right now on news4 midday, president obama is attending the u.n. climate change summit this morning. he told a group of leadershe threat for climate change is urgent. and then breaking the law to avoid traffic jams. and the police are cracking down on hov violators. and a sentencing this morning in a new york courtroom. "news4 midday" begins right now. good morning, everybody.

welcome to "news4 midday." i am barbara harrison. >> and i am joe krebs on this tuesday, 22nd day of september, 2009. a terror warning has people across the country on high alert this morning. and there are bulletins across the country warning of an interest to attack sports complexes and entertainment complexes or hotels. authorities say these types of places remain active targets. this comes as police are stepping up patrols on the nation's transit systems to protect a terrorist attack. and this comes after three high profile arrests in denver. the men may have been plotting attacks. now, authorities want beefed up security at all transit systems,

and that means random sweeps in stations on flat forms and trains. riders we talked with did not seem to mind. >> my thing is, i have no problem with safety. if it takes an extra half hour to be safe, that's cool. >> i would rather be inconveneened half an hour than to go what those went through back on 9/11. >> authorities say there is not a specific threat against mass transit, but the step up for the security is a reminder to be vigilant. and office buildings. a mandate for the department of defense, and lays out new safety standards to protect workers against terrorism. and we have moren how this affects people in our area. >> tracee, good morning. >> reporter: good morning barbara and joe. arlington is home to the pentagon, but unless you work for the federal government or department of defense you may not have realized it's a home to a lot of other offices and spaces being leased by the

department of defense. they want to protect those spaces. the department of defense has 4.2% of the leased space in washington. with so many federal tenents, the feds want to protect the offices with barricades, and they like to see the offices set back from main streets and arteries among other things. they want it all done by september 30th. but u.s. congressman, jim moran, pushed that date back to 2011. while there is a sigh of relief in arlington, officials are hoping the department of defense can work with the county and come up with different ways to protect the bes without changing the character of the urban environment. >> we don't have large lots where you can develop a big mote around a building.

it's not pauossible in an urban community. and land owners and architects told members of congress that you absolutely can secure a building using different kinds of strategies. >> reporter: arlington officials say they love the federal tenants being here and they love their way of life. it's the same thing that we hear from individuals throughout the country, who are dealing with national security versus their own personal preference for how they live. i am tracee wilkins, live back to you in the studio. according to the "washington post," metro will receive money during the first year of federal funding. the bill needs to be ran through the house before being signed by president obama. and last year there was funds approved over the years to help metro buy cars and make other

improvements. we are determined to act, and that's what president obama's message is to the u.n. about the united states commitment to fighting climate change. the president spoke this morning at a high-level climate summit. and the administration is said to have made the largest american investment in renewable energy and he stressed time is running out to what could be a global disaster. >> our generation's response to the challenge will be judged by history. if we fail to meet it boldly, swiftly and together, we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe. >> the house of representatives passed a bill this summer that would put limits on greenhouse gases, but it's not clear if that legislation will pass this year. now to the severe flooding that is devastating parts of the

southeast. the death toll rose to eight now that they found a body of a teen. ron motts has the latest. >> it's pretty bad. there is water up to the chest. >> reporter: 20 inches of rain have fallen here since friday. fast-rising creeks and rivers catching many by surprise. >> there are older people in their homes, too. >> reporter: driving was made dangerous and deadly, with at least five motorists swept to their deaths in flash floods. and a 2-year-old boy died when the mobile home he lived in was washed away. in some places, boats are the most effective means of getting around. and crews were helping people to safety. adding insult to injury, two

homes went up in flames. and the firefighters were unable to save the homes. >> i saw them in the house and they finally came through the front door. >> reporter: residents are holding on to one another waiting and hoping for the water to recede and for the skies to clear. >> that was ron mott reporting. many areas are closed because of high water and officials are warning people that do not need to leave to stay home. looking outside, and it's looking good compared to earlier when we had quite a bit of fog which is not easy for folks to drive thru. let's see what tom has to tell us about the weather for today? >> and yeah, it was obscuring the top of the mun onument, too. and we are seeing cloudiness and a few breaks in the clouds, allowing sun to come through. 74 in washington. and mid-70s in montgomery, and

prince georges and arlington and fairfax counties. low 70s around the blue ridge. shenandoah valley, and mid-70s. and it's in the mid-60s out in the mountains where they had passing showers this morning. over the last six hours we are watching other showers up near the northern neck of virginia. those may be moving up towards southern maryland in the next couple hours and other showers out in west virginia. partly sunny afternoon. a chance of a passing shower and a light breeze out of the southeast, as highs reach the upper 70s. we will show you the forecast for the rest of the week. we will take a look at the weekend as well. we do have changes on the way. that will all be coming up in just a few minutes. so stay tuned. b and now we have the latest in the midday traffic. >> good morning joe and barbara. we will start with a map. over on the left you see the cones flashing there.

that means roadwork on the inner loop of the beltway on 495 just after the exit 66. it's blocking a lane. and then on your way from springfield up to tyson's corner, and over to the beltway to river road right now. montgomery county, that is moving nicely. no delays there. over toingfield now that the fog has lifted so has the heavy traffic. looking good in both directions. springfield, you will find roadwork near norton, and blocking lanes each way. back to you. police investigating a deadly wreck in prince georges' county. an suv went off the road into the woods in glendale road. you can see the suv caught fire killing the driver. the wreck happened around 3:00, but the cleanup tied up traffic during the morning rush hour. and drivers trying to cheat

in hov lanes, you will be out of luck. officers focused on this in particular this last summer. and offers issued 22,000 summons between this summer. and the second offense will cost you $250. if you get caught four times you have to pay $1,000. there you go. >> a lot of numbers. >> car free day around the world. here in the d.c. area 5500 people have taken the pledge to be car-free today. a car-free celebration is taking place right now -- what is so funny about it? and washington is not the only place observing car-free day.

you are looking at pictures from hong kong. this guy is car free, and the chief executive, the guy in top support showed support by walking from his house to his office today. and a fairfax county teacher was arrested for being drunk and alone in a car with a young boy. and she is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. the victim is not a student there. she was suspended. officers found the two in an empty car. police say they don't think she gave the teen alcohol. they are investigating the relationship, though, and more charges could follow. our camera is now 11:11. a former nfl player is headed to prison. he was sentenced this morning for shooting himself with a gun inside a nightclub. before his u.n. speech, this

morning president obama stopped by the david letterman show for a few laughs. stay with us.

right now,plex coburice is expected to start serving his prison term today. he was formally sentenced to two years behind bars this morning after he accidently shot himself in the leg at a new york city

nightclub last november. burris pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal position of a weapon. he faced more than the possibility of more than three years in prison. and a news conference was just wrapped up on the murder of four people. richard alden samuel mccroskey iii, an aspiring rapper is accused of killing four in the small town, and he is accused of killing three others. their bodies were found friday in the home of a college professor. authorities said this morning all were killed by blows to the head. the victims' range in age from 53 to 16. happening today, the d.c. council returns from the summer recess. they are expected to vote not to strip the mayor over some of the schools.

and they credit the school chancellor with the improvements, but even she concedes there is more work to be done. and also today the d.c. council could take up an ethics crackdown to establish a code of official conduct. that's the word from the "washington post." the measure would require council members to uphold high standards of honesty and integrity and impartialty. obama paid a visit to the late show with david letterman last night. the comedian already had given his top ten reasons why mr. obama agreed to go through with it. >> that was unexpected.

that is one of those where you ask your advisers, who is responsible for this? >> president obama also talked politics while he was there. >> did you stay up to watch it? >> no, no. >> i didn't either. what is going on with the weather out there, tom? >> the winds shifting into the southeast and that brought in moisture and clouds and fog and dampness this morning. we have begun to dry out a little bit as the sun broke out across parts of the region. it's cloudy looking off to the west. that's the live picture from the sky watcher camma. the clouds are looking heavy and dark. not producing rain yet. we could have rain showers by later on this afternoon. now as we look at the picture

from our city camera, one cloud beginning to build now. there is a little sunshine pouring through. and that's the live picture overlooking the potomac river and washington at this hour from the city camera. and there is quite a bit of cloudiness here in washington as well. an reagan national airport in the foreground whereas so far this morning it's been holding steady in the 60s. and this afternoon, the equinox arrives. and sunrise was due east this morning just about. it will be certainly due east tomorrow morning and the sunset is due west. we have equal daylight and darkness. and let's take a look at radar now. we do have some showers that have been passing through west virginia that continue there this morning. the east showers are moving off to the east and northeast and will be passing perhaps up towards wind chester in the next half hour or so and then perhaps near hagerstown. after that perhaps in another

hour or two. and then in the blue ridge we don't have precipitation. there is one lonely shower there in the central part of the northern neck. now the temperatures have hit the mid-70s from the shenandoah valley all the way to the atlantic beaches. now mid-70s in principles joernlprince georges county. and around our neighborhood network, it's 78 now in alexandria. the dew point is 69. that's steamy. and it's feeling like summertime humidity. they only had 1.4 inches of rain so far this month, which is below the average. as we look elsewhere, the eastern shore in the mid-70s. and mid-60s in the mountains now where they had passing showers that have been coming through since late last night. over the last six hours, we have other showers coming up from eastern north carolina, and tending to dry out as they head to the north. and those showers will past to the west here over the next

couple hours. as we look at the wider view, all of the activity coming from high pressure that is anchored just off the atlantic seaboard. and we have a front way out in the midwest that will be approaching us as well. as a result, we have a chance of a passing shower. this is going forward over the next 48 hours. we see colors where we could get scattered showers around the region later today. and perhaps on wednesday and even into thursday, we will have the front from the midwest sweep through and dry us out after that. so far the rest of the afternoon, we have highs reaching upper 70s. a chance of a passing shower. and then overnight tonight, we have perhaps a greater chance of a passing shower through the evening. and we will be down in the upper 60s by dawn tomorrow. during the day wednesday, it looks like a cloudy day. rather warm and humid in the low 80s. a 50% chance of passing showers. and then a smaller chance of a passing shower with the highs in

the mid-80s. and then over the weekend, saturday looking partly cloudy with highs in the 70s and could get showers saturday night through midday sunday. i am going to take off now and go visit heather hills elementary school, and veronica johnson will be here for the updates. >> we will see you tomorrow morning. >> say hi to the teachers and kids for us. >> will do. let's look at traffic now with steve. >> yeah, we will start with the wilson bridge, and before you get to the bridge on the maryland side there is roadwork back again today on the inner loop of the beltway in the local lanes in the right lane near 210. it's not causing as much of a back up today as yesterday. and now you will see the cones and there is a work zone on northbound d.c. 295. they have the left lane blocked. two right lanes are getting back today. and not too bad to get through

there. and traffic is moving well north and south of 95. back to you. thank you, steve. it will soon become harder to find a parking space at the metro station. starting october 1st, more than 200 spaces will be eliminated. the move is part of the garage renovation project that will last 18 months. metro is encouraging drivers who can't find parking to find free parking at the springfield mall at macy's or other park and rides throughout the area. and some drivers that use the dulles toll road can start delays this week. between brew law and trap roads will be remaining closed between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 in the afternoon. crews will perform work for the metro rail project. the work should last four to five days. it will now be easier to get

through kcustoms when you fly through dulles. it will allow agents to process 1,000 more passengers an hour. they hope it will attract more international flights to dulles. a drug bust in florida has landed an alleged drug dealer in jail. the officers that conducted the raid are in hot water. the officers say they found drugs, weapons and stolen property, but suryance video from the house they raided said they also found time to say wii, and that is they took time to play wii bowling for nine hours. they might have gotten high scores in the video game, but they did not score any points in the community. >> my deputies know that they should not have been playing wii while they were involved in the

search warrant. >> the detectives spent nine hours at the drug suspect's home. it cost taxpayers $4,000. but the sheriff insists there is always down time during searches, and no tax dollars were wasted. he also launched an internal investigation into the incident. what were they thinking? >> go to the refrigerator and make a sandwich, because you have to have down time. still ahead, part of i-95 being completely shut down for construction. we will have details of that. >> how many vaccine swine flu shots do you ne. a clear look of what is being recommended. and a beauty queen shaved her head. and here is a look at what is hot on nbcwashington.com. if@f

one former miss virginia is proving beauty is morehan skin deep. she is a reporter for comcast sports net. she used to have long hair, and last night in arlington she decided to mark childhood cancer month by shaving her head.

she said she was blessed. one way she can give back is by raising awareness for those who faced life-threatening diseases. call it a rookie mistake from a redskins' linebacker who is catching heat for a not so sweet tweet. he posted controversial comments about booing fans. he wrote "all you fake half-hearted skins fans can -- won't go there. you will notice in his tweet, we did not put a comma boo, and it looks like he is calling his teammates dimwits. henson has since apologized.

coming up in the next half hour, why your commute is getting longer? is there any relief in sight? and then a possible ban on tanning beds for young people. and exploring the idea as using graphs as a fuel. and rain could be a problem ] ]

right now at 11:30, more on the breaking news we told you about at the top of the newscast. the fbi and homeland security issued a terror warning for all hotels and stadiums and entertainment venues. it's not in response to any specific threat but they are urging the places to be more vigilant because they remain targets of groups like al qaeda. the department of defense eased up new rules designed to protect workers at the buildings it leases. they called for protective measures like barricades and setting them back further from the staet. the changes was supposed to be adopted by the end of the month, but the congressman moran argued it was too much for areas like

our county. president obama is calling on the word's most influential countries to combat climate change. the president spoke on the united nations summit on change today. he said countries like the u.s. and china must help developing nations to limit emissions with their money and technology. this is car-free day around the world. here in the d.c. area more than 5,500 people have taken the pledge to be car free today. a car-free celebration is taking place in northwest washington. >> barbara? >> if you have a trouble commuting to work. today has been named as joe just said, car-free day. it's encouraging people to ditch the wheels for public transportation. but if the recent numbers are

any indication, that's not what people seem to be doing. megan mcgrath has more from tyson's corner. >> reporter: the joys of rush hour. think your commute has gotten worse recently? you are not alone. >> it has been horrible. five times worse than it was this time last year. i have no explanation for it. >> you leave earlier and earlier, and everybody just moved everything up a couple hours. >> reporter: what is going on? how about several major construction projects, and a drop in metro ridership and an upturn in the economy, and lower gas prices. it's the perfect storm that translates into terrible traffic. >> there is a direct correlation between the price of gas and driving. there is a direct correlation between whether the economy is improving or not and the confidence people have with the economic wherewithal, and that will make them drive more. and the gridlock is more notable

because of all the construction going on. >> reporter: in the month of june, traffic increased by 6.6% in the district, and 2% in maryland, and 2.3% in virginia. and those extra drivers are hitting the roads at a time when fewer people are taking metro. year to year figures for the frs part of september show that ridership is down. on some days, as much as 40,000 or 60,000 people compared to last year. is it fallout from the crash? the economy? perhaps the time of year? metro officials say they don't know. >> it could be a number of things that we are looking at right now. we simply don't know. we will have to take a look at the ridership trends to figure out what could be going on. >> reporter: commuters should no expect improvement anytime soon. many of these big road projects are going to take a while to complete. with all the stimulus money out there, more construction is on

the way. megan mcgrath, news4. >> build an extra 45 minutes in your commute if you plan on taking i-95 to lorden tonight. two of the three lanes will close at 10:30 tonight and all lanes will be closed for up to a half hour after midnight. and will be closed again between 1:00 and 2:30 in the morning. and they will take down over head signs as part of the expansion project. a carjacking suspect remains on the run. police are hoping a new sketch will help them find him. this is a sketch of a man that car jacked a woman at gun point and then led police on a chase thursday night. he drove the woman all the way into maryland while police chased him. the chase ended with a crash in prince georges county. before police could grab him the

suspect took off running and remains on the run. more than 100 prince georges county employees will soon be out of a job. they have to give some workers pink slips because of the budget gap caused by reduced aid from the state. the employees will be laid off on november 1st, but will be notified on october 2nd and will be placed on administrative leave to find new jobs. maryland officials will award the first gambling license to the racetrack, about five miles from ocean city. the track's owner says slots could be up and running by next memorial weekend. and other bidders are facing issues that could force them to delay their plans to open until at least 2011. today in howard county,

maryland, a public meeting will be held to discuss a possible ban on tanning beds for young people. the proposal would prohibit teenagers under the age of 18 from using tanning beds. the beds are accused of causing a deadly type of skin cancer. and it's scheduled to be at 1:30 and at the health department. and let's go to veronica johnson. >> thank you, barbara and joe. yeah, that's about all we have had today, just a little bit sunshine. take a look at this city cam right now. those thicker clouds are starting to move east, and infiltrate the area. the morning fog that we had, that, too, has lifted. but the air out there is pretty muggy. here is a satellite review over the last couple hours. we can see what locations are hanging on to the clear skies. st. mary's and calvert county. and there they have sunshine.

the leading edge of the showers is still west of i-81. so it's really for the afternoon. i think anytime after 2:00 or so we will see the rain head off to the east, and widely scattered areas of light rain will be kicking off for the afternoon. the air is more humid. so today up to 78 degrees for a high temperature. a look at your four-day forecast. up to 83 tomorrow. and more moisture and warmer air, and almost like summer now for the first part of fall. barbara and joe? >> veronica, thank you. and let's get the latest on the traffic at this hour. we will go to the news4 traffic network with steve. we will start with the map here. we will look at the roadwork set up in northern virginia right now. at the bottom of the screen, they are working north and southbound on i-95 near lorden. they are only blocking one lane each way. there is a backup both ways, southbound from knewing tnewing.

and over to maryland now on northbound 270 near middle brook road. if you look carefully, you see the cones in the left lane, blocking the left lane for scheduled roadwork. it's not causing any back up right now. and we are in good shape heading across the national mall between pennsylvania avenue and the 14th street bridge. back to you. >> thank you, steve. who should get flu shots and when should they get them and how many doses will they need? those are some of the questions many americans are pondering this flu season. we have more on the concern and thconfusion. >> reporter: the new swine flu vaccines protects children and adolescents. >> we are pleased with the

results it appears younger individuals are responding to this vaccine very similar to how they respond to seasonal flu vaccin vaccines. >> reporter: relatively few children have gotten flu vaccine at all. this year because of the swine flu hitting young people hardest, the swine flu vaccine is needed in anybody from six months to 26. >> how many of you wash your hands before you came to school today? >> reporter: distribution methods will very from state to

state. pregnant women are six times as likely as the rest of the population. to suffer xau complications from the new flu virus. this woman wanted to be a voluntary to test the vaccine at duke medical center. >> i feel we have been getting something very few people have been able to get at this point. >> a sentiment health officials share. >> the government ordered more than a quarter billion doses of the flu vaccine this year. still ahead, stocks are modestly higher in early trading. we will have the latest in business news. plus a surprising confessions from a trainer on "the biggest ú ]

times are tough, righ so tough realtor in kentucky resorted to desperate measures. he vowed to stay at the home night and day until he hands over the keys to a new buyer. it's been five days and counting. buyers could be taking advantage of an $8,000 grant from the government, and home prices are at a 20-year low. instead he says they are just missing out. >> people are going to look back and say why didn't we buy a

house. markets will go back up and the government program will go away, and interest rates will g away. >> maybe they don't have any money? and already 20 people have come to look at the house. his optimistics are that the next owner will be among them. >> maybe it's because the crazy realtor won't leave. let's talk about interest rates. >> let's check in with cnbc's courtney reagan. >> good morning to you both. stocks are still higher today. today we started that day the way and stayed there, although investors did pause yesterday to cash in profits from last week's valley. and it's important to note that japan is still closed for a holiday and europe is higher today. and the fed kicks off the meeting today. the fed is not expected to change interest rates until sometime next year, but could

say when it might exit emergency programs when it launched the crisis program. new census data shows houses are getting less affordable despite a big drop in home prices in the last year. and that includes both homeowner with and without mortgages as well as renters. as for renters, their numbers increased last year whe homeowners declined. the fdac may ask healthy banks to lend it dollars to safe yard your deposit. "the new york times" said there could be a more attractive alternative. but the fdic is reluctant to do this because it might be seen as

another government bailout and create unnecessary political backlash. that's an interesting table turn. back to you. >> have a great day. see you in the morning. >> sounds good. well, a car running on grass wood and algae? scientists say it's possible and they are hoping to replace gasoline with, yes, grassoline. >> reporter: while we are cursing the pumps, scientists are searching for alternatives. this grass is not just greener, but it could be powering your car. >> we have a billion tons of this stuff and it rots and goes up in the atmosphere as co2. why not use that and make energy out of it? >> in brazil, cars run on ethanol. here in the u.s., it's more of a supplement. but technical leaps are making

it possible for grass and weeds and wood to be used as fuel. >> refineries, and the engines, we won't have to make modifications to engines or anything. >> reporter: oil giants like shell are dipping their toe into the biofuel pool. >> we are excited about it. we see this as a potential new source of fuel that has lots of benefits. it's renewable. it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide us all with a new source of energy. >> but how soon? >> i think there is a lot of optimism relative to the fleet we have today. expect the same cars to become efficient and use different fuels. new cars and new fuels, a long way off. >> reporter: brian moore, nbc news, washington. you may pay higher prices

for the chance to carve a cool pumpkin this year. heavy rains up in new england caused seedlings not to develop and that pushed back pumpkins back by two weeks. they may not turn orange or grow large by shipping time. >> pumpkin cookies for the december holidays. and our time is 11:50, and 10 before 12. coming up, tom kierein will be back with a check on the forecast. and we are looking for people that make the day special in the early-morning hours. tell us their story and send a clear close-up picture

well, take a look at that. this man actually is not in trouble. he actually just broke the world record by smashing or having smashed 29 wooden bars on his body in one minute. the martial arts champion set the record at a playground. the bars are think and long. amazingly this is not his first world record. he recently set a record for smashing 44 concrete slabs at once with his head.

well, as a matter of fact perhaps that is what led him to try the wooden bar trick. he said, i got an idea. bam, bam. >> that sure looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it? >> barbara, i bet you could break that record? >> you want me to try that? >> no. i think i could help you to it, too. season two of the "biggest loser" got under way last week. >> and mark sat down for a chat with harper and found out about the trainer's own workout habits, including one surprise. >> let's go! >> reporter: every week he coaxes, and coerces and helps contestants into encouragement. >> i have to have my own

trainer. >> he needs a workout nudge like the rest of us. >> i have a busy schedule. and to have my own trainer that takes the reigns, and takes the steering wheel from me, and that helps me. >> how tough is it for you in your personal life to practice what you preach in your show? >> i knew i would have to be able to practice what i preach. i love fitness. it's my life and purpose. so people can always see what is in my grocery cart or seeing what i am eating at a restaurant and i will always live true. >> what is your achilles' heel? >> problably chocolate. you can still have the things you like to eat, but you have to be able to manage it. >> it's something getting through to contestants and trainers. >> a guy at the gym came and said i have been watching your show and lost over 100 pounds on

my own. that's amazing. >> and with the in season, amazing awaits. so revealed in the current issue of vegetarian times that he gave up meat and has gone vegetarian. that dropped his cholesterol level 100 points. the biggest loser airs tonight on nbc 4. right now let's find out some of the stories for this afternoon. >> pat is here with a preview. coming up this afternoon on news4 at 4:00, a new generation of pick me up drinks is all the rage, especially folks in college. how safe are the drinks? we look at the question. and then kicking it with lindsay, the only washington player to score is havesing lun with lindsay.

plus scammers preying on new widows to steal information and then rob them. we have a report on a warning of what to watch out for. join us for news4 beginning at 4:00, right after daily connection." we are going to start with skycam. there are moisture-filled clouds hanging across the area right now. as we go to radar you can see we are still dr the clouds are producing showers across the area right now. for the afternoon, we will see widely scattered areas of light rain. currently, west of i-81, and not even yet to wind chester or martinsburg, but in the next couple minutes the light showers will advance off to the east. meanwhile, the temperatures are comfortable out there. the air is- it has become more humid. we have the moist air spreading

up from the south and southwest. that's what will be hanging over our area for the next two or three days. a light wind for today. a chance of, again, light showers for the afternoon. grab the umbrella if you are heading out. the high today, about 74 to 78 degrees miles per hour slig degrees, so slightly cooler than yesterday. and the temperatures on wednesday and thursday, up to 83 and 85. those two days are looking wet and then we dry out at the end of the day on friday. that's news4 midday. thank you for joining us. be sure and tune in to "the daily connection" at 3:00. and news4 at 4:00. bye.