decision day, the president and congress gear up for a vote that will likely make history. what the biggest healthcare overhaul in 50 years can mean for you? good morning, everyone, welcome to "news4 today." i'm kimberly suiters. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. it is sunday, march 21, 2010. the news is just ahead. first a quick look at the day's forecast. justin drabick is standing in for chuck bell in storm weather 4. >> we're seeing our first full day of spring but the weather we're dealing with is more

typical more mid-may. high temperatures back in the 70s. a different story right now compared to yesterday at this time. our current air temperature is warmer. we were seeing a lot of 30s yesterday across the virginia piedmont down to the south, fauquier county, rappahannock, madison counties but already we're in the 40s. 52 currently at national airport. prince george's county 50 degrees. a nice mild start to the morning. so this is a sign of things to come. sunshine pretty much in full through the first half of the morning. by afternoon clouds build in. high temperature still should get back in the low to mid-70s and then rain moving in here for monday. all those details coming up in just a bit. >> for now we'll enjoy the sun. in our headlines overnight tragedy in prince george's county, a young girl is dead and a woman in the hospital after flames ripped through a home. the fire broke out around 11:00

last night in the 6100 block of parkview lane in clinton, maryland. the child was dead in the home. they rushed the woman to the hospital for smoke inhalation. investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire. they have not released the child's age nor whether the woman and child were related. two police officers were shot during a traffic stop. they were approaching a car after midnight when the man behind the wheel pulled out a gun. he shot one of the officers in the face the other in the arm. the officers were able to fire back and killed the suspect. it could be the biggest healthcare overhaul in more than 50 years. today the house is gearing up for a landmark vote. the massive bill has been more than a year in the making and for democrats victoryppears to be within reach. a live shot now of capitol hill

where the work will continue today and the vote will take place today. n nbc's brian mooar report. >> reporter: president obama rallied house democrats on the eve of their vote on healthcare reform. >> don't do it for me. don't do it for the democratic party. do it for the american people. they are the ones who are looking for action. >> reporter: senate democrats delivered a pledge that could tip the balance. they will go along with changes demanded by the house. >> i have the commitment of a significant majority of the u.s. senate to make that law better. >> reporter: there was a flury of last minute activity as democrats set the rules for a final vote. they abandoned the deem and pass strategy which would have avoid a straight up or down vote. democrats need 216 votes to pass the bill. win or lose it will be close and republicans want to keep it that way. >> i want to make sure that

we're doing everything we can do to make sure that this bill never, ever, ever becomes law. >> reporter: outside the capital, thousand of healthcare reformers held a rally. >> i'm being taxed to death. >> reporter: a year long fight now headed for one last showdown on capitol hill. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. so what does this bill mean for you? most americans would be required to have health insurance or face a fine. there would be subsidies to help people pay for insurance. insurance companies would not be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions. if you already have insurance through your company, you can keep it. if your employer currently does not offer insurance it would be strongly encouraged to do so through tax credits and possible penalties. happening today, iigrants rights activists are demanding president obama do more to pass

immigration reform. the reverend jesse jackson will speak at a short rally in front of the white house in the morning. this afternoon tens of thousands of people will march on the naonal mall. the activists are demanding full rights for all illegal immigrants and their children. >> the more we rely on war and violence the more enemies we'll make and the worse our conditions here at home will be. >> anti-war protesters are making their voice here in the district this weekend. thousands of them gathered in lafayette mark to mark the seventh year anniversary of the start of the war in iraq. they marched against what they call the occupation of iraq. they are also speaking out against the war of afghanistan. ralph nader and cindy sheehan were at the rally. if you're traveling metro's red line in maryland or blue line in virginia this weekend you may want to add a bunch of

time to your trip. riders should expect delays on the red line between medical center and grosvenor-strathmore. and on the blue line delays will happ between franconia and springfield van dorn street. >> we're just getting started. another beautiful day weather wise on tap. >> justin, what are we looking at? >> 70s once again. good 15 degrees above average. then some changes, cooler temperatures and rain back in our forecast. i'll have all the details coming up in a few more minutes.

spring officially started.

tell that to some people who live in the midwest. a huge snowstorm hit oklahoma and kansas yesterday bringing high winds and blizzard-like conditions. forecasters are calling for four to ten inches of snow with some areas receiving as much as a foot of the white stuff. the storm hit a day after temperatures reached 70 degrees. and a lot of kids are in the middle of spring break. >> unbelievable. >> stuck at home, no fair. >> hard to believe. we can hope, justin, nothing that dratic is happening for us. warm today and kind of go a little downhill from there, right? >> right. march changes back and forth but no signs of arctic air in our forecast. we'll stay near seasonal over the xt week or so. today above average highs back in the 70s. we're used to it now. what we've been dealing th. still looking good tside. visibility is pretty good as well. no fog or mist to talk about this morning and current air

temperatures still holding out in the low 50s across the district right now. a little bit cooler as you move off to the surrounding areas. currently 52 at national airport. wind is calm. how warm has it gotten? record high temperature made it up to 89 degrees back in 1921. so we will not be approaching record high temperatures today but certainly well above average. a good 15 to may 17, 18 degrees above average. 43 right now. just off to our west, out into fairfax county and in the east anne arundel county 53. to the north which go frederick has dropped to 39 deges and up in hagerstown looking at 47. again, temperatures this time of day, already above average. we should still be in the 30s for our low. not even close there for the d.c. area. now look at the temperature change. 24 hours ago, across the southeast mid-atlantic all positive numbers. a lot of warmth has been situated over these areas. so everybody is in on this warm temperatures and that's going to

be the trend again. one more day and the reason plenty of clear skies over the mid-atlantic and across the southeast. there is some higher clouds starting to move in from the wft across west virginia into extreme southwestern virginia state. it will move in here later this afternoon. the bulk of the rain and moisture and snow is still out to the west, a very slow moving storm system is moving over arkansas but taking its time moving here because there's a strong high pressure off the coast so it's blocking that storm. nice afternoon again with sunshine to start and then increasing clouds. more moisture though, will eventually work its way in here later tonight. you can see this nicely on future cast. a mix of sun and clouds and then later on this evening the clouds will begin to thicken up. the rain should hold off until after midnight, possibly even very early monday morning, maybe around 6:00. it's possible it will hold off that long. off and on showers throughout monday and lingering showers on tuesday as well.

so, again, a little bit of an unsettled period coming up. enjoy today. great to finish off the weekend. we'll call it morning sunshine with increasing afternoon clouds, low to mid-70s for the high temperatures. wind out of the south at 10 miles per hour. tomorrow keep overcast skies in, off and on showers throughout the day. can't rule out a thunderstorm. and much cooler as highs will fall back into the upper 50s to low 60s. today it will be dry throughout the entire day. rain moves in after midnight and chances off and on throughout the day on monday. lingering shower on tuesday. wednesday and thursday we see the sunshine return. back in the 60s. looking ahead to the end of this upcoming week, friday, a few more rain chances with cooler temperatures. >> my air conditioner is getting keyed. >> i know. i hear you. in sports this morning, ovechkin returns and the terps get ready for the next round. good morning your "sports

minute" starts with the challenges and vacation is over to alex ovechkin. he's back from his two night suspension. he scored his 45th goal the year moves him back in the tie for the league lead with sidney crosby. to college basketball, today at 2:30 maryland tips off against michigan state trying to advance to the sweet 16. the terps would love to see more of the same from jordan williams. the freshman was great in the first-round. he had 21 points and 17 rebounds. the majority of the rest of the scoring done by the terps trio of seniors in the first round combine for 56 points. now maryland is thinking all about the spartans and last night. ninth seeded northernway stunned the tournament's top seed kansas. the panthers took the lead one minute and two seconds into the game and never looked back. 40 seconds to go and leading. all by himself, buries the three

to give northern iowa a four-point lead. the panthers hold on to win it 69-67. the party is on for northern iowa. that's your "sports minute", i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great sunday. that is why they call it madness. >> absolute craziness. >> next up is "reporter's notebook" an inside look at the stories affecting your community. >> we'll be back in 15 minutes with the morning's top stories and sunday's forecast. for now here's pat lawson muse. good morning. welcome to "reporter's nobook." the budget axe fell hard in the district. it was proposed a $4.3 billion budget that would cut the total county budget for the first time in four decades. with the county now facing a $780 million short fall the budget would cut across the board. his plan includes cutting spending by more than 6%,

cutting 450 county positions, forcing all nonplic employee to take ten furlough. liggett said there's pain in this budget. the question for you guys is will there b much room for debate over his proposed budget or are these cuts cuts that the county council and county have to swallow? >> there will be a lot of grueling and moaning. very little room for debit. the economic situation is very bad although there's hope for recovery. they are not getting the tax revenues. they have to cut. again, you're going to have the argument are they cutting bone or fat? can they really make these cats without dire consequences. >> you say bone or fat. i think they cut to the marrow to be quite honestly. so, you're going to have, obviously, the various constituencies trying to

withhold their positions and stand up for their position. the reality is as long as we're in this economic crisis, particularly with housing prices still going down, it's not going to change for a while. >> there are some who question how the nation's, one of the nation's richest counties could come to this. and i pose that question to you, but also what about this debate about whether county leaders have done enough to control growth and spending in montgomery county? >> that may be an opening for critics. have they been on the job? montgomery county is considered wealthy. why is it happening here. there are people making a lot of money. there are corporations. there are any number of things that would make you think they could tap into that. under the existing structure unless they want a big tax increase, people think that there's not much they can do. >> you dmorks reality is it's not just montgomery county.

loudoun county and virginia, same thing people got hit. look, again, the cost of homes out there. the value of homes took a nose dive when they take a nose dive the taxes, prince george's county considered one of the wealthiest counties for african-americans. you have tremendous foreclosure problems, short sales that are impacting. and this is happening from coast to coast, border to border. unless you blame politicians for not having a rainy day fund, but who would have anticipated that you would have needed this much funds to overcome the economic conditions the whole country is facing. >> they have investments that -- that was the way to go. people invested for their future for their retirement. governments got in the investment game. then it hit everybody. >> do you think mike liggett can get his ambulance fee passed this time? >> either that or no ambulances. >> i think he will.

>> i think he can. >> it has to be on the basis that it's important. it is important for the health of the community. it's an emergency type operation. you've got to have it. because poor people won't be able to, you know, this will impact the working poor in a big way. >> statistics have proven people will pay taxes if they can see where their money is going and going for a worthy cause. >> in prince george's county, joe you just alluded to the cuts there to close an $85 million short fall, county executive jack johnson unveiled his proposed $3.1 billion budget this past weekend and this would cut spending in most agencies across the board, continue a hiring freeze and furloughs for the third row in a year now. the plan would mean cuts in health services, public works, transportation and about a sixth

of the county's jobs that are currently filled would go unfilled. there are also some that are unfilled that will not be filled up at all. he insists things aren't as bad this year as they were last year. >> yeah. it's still high. you know, it's like -- i understand that need to spin it that way but look the reality is it's bad or as the kids would say it's not just badder but it's bad. >> but if you're one of the people losing a job, taking a furlough -- >> the 800 teachers. >> it's bad for your and politically that's what counts. >> what about his ongoing problems with the union that insist hey you're balancing the budget on the backs of these

workers and there are other areas where you could have saved money. >> i will tell you, you know the other thing we keep referring to jack johnson. reality is this is his last budget, his last year and he's really passing this on. what will be interest is to see how those who want to be successors to him, those candidates how they will respond to these budget cuts. that's where, i think, most of us in this area need to keep our attention. so whoever is planning to run for that position, what is their proposal to overcome these tremendous cuts that he's leaving behind. >> and, you know, there is one perhaps ray of sunshine. the hill is now moving to pass jobs bills, to pass extenders for tax cuts for business people to expand to hire, and the colaint often from republicans is this is more government work, not real jobs. but they are trying to do something. if this stuff trickles down and

that's another thing people say republicans use, trickle down, thing start in one place and go somewhere else. if those things take an effect that could have an effect. >> building the hoover dam was a government project. those are real jobs. the tennessee valley authority those are real jobs. walk down constitution avenue all those office buildings you see and museum, they were built by government money by real people who had real work. a job is a job is a job in this economic climate. >> in virginia the general assembly adjourned last weekend, lawmakers moved to plug a $4 billion hole in their budget by cutting education, haltare and public safety, and they made aggressive spending cuts while fulfilling their pledge not to raise taxes. so they kept their word. question is, will this pain be passed down to the localities and will people regret that there were no tax increases?

>> we'll have to wait and see. pain will be shared by more people now and, again, it could become a pitical issue. we just have to wait and see how well mcdonnell is balancing this frankly republican mantra in the state. they will not raise taxes. they will make more cuts. critics say sooner or later it will catch up with them. >> taxes that aren't raised turn into fees down the road. one thing i was concerned about is the fact they made cuts in mental healthcare given what happened at virginia tech. this was a promise that they would do something about it. and all it takes is one episode like we had at virginia tech, god hope we don't have it. if it is the price will be paid by the ones who made the decisions to make these budget cuts. >> got to take a break. we'll be right back. stay with us.

welcome back. so, joe and dave what do you think about virginia's threat to file a legal challenge to the constitutionality of the healthcare reform bill? >> well, this comes on two fronts at this point in time as the house works so overwhelmingly if i can say this word on this particular bill. in virginithe feeling is that the bill is unconstitutional because it forces, there's a mandate to cover everybody. they want to cover everybody, add to the roles and you have to have insurance. they say that's unconstitutional. then on the mechanics of the bill, the house democrats are coming with a proposal to deem and pass its called, in other words ey hate t senate bill, the house does. th don't think it does -- it has too many giveaways, sweetheart deals. they want changes made. so they voted on the changes. they are going to vote. they will have a vote on chang but deemed in their rule, house

does everything by a rule when you come to the floor with a vote in the house everything is preset what you can and can't do. they want in this rule that you can't vote for the senate bill that it's deemed -- once you okayed the changes you then pass the whole bill, you've made sure that the other part of the bill is deemed. there will be a test on this folks. >> yes, but the thing i find interest field goal they test it on this, remember i think they've used it more than two dozen times. so, for example, supreme court gets it, if it rules that this is unconstitutional because of this legislation, what about the other 22 pieces of law that had been passed by deem and pass? which has been used by republicans as well as democrats. so i just don't see them overturning just this and then leaving the rest of the legislation done. >> what i'm hearing from my sources this bill is constitutionally secure. >> yes, sure.

>> one reason is it's been used for years and years. >> do you think we're likely to see other states -- >> do it? pose the same threat? >> other states have. they passed legislation to say once this deem and pass is done, we're suing. we're going right to federal court. >> the bigger challenge may well be on the forcing of the people to take insurance, from what i'm hearing. virginia and as joe said other states have gone down that route too. >> virginia would become the first state to pass such legislation. >> this is old state's rites. doesn't it remind you of the '64 civil rights bill invoking states' rights. >> let's talk about the d.c. mayor's race for a second. council chair inventory scene gray is leading toward challenging adrian fenty. he said he's leaning in that direction. developer r. donahue peebles is expressing renewed interest.

he said family problems might keep him out of the race. now gray is not doing a whole lot of talking but sources close to him say they are putting together a fundraising strategy for him and my question is what kind of challenges do you think vincent gray will face? should he decide to do this? >> the word on the treat this could be very serious, that he's a serious contender, he's been a good council member a lot of people think. if the mayor keeps going, the critics say, rush shod over people, that he might have something going for him. >> that's a challenge to fenty. what kind of challenge for vincent gray? >> here's your problem. peebles, inventory scene gray, they like each other. one is a supporter of the other. so if peebles gets in, this is the third time he changedis mind. if he gets in does that keep vincent gray out, because he would be going against one of

his biggest donors and supporters and here's the other problem. i hate to see this, this dividing the vote. this three-way race that you keep getting with three very prominent ndides. you got a lot of other candidates out there but these are three men who could really go after each other. so i don't see vincent gray challenging -- if peebles gets in i want i don't think vincent gray will run. >> i don't know. what i hear is how serious is peebles really. >> well that's the question. >> why should he be serious. yes, he can get the money but he doesn't have a track record. he hasn't held elective office before. vincent gray -- this was a point i should have made more clearly, inventory scene gray has done it. peebles hasn't done it. he may be attractive, may be able to raise money but how much can you base a campaign on. >> if vincent gray and peebles were to get into the race would

that guarantee a fenty re-election? >> i would think so. >> any time you have a divided effort one could cancel the other out. although people might say push comes to shove if i want an alternative to fenty this guy might be the one. >> oh, let's cut a deal. i got so many, you got so many, we put this together we got eventy. >> interesting election year. thank you so much and thank you for joining us. that's "reporter's notebook." stay with us, "news4 today" continues. good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 today" i'm kimberly suiters. >> good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. it is sunday, march 21, 2010.

the news is just ahead. first, though, a quick look at the day's 401-k's. justin drabick is standing in for chuck bell. and we're talking sunshine. >> pretty much a repeat of yesterday. so just a great day to be outdoors. we'll have today to enjoy. a few more clouds but still not going impact temperatures as we should make it back into the 70s. right now a mild start to the morning. 50 right now around town. also off to our west towards camp springs and the virginia piedmont cooler there upper 30s but much warmer than we were yesterday at this time. already kicking off the morning on a mild start so once we get the sun up at 7:10 those temperatures will quickly climb through the 50s this morning under mainly sunny skies and then by the afternoon the clouds will lower and thicken a little bit and go mostly cloudy by the evening hours. we're looking at a dry day with high temperatures once again topping off in the low to mid-70s. then it looks like we're dealing with rain showers on monday.

hey it's the weekend and remaining dry. that's good news. >> thanks a lot. investigators are trying to figure out what caused a late night house fire that left a girl dead and a woman in the hospital. this fire broke out around 11:00 last night in a house in the 6100 block of parkview lane in clinton, maryland. firefighters say they found a child dead inside the home. they also rush ad woman to the hospital for smoke inhalation. her injuries are not believed to be life threatening. authorities have not released the child's age or whether she was related to the woman. today the healthcare battle could finally be over after a grueling debate democrats are counting their votes and they are confident they will pass a reform bill in the house today. the measure would expand coverage to 95% of americans, most people would be required to carry insurance or face a penalty. there would be subsidies for people who can't afford insurance and medicaid would be expanded for the poor.

>> reporter: after weeks of campaign style trips for healthcare mr. obama traveled to the capitol to deliver a message to house democrats. >> i know this is a tough vote. >> reporter: with the outcome of this vote still in down he told members he holds the fate of his plan in their hands. >> we're not bound to win but we're bound to be true. >> reporter: but victory is not assured. around the capitol protesters gathered to cheer on the plans opponents. and to jeer democratic leaders. inside a dave hand to hand political combat. >> we're about 24 hours from are a rmagg everyone dedon. >> this process prostitutes the system. >> reporter: democrats announced

there would be an up or down vote on the unpopular bill. abortion coverage remains the biggest issue standing in the way of passage. >> tomorrow will be a sad day for me as i cast a no vote against something i believe we need to prevent the expansion of apportion and absolute moral evil >> reporter: in an effort to peel away members of an anti-abortion block led by bart stupak there's talk about the president issuing an executive order. democrats still lack votes to pass the bill. in recent days the president has ought the full power of his office to bear. although both sides say the fight is not about politics, it's clear that the stakes couldn't be higher. >> i don't know, quite frankly, whether victory will come on the third sunday in march or on the first tuesday in november, but

victory will come. >> more on yesterday's healthcare protests on capitol hill. some of them got ugly. demonstrators chanted at lawmakers. some congressmen reported racial slurs. one protester spat on a congressman. police did not make any arrests. stay with us for continuing coverage of this historic vote on healthcare reform. in just a few minutes we'll break down this bill four. find out what it means for people who already have insurance and those who don't. a family pet stolen in montgomery county. you've heard this kind of story before. someone snatched the. y right from the arms of its 13-year-old owner. what is as disturbing the ages of the suspects. news 4 darcy spencer has the family's plea. >> reporter: we're disguising his face because he's the victim of a crime. this 13-year-old boy said two

teens ripped his. y from his arms and punched him three times in the face. >> i was walking my dog and they were following us and told me to put my dog down. >> reporter: it happened after 2:00 in the afternoon in ridge heights drive when two boys ages 10 to 16 years old grabbed the eight-week-old. y and ran. >> why do you think these kids did this? >> i don't know. >> reporter: neighbors say they are concerned because there are a lot of children in the community. >> i don't think it makes you feel real safe in the neighbor. i got three boys. and two dogs and i don't want them to feel like they are in any danger in this neighborhood. >> i have a niece and a mom that goes to the park too. i'm really worried about what's happening in this neighborhood. >> reporter: police are investigating the crime as a robbery. >> we know that the individuals

who are alleged to have taken the dog are teenagers, young people. maybe they critic a prank but we don't consider it such and this family is heart sickened, really wants their dog back. >> reporter: the teen got the dog in february as a gift from his dad and just wants him back. the victim said he didn't recognize the boys. anyone with information about where that dog may be is asked to call montgomery county police. reporting from rockville, darcy spencer, "news4 today." in other news now white's ferry is oust service as a cable snapped stranding passengers in the middle of the potomac river. it happened yesterday afternoon on the maryland side of the river. the passengers were stuck on the boat until another boat came. the ferry will remain out of service until the cable is fixed. stay away from the chain bridge today. it's completely shut down for construction. fine an alternate route to get in and out of d.c.

new concrete slabs are being poured in, replacing expansion joint and upgrapding lighting. the bridge will re-open at 5 tomorrow morning. drivers want to avoid the frederick-douglas memorial bridge. it's known as the south capitol bridge. closed until 9:00 a.m. for monthly testing for the swing span. take a walk today instead. >> i was just thinking the same thing. delays on metro. bridgeclosings. just walk. 6:38 right now. breaking down the healthcare bill. we're reading the fine print to find out how the changes could affect you. >> a gorgeous weekend but change is in the air. when you could need a jacket and an umbrella again.

after all the debate, it

could all end today. today, democrats are poised to make a healthcare overhaul. if they are successful today's passage will mark the most sweeping changes since 1965 when medicare was enacted. what does this mean for you? lester holt has the break down. >> under the new law every american would be required to have health insurance or face a fine. to help make buying insurance more affordable the federal government would offer subsidies to families and individuals. medicaid for people with low incomes would be greatly expanded. if you already have insurance through your company you can keep it. if you work for a company that does not offer insurance now they would be encouraged to do so with tax credits and possible penalties. there are benefits for consumers. insurance companies would have to offer coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. and some senior citizens on medicare could save thousands on prescription drugs.

but here's the catch. most of the bills' provisions including the requirement to buy insurance would not go into effect until 2014. still within mths insurance companies would be forced to provide free preventative care to people who already have coverage. allow adult dhoirnl remain on their parents' policy until age 26. and be restricted from cancelling people's coverage if they get sick. how would it be paid for? the bill would impose new taxes on individuals making over $200,000 a year. and couples who make more than $250,000. there would be new taxes on insurance companies. and cuts to the medicare advantage program. >> that was lester holt reporting. house members are reporting on the bill the senate passed in december. they will also vote on a package of changes to the legislation. senator majority leader harry reid is promising to finish this bill after the house vote. it is 6:43. we just heard that the douglas

bridge is back open. the work is done this morning. you can still take a walk. still be a nice day. no reason to get out there and enjoy the warmth and the sun, right? >> dogs walking, jogging, riding a bike. we head back to reality as we head to the work week. all the details coming up.

a man's body found in the anacostia river and d.c. police are trying to identify him. some high schoolers found the body near the eastern boat power club on water street not far from the sousa bridge. boys from the gown za ga high school rowing team spotted the body yesterday afternoon. little is known about unanimous. he was not carrying any i.d. >> the body was fully clothed. the clothing -- we don't want to go into too much detail. there was no apparent trauma to the body. >> police say they can't yet tie

the man to any reports of missing people in the area. they do hope to find more evidence that will help identify him. 12 minutes before the hour. more than 12,000 runners hit the streets of washington for the suntrust national marathon, the 26-mile race kicked off at rfk stadium and wound it's way around the monuments. there was some serious elite runners and some people who were just in it for the fun of it. the streets were lined with thousands of fans who runners said made those long miles much more bearable. michael wardian led the men's race. he won his fourth title. the arlington native finished in two hours 28 minutes and 58 seconds. >> kinds of like when someone comes on your home field you don't want them to walk away with the win. i feel like i have to protect my

turf. christine rombach captured the title on the woman's side. >> she called the experience awesome and wardian is getting ready to run again this morning. >> in new york. >> let's check in with you. good day for a run in new york? >> it's looking good every where across the mid-atlantic even the northeast. cooler up there which is a good thing for most runners. they like it cooler. here we'll still be dealing with sunshine through the first half of this morning and by the afternoon clouds will start to build in. currently our air temperatures rather mild, though, for this time of day and time of year. can you see the sun not up just yet but starting to see the light out towards the east. a few high to mid-level clouds to the north and west of us. they will move in as you progress through the morning hours. 50 deges right now at national airport. dew point at 41. air still dry. starting to moisten up a little bit.

record high temperature is 89 degrees setback in 1921. doesn't look like we'll be dealing with any record high temperatures, though, coming up today but still not bad as we make it back into the 70s. right now doreen gentzler rally around the district we're looking at 50 degrees. head further inland west, we're looking at the low 40s and south and virginia piedmont upper 30s. along the chesapeake bay, feeling the influence of the relative warm waters. that's keeping the morning low temperatures up in the 50s. by the afternoon that bay breeze will kick in and that will be the cool spot. let's compare temperatures to 24 hours ago across the east. you can see a lot of positive numbers. that's the core of the warmest as we're warmer than yesterday. raleigh, north carolina, 12 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago. that's because of that area of clear skies, high pressure allowing the warm air to continue across the mid-atlantic and southeast but the clouds not too far off to our southwest already moving into virginia. so we'll see a steady stream of

clouds lower and thicken as that low pressure system over arkansas ramps up and slowly move to northeast. it will be a slow mover so that's good news if you have outdoor plan today because we'll make it through the day on a dry note. future cast shows the clouds moving in later on this evening and rain showers develop after midnight and into early tomorrow morning. continue on off and on through the day on monday. on tuesday can't rule out a shower or two. for today enjoy it. morning sunshine with clouds thickening up through the afternoon hours. low to mid-70s for the highs. southerly breezes continuing 10 miles per hour. tomorrow, off and on showers through the day so certainly need the rain jacket and umbrella when you're out for your morning commute and even the evening commute. 62 is our high on monday and then we'll see temperatures falling back to the 50s on tuesday, stale shower or two. sunshine does return for wednesday. as we climb back to above average. by friday another chance for showers around and then some

cooler air starts to move in for next weekend as we fall back into the 50s. >> friday is so far away. >> we'll enjoy it for now. ovechkin is back on the ice for the challenges. >> dan hellie has your sports. vacation is over, alex ovechkin is back. he returned from his two ge suspension last night. he scored. ovechkin's 45th goal the year ves him back into a tie for the league lead. don't want to forget about theodore who looks good between the pipes he had 33 saves down in tampa. bruce said ovie wouldn't miss a beat and he didn't. he did get plenty of help as always. first period, davis stickle over to fair. fair centers this thing absolutely perfectly. look who is there. flishman tips it in. later in the first it's tied

1-1. an absolutely phenomenal pass. and the goalie didn't have a chance there. the 45th goal for ovie puts the caps up 2-1. brooks light, nice pizza. stick handle here. watch him. fakes waits for the defender to slides by. shoots. well it didn't score a goal but it does score a goal here as the rub comes in. caps win 3-1. nextp the penguins on wednesday. things went as well as they could have for maryland in their first matchup against houston. maryland wins by 12. got balanced scoring. now the focus solely on their next opponent the terps and michigan state this afternoon. the winner advces to the sweet 16 in st. louis. the terps would love to see more of the same from jordan williams

their freshman big was great. 21 points and 17 rebounds. the majority of the rest of the scoring done by the terps trio of seniors who combine for 56 points. now maryland looking at michigan state right between eyes, the team the terps know well. >> we know their system and they know our system. so, all you got t say is it's going to be a great game, two great coaches and it's going to be, you know, one of those games you can't make that many mistakes. you have to execute your offense and play good defense. >> sometimes you hope you play a team that won't be ready for you, won play hard. that's not the case in this situation. they are coming after you. hopefully we can get after them and that's why we've had some great games when we've played each other. if your brackets aren't busted you're lying. the upsets are rolling. the biggest so far happened yesterday the panthers of northern iowa knock off the top

overall seed kansas. northern iowa becomes the first mississippi valley conference champion to advance. the biggest difference the sycamores were led by a man named bird. northern iowa will play the winner of maryland and michigan state. so you know the terps were watching this one. and one minute two seconds into the game they never got it back. second half northern iowa up by six. what a pass. northern iowa and the jayhawks shaking in their boots. kansas down by three. jayhawks go to their go-to guy. driving, hanging and hitting. it's a one-point game. closest it had been since 3-2 with northern iowa hanging on? they barely break the press here. get to it the man. no rebounders. no problem.

the only purple you see on the screen is number 5 and he is fearless, drains it and that was basically the difference. 69-67 was the nal. northern iowa, a ninth seed knocks off number one kansas. scotty reynolds and villanova fighting for their tournament lives against st. mary. nova down by three. gets it up to pena. the basket and the foul. a three-point play. we're tied at 51. wildcats had traed st. mary's for most of the game. tied at 65. st. mary's guard with a filthy crossover and a deep three. mcconnell finishes with 14. st. mary's having fun. under a minute to go. villanova works the ball. own omar gets that junk out of here. he was an absolute beast in this game. a career-high, 32 points, st.

mary's pulse off the big upset. they advance to the sweet 16 for the second time in 59 years. georgetown, by the way easily wins 64-42 in the first round of the women's tournament yesterday. that's your morning spots. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great weekend. >> fun to upset number one. >> people glued to their tvs for this stuff. >> wll be back with a look at the day's top stories and forecast. >> and news 4's "viewpoint." stay with us.

it's definitely expensive having a growing family and it's something that you think about. we try to be conscious of that and plan out our meals so that we caneed everyone on a budget. at giantwe know saving money is important. every time you shop with your card, you can enjoy thousands of real deal savings and weekly specials, like top round lonn broil, $1.99 a pound, and healthy choice entrees, 5 for $10. this week only. it makes me feel good because we're saving money, and that works for me. only with your giant card.

good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 today." i'm kimberly suiters. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. it is sunday, march 21, 2010.

we'll take a look at the news in just a second. first a quick look at today's forecast and a beautiful forecast it is. meteorologist justin drabick is standing in for chuck bell in storm center 4. good morning. >> good morning. beautiful day. just a great start to this sunday morning and we're about nine minutes from sunrise and just looking per february outside right now. temperatures anywhere from the upper 30s across the cold spot to around 50 here in the town town area. and warm spot is out towards the beltway. traveling today looking good. that will change as we head into tomorrow. enjoy today. plenty of sun through the morning hours and clouds start to lower and thicken through the afternoon. highs topping out in the low to mid-70s once again. we'll see some cooler temperatures and rain showers arriving through the day on monday. all those details coming up later on. >> we'll check back. thanks. today the healthcare battle could finally be over.

democrats are confident they say they will pass a reform bill in the house today. th measure would expand coverage to 95% of americans. most people would be required to carry insurance or face a penalty. there would be subsidies for people who can't afford insurance. and medicaid would be expanded for the poor. a young girl is dead after a fire tore through a home in prince george's county. firefighters discovered her body in that home in the 6100 block of parkview lane in clinton. they rushed another woman in the house to the hospital for smoke inhalation. hundreds of people what was been forced to evacuate their homes after a volcano erupted in southern iceland. the eruption didn't occur below ice, which lessened the chances of flooding from a glacier melt. two minutes after the hour. those are some of the stories making news. next is "viewpoint." >> we'll be back in a few minutes with an update.

we'll see you then. good morning. welcome to "viewpoint." i'm pat lawson muse. our topic this morning is the economy, the struggle to survive on the parts of many here in the washington area, and how the economic slump is affecting organizations that are working to ease the struggle. curtis watkins is the founder and kuf director of a group called life start. it offers in school, after school men torg and other family strengthening proams to more than 1,000 youth and their families in this area. carrie wilson is psident of reston interfaith a nonprofit organization serving northern virginia that promotes self sufficiency through support and advocacy for those in need of food and shelter. and eduardo ramiro with the roundtable. is there a recession in your eyes? are you seeing any easing of the

burden on the ground? >> pat, that's a great question. i talked to nonprofit leaders every day at work and i would say there's not only a lag but a significant lag as far as the general economy impacts nonprofits and the people they serve. there are some structural reasons for that. there are, right now, every nonprofit leader, whether they have contracts with local or state governments or thinking about those budgets being set and for those, a significant amount of uncertainty. and they also know that the people that they serve, those faces are changing and may not be the people they typically serve. often it's our neighbors that are coming for services, for food and for other things. so, i would say recession not over yet. >> carrie, youe based in fairfax county. >> i would say the same thing there. in two years fairfax county has seen about a 200% increase in

calls for help since 2008. my organization, reston interfaith has had about a 75% increase since last year and calls for food and assistance. and we're seeing the kind of things in community where we were talking to a kindergarten class just about a month ago talking about homelessness. they are always curious about the shelter in their neighborhood and one of the kindergarteners raised their hand and said people are homeless because of layoffs and that brought it home to us how much kids are hearing it in the home and feeling that stress. >> curtis, you serve primarily families in a ward 7 and 8 where the unemployment rate is two to three times what it is nationally. >> yes. 28% to be exact in ward 8. what we're finding, basically, the need is increasing as it relates to people needing things. we have parents who are being laid off from jobs. and we're trying to work with their youth, their children and

at the end of the day they don't necessarily want to focus on that right now because they need food on their table. so we're having to bridge this relationship with churches and faith-based community and food banks in order to supply that need which is food in the refrigerator. then we can talk about working with their kid. >> eduardo, you're working with a nonprofit sector. we know that donations, giving has been down. but there are actually two sides to the nonprofit story and the impact of the economy, the recession on the nonprofit. >> yeah. i think that, you know, what we're facing is a car dealership right now for example might have trouble getting cars off their lot. they got inslener to, they can't move it out. the switch here with many nonprofit ss they have cars are moving off their lot, curtis has the inventory being depleted but more customers than ever when needing those services. and so it is a little bit of a

topsy turvy situation. the revenue is down whether from donations and other resources and need is higher than ever. so it really is a tougher situation than one might think. >> but carrie, while donations may be down, isn't it true many people who find themselves needing help are more inclined to give at a time like this? >> it is. that is really interesting thing we've seen. there are people -- they are seeing their neighbors, people lost their jobs for the first time or people who were in the cubicle next to them lost a home to foreclosure and so we have seen a great outpouring of support, food coming ithe door. the local chambers are encouraging people who are looking for jobs, don't just sit home and wait for that call to come, get out and volunteer. so we've seen some of that, that's probably the only bright side in all of thiss more understanding about what the person on the street is going

through every day. >> some of the kinds of people you're seeing, curtis? >> absolutely. we're dealing with people returning home from prison. we're dealing with the community as a whole. and personally as it relates to life starts budget we're projecting a 30% decrease in our revenue this year, which equates that we'll have to look at our staffing at that point. last year we h to layoff five people. this year possibility of laying off additional people. but we're still optimistic in this economic situation that we're in. and the reason why we feel that way is because even the people coming home from prison, they have gifts, talents and skills that god has given them and what we want to do is show those gifts, talents and skills so the greater community can understand that these people are assets to being change agents within their own community. so give them the opportunity to make a difference. >> okay. we got to take a break.

we'll continue talking about the economy and how we're getting through it when we come back.

welcome back. we're talking about the economy and the recession and ongoing impact. curtis watkins with life start youth and family services, we were talking about ex-offender. how does an ex-offender get a job in this climate >> i'll say straight off it's very difficult. very difficult. what we do is try to create a climate within these individuals where they can demonstrate their skills, gifts and talents that god has given them and in turn we want the greater community to understand these individuals can be contributors and actually change agents to the community. so when you equate an individual

who normally would be written off by society, but you give them an opportunity to be a change agent you're reducing the overall cost of incarceration, you're reducing the cost in reference to the criminal justice system, and also people can live better that way. safety is a number one issue. >> so, you were training them, giving them more training or trying to convince the employer to hire? >> we're convincing the employer to hire based on their present situation. i use this analogy that they have the opportunity to paint a new picture of who they are and so they need to put new things on their canvas so they can talk about the new things that are going because keep in mind the employer will look at their criminal record and say well i see that you've been incarer is rayed and everything but we need them to actually talk about the new canvas that they have, the new things they are doing and we're part of a national initiative under the phelps-stokes nonprofit

organization to create a national home comers academy. >> this is so important. other nonprofits in addition to life start and i think of our place that specifically takes women that are being released from incarceration so it's not just a job we have to create a climate for these people, for these individus to be able to establish new relationships. sometimes if you go back to the old relationships you are just going to get back into the same situation you were before. it's collaborating with national organizations. it's looking at partnerships like goodwill and ywca which have women workforce development and trying to connect with workforce programs that are on the ground, that many of them have received investments from the government, stimulus money. >> right now the stimulus dollars are being put to work in some of the funds are helping people find new jobs. there's investment in summer job programs where we can offer

stipends, sort of encourage employers who are really hurting, give them a little stipend to give someone a try, give someone that curtis works and those funds are being put to work now. >> have the stimulus funds, did the stimulus package help you all? >> it's been very important, i think, for what we've seen. when you see the kind of increases with people losing that first job or maybe their second and third job, when you see people who have fallen behind on the rent, it has been very important. we run a program for the commonwealth of virginia and fairfax county. we've presented 125 families who would have lost their homes. we've been able to work with them in the last three months, 125 families who would have been added to the waiting list for shelter had we not been able to step within that longer term assistance. >> eduardo, did the stimulus fund help you as much as you

anticipated? >> absolutely. shovel ready was a key word a couple of months ago. nonprofit leaders, so many of them are shovel ready. when you think of the training programs that ywca had ready to go and we can take a ten person program and expand it to 25 or 40 or 50. nonprofits, i think are flexible and have been responsive to those investments. so absolutely. >> i think in the communities i work in, it's been a good thing but also when i look at 28% unemployment rate in ward 8, i say, are those dollars trickling down to the people who really actually need those dollars. i think, again, the stimulus package is a great concept, but it is really hitting the people that really need it? >> let's talk for a moment about housing. carrie, one of your missions is to provide shelter and affordable housing for children and women and for families.

how are you able to do that at a time when the cost of housing is just phenomenal? >> the cost of housing in this area is one of the big factors, the reason people can't afford it. and it's not just the people who are living right now in our meless shelters, it's the people we see every day the bank tellers, the teachers, everybody who had homes. we get about six requests a day for housing assistance. but one of the things we're doing and it's through our overall ten year plan and homelessness is a focus on outreach to landlord. there are a lot of people, investors that bought homes when housing was good and now they have to rent those homes and we help work with them. they are going to feel more confident leasing to somebody coming out of prison or leasing to somebody who was formerly homeless when they know my organization is behind that family helping them deal with the other issues in their lives. we've had great success in

moving people out of shelter. >> let me circle back quickly. others are involved in the capital foreclosure network. this is a group of nonprofits from around the region working with the council of governments, the public sector saying how can we think this through individually. how can the sum of our collected work be greater. so i want to recognize that work that carrie and so many others are doing with freddie mac and many others around the region. this is a wealthy region. curtis talked very clearly about the chafls our region and something that cane set aside very quickly. this is a wealthy region. we've seen people engaged formerly through their faith communy, through groups like greater d.c. cares or volunteer fairfax coming together and saying we need to respond to these situations, and i don't want to suggest that there's, we're brooding over a negative

situation. our community is a -- this greater washington community is our home and i just think that we need to figure out how this all stches together, whether it's volunteer time, whether it's individual giving and others to make this capital region the best place that all of our residents can live in. >> pat, i would like to add something as it relates to the housing piece. one of our corporate associates who invests in life start is national association of realtors. i'm very thankful for that relationship because they get it. at the end. day they ultimately want to raise qualified buyers and have sellers. so they are investing in our organization to create a bridge between the young people we're working with so they will have a future and so that would equate to qualified buyers and sellers for the national association of realtors which helps the economy overall. >> we got to take a break. we'll continue our talk right after this. stay with us.

good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. in the "news4 today", reverend jesse jackson will be among tens of immigrants right activists in town today to ask president obama to move faster on immigration reform. protesters will march on national mall in what's being called the people's rally. they are demanding full rights for all illegal immigrants and their children. democrats think they have the votes to pass healthcare reform. they are still trying to work out a key sticking point. officers are looking for two teenagers who snatched a. y fright the 13-year-old's owner's arms. it happened yesterday afternoon in gaithersburg after the thieves ripped the 8-week-old. y away. that's a look at our headlines. now back to "viewpoint."

the budget act to sell hard this week in prince george's and montgomery county where the county executives announced plans their budgets and plans to make scope cuts. in montgomery county they are shrinking the size of the government's increase, which is big news in montgomery county and many people may wind up losing their jobs. >> i think, same thing in virginia. the virginia budget is sending a lot of general assembly big cuts that will impact human services, public safety and education. then at the local level, they have to be prepared to respond to that. in virginia it's all over the board. fairfax county has chosen a balanced approach. they are looking at ways to increase revenues, raise taxes which they are going to have to do because they understand the

importance of the services. other counties are not there and we're is going to really see it. >> the fact is while virginia's general assembly held the line on tax increase, there will be none. at least not in this budget. those -- that weight will shift to the localities. >> that's right. for them to pick that up, it's the issue, if you still want good schools and jobs and how much can taxpayers afford and that's the debate. we're pleased in fairfax that they see the value of maintaining re services, mental health services, services for the elderly and housing, affordable housing are priorities. not so much in loudoun or prince william counties for example. >> if people are laid off or even forced to take an eight day furlough, or i don't know a whole lot of people who can afford at this point in time to do without a week or two weeks' pay. >> i think the idea of who nonprofits serve has quickly

been shifting over these last couple of months. it might not be that stereotypical image of who we think nonprofits serve. many of our members have told me about people who have previously brought donations or been donors now coming in the other door and needing services, needing some extra resources for food or rental assistance and so i think that this inevitably going to be a more challenging situation. it goes back to where the headlines are with the recession. it's going to be a while before nonprofits are going to feel any ease going on. >> recently we had a situation at life stars that a parent basically, we were working with their child inside of a public school and the child was having some difficulty and so we reached out to the parent and was going to -- talking to the parent. the parent actually said my husband has been laid off. we don't have any fd in our refrigerator. so that whole atmosphere in that household was at that point

dysfunctional and we're coming to talk about how to help your child but first of all they needed food in their refrigerator. so we met them where they were. we partnered with a local food bank and faith-based partner and got food for them and then we could start talking about working with their child collectively together. >> do you as an organization have as much to give and as much hope the offer? >> it's getting limited, to be honest with you. i have this attitude at this point we have to go back to the people open our greatest human capital is people. if we can tap into the people that will help us go because programs come, money comes and goes, but at the end. day the people are still left there. so we have to start looking at the people as our greatest asset. and they become co-producers in changing what's going on in our community. that's just how i have to grab a hold of this situation because if not all the other indicators

say we're going on down. >> carrie, what was the approach in fairfax? >> similar but i think even with the increased request that everyone has seen, 50% of the nonprofits said they had to scale back. they didn't have enough to do it. so we've been fortunate, we're focusing in on the areas that we know people need the most hem now. we're letting go of some of the programs that were nice to have in the good times. we're focused on basic needs. we're back at the hierarchy of needs, housing, food, shelter. . edouard jobs what's your short term? >> when i hear curtis and carrie talk, i hear two things. one is the investment that people make and the return on that investment that curtis and carrie and others do and the other thing i hear is collaboration. i think more than ever, nonprofits are collaborang not only amongst themselves but with other, i mentioned the council of governments and other organizations. right investment, collaboration more than ever. i know we're going to --

together as a commune we'll move forward. >> we got to take a break but we will be back. stay with us.

welcome back. as we continue our discussion, eduardo, carrie, curtis you mention the importance of investing. how do we invest and how much do we need to invest and who are you going to talk to besides us? >> it's important, you know, people, it's all about jobs. job recovery. job growth. and so you've got to work with the people at all levels at every job. keep them going. keep them healthy in the the commune. that's our message to folks. that's what we're seeing in fairfax with people are responding to that message. >> eduardo? >> collaborating with business leaders in our community small and large, collaborating with city council members and legislators. i think we need to be sure that

nonprofit leaders are part of that team, part of that leadership team and part of what makes this gre region as good as it is. >> the washington region has done better. but do you think the washington region is really, you know, lived up to its reputation? >> you know, curtis has mentioned some strong statistics. we have hiv/aids statistics that shame this region. so i think we have a lot of points that we can work stronger on. and all i would say is that nonprofit leaders and the people they serve are enhanced whether through arts, whether it's through great afternoon programs, higher achievement. just to recognize that we're right in your backyard and we're just trying to collaborate together with neighborhoods, neighborhood associations and local communities to make, to get through this environment, economic environment and be a

stronger commune. this national capital region can be a model in so many different ways. we have a little ways to go yet. >> all right. eduardo, carrie and curtis thank you all for joining us. and thank you for being with us. stay with us now. "news4 today" continues. decision day the president and congress gear up for a vote that will likely make history. what the biggest healthcare overhaul in more than 50 years could mean for you. good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 today." i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm kimberly suiters. it's sunday, march 21, 2010. the news is just ahead but first a quick look at the forecast witheteorologist justin drabick. . good morning again.

>> good morning. we're looking at a great start to this sunday. that's the trend through much of the day today. dry conditions once again. our high temperatures way above average. into the mid-70s over many locations. right now it is a nice start to the day. the sun is up. we're looking at 50 right now at national airport. to the south and west little bit cooler low 40s out towards fairfax and loudoun county. further south in the virginia piedmont 30s right now. chesapeake bay still a little bit warmer in the 50s. so plenty of sun to start the morning. clouds begin to filter in through the afternoon. should make it back to the low 70s. rain holds off after midnight tonit. then a damp monday with cooler temperatures for the rest of the upcoming week. that's all coming up in the complete forecast. >> we'll see you in a few minutes. overnight tragedy in prince george's county. a young girl is dead and a woman in the hospital after flames tore through a home. this fire broke out around 11:00

last night in clinton, maryland. firefighters say they found a child dead inside home to. they also rush ad woman to the hospital for smoke inhalation. her injuries, though, are not believed to be life threatening. investigators are now trying to determine what cause fired. they have not released the child's age or whether she and the women were related. >> two baltimore police officers are in serious but stable condition this morning after they were shot during a traffic stop. police say the officers were approaching a car just after midnight when the man behind the wheel pulled out a gun. he shot one officer in the face, the other in the arm. the officers were able to fire back and kill the gunman. investigators haven't said why they pulled over the car or why the suspect opened fire. today the healthcare battle could finally be over after a grueling debate democrats are counting their votes and they are confident they will pass a reform bill. the measure would expand

coverage to 95% of americans, most people would be required to carry insurance or face a penalty. there would be subsidies for people who can't afford insurance. and medicaid would be expanded for the poor. >> reporter: after weeks of campaign style trips for healthcare mr. obama traveled to the capitol to deliver a message to house democrats. >> i know this is a tough vote. >> reporter: with the outcome of that vote still in doubt he told members he holds the fate of his plan in their hands. >> we're not bound to win but we're bound to be true. >> reporter: but victory is not assured. around the capitol protesters gathered to cheer on the plans opponents. and to jeer democratic leaders. inside it was a day of hand to hand political combat. >> we're about 24 hours from armageddon

>> this process corrupts and prostitutes the system. >> reporter: democrats reversed course mid-day and announced there would be an up or down vote on the unpopular bill. abortion coverage remains the biggest issue standing in the way of passage. >> tomorrow will be a sad day for me as i cast a no vote against something i believe we need to prevent the expansion of abortion, an absolute moral evil. >> reporter: in an effort to peel away members of an anti-abortion block led by bart stupak there's talk about the president issuing an executive order. affirming his position no federal funds could be used to fund the procedure. without their support, democrats still lack votes to pass the bill. in recent days the president has brought the full power of his office to bear. although both sides say the fight is not about politics, it's clear that the stakes couldn't be higher. >> i don't know, quite frankly,

whether victory will come on the third sunday in march or on the first tuesday in november, but victory will come. >> there were healthcare protests on capitol hill yesterday and some of them got ugly. demonstrators chaptered at lawmakers walking by. some congressmen reported hearing racial slurs. one protester spat on a congressman. u.s. park police said they did not make any arrests. stay with us for continuing coverage of this historic vote on healthcare reform. in just a few minutes we'll break down the bill four, find out what it means for people who alady have insurance and for those who don't. happening today, immigrants rights activts demanding that from do more to pass immigration reform. the reverend jesse jackson will speak at a short rally in front of the white house this morning. then this afternoon tens of thousands of people will march

on the national mall in what's being called the people's rally. the activists are demanding full rights for all illegal immigrants and their children. >> those are and war protesters making their voices heard in the district this weekend. thousands of them gathered in lafayette park yesterday to mark the seven year anniversary of the start of the war in iraq. the protesters marched against what they call the upgs of iraq. they are speaking out against the war in afghanistan. >> the more we rely on war and violence the more enemies we're going to make and the worse our conditions here at home are going to be. >> ralph nader and cindy sheehan were among those at yesterday's rally. sheehan was one of at least eight people arrested for laying coffins outside a fence of the white house. whites ferry is out of service after a cable snapped stranding passengers in the middle of the potomac.

this happened yesterday afternoon. the passengers were stuck on the boat another another boat pulled it closer to shore. the ferry will remain oust service until the cable is fixed. stay away from the chain bridge today. it is completely shut down for construction. find an alternate route to get in and out of d.c. workers are pouring new concrete slabs on to the ramps, expanding expansion joint. i want will re-open at 5:00 tomorrow morning. >> not in time for those that come in early in the morning. 7:37 right now. a. y is snatched from the hands of its 13-year-old owner. who police think is responsible for the ime. >> and a high wire stunt goes awry. you know this daredevil hurt more than his pride. >> plus changes in the air. how soon youould need to break out that umbrella. boss: so word's gettin' out that geico customers could save even more on their car insurance

by signing up for other things - like homeowner's or renter's insurance. nice work, everyone. exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip pip cheerio!"

exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's funny you should ask. 'cause actually, i'm from - anncr: geico. save even more with our new multi-policy discount.

ever go out toeat with a group. get the check and then notice a 20% gratuity has been added. it happened to a maryland lawmaker and now she wants to change the law. she thinks automatic tips discourage some servers from providing good service since the tip is guaranteed. she's sponsoring a bill that would pan restaurants from automatically adding a tip. they want restaurants to set their own tip policies. >> a family pet stolen in montgomery county. someone snatched the. y from the arms of the 13-year-old owner. what's just as disturbing the ages of the suspects. news 4 darcy spencer has more on the family's plea for help. >> reporter: we are disguising his face because he's the victim of a crime. this 13-year-old boy said two other boys ripped his. y from his arms and punched him

three times in his face in an unprovoked attack. >> walking my dog and they we following us and told me to put my dog down and they punched me because i refused and they just took it away. >> reporter: it happened after 2:00 in the afternoon when two boys ages 10 to 16 years old grabbed the eight-week-old. y and ran. why do you think these kids did this >> i don't know. there's no reason to take a dog. >> reporter: neighbors say they are concerned because there are a lot of children in the community. >> i don't think it makes you feel real safe in the neighbor. i got three boys. and two dogs. i don't want them to feel like they are in any danger in this neighborhood. >> i have a niece and a mom that goes to the park too so we're really worried about what's happening in this neighborhood. >> reporter: police are investigating the crime as a robbery. >> we know that the individuals who are alleged to have taken the dogs are teenagers, young

people. maybe they consider it a prank but we don't consider it such. and this family is heart sickened. really wants their dog back. >> reporter: the teen got the dog in february as a gift from his dad and he just wants him back. the victim tells me that he did not recognize the boys who took the. y. anyone with information about where that dog may be is asked to call montgomery county police. reporting from rockville, darcy spencer, "news4 today." it's 7:43. up next is the today. it starts at 8:00. >> lester holt is live in new york now with a preview of what's coming up. good morning, lester. >> good morning to you. coming up this morning on "the today show" we're talking the healthcare showdown. all eyes of course are on capitol hill today. the house expected to sloet on landmark healthcare reform bill. will the democrats get the votes they need. everybody is still tallying the numbers. the latest from washington. plus we'll take a closer look what this legislation means to you from doctor's visits to

prescription drugs, we'll take a close are look at the impact of the reform bill. then we'll switch gears and talk smart phones from iphones to the newest. what it's like working weekends? it's a question we often get asked. i'm sure you get asked the same question. you could probably answer just as well as we can. we'll have more coming up a bit later. >> can you give us a little tease what's the toughest part for your on the weekends? >> well, you know, toughest part is the turn around, the evening turn around after i do the "nightly news" and then get up the next morning. you know what i say? it bea not working. there's a lot of that going around. >> thank. we look forward to that. 16 before the top of the hour. we're in the first full day of

spring today and really going to feel like it. >> let's check in with justin to see how high the temperatures will go. >> it's one of those days where it's tough to remain indoor indoor plans tomorrow as rain approaches. details coming up.

after all the debate it could all end very soon. today democrats are poised to make a healthcare overhaul.

if they are successful today's passage will mark the most sweeping changes since 1965 when medicare was enacted. so what does it mean for you? lester holt has a break down. >> under the new law every american would be required to have health insurance or face a fine. to help make buying insurance more affordable the federal government would offer subsidies to individuals who make less than 43,000 and families making less than $88,000 a year. medicaid for people with low incomes would be greatly expanded. if you already have insurance through your company you can keep it. if you work for a company that does not offer insurance now they would be encouraged to do so with tax credits and possible penalties. there are benefits for consumers. insurance companies would have to offer coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. and some senior citizens on medicare could save thousands on prescription drugs. but here's the catch. most of the bill's provisions, including the requirement to buy insurance would not go into effect until 2014.

still within months insurance companies would be forced to provide free preventative care to people who already have coverage. allow adult children to remain on their parents' policy until age 26. and be restricted from cancelling people's coverage if they get sick. how would it be paid for? the bill would impose new taxes on individuals making over $200,000 a year. and couples who make more than $250,000. there would be new taxes on insurance companies. and cuts to the medicare advantage program. >> that was lester holt reporting. house members are voting on the bill the senate passed in december and also vote on a package ever changes to the legislation. senate majority leader harry reid is pledging to propertily finish the bill after the house votes. spring may have official lie started but trying telling that to people who live in the midwest. a huge snowstorm hit parts of oklahoma and kansas yesterday.

bringing high winds and blizzard-like conditions. forecasters are calling for four to ten inches of snow with some areas receiving as much as a foot of snow. the storm hit a day after temperatures had reached 70 degrees. they often say in oklahoma if you don't like the weather wait ten minutes. i don't think anybody wanted a foot of snow. >> around here, though, i saw lots of flip flops yesterday and tank tops. >> gorgeous. justin, will it continue >> we still have today but put the flip flops away looks like tomorrow and to the rest of this upcoming work week because we'll be talking about a cool down. that very storm that dumped the snow out across the central plains will bring us rain showers. temperatures way too warm to talk about snow. live look outside right now and generally plenty of sunshine. some mid to high level cloudiness going on and that's the trend through the afternoon. we should be dry as the rain will hold off until after ninth. 50 at national airport.

light breeze out of southwest at 5 miles per hour. record high temperature for this day is 89 degrees which was setback in 1921. so doesn't look like we'll be hitting 80 degrees but certainly 70s will be the rule across much of the area. right now generally around 50 degrees around the district as you head towards the bay a little bit warmer. 52 in annapolis, cooler towards the virginia piedmont into the blue ridge mountain area, upper 30s to around 40 degrees there. but quickly, these temperatures will climb as the sun is out in full and look at the 24 hour temperature change. so if we compare the temperatures right now to yesterday at this time you can see the core of the warmest air is just over the southern part of the u.s., anywhere from eight to 11 degrees warmer than yesterday from north carolina to georgia. that's the core of the warmest air. one more day of temperatures well above average. as you can see on the satellite and radar plenty of clear skies over us right now as that high pressure system is really

keeping the air dry over us. these clouds are having a tough time moving in. they will work their way in from the southwest to northeast today as that low pressure system will eventually kick out from arkansas very slowly and track through the mountains and bringing in moisture. after midnight through the day on monday. not a bad way to finish the weekend today. looking on future cast, again that storm revs up over the south and slowly tracks off into the mountains of west virginia and over the next 24 to 48 hours kind of cut off from the main jet stream. going to have a tough time movi. that's why it's moving very slow but that's good news if you have outdoor plan. showers move in after midnight tonight early tomorrow morning and continue off and on throughout your monday. even tuesday still can't rule out a lingering shower. so clouds will thicken up through the afternoon today but still a warm low to mid-70s for the high temperatures. tomorrow again off and on showers through the day and an its layed thunderstorm is possible and we may even pick up a half an inch of rainfall.

still some heaviesty healthy rainfall amounts in the forecast but no flooding issues. monday cooling down to low 60s. tuesday even cooler with upper 50s. the sun breaks out for mid-week on wednesday back into the mid-60s. that will be the trend for thursday. as we get towards the end of the week into the weekend we're talking about another cool down back to the 50s and run into a few rain showers on friday. >> a little bit of everything for march. >> you got it. >> ovechkin is back on the ice for the challenges. >> the upsets continue in college basketball. dan hellie has your sports. vacation is over, alex ovechkin is back. he returned from his two game suspension last night. he scored. ovechkin's 45th goal of the year moves him back into a tie for the league lead. he helped the caps down the lightning 3-1. don't want to forget about theodore who looks good between the pipes. he had 33 saves down in tampa. bruce said ovie wouldn't miss a beat and he didn't.

ovie did get plenty of help as always. first period, davis steckle over to eric fair. fair centers this thing absolutely perfectly. look who is there. fleischman tips it in. 21 the year. later in the first it'tied 1-1. an absolutely phenomenal pass. and the goalie didn't have a chance there. the 45th goal for ovie puts the caps up 2-1. fast forward to third period. brooks light, nice pizza. stick handle here. watch him. fakes waits for the defender to slide by. shoots. well, it didn't score a goal but it does score a goal here as the rebound comes in. caps win 3-1. next up the penguins on wednesday. things went as well as they could have for maryland in their first matchup against houston. maryland wins by 12. got balanced scoring.

now the focus solely on their next opponent, the terps and michigan state this afternoon. the winner advances to the sweet 16 in st. louis. the terps would love to see more of the same from jordan williams their freshman big was great. 21 points and 17 rebounds. the majority of the rest of the scoring done by the terps trio of seniors who combine for 56 points. now maryland looking at michigan state right between the eyes, the team the terps know well. >> we know their system and they know our system. so, all you got to say is it's going to be a great game, two great coaches and it's going to be, you know, one of those games you can't make that many mistakes. you have to execute your offense and play good defense. >> sometimes you hope you play a team that won't be ready for you, won't play hard. that's not the case in this situation. they are coming after you. hopefully we can get after them

and that's why we've had some great games when we've played each other. if your brackets aren't busted you're lying. the upsets are rolling. the biggest so far happened yesterday the panthers of northern iowa knock off the top overall seed kansas. northern iowa becomes the first missouri valley conference champ to advance to the sweet 16. the biggest difference the sycamores were led by a man named bird. northern iowa will play the winner of maryland and michigan state. so you know the terps were watching this one. and one minute two seconds into the game they never got it back. seco half northern iowa up by six. what a pass. northern iowa and the jayhawks shaking in their boots.

50 seconds to play. kansas down by three. jayhawks go to their go-to guy. driving, hanging and hitting. it's a one-point game. closest it had been since 3-2 with northern iowa hanging on? they barely break the press here. get it to the man. no rebounder no problem. the only purple you see on the screen is number 5 and he is fearless, drains it and that was basically the difference. 69-67 was the final. northern iowa, a ninth seed knocks off number one kansas. scotty reynolds and villanova fighting for their tournament lives against st. mary. second half -- nova down by three. working on the break here. gets it up to pena. the basket and the foul. a three-point play. we're tied at 51. wildcats had trailed st. mary's for most of the game. 1:23 left. tied at 65 st. mary's guard with a filthy crossover and a deep three.

mcconnell finishes with 14. st. mary's having fun. under a minute to go. villanova works the ball. omar gets that junk out of here. he was an absolute beast in this game. a career-high, 32 points, st. mary's pulls off the big upset. they advance to the sweet 16 for the second time in 59 years. georgetown, by the way easily wins 64-42 in the first round of the women's tournament yesterday. that's your morning spots. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great weekend. all right, guys. brace yourselves for this one. it will make you flinch. two stuntmen in china tried to walk up the steepest -- they tried to walk up the steepest section of a mountain cable and they quit if you want to call it that. they were trying to set a record for speed, distance and

difficulty. they attempted to walk a hire that was 1600 feet high. the first guy fell on the wire hurting his leg, apparently that was it. then he quit. the second guy gave up after his shoes got covered in oil and became too dangerously slippery for him to get across. >> amazing they didn't fall off. at that point i say i'm done. that's it for "news4 today." have a great day everyone. >> join us for "news4 today" tomorrow. we start at 4:55 a.m. until then have a great day.