disaster relief teams rush to the island of samoa, as the death toll continues to climb today from yesterday's deadly tsunami. we'll have much more on that top story in just a bit. good afternoon, everybody. >> we begin this afternoon with news out of boston, where bomb-sniffing dogs boarded an american anti-inflammatories flight. live pictures from logan international airport now of the. luggage spread out all throughout this shot. a crew member apparently found a threatening no in the lavatory. it happened ding a pre-boarding check of the flight. no passengers had boarded the plane at that hour. the plane has been moved to a remote area of the airport while it's being checked out. and all of its luggage, as you can see, as well. again, these live pictures from boston's logan international airport. meanwhile, our other top story, the images are staggering. the stories are unbelievable. without warning, water inundated the island of samoa.

>> the death toll has now risen to 119. and rescue workers are digging through rubble right now, searching for any survivors. chris has the latest. >> reporter: images from the tsunami that hit the remote pacific island show the devastation that the wall of water left behind. homes were ripped apart, cars flung aside, and people were left with nothing. the waves caused by the 8.0 earthquake reached up to 20 feet high. president barack obama has declared a major disaster for american samoa, ordering aid to help with recovery. >> i am trying to come to terms with the events. and of course, how we are going to respond to the damages sustained. >> reporter: indonesia, meanwhile, is dealing with its own disaster. after a separate massive

earthquake hit sumatra, the violent shang sent panicked residents into the streets. local officials say thousands were buried by the 7.9 magnitude quake. a mall and two hospitals were among the buildings that collapsed. and dozens of deaths have been confirmed. as night fell, rescuers were still scrambling to find survivors. chris clacken, nbc news. >> samoa is home to about 65,000 people. grants for temporary housing and repairs can be included in federal aid to the territory. we have a developing story to report out of tennessee this afternoon. an amber alert has been issued today. authorities are searching for a now 5-day-old baby who was abducted from his home in nashville. police say yesterday the baby's mother, maria, answered her door and a strange woman asked for immigration papers. she says the stranger claimed to be with the u.s. immigration and naturalization service, and was there to arrest her.

once inside, the unknown woman stabbed her several times and took off with the baby. >> she does not know how much time the baby was on the sofa. and she's not sure when he was taken, because she ran out to try to get help. >> the investigators are looking into whether she may have been followed while runng errands earlier in the dave. the supreme court today agreed to decide whether local and state gun laws violate the second amendment. justices will review a court ruling that upheld a handgun ban in chicago. gun right supporters challenged chicago gun laws after the supreme court struck down the similar d.c. handgun ban last year. the justices voted 5-4 in that ruling. they will now decide whether that ruling applies to local and state laws. deliberations are scheduled to begin next year.

first lady michelle obama arrived in denmark this morning. she's helping in the final bid for chicago to host the 2016 olympics. mrs. obama was met at the airport in copenhagen by chicago mayor richard daly and his wife. among the final four in the competition to host the summer games, chicago is thought to be in a tight rate with rio de janeiro, madrid and tokyo were considered less likely to win the invitation. president obama will arrive in copenhagen tomorrow night to help pitch chicago. john travolta was back on the stand today testifying he was the victim of an extortion plot. witnesses in the courtroom said travolta showed no emotion when he told the court how he was blackmailed by a paramedic, who threatened to sell stories to the news media, suting that travolta was at fault for the death of his 16-year-old son, jett. the par medic asked for $25 million from travolta.

his autistic son died back in january after he suffered a seizure. there is encouraging news today in the fight against aids. more people are getting aids drugs. some 5 million people who need aids drugs worldwide are now getting them. but another 5 million are still waiting to get the drugs. that's according to an annual report from the u.n., the world health organization and unicef. overall, about 44% of people infected with hiv in sub saharan africa who need the drugs are now taking those drugs. that's a major increase in the distribution of aids drugs across africa. time is running out. if you plan to vote in november in virginia. mayor fenty breaks new ground for recreation. here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines in our area today. a fire in annendale destroyed a home early this morning. flames ripped through this home on royceton street. a gas meter in the basement caused the blaze to spread. the first floor collapsed as firefighters arrived.

no one was inside at the time of the fire. metro is stepping up its cleaning routine in hopes that reducing the transmission of flu bugs. they'll be disinfecting cars and buses every week insad of every two weeks. they will continue to clean the cars and railings every day. the will be poster announcements reminding riders to cover, cough and wash those hands. an important deadline is looming for first-time voters in virginia. you have less than a week to register to vote for the november election. the election will choose the next governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general for the commonwealth. fepty was on hand for a ground-breaking ceremony for a new community center in rosedale today. the facility will replace the old rosedale rec center which will be demolished at the end of the year. city officials are pushing to complete a library in the center. today the obama

administration released new statistics involving distracted drivers. nearly 6,000 people died last year in crashes involving drivers who are not focused on the road. experts are in washington right now to address the growing problem. tracey potts has more. >> reporter: talking on cell phones, texting, putting on makeup, even changing radio stations, some experts say the few seconds of distraction can be even more dangerous than drunk driving. >> at 55 miles an hour, that's the equivalent of driving your car the length of a football field with your eyes closed. >> reporter: in texas today, this woman is on trial for killing another driver. officials say she was on her cell phone. the government says the worst offenders are young people under 20 years old. >> it's something that shouldn't be done. because your focus is not on the road. >> reporter: new statistics show 1 in 6 accidents are caused by drivers who take their hands and their minds off the road.

>> you can't do that when you're manipulating a gps, talking on a cell phone, even if it's a bluetooth. these are all distractions that we really need to address it. >> reporter: at a government summit today, experts warned even wireless headsets aren't the answer. >> dialing is dangerous. and you have a hands-free headset, you still have to dial that hands-free benefit, and is diminished. >> reporter: authorities believe this was a distracted driver. >> and a father, you know, it's an ordeal, that doesn't have to happen 90% of the time when you're not paying attention to the road. >> reporter: some truck drivers say they need to get information while on the road. >> a lot of times you don't have spaces to pull over. you know, you need to know something. maybe need to know it fast. >> you've got 80,000 pounds going down the road. if you make one mistake, you're going to hurt somebody. and hurt yourself. >> reporter: right now, 24 states and the district of

columbia either ban texting or hand-held cell phones while driving. but there's a push for federal law to make that consistent across the country. from capitol hill, tracey potts, news 4, washington. turning now to the weather. it's really starting to feel like fall, isn't it? v >> still some wind out there today. in and out of the cloud cover as we look over there, with city cam. cloud cover in the distance. meanwhile, we have light showers and sprinkles. these are moving very quickly off to the east. and most of them right nheaded toward fairfax. you can see the satellite review here, kind of like yesterday. still have a few of those wave clouds coming through the area. 63 the temperature right now in d.c. it's 64 dull less. and 68 in quantico. temperatures have been dropping.

they're going to drop to the 30s. mid and upper 30s far west. a frost advisory is up until tomorrow morning. we drop to the 50s by 11:00 p.m. that rain and those sprinkles should be ending very soon. october sunshine for the day tomorrow. and what about our chances of a rain this weekend. details in just a few minutes. >> all right. thanks, veronica. d.c. has made the grade for recent college graduates. researchers say it's the place to be. plus, it's a question that has divided hollywood. should roman polanski be responsible for the crime he pleaded guilty to 30 years ago. another twist for "jon & kate plus 8."

washington, d.c. is the new new york. that's how one economist described the revelation that the city has tied seattle as the top destination for college graduate experts for the "wall street journal" came out with the top ten meccas for young college educated, often single people, setting out to start a career or family. washington replaces new york in the top spot. the president of the d.c. chamber of commerce says much of wall street is moving to k street. michelle franzen has more. >> reporter: they're poised to become the next generation of top-rated cities for a new generation of workers. leading the list, and sharing the number one spot, washington, d.c. and seattle. cities with long histories of government jobs, and related industries. a "wall street journal" panel

ranked the cities on job possibilities, affordability and quality of life. one big change, panelists say college grads and singles will be taking fewer risks. >> even when the recession recedes, i think these young people are going to say, hey, we can't take anything for granted. and we're going to go to places that seem like pretty safe bets in terms of us getting a job, and having a nice lifestyle. >> reporter: the unemployment rate for americans between 18 and 24 years old is estimated to be 18%. nearly twice the overall national unemployment, all competing with each other, along with older out-of-work americans. >> i'm willing to relocate. i'm willing to do internships. i would love to stay in the new york area, but if the opportunity opens up, i'm willing to take it. >> reporter: new york city suffered from the financial crisis, but the big apple still rounds out the top five cities, along with portland, oregon, and austin. cities not on the list this time, charlotte, north carolina,

also hit hard by the banking crisis and las vegas. >> it was like a one-trick pony in las vegas. people came there because of an affordable place to live. >> reporter: young americans looking to make their marks in cities brimming with opportunities. what makes d.c. number one? we hit the streets to find out today. michael flynn has that part of the story coming up on news 4 at 5:00. if you're struggling to make your mortgage payments, a new government program can help some homeowners. people can apply to the making home affordable program if they hold a mortgage from fannie mae or freddie mac. under the program they're cutting interest rate mortgage rates to as little as 2%. the goal is to lower payments to the homeowner's gross income. go to their web sites. the tough economy has had benefits especially for wine lovers. there are great deals to be had right now. that's because fewer people have

been buying expensive wines. that's created more supply. since supply is up, prices are dropping. bottles that once sold for $60 selling for as little as $19. grape growers have also felt the pinch this year. with so much wine on the market, a lot of grapes have gone unclaimed. the dow was finishing the quarter with an overall gain. but weak news on manufacturing and jobs prompted a little slide kae for the markets. the dow down 30 points. nasdaq dropping less than two. the s&p lost 3.5 points. coming up on the news, in prison charged for killing his wife. but authorities believe his bizarre behavior may provide a clue in the murder. we'll introduce you to a 2ened-grader do a lobbyist. took her con

the reality show "jon & kate plus 8" is kate plus 8 and jon is gone. the show will now focus on kate

gosslin's life. kate and john filed for divorce back in june. jon is not completely off the show, though. he's going to continue to appear but not on a regular basis. the new show begins in november. movie director roman polanski's former sister-in-law doesn't think he can get a fair trial here in the u.s. debra tate spoke on the "today" show this morning. he was arrested last weekend. the u.s. has been seeking his extradition for having sex with a 13-year-old girl back in 1977. polanski's attorney reportedly said the filmmaker would be willing to undergo house arrest at his swiss chalet. a swiss court said it will make a decision on polanski's appeal in a few weeks. debra tate says he would get fairer treatment in france than the u.s. >> it was determined that roman did not forcibly have sex with this young woman. it was a consensual matter. i am a victim's advocate. and i know the difference.

>> debra tate's sister, sharon, was murdered back in 1969 by followers of charles manson. pat? let's turn to the weather now, which is a still blustery out there. i did turn the heat on last night. >> did you get any sprinkles coming in today? >> a few. >> today was one of those, what i call kind of weird type skies, where you get the sprinkles, but you've got sun hitting you in the face. >> athe same time. >> exactly. some wind today, we've had it right now. the wind out of the northwest at 12 miles per hour. in and out of the clouds, 63 the temperature. we've dropped from 69. hey, with this weather system swinging through the rest of it, the one hanging around all week, we've got gusts to 20 miles an hour. a whopping 3.31 inches. but the deficit is still at .48. the weather system that's been spinning up across the northeast, up around canada all

week long, it's been sending these ripples through us. it's finally moving far enough east, we're going to start clearing out tonight. temperatures are going to start dropping. right now, that line that we were watching around areas of prince georges county, moving east. inside of the beltway, a few sprinkles. this moving toward d.c. and mitchellville area. meanwhile, you can see shadyside getting rid of the wet weather. not a lot. enough to kind of make you put your windshield wipers on. nuisance showers across the area. shan tilly, your showers moving toward rockville. arlington at 62 degrees. and down from 68 to 60, mclean, virginia. as we get some clearer skies in here, and as the winds really diminish tonight, temperatures are going to be dropping to the mid to upper 30s. gar ret county, maryland, most

of west virginia, down through the carolinas, frost advisories out during the overnight period all the way west to eastern ohio and up toward buffalo, new york. so there it is, we're going to be cooling during the overnight period. temperatures sit in the 60s. denver at 81. some storms out ahead of the next weather system, snow in the upper elevations around utah. 15 to 30 inches. that's the next significant weather system for us. it brings us some rain late friday night. so clearing out, some sunshine through the day tomorrow. there's that weather system moving toward us. friday, all of friday should be dry. but friday night, that rain will start coming in. temperatures again dropped to the 40s, low 40s during the overnight period. a few sprinkles, 56 to 61 degrees. dropping into the mid-50s over the next couple of hours. by tomorrow morning, a very chilly start for us. clear, sunny, sun's up at 7:05. 39 to 48 degrees. probably some of the coolest weather we've seen around here

in a long time. delightful, sunshine, 67 to 72 the high tmt for temperature tomorrow. free coffee with this news 4 bargain blast. take part in a taste test for starbucks. get a free brewed coffee. happening between october 2nd and october 5th. you'll also get $1 off starbucks via ready brew. they've been working on this for decades, they say. the. >> they say. >> they've put a lot into it. >> we'll taste and see. coming up on news 4 at 4:00. a man arrested in japan for trying to take his own children back to the u.s. a custody battle and attorneys say there seeing many cases like this one. toyota owners listen up. the car company is recalling millions of vehicles after a crash that killed a family. first, nanny cams, now this. keep an eye on your four-legged friends from your desk at work.

a sweet competition to tell you about. worthy of a taste test before you vote. we're letting you decide who makes the best cupcake in town. as two bakeries battle for the golden locals. the face-off between georgetown cupcake and caston wired. search golden locals

welcome back. at 4:30 now, i'm pat lawson. >> at least 119 people have been killed in that massive tsunami that struck the american samoa yesterday.

the wall of water was triggered by an earthquake that ripped homes apart. president obama has declared the major disaster area to rush aid to theerritory. in tennessee, a 5-day-old baby is missing. authorities issued an amber alert yesterday after the mother told officials a woman knocked on her door, then stabbed her several times before taking off with her baby. police believe someone may have followed the family home after some errands. the all-clear has been given to an american airlines flight on the ground at logan airport up in boston. bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in after a threatening note was discovered in the plane's lavatory. it happened during a pre-boarding check of the plane. no passengers were aboard. massachusetts state police say the plane was cleared to depart for miami as planned. now, to an international child custody battle. an american father is behind bars in japan for trying to bring his children home to tennessee where he was granted custody. the.

>> he's not the only parent fighting for his kids on foreign soil. miguel almaguer has details on that. >> reporter: christopher savoi and his children call tennessee home. so do their japanese mother, noriko, until this summer when she suddenly moved to japan and took the chirp. divorced, christopher had custody in the u.s., so he flew 7,000 miles to bring his kids home. but on monday, when he tried to walk the children into a u.s. consulate's office, he was arrested by japanese police who charged him with abduction. scott sawyer also lost his son. >> it's difficult to think of him, or look at his picture. >> reporter: when sawyer's wife left him, she took 3-year-old wayne to japan. >> it reminds me of theloss. so i try to dedicate myself to working really hard to get him back. that is what -- that's what keeps me focused. >> reporter: sawyer and savoy's

children are not alone. congressman chris smith said 175 japanese children are currently abducted by a parent who's fled to japan. the u.s. government is powerless to bring them home. >> japan is a modern civil rights oriented society. you know, it ought to join the rest of the industrialized nations and resolve all of these long-standing cases, including chris's. >> i want to talk to you about the children. >> reporter: t documentary "from the shadows" follows several american parents as they fight to bring their kids home from japan. the filmmaker says japanese abductions have happened for decades. a culture that does not recognize split child custody like the sufficient. >> they don't understand why the other parent wants to see or visit the kid after divorce. the norm in japan is to not do that. >> reporter: that's of little comfort to parents who have lost their children. according to one u.s. lawmaker, of the thousands of american kids taken to japan, not a

single child has ever been returned by their government. a statistic that includes 3-year-old wayne sawyer. >> he's a great little guy. >> reporter: and now also 6-year-old isaac and 8-year-old rebecca as their father still si behind bars. nbc news, los angeles. >> now, there's word that lawyers for christopher savoy are on their way to japan to fight for his release now. in maryland, a teenager has died from the swine flu. school officials safe the 14-year-old student attended mont bellow elementary in baltimore. no other details about the victim are being released to protect her privacy. the school's ceo said the school system will be working with the city health department to keep students and their families informed about appropriate precautions. nine deaths in maryland are now linked to swine flu. toyota is warning its drivers of its biggest recall ever. the japanese automaker is

recalling 3.8 million vehicles. this recall includes toyota and lexus models. and it's being blamed on removable floor mats that could cause the acceleror to get stuck and lead to a crash. >> they don't fit perfect. they usually don't have anything to hold them into place. or they have a tendency to supplied forward and can get up underneath the pedals andause problems there. >> the recall comes after this deadly crash near san diego over the summer, involving a lexus es-350. four family membersied in the crash. here's a look at the vehicle models recalled. they include the most popular selling passenger car in the u.s., the toyota camry models 2007, the 2010. the 2005 to 2010 toyota avalon. 2004 to 2009 toyota prius. 2005 to 2010 tacoma. 2007 to 2010 toyota tundra. and 2007 to 2010 lexus es-350.

and the 2006 to 2010 lexus is-250 and is-350. vehicle owners should take out the floor mats on the driver's side and don't replace them. still ahead on news 4 at 4:00, startling new statistics about americans and depression. for many the problems may be worse than anyone knows. plus, surviving the college application process. how to help your teen find the right school with less stress.

welcome back. so drops on the radar. yeah. light showers and sprinkles into d.c. and down to alexandria. these are moving east eventually. eventually making to prince georges county. but light little drops out there. the part of the upper-level low spinning around us all week long generating the clouds and wet weather. 63 temperature in d.c. around here, some cloud cover, a

little bit of wind and sprinkles that are likely still to be around the area around 7:00. just a few. 57 degrees your first pitch forecast. by tomorrow morning, our temperatures will be starting out in the low and mid-40s. 48 in town. the high, 70. delightful day tomorrow. cloud cover for friday. rain probably friday night into saturday morning. 78 is the high for saturday. then cooling down a little bit. not a bad weekend coming up. some showers to start things off. pat? >> thanks, veronica. the new school year is well under way, and for many high school seniors, it also signals the start of the college application process. it's a long, complicated task. and inevitably, a stressful task. but there are some simple realistic things parents and students can do to destress the process. the september issue of washington parent magazine offers tips. even before you start applying to colleges, sit down as a family and talk about the options. the expectations, and limitations, especially regarding finances. for example, it would be

frustrating and stressful if your child wastes time applying to a college in california when the family can't afford it. experts say another way to destress the college application process, don't focus on just one school. there are 4,000 colleges in the u.s. alone. take comfort in knowing that your child will find one schl that needs his or her needs. start the application process early and break it down into small manageable steps. creating and sticking to a time line goes a long way in preventing the stress that often comes with procrastination. the summer following junior year of high school is an ideal time to complete those applications and write those college essa. also, since there are no guarantees in life, have a backup plan. talk as a family about what the options are if no college acceptance letters come in the mail. students can work, volunteer or take classes at a community college. all of these steps will give students a much better chance of getting into college the following semester. keep this in mind, most of the pressure students encounter

on their way to a college or university comes from their parents. so the parents calm down, chances are everybody calms down. >> 4,000 colleges, always got to have a safety net more than ever. the it is so competitive out there. >> it certainly is. a whole lot more to come in the next half hour. a man arrested for killing his wife. now police believe recordings of the suspect and his daughter might provide a key clue to the murder. how a popular coach she the pounds for himself and his

less than half of all americans suffering from depression never, never see a doctor for treatment. that's according to a new study. it found that only about a third of those suffering from severe depression have regular follow-up visits with their doctor. the national institutes of mental health reports that depression affects about 7% of adults. yesterday we saw video of a man laughing. >> there are bizarre new details in murder cases out of florida. yesterday we saw video of a man laughing and dancing in jail while talking with family members. he's accused of killing his wife. now more video has tongues wagging today. and many offering their own opinions about exactly what's

going on in this case. nbc's carey sanders has the story. >> we were really happy together. >> reporter: 61-year-old james bob ward charged with murdering his wife diane was meeting with his oldest daughter, mal ory. >> we had our ups and downs. >> reporter: when things turned weird. as ward talked with his sister-in-law, there in the background daughter mallory sticks her tongue out at her father. then she motions with her tongue. and then she strikes a pose. now watch it again and glance at ward, who waves, sticking his own tongue out and laughs. simply a light-hearted moment between a daughter trying to cheer of her father, a father charged with murdering her mother, his wife? a federal former law enforcement officer and expert in the

non-scientific body language, watched the 90 minutes recorded so far. where ward dances, unbuttons his shirt. >> i wouldn't do that. >> reporter: where his daughter at other times sits her legs open, her arms drawn around the back of the chair. non-verbal cues that experts say are leads for investigators. >> her legs are spread eagle. she looks like britney spears coming out a limousine. completely inappropriate for somebody who just lost their mother. at one point she takes her arms and wraps them behind the chair, and holds herself back. what does that do? protrudes her chest. that's extremely sexual. does it mean that they physically have done something? no. >> reporter:nd experts say all of this becomes important to investigators, as they search for a possible motive. >> despite being no norm on how people grieve, this is off the charts. 100% says perhaps this is a motive of why this murder took place. >> reporter: at one point in the

conversation -- >> we were both looking forward to it. >> reporter: ward talks about plans he and his now dead wife had for this coming weekend. remember, daughter mollory, has just lost her mother to what police say was murder. >> we are all really excited. but, i mean, you know, there's been like -- i guess, there's a kink in our plans now. >> that was carey sanders reporting. experts say the daughter's language draws their attention in the case because she appeared to be unemotional after her mother's death. an attorney for bob ward says the whole story will eventually come out. that is pretty strange stuff. >> very, very unusual behavior there. still ahead on news 4 at 4:00, make way for ducklings. how one little girl took her love of amals all the way to the sti council. big brother is watching your pets. how dog owners are keeping tabs on their pooches, even when

they're away. dozens of people ill missing in samoa, after a tsunami left streets full of ocean debris and mud. also tonight, metro makes some changes in how they clean trains and buses in an effort to keep riders safe from the swine flu. and from pots and pans, mugs to measuring cups, where to shop and save if you're looking for ways to look like a chef, even if you don't cook like one. all those stories coming up.

there's a new trend for dog owners to stay connected to their pets while they're away. no worries for dog owners who miss their best friend while they're at doggie day care. now pet care providers are installing cameras for owners to check in from work or home. >> it makes me feel very comfortable, especially if i'm gone for nine hours a day, or if i'm on a trip. >> some people come in, say i couldn't see my dog today, but both web cams try and show the maximum amount of space. >> video suppliers say the doggie cams are growing in popularity at pet care providers. and pet owners keep clicking in. fido doesn't know the difference, though. >> doesn't know he's being watched at all. an update on the wer ther. you'll need to put the umbrellas

up this afternoon. >> mine is up and popped. i'm trying not to get wet. bu it's only raining lightly out here. here at nbc 4, we've got some showers coming through. light showers. though showers will be ending. and clouds will be decreasing overnight. aspen hill to silver spring and showers, those moving toward prince georges county. let's talk temperatures and wind gusts. winds generally gusting between 15 and 20 miles per hour. so again, winds will be subsiding. and we'll go from the # 0s to the 40s by tomorrow morning. so again, frost advisory as far west, scattered frost around those counties further west of us, like carol county. tomorrow morning, getting the kids off to school, 40 to 47. it's chilly. the high temperature tomorrow is going to be a delightful day with sunshine. should get up to around 70 degrees. back to you folks in the studio. >> all right. thanks, veronica. maryland's biggest loser.

how football coach ralph dropped more than 100 pounds. >> good for him. the world's most popar bear has made a brand-new friend.

here's some of the top stories making news on the web today. >> take a look at this piece of hardware. it's a 507-carat diamond.

this was discovered at a mine in south africa. experts estimate the diamond is among the world's top 20 gems ever found, the same mine also produced the largest diamond ever found, a 3100-carat stone that currently is set in britain. part of the crown jewels. wow. remember the orphan polar bear. he's now had his first-ever encounter with another bear. as you may recall, knute was born at the berlin zoo nearly a year ago. he attracted sympathy when his mother rejected him at birth. a zookeeper raised knute by hand. he's big now. a female bear is on loan from the munich zoo. met yesterday for the first time yesterday before the cameras rolled. he hit knute, but the keepers say he took it well. after that things were peaceful. one keeper says it is clear that giana holds the upper hand.

both bears are too young to mate. so their relationship is expected to be strictly platonic for awhile. big boys being taken off his pedestal at a monument in west virginia. the smiling cheeseburger holding icon was originally put up by chony's restaurants to mark the site where the first chony's opened. they and big boy restaurants broke away from each other back in 1976. now lawyers from big boy restaurants say it's time for their mascot to come down. a second-grader in westland michigan has lobbied successfly on behalf of the duck population. concerned about a mother duck and her ducklings, she gathered four pages of signatures, then went before the town council to present her case. after much applause, crews went right to work making duck crossing signs and posted them in short order.

maryland head football coach isn't involved in this season's biggest loser show, but he could. for years he said he neglected his weight problems. it was difficult for him to go up the stairs without losing his breath. less than a year ago he began a new diet and has changed everything. lindsey has his story. >> reporter: he's a familiar fixture on the malandsidelines. once 401 pounds, he looks very different. since october he's lt more than 105 pounds on the immediate i fast diet. he knew a step difficult but necessary. >> when i looked at the doctor, he said, you're 60 years old now, and when things start going bad, they're going to go bad. so this was a thing i knew i had to do. it was kind of a lifestyle change i had to make. so there's a lot of benefits from, you know, from losing the weight. i told medifast, i have ten things publicly i can say that i

do better now. >> really? >> probably ten things privately i could say i do better now. >> reporter: medifast uses prepared mes, along with meals clients make themselves. for the coach, it's been the perfect answer for his busy lifestyle. >> i have oatmeal. one of these packets. medifast. and put this in four ounces of water. microwave it for 1:30. and i'm good to go for three hours. >> reporter: the key? to eat every three hours. that means a medifast bar and soup. he's got options from pretzel to protein balls. >> and then i have what they call a lean and green. i have fish, chicken, or steak, eight ounces, then a green vegetable. my favorite is broccoli. last night i had spinach. and then a salad. and usually some kind of vinegar on it -- dressing.

>> reporter: and freejen is getting attention. andy reed caught wind of his weight loss, so reed called him and he's now fueling suit. the coaches feel so good, they actually joke about the suits they can wear when they hit their goals. >> all the head coaches can get skinny again. andy is seeing if we can do a swimsuit calendar together. >> what do you think? >> i told him i have the speedo and he has the thong. >> my question is, what month would you want if you were part of that swimsuit calendar? >> probably december. >> you're supposed to be on the cover. >> oh, then the cover. >> good for him. his daughter also went on the diet with him. she lost 40 pounds. the coach has done so well, that medifast has made him a spokesperson for the diet's plan. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now.

tonight on news 4 at 5:00, cracking down. police investigate several cases of sexting at a local high school. what landed the district on the top of a list of places for young professionals. and saving with style. the place to shop and save if you're looking for ways to look like a chef, even if you don't cook like one. hi, everyone. welcome to news 4 at 5:00. >> our top story tonight, a scene that's described by witnesses as walking into a terrible dream. the quake and tsunami that's killed more than 100 people, it was early in the morning hours of tuesday when the quake shook samoa. and the tsunami came falling over the islands only 15 minutes later. the death toll has reached at least 119, and samoa, ameri samoa, and tonga. a british toddler swept out to sea was among the victims. a massive international rescue and aid missis