specialist. salary ranges from6o t $113,0. interested in learning more, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 yo >> coming up at 6:00 a.m., a

staple of the newspaper every weekend may soon be a thing of the past.

race to the finish. the government announces the cash for clunkers program will end monday at 8:00 p.m. but you'll need to act before that if you want to get the deal that you're looking for. 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 21st day of august, 2009. let's take a live look outside. what a pretty picture. >> beautiful. >> the sun getting ready to get up. i don't know. it's too hot to get up, sun. i'd stay under the covers in the air conditioning if you can. >> yes, sun, stay where you are. right now 79 degrees our temperature. and here's the view from a little further up. take a look. that's what hurricane bill looks like from outer space.

it's a huge storm threatening to strengthen into a category 4 and it's gettingngwiy s b to swing bermuda. meteorologist tom kierein tracking bill, keeping an eye on things here, too, on the ground with us. >> that's right. bill will be just off the atlantic seaboard on turday. e could have some very heavy, dangerous surf at the beach n tu , rdsaemaay rday, maybesa som seome showersd thunderstos for us as a front comes through, not associated with bill. bill may be affecting martha's vineyard, nantucket on sunday. as we lusk at our radar, no precipitation ehere, but ther arwe fea radarfe echoes in the n.ftpeadler le of your scr thinats t i wesmaryland, eytt'rge winsie in pasng shower there now. elsewhe, no precipitation around but it is the warmest, muggiest morning of the summer so far. temperatures in the upper 70s. here's the foreerst. we'll have our afternoon highs clbiim refo ae st scao alswsngho.th foe cast also shows a chance ofno afterfoon storms, some of h picdceulrodu damagingro s.wind saturday, maybe someorning wi showers and afternoon thundershowers, but low humidity into sunday, monday and next week. all the details on bill, the latest update, that will be

coming up in ten minutes. >> okay, tom. thank you. >> let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. good commute on this friday, along 95 and specifically 395 up from the pentagon across the 14th street bridge. we're doing okay. gw parkway as it passes under 395, light volume of traffic so far. another bridge, check out the wilson bridge, the long shot through the summertime haze and muck. so far, so good both directions. travel lanes are open. if you look carefully you can see the cars zipping along. good news there. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> a heads-up if you plan to ride metrorail this weekend. there will be no red line service through the ft. totten station between 9:30 tonight a midnight on sunday. crews are fixing track circuits there. metro will run shuttle buses between the brookland to the ft. totten and takoma stations. tomorrow there will be a shuttle that takes passengers directly from the takoma station to union station. riders will also find delays on

the blue, the orange and the yellow metrorail lines. >> it's the end of the road. cash for clunkers is coming to a speedy end. if you're still hopin ngthough, to buy a car through the ram,ou yetourte hurry8:00 p. o. for clunkers has run its course. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live from alexandria with more on what this means for prospective car buyers. >> reporter: good morning. when they first started the program, they said that it was going to run until november or until they ran out of money. they ran out of money two weeks later. they had to fuel it with some more money. now, five weeks after the program started, it is coming to an end. you have until monday to get your cash for your clunkers. the $3 billion vehicle upgrade and sales program is being called one of the most successful short-term economic stimulus plans in history. it's offered more than $1.9 billion in rebates, but that success has also meant a slow-moving program, specifically for dealers who have fronted thousands in rebates and are still waiting for the government to reimburse

them. >> we have well over a quarter million dollars invested so we're -- we think that hopefully soon, you know, we'll start to get some more of that money. we're confident that the government's going to come through but just been a little bit slow. >> i think this is actually a high class problem to have that we're selling too many cars, too quickly, and there's some backlog in the application process. it is getting fixed. >> reporter: 457,000 cars have been sold through this program, and as you just heard, they're still processing applications. the bottom line is you can get $3500 to $4500 when you trade your car in for a new, more fuel-efficient car. i'm tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio. >> thanks, tracee. >> breaking news to tell you about right now. montgomery county firefighters have just finished putting out a two-alarm townhouse fire. this is in the 2000 block of

feather wood street in silver spring. everyone was able to get out of the house okay. the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but you can see that the flames are out. however, some significant damage done to that townhouse. flames apparently went through the roof of that building. but again, looks like the fire is out. we'll have more on this coming up. in other news, an autopsy will help determinehaset cau00d the death of a little boy in charles county. investigators say 3-year-old desean wade was found unresponsive in his mother's waldorf apartment on wednesday c morning. he was rushed to the hospital but it was too late. police have categorized the case only as a death investigation at this point. >> no official returns from afghanist afghanistan's presidential election but that hasn't stopped two men from claiming victory. current president hamid karzai says he won re-election, but his chief rival, abdullah abdullah has also claimed victory. millions of afghans cast their ballots yesterday despite threats from the taliban, but turnout was far lower than it was four years ago. that could hurt karzai's chances

of re-election. the first official results aren't expected until tomorrow at the earliest. senator ted kennedy's request to change massachusetts state law is not exactly being well received. the senator wants the governor to have the power to appoint a replacement should a senator -- this senator leave office. as the law stands now, the seat must remain open for five months. then a special election must take place. no democratic lawmakers in the state offered any public support for the senator's idea, and republican lawmakers criticized it as a partisan move. but experts say the senator simply did something no one else was willing to do. >> what kennedy has done with this letter is to make it feasible, indeed, necessary for other people to talk about a succession plan that they would have been too embarrassed to do if he hadn't raised it himself. >> senator kennedy's aides insist his letter is not an indication his health is failing. doctors diagnosed him with brain

cancer last year. kennedy did not attend the funeral of his sister, eunice kennedy shriver, last week, raising new questions about his health. >> well, a town hall meeting on health care was held in the area that was a far cry from what we've been seeing around the country recently. and they're fast, fun to ride and popular with thieves. police in the area investigating a number of stolen sport bikes. >> and we have new information this morning about the gruesome murder of a model in southern california. the bizarre details about how her body was fou

free dock lt in 4 4naras bl ga bar inblast. this morning, mars wilivl g g away free chocolateut y bav houe to act it's it's go to nbcwashington.c t tgogoo nbcwashington.com and n search bargain blast. get your free piece of chocolate. >> well, feeling lucky today. today's the day to roll the dice. tonight's mega millions jackpot

is $207 million. you can play in maryland and virginia, in case you're wondering how lucky you would have to be to win, the odds of hitting the jackpot are merely 1 in 176 million. >> wow. >> feel that lucky, do you? >> doesn't give youuch of a chance, does it? >> not much. >> tom, good morning. what are our chances of having a nice day today? >> weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 6:11. here's the latest on bill. here's how bill's bee behaving overnight. continues maintaining its strength as a category 3 hurricane. gusts to 150. taking turn to the north by tomorrow morning and passing, oh, several hundred miles east of ocean city on saturday. and then on sunday, just grazing by nantucket and martha's vineyard maybe with tropical storm force winds. could get some strong storms here this afternoon, highs low 90s. tomorrow, showers and thundershowers likely. then lower humidity sunday into monday and next week. jerry, how's our traffic now? >> a live look heading into

town. benning road at east capitol street, very light volume of traffic. moving nicely so far. atodthgos news. let's check your speeds and see how we're doing this morning. making the drive along the capital beltway inner loop leaving springfield up to 66, 8 minutes. i-66 to the american legion bridge, 7 minutes. not bad at all from the american legion bridge to college park, just 19 minutes right now. all lanes are open. barbara, back to you. >> all right. thanks, jerry. how the nats plan to celebrate the arrival of number one pick stephen strasburg later today. and ambulances race to the scene of a local football practice. what happened to a dozen students who became sick in the go

our time right now 6:14. checking the top stories in the news for today, the government is slamming the brakes on cash for clunkers. the program will end monday at 8:00 p.m. it was so popular that it guzzled $1 billion in funding in less than two weeks. congress had to refuel it with another $2 billion. tomorrow we could start getting official returns from afghanistan's presidential election. current president hamid karzai is claiming victory, but so is his rival, abdullah abdullah. and breaking news now. montgomery county firefighters have just finished putting out a two-alarm townhouse fire, this is in the 2000 block of feather wood street in silver spring. everyone was able to get out of the house okay. the cause of the fire is under investigation. >> president obama says that republican support may be necessary to reform this nation's health care system. the president answered tough questions at a town hall meeting

yesterday from some democrats who worry that he is too focused on bipartisan support. the president's plan is not supported by many conservative democrats and some key republicans say the heated exchanges at recent town hall meetings nationwide show a lack of support for the plan. >> things change, and our circumstances. do we have to wait till there be an open season to select or change our health plan? >> just a quick question. what is the benefit for this public option for people who work for employers that offer no health care? >> not too many forewirew at this town hall meeting in prince george's county. congresswoman donna edwards hosted the forum in landover last night. residents calmly voiced their concerns about health care reform to congresswoman edwards. she says that she supports a public option and is pressing president obama to push harder for that particular part of the plan. barbara? >> a possible break in a string

of motorcycle thefts in charles county. police say they have caught a suspect after someone saw a man loading a motorcycle into a minivan at a park and ride lot yesterday. they say more than a dozen motorcycles have been stolen in and around the county since this past may. they believe the thief steals a minivan, takes out the seats and uses that to steal motorcycles from parking lots and homes. a manassas business owner is facing charges for allegedly selling counterfeit handbags, jewelry and other accessories. prince william county police raided luxury fashion accessories in the manassas mall yesterday morning. they say they found knockoff designer merchandise. authorities arrested the store's owner and charged him with infringement. police say he broke the law, even though the store made it clear the items were not authentic because it hurts stores, they say, selling the genuine articles. >> they're taking their business away by selling it -- selling the items for such a reduced price.

>> in all, police recovered more than $50,000 in merchandise from that store. >> well, later today the washington nationals will introduce their new $15 million man, pitcher stephen strasburg. and to celebrate his signing, some tickets to tonight's game against the brewers are selling for just $1. here's dan hellie with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the nationals who introduced mike rizzo as the club's general manager yesterday. meanwhile, on the field, the nationals just couldn't catch a break. this is carlos gonzalez with a bloop single for the rbi. then the rockies go on to win it 4-1. they complete the three-game sweep. later this afternoon the nationals will welcome number one overall pick stephen strasburg to town with an on-the-field news conference. everybody with a ticket to the game is welcome to attend. that starts at 2:00. o's on the road in tampa. reimold hit a three-run home run.

that was the difference. the o's hang on to beat the rays 8-7. that snaps a five-game losing streak. redskins training camp for the most part is over. no more two-a-days, and no major injuries which any nfl coach will tell you is a victory in itself. now, the redskins would like to see some progress, especially on the offensive side of the ball. jim zorn says he will play his starters until he sees something good agast the steelers on saturday night. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody havereod gay d. j>> >> justea h ctanisth t can be dangerousgh ouen. h . imagine having to play football h htht wea tucas moo the heat was too much en d oz a dozen high school football players at kent island high school in stevensville, maryland. the players were taken to the hospital after they started feeling sick and overheated yesterday. all of them are expected to be okay. many just needed some water and a little chance to cool off. >> let's get a check on our traffic and weather together now. we're going to start with tom kierein. he's in storm center 4.

>> yeah, the high heat and humidity certainly does affect your physical activity and your stamina. and there is the predawn glow on the eastern horizon. look at those clouds tinged in pink on this friday morning. but we've got the warmest, muggiest summer morning so far. and around the reemg on it's in the upper 70s right now under a partly cloudy sky. that was a live picture from our city camera. 79 in washington. highs today should climb to the low 90s. and there is a likelihood of afternoon, evening thundershowers. we could get some strong thunderstorms, too. some isolated storms could produce damaging winds between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. then overnight tonight we could get some other showers and thundershowers as well that could cause a rain delay for the nationals and brewers tonight at nationals park. then on saturday, some morning showers, maybe some afternoon and evening thundershowers. in fact, a likelihood of that. and that may also interrupt the skins and steelers at fedex fieldaturday night. highs in the low 80s. otherwise, mostly cloudy and muggy day on saturday, too. and then sunday, finally, a

break from the high heat and humidity. comfortable weather moving in with lower humidity, partly cloudy to mostly sunny sunday and monday, highs in the mid-80s with low humidity and morning lows in the 60s. looks like we'll have the low humidity still in place tuesday and wednesday. h highs in le more humid the 80s nch dayext week. jerry, good morning. how's the friday traffic now? >> good morning to you. good morning, everyone. quickly, got this on marc rail, brunswick 890, train has been canceled because of mechanical problems. 892 is 30 minutes late. train 872, ten minutes late. over to the capital beltway, tysons corner near route 7, both the inner loop and outer loop moving along nicely. let's see how we're doing elsewhere this morning. wilson bridge, absolutely no worries at the moment. both directions moving along without delay. out in southern maryland, routes 301, routes 5, no accident to report. the travel lanes are open. into and out of the district of columbia on this friday morning, over the 14th street bridges

inbound and outbound moving along nicely. no worries whatsoever. the travel lanes are open at this hour. so, a little good news to go along with a little tough news on marc rail this morning. back to you. >> all right. thanks, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. >> the hero's welcome the bomber of pan am flight 103 received when he returned home to libya. >> zblplus we're learning ern dbing new details about thu murd of erdel a southern

well, good morning. welcome back. if you're someone who grabs the paper to see what time the movies are playing you may soon be out of luck. the top two u.s. chains, regal entertainment and amc entertainment, have begun reducing or eliminating the small typed listings showing the

start times for its movies in the newspapers. individual theaters must typically pay newspapers to print that information, and many are now just using internet sites like fandango or movie phone which offer those listings for free and which make money by selling advanced seats. >> a manhunt is under way for a reality tv contestant now charged with the gruesome murder of his ex-wife. this morning we're learning shocking new details about what happened. investigats say ryan alexander jenkins killed his ex-wife, model jasmine fiore. her body was found saturday stuffed in a suitcase and thrown inside a trash can. now police say her fingers and teeth were removed. jenkins was a contestant on two vh1 reality shows, the current "megan wants a millionaire" and the upcoming "i love money 3." the station has decided to pull both shows from the air. >> 6:26 is the time, 79 degrees right now. why it may be a long weekend for a lot of metrorail riders.

this morning we have video of the controversial incident that got one lesbian couple kicked out of a local diner. decide for yourself whether you think it crossed the line. >> what former director of homeland security tom ridge said he was pressured into doing rin. presidential election.

look at that. sun's up. beautiful pick tir out there here in the nation's capital at 6:30 exactly. we have 79 very warm degrees out there. warm because it's so stuffy. >> that sun is coming this way and it ain't happy today. it's going to make you pay for it, too. thanks for waking up this morning on "news 4 today." good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm barbara harrison.

it's friday, august 21st, 2009. >> check this out. hurricane bill looming large. olte meteorologist tom kierein is keeping his eye on this one for us. he also has news about our weather as well. good morning. >> good morning. it is steamy, sticky and stuffyn ot's our rnofinmo tg me sherum s rn ing mo the summer so r.fa esurd t aunhe rio tegegn in the mid and upper 70s from the shenandoah valley to the itut in themountains, near 70 h eav had hneain 70 there. ofeaume we have had some showers ovgin into western at a s.hiurho .ur we aavnc cha orostwengng storms in this yellow zone, most of virginia, maryland, west virginia, pennsylvania, 3:00 to 7:00, could have some isolated inndwigs.ociagngam d tomorrow it should be coor but mostly cloudy, maybe a morni shower, afternoon thundershowers are likely as well as into saturday evening. then lower humidity moving in aay and monday. now, bill will be passing just to the east of ocean city on

saturday. i'll show you the details on that. we could have some dangerous surf at the atlantic beaches saturday and perhaps on sunday. the details coming up this half hour. >> okay, tom. we'll be waiting for that. thanks a lot. >> now let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. >> hello there. not a lot of bad stuff to report out on the roadways and that's a good thing, particularly on a friday. along 95 northbound here are the main lines -- main lanes headed toward 7100 looking good. hov lanes, travel lanes are open. prince george's county, word of a broken down vehicle, 202 westbound just after route 50. it is in the roadway. nothing to worry about top side of the beltway so far this morning. a little volume, that's it, between i-95 and 355. back to you. >> jerry, thanks. >> thank you, jerry. metro riders, get ready for another weekend of delays. there will be no red line service at ft. totten fro 9:30 tonight until midnight on sunday. crews are fixing track circuits. metro will run shuttle buses between brookland, ft. totten and takoma.

tomorrow there will be a shuttle bus that will take passengers directly from takoma to union station. riders will also found delays on the blue, orange and yellow lines. we have breaking news. montgomery county firefighters have just finished putting out a two-alarm townhouse fire. you're looking at live pictures now from chopper 4. it happened just before 5:00 this morning. in the 2000 block of feather wood street in silver spring. we're told the fire started on the deck, then spread to the lower level of the home. two areas of the roof collapsed. however, everyone was able to get out okay. firefighters had the fire under control within 45 minutes. the cause is still under investigation. >> well, it is exactly what esident obama warned against, the freed lockerbie bomber, a convicted mass murderer and terrorist welcomed by a cheering crowd. take a look at this. this is what awaited abdel baset al megrahi when he arrived home in libya. people waved signs. some even wore tee shirts with his picture. al megrahi is the only man ever

convicted for blowing up pan am flight 103 over scotland in 1988. 270 people were killed, most of them were americans. a scott sish judge set him free because he has terminal cancer, saying he has been sentenced by a higher power. the terrorist served just eight years of his life sentence. well, this morning brand-new accusations about the george w. bush presidency. former homeland security secretary tom ridge says he felt pressured to raise the nation's terror alert level just before th2004 presidential election. ridge offers up this surprising revelation in his new book. he says the pressure did not come from the president himself, but from then defense secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft, then the attorney general. ridge says he did not raise the alert level and decided to quit the position weeks later. his new book is due out on september the 1st. >> who won afghanistan's presidential election yesterday? it all depends on which candidate you ask. current president hamid karzai

says he's the winner. but his chief rival, abdullah abdullah, has also claimed victory. millions of afghans cast their ballots yesterday, despite threat prs the taliban. but half of eligible voters might have stayed home. the low turnout could hurt karzai's chances for election. the first results aren't expected until tomorrow at the earliest. >> new today, the world health organization is urging nations to speed up preparations for the swine flu because there will likely be an explosion of cases very soon. that has health officials here in the u.s. working hard to come up with a plan of attack. especially in places like college campuses where many people will be living in close quarters. derrick ward joins us live with more on what the students need to know as they head back to school. >> well, joe, last year much of the safety concern on college campuses focused on violence. the virginia tech shootings were still fresh on the minds of students, parents and faculty.

those concerns he not gone away but they share attention with new worries about a pandemic. as students head to class this school year, there already has been lots of planning for the worst case scenario, an outbreak of the h1n1 virus. at some colleges, students are being advised to bring thermometers to class to keep tabs on their temperatures. some stunts are being told to stay away from classes and dining halls if they think they're coming down with the flu. at american university, plans are being made to continue the learning process should an outbreak occur. >> we're preparing for the possibilities that the pandem pandemic -- you notice we have hand sanitizers everywhere. and also thinking about if there was an outbreak how we could continue our courses with distance education. we've surveyed the faculty and are running a whole series of training courses to prepare for that as well. so, i think we're trying to get ahead of the curve.

>> the u.s. department of education is urging that students who miss classes due to swine flu illnesses not be penalized for those absences. a vaccine for the virus is expected sometime this fall. >> derek, thanks very much. the government plans to spread its guidelines to college students via facebook, twitter and other technologies that are popular with young adults. >> new information about the lesbian couple that staged a kiss-in protest at a local diner. they say they filed a discrimination complaint with the state. this couple claims they were kicked out of the tastee diner in silver spring recently simply because they were holding each other. management at the restaurant says that's not entirely true. they released surveillance video from that night. you can see the couple in the middle of the screen there engaged in a long embrace. managers say that's not all. >> they had their bodies pressed and rubbed up against one another, and at one point one of their faces goes down in the

other -- in the other girl's breast. we found that to be inappropriate. >> the general manager of the diner says he is willing to meet with the women to talk about what happened and put the entire conflict to rest. the government announces the cash for clunkers program will end on monday, but you'll nd to act before that if you want to get the deal that you're looking for. and what happened when some people in maryland broke into a house for sale and threw a party. >> starbucks announces new changes. the price of your morning cup of maffee may go up or o down, depending on what you

weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 6:41. a warm and muggy 79 in washington. on radar getting one little shower up here in the western howard county near mt. airy, as

well as out here in garrett county in far western maryland. for today, partly cloudy, warm and humid. this morning, hot and humid this afternoon, low 90s, a likelihood of passing afternoon thundershowers and maybe even some strong thunderstorms with damaging winds 3:00 to :00 p.m. could get other showers overnight tonight. sunday into monday, lower humidity moves in. a look into next we, the latest with hurricane bill in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> we're starting to loadp now. mr. sunshine doing its business out there. along 395 northbound slowing everybody down in a couple of spots toward shirlington, then again around the 14th street bridge. good news is lanes are open. elsewhere, had an accident kenilworth avenue southbound or inbound right at east capital street. all the activity's on the shoulder but the flashing lights are a minor distraction. joe? >> all right. thanks, jerry. starbucks is changing its prices again. some are going up, some are going down. we'll sort it out for you. the cash for clunkers is out

of gas and will end on monday but it may be too late if you're t still looking to cash in on that st

sfeeding to the finish line. cash fosh clunkers is coming to an end. if you're still waiting to buy a car through that program you better not wait too much longer.

your chance is over at 8:00 monday night. tracee wilkins joins us live from alexandria with more on this. good morning, tracee. >> reporter: good mrng. when they started this program they said it would run until november or until they ran out of cash. two weeks later they ran out of cash. now five weeks later, after refueling the program with more cash, they're now saying it's time for cash for clunkers to come to an end. >> it has been successful beyond anybody's imagination. >> reporter: and now it's coming to an end. the $3 billion cash for clunkers program has run its course, offering more than $1.9 billion in rebates. it's being called one of the most successful short-term economic stimulus government plans in history. the benefits are really twofold. it's gotten the consume are back into the showroom. gotten dealerships in better financial condition and, of course, helped the manufacturers as well. >> reporter: that success has also meant a slow-moving program, specifically for dealers who have fronted thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates.

they're now waiting for the government to reimburse them. >> we have well over a quarter million dollars right now invested, so we're -- we think that hopefully soon, you know, we'll start to get some more of that money. we're confint that the government's going to come through, but they've just been a little bit slow. >> reporter: the president insisted yesterday that those rebursements are on the way. >> i think actually this is a high class problem to have, that we're selling too many cars, too quickly, and there's some backlog in the application process. it is getting fixed. >> reporter: now, they say 457,000 vehicles have been sold through this program, and as we mentioned, $1.9 billion in rebates have come back to folks. you still have until monday to actually trade in your older car for a new vehicle if it qualifies. you could look at a $3500 to $4500 rebate. it's something to think about. i'm tracee wilkins. live in alexandria. back to you. >> thank you very much. barbara? >> right now the markets are on

a three-day winning streak. to see if the streak will continue today, let's go live to cnbc's courtney reagan. >> reporter: good morning. futures were slightly lower but things have turned around. we are in the green now. that follows another set of decent gains on wall street we enjoyed yesterday, with financial stocks leading the way, offsetting signs of more weakness in the job market as investors bet the sector will continue to heal. asian markets were mostly lower overnight. europe is positive right now. ben bernanke will take center stage today speaking in jackson hole, wyoming, on lessons learned from the financial crisis. investors will scour his comments for any signs. as for data we'll get numbers on existing home sales which could hit a ten-month high. the dow rose to 9350. the nasdaq added 20 to 1989. srbucks is raising prices for larger and harder to make drinks by us a much as 25 cents while lowering the cost of

smaller and more basic beverages. the changes went into effect on thursday. the coffee chain had said in april it would adjust prices but didn't elaborate how. until now. so hopefully you're a simple cup of joe drinker and things won't be so bad. back to you. >> yeah, guess that's what i am, a simple cup of joe drinker. how about you? >> reporter: some people like their lattes. it depends. >> i like them, too. this early in the morning i'll take whatever i can get. >> reporter: aagree. >> thanks a lot. weekend. weekend. news 4 is helping to find jobs for you. piethalinecianrimecis enfoemrct network is looking for a facilities and property management specialist. saanla rrysro fm f$86,000 to $113,000. if you're interested ilearning more, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. >> police in anne arundel county are investigating a wild party that took place in a vacant home. investigators say someone broke into the home and charged

teenagers $10 to $20 to get into the party. the organizers even promoted this bash on facebook. the party got loud, out of hand and police eventually came. the partygoers took off, leaving behind a complete mess. neighbors say that there was more than just alcohol and loud music. >> the drugs. they found a lot of drug paraphernalia in there. >> police say the party nizers actually rushed to the house the next night to take rsk the table that theyad used for the event. >> well, it's not the way that you usually see a hurricane. let's take a look at pictures that nasa has sent us. you can see just how huge the storm is. it gets ready to swing by bermuda any time now. meteorologist tom kierein is tracking bill. he's here right now to tell us what it's looking like. is it -- you said it might be up in the new england area? >> it could be on sunday, and

it's going to be just a couple hundred miles east of ocean city tomorrow. there could be some very heavy, dangerous surf at the beaches. i'll show you some of those details coming up. this morning here around the washington region nooshgs the mountains it is a muggy summer morning, the warmest, muggiest morning of the summer so far. that's a liveic pre f pmro our city camera.m sun's been up for about 20 minutes. and looking at radar, at this hour we have one little shower that just got started near damascus, maryland, passed just to the south of mt. airy there in western howard county. that has dissipated. there was just a brief shower, maybe a few wet roads from posvoil tle damascus. have oth sho twers way out here in wtewern maryland at this time. as we take a look now, though, but that shower up there has stow n dissipated. it was just there on the radar just a few minutes ago. well, as we look at the temperatures, it is muggy, shenandoah valley all the way to the atlantic beaches. weather watchers, thanks for checking in, reporting your muggy conditions this morning. out in the mountains it is a bit

cooler. temperatures around 70 degrees. over the last six hours we've seen this persistent flow out of the southwest tapping the tropical humidity coming in off the gulf of mexico. these are some showers in west virginia, up into western pennsylvania. this yellow zone is where we could get some strong storms 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. dangerous winds, damaging winds are possible. from some isolated storms across most of virginia, maryland, west virginia, pennsylvania, into new england. now here's the latest with hurricane bill. it is still a category 3 hurricane. continuing to move off to the north. it has sort of decreased a bit in intensity overnight. the winds are still 120 with gusts to 150. here's the latest track, passing just to the west of bermuda tomoow and just off our atlantic seaboard by saturday afternoon. then on sunday, it will brush right by nantucket and martha's vineyard with tropical storm force winds. for our region, for the bay on saturday, mid-80s, maybe some showers and thundershowers. then onow nsunday, sunshine rets dan we'll have lower humidity moving d.in but at the beaches on saturday,

stay out of the water. dangerous rip currents. we could have waves over ten feet high there at the atlantic beaches on saturday. then sunday, sunshine back, mid-80s. moref the same here today and tomorrow with the chance of some strong stos this afternoon, maybe some rn sgingnd a afternon thundershowers on saturday. could have some thundershower for the skins and steelers as well saturday night. lower humidity sunday, monday, y,sddaednetuay as well. it's going to stay around once it arrives on sunday. >> in case the president's watching right now, will his plane be able to land in martha's vineyard on sunday? >> may have problems, yeah. may have to divert. >> you mean they may have to wait and go the next day? >> yeah. >> the kids aren't going to like that. thanks a lot, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. head out, give you a sampling in prince george's county this morning, let you know how things are moving over theed capital beltway, through the greenbelt area, not too much to worry about. the inner loop might be a little slow into the sunshine. also an accident cherry hill road at cal ver ton boulevard

with an overturned car. let's see how we're doing. loading up quickly across the 14th street bridge. looks like the travel lanes are open. looks like just volume. for those of you headed outbound on the 14th street bridge headed into northern virginia we're in good shape. the afternoon rush hour will start early. "news4 midday" at 11:00 will keep you updated. i predict. >> absolutely. >> thanks, jerry. >> updating the top store this the news for today. no word on what sparked an early morning townhouse fire in silver os fmes broke out at the -- n bor i t t 2000 erth etodwost street. t dhe eck the deck fo rest of be t of oopslabuol, o collapsed, but >> tomorrow we could srt getting official returns from afghanistan's presidential election. current president hamid karzai is claiming victory, but so is his rival, abdullah abdullah. >> a somewhat startling scene in

libya for mass murderer and convicted terrorist. the freed lockerbie bomber received a hero's welcome in his home you country. a cheering crowd greeted abdel baset al megrahi, the only man ever convicted for blowing up pan am flight 103, a terrorist attack that killed 270 peop in 19 8. president obama had warned against exactly this type of scene. >> the cash for clunkers rebate program is nearing the end of the road. the white house announced that the program will end monday at 8:00 in the evening. those who hurry can still get rebates of $3500 to $4500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models. >> well, we're looking for people who make the day special in the early morning hours.rt if you know someone like that, y,or g onaly, along with a clear, close-up a video to morningperson@nbcwashim.tocon.co >> what seems some criminals in london are looking for better karma. there's a group of 20 people, all former pickpockets, now

known as put-pockets. they're putting money into the pockets and handbags of unsuspecting people in the city's busiest areas. their efforts are an attempt to turn over a new leaf and help other people suffering during tough economic times. the group got the okay from london police to carry out their plan. they're trying to give away $165,000 by the end of the month. >> where are the pickpockets getting the money in the first place? >> robbing peter to pay paul. >> i tah yeah. >> any problems out there? >> we could have some dangerous storms this afternoon with damaging winds 3:00 to t 7:00 pd muggy summer day, highs reaching the low 90s. tomorrow, maybe some morning showers. could have some afternoon nagow l humidity moving .idum m it sunday, monday and into next week. we could have some very heavyek surf at the beaches as hurricane tyn .passes just to the east ofa ocean city. a couple hundred miles east of ocean city late on saturday. then into sunday it will be passing just near cape cod and the islands of nantucket and

martha's vineyard. >> thanks very much. see if you have any friday spoiling traffic problems? >> no, no. the good news is nothing really major right now. a few sunshine delays. that's about it. >> let's keep it that way. >> that's right. >> that's "news 4 today." thank you for starting your day with us. >> have a great day. we hope you'll join us on monday morning, 4:55 a.m. have a terrific weekend. bye.