mall and reopened it as the air was cleared. the government is raising the bar on auto safety. today the transportation department outlined a new five-star safe rating system, a new crash test has been added and there are other changes that will make it more difficult for new cars and trucks to earn top grades. tom costello has our story. >> reporter:or 30 years the government has been crash testing cars and awarding stars. five stars are the best rated cars, one star puts a car at the bottom of the list. getting five stars just got tougher. the government is now adding side pull crash tests, eliminating the latest crash prevention technologies. >> if we're raising the bar for safety and we know that there are a lot of women driving or passenge in cars, we owe it to them to give them the idea that en they buy a car, they're

going to be as safe as males. >> in recent years, vehicles have earned five-star ratings. now cars and trucks must utilize high-tech crash avoidance systems. like electronic stability control. systems that warn you when you're departing your lane or about toollide with another vehicle. a new total overall score ranging from 1 to 5. of the 55 models tested for 2011, only two earned a five. the bmw five series and the hyundai son atta. one car earned a would be the nissan versa. the government is raising the bar after years of big safety improvements on america's roads. >> colorado state troopers say cars almost cocoon passengers in an accident. >> the energy is dispersed through many parts of the

vehicle. >> reporter: in 2009 traffic deaths fell to their lowest since 1950. nearly 10% fewer death than 2008 when more than 37,000 people died. and 9,000 fewer dhaejz eaths th 2005. >> seat belts today 85% of drivers buckle up. >> that's a good thing. the new ratings just apply to new cars, so you can't compare 2011 ratings to 2010 ratings. dozens of people in prince orges county are homeless this afternoon after fire roared through their apartment complex. flames broke out around 9:00 this mornin four apartments were completely gutted the rest of the building was damaged by heat, sneak and water. investigators say the fire was accidental able blamed itn a faulty furnace. residents who lost everything say they don't know where to go from here. >> i just moved in here 12 days

ago and everything, i.d.s, money, all my clothes. i just got my social security check, that's been burned up. i don't to y. thank god my daughter got out this moing. >> there are no reports of any injuries, those displaced will be put newspaper nearby apartments. damage is estimated at $250,000. we now know exactly what caused a deadly fire in lorton last month. unattended candles. fairfax county investigators released the official cause today. a woman and her two sons died in the blaz the family was using candles to light their home because their power had been turned off. the other children and an adult were rescued frothe home, four firefighters suffered minor injuries. time now to get a check on the afternoon ridehoe. >> ashleyinder is in the car with the traffic update. >> good afternoon. let's start off out of virginia.

95 headed southbound, not too bad this afternoon, starting to look typical. as far as delays are concerned, main line. it's not moving heading down toward newington. hov wide open right now. that's the way to go. unclear if we have new accident activity. we did have one at alden road and 7100. not clear if it's a distraction not making these drivers move or something else. around the capital beltway, inner loop starting to pick up volume out of tyson. you're still roll ago cross the american legion bridge. headed around town we do have delays as you approach connecticut avenue, it'soing to be a little congested as you pass the mormon temple. as you make your way along 270, no major accidents so start off your commute. we have a little volume as you make your way up toward montgome village.

northbound drivers are i the thick of it. back to you, guys. >> thanks, ash. we are having a cooldown today. a big chill in the air. >> there's change coming. always change coming, doug? >> you better belie it. always change coming, that's for su. not going to get here any time soon, maybe in the next 24 to 48 hours we'll start to see those changes. tonight and into the day tomorrow, you're goingo see more of this. cloudy and cool across the area. live digital doppler radar, a slight chance of a shower tomorrow, that really going to be about it. on the cool side as we move on through, temperatures 61 degrees in the d.c. area. ashburn coming in at 57 degrees. 61 in manassas, quantico coming in at 60 degrees. andrews air force base coming in at 59 degrees. a very cool afternoon, once again, an area of an upper level low continues to spin around the region. we're going to continue to see

that as well. let's go to 22, guys, we can. and show you the area of low pressure as we make our way through the ea today. we're going to continue to watch that area of low pressure sit and spin there. we're going to see the chance for a shower or two during the day tomorrow. what c you expect tonight. 54 degrees by 9:00, 52 by 11:00. cloudy and cool a we move into the morning. a low temperature of 46 degrees in the city. some areas could wake up to around 40 degrees. a very cool day tomorrow, but change is in the air. i'll show you what i mean coming up in my full forecast, and i think you're going to like whey have to tell you fp. >> thanks a lot, doug. for the first time in 39 years, the number of children enrolled in d.c. public schools is up. studen enrollment increased 1% this schl year. that's a gain of about 480 children over last year. school chancellor michelle reian

made the announcement this morning. it's good news, because annual enrollment had been steadily declining. schools in every ward saw an increase >> i hope that this momentum will continue, and the public will continuto see that we do provide some gat programming for kids in our buildings and we're ready to have your students in the d.c. publ schools. >> 73 of the system's 123 schools saw an increase in enrollment. 14 had wait lists for the first time in recent memory. when asked if she plans to stay on the job as chancellor, michelle sd that has to be determined. even if shedoes leave, positive change can continue and the parents should not lose confidence in the school system. president obama hosted the rst white house summit on community colleges today. he says they play an important role in educating workers and believes they will produce an

additional 8 million graduates in the next decade. >> by 2020merica wl once again lead the world in producing college graduates. and i believe the colleges will play a huge part in meeting this goal. >> yesterday the president announced an initiative linking big companies like mcdonald's, gap and acensure with training programs. one of the most popular attractions on the national mall will be closed to the public for up to two years for renovations. the reflectg pool in front of the lincoln memorial will be closer later this month for repairs. stimulus money will be used to install a new water recirculating system. the 7 million gallons of pool will be drawn from the tidal ban and continually cleansed and filtered. the reflecting ol is a popular gathering place for political

rallies and other events. the most famous home in america is getting a green makeover. solar pans will decorate the white house this spring. a solar hot water heater will also be installed. the project highlights his strong commitme to renewable energy. presidents jimmy carter and george w. bush used solar power while they were inffice too. d.c. chairman and the next mayor will begin a series of town hall meetings tonight. grayeat mayor fenty in the primary. today's town hall will take place in ward five at community academy public charter school, located at 1400 first street in northwest. the meeting begins tonight at 6:30. in exactly one month, voters will go to the polls again for the midterm elections this time. republicans are expected to make big gains in congress and

possibly gain control. however, a new poll also suggests the democrats are making a slight comeback. steve handlesn has the latest from capitol hill. >> 28 zaz before election day, they're already voting in iowa. by the end of this week, ten states will be early voting for the midterms. the ballots can't be counted for a month, but democrats versus republicans inhe washington post survey of congressional party preference saw a three-point improvement by democrats in a month. they claim their base is coming around. >> hispanics, african-americans, unmarried women, members of the milnlennium eneration. often those are people who tune in last. >> president obama's approval is back up to 50%. many republicans are still running against him. that could cost democrats a senate seat in west virginia that governor mansion seemed sure to hold.

>> stimulus, obamacare. >> and joe mansion supported it all. >> reporter: in christine o'donnell's delaware, republicans look sure to pick up a senate seat, until she, tea partier, won the gop primary, and tapes surfaced of o'donnell talking about dab elling in witch craft. that was 1999, this is today. >> i'm not a witch, i'm nothing you've heard. i'm you. i'll go to washington and do what you do. >>eporter: that's the anti-incumbent tea party message. a month to see how it resonates with votes. for all the candidates and all the parties, early voting means the big push and the big spending are now in what some are calling election month. i'm steve handlesman, news 4, capitol hill. >> stay right there, news 4 at 4:00 just getting started.

an ieresting way to pay tribute to michael jackson. many people have cut a bunch of things out of their udget, but beer apparently isn't one of them. why the makers of kraft beers have plenty to cheer about. if you hear about one cast member of "real housewives of d.c." it's [ male announcer ] need a better way to save for the things you want? meet pnc virtual wallet. it comes with a wish list, that helps you set aside money for the stuff that really matters... just put the things you want on your wish list... and contribute money when you el like it... then, watch as u get closer to getting wh you want. wish list is built to make saving a whole lot more fun. experience all the ways virtual walt can help you save

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fortune magazine's most powerful women in the world are meing in the district this week. they're take part in the annual summit to exchange big ideas and learn from one another. there are no speeches during the three-y affair. instead, panels are asked to offer ideas and suggestions. stocks have more than recovered from yesterday's losses. with investors gning more confidence in the economy. the dow rallied 193 points, the nasdaq gained 55 and the s&p 500 gained 24. we all kn how difficult the economy is right now, but it seems that even if people can't buy a new car or a smart phone. they will buy their favorite beer. cnbc's brian chapman finds out why the $10 six pack has become so popular?

>> reporter: an interesting thing has happened on america's road out of recession. consumers have rediscovered their love of really good beer. >> the quality is usually quite a bit better with kraft brews. >> you're staying home on the weekend kicking back, you want quality beer. you can't afford to go out, you stay home and spend it on your beer. reporter: across the country, overall beer sales have jumped. we went to breweries and beer festivals like this one in denver, colorado to find out why. >> i think it's relatively simple. you look at th economy and people are saying, look, i can't --'m not going to get that new car, maybe. i'm not going to buy the new suit. i'm not going to take the vacation i intended in europe, but i'm sure going to have that. >> reporter: sierra and kraft beers ared only ones available in all 50 states.

just about every local brewery, they're all keeping americans happy about shelling out 10 bucks for a six pack. >> it's a vacation in a bottle. you don't have to go on some extravagant trip to get an extravagant beer. can you have a wealth of flavor in front of you. >>eporter: if you can't afford that luxury item rightnow, as you think about how long it might take, get a sip of something while you ink. >> tonight on nbc nightly news in this recession, kraft beer is up, but unfortunately just about everything else is down. don't miss nightly news with brian williams tonight starting at 7:00. with unemployment hovering around 9%, and the housing market still on shaky ground. a lot of folks are pretty stressed out about the economy these days. it seems some communities are less sessed out than others. >> according to a survey, the

least economically stressed out counties are in the midwest, with ward county, northakota leading the top 20 list. only one county in the washington area made the list. arliton county, virginia 16th. >> the most stressed out counties were all out west, specifically, california, arizona and nevada. imperial county california topped the list. a milk salesman in taiwan is showing some love for the king of po >> that's what he calls it. he's created some scarecrows in the shape of michael jackson. he me the scarecrows to scare away the birds in his parent's fields. he loves jackson and couldn't miss the chance to honor his idol. some members of the family believe the sce crows are in poor taste. >> wonder if they're working. coming up at 4:00 this afternoon, aunidentified floating object pops up on a beach in hawaii.

the mystery is coming up next. a connecticut jury decides the fate of a man

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholefor giant cable cable companies.

then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlicsides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrch big banks and billionares don'need help. middle cde do. (voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voe 2) they're pinging more targets... (voice 3) isolate... prevent damage... (voice 2) got 'em. (voice 3) great exercise guys. let's run it again.

officials in hawaii are trying tofigure out what this is. this huge metal object washed ashore at kalama beach, on east oahu beach. no one seems to know exactly what it is. this could be a safety hazard. state officials are taking birds from contractors -- bids, rather. bids from contractors to remove it. i don't know what that is. a big piece of metal. >> i lost something like that on the beltway, it may be in the potomac. i'm glad they und it. >> the back of your pickup truck? >> yeah. >> in the meantime, we found a little sunshine. a little. just enough to give you a tease that things aren't that bad. yesterday we had clear and cool conditions. today a couple payings and pokes of sun. any time you see the sun, it helps to bring a smile to your

face during the day. temperatur have been on the cool side. temperatures right now around 61 degrees, we're looking at mostly cloudy skies, and still dealing with the wind. winds out of the west-northwest at 20 mes an hour. at's going to continue through the evening as well. live digital doppler radar, nothg to show you here. there is rain up toward the philadelphia region, but it's not here, and it's not coming here any time soon. i do think we have a chance during the day tomorrow. 57 in sterling and frederick maryland. quantico, virginia coming in at 60 degrees. sallite and radar showing that big area of disturbed weather, that upper level disturbance, look at the area of low pressure sitting here and spinning, just aloft, what that allows is for those clouds to build in during the afternoon. it allows for the cool temperatures, and it allows for a chance of rain. re's the best chance of rain toward philadelphia, new york as

well. watch as these storms or showers are moving back in, so this is why we may see a shower during the day tomorrow. most of us, however, should remain on e dry side. i told you about the cool weather. look how cool it is, a cl pocket right arod western portions of pennsylvania. 49 in buffalo, 61 in new york. 61 in washington, d.c., right now, and again, some areas are seeing temperatures in the lower 50s ck here. a very cool afternoon, but things are going to improve. our areas of low pressure will continue to move off taking the cool air associated with th off to the north and east. we'll see our winds die down by tomorrow. by thursday, we'll see fairly nice weather out here, before the area of high pressure starts to move on in during the day on friday. we're going to be talking about fantastic weather toward the end of the week. when do you want to see bad weather? probably monday, tuesday and wednesday. when do you want to see great weather? ursday, friday, saturday and sunday. that's the forecast i'm giving you. your forecast for this evening, mostly cloudy, continued breezy,

56 to 60 degrees with the northwest winds at 10 to 20 miles an hour. tomorrow morning and overnight tonight we're going to be seeing a nice morning, not too bad. still a little on the damp side, unseasonably cl. a lot of people telling me they've been turning their heaters on at night. 40 to 46 degrees. maybe a little warmer than that in the district and maybe cooler than that in some of the suburbs tonight. tomorrow mostly cloudy, still cool, a quick shower possible. 61 to 64 degrees, you may want to bring that umbrella just in case. i think most of us as i mentioned will remain on the dry side. here we go. 73 on thursday, under partly cloudy skies. 76 on friday. a fantastic friday. a super saturday, with a high of 75, and let's just roll it on right through the day sunday and monday as well. before our next chance of showers come in. it's not a big storm coming up on tuesday. >> that's the kind of roll we like. >> isn't it, though? >> just get through this cool period and bam, it's great.

still to come on news 4 at 4:00, the m who tried to set off a car bo in times square learned his punishment. a virginia man had enough, he wanted to talk to a customer service rep in person, he drove 400 miles, the man's story coming up. ñ

welcome back to news 4. >> here's what' happening right now. federal trsportation officials announced a tougher new car safety ratings system today. side poll crash tests are being added. for the first time everybody, the government is using female crash test dummies in their evaluations. >> several people are homeless today after a fire ripped through their apartment complex. it happened here around 9:00 this morning in oxon hill. no one was hurt, but fou apartments were completely gutted. the rest of the building faced heat, smoke and water damage. investigators believe this blaze was started by a malfunctioning furnace in a utility closet. d.c. public schools enrollnt is up this year over last year.

it's the first uptick in enrollment in nearly four decades. the announcement was made this morning. they hope the momentum will continue. five shoppers taken to arlington hospital today after someone sprayed pepper spray in balston mall. the mall was evacuated for a time, while the air was cleared. >> one of two men charge in the 2007 connecticut home invasion and triple slaying was convicted today. steven hayes is now eligible for the death penalty. chris clackum has the story. >> reporter: dr. petit, the lone survivor of the home invasion on his family home. >> there's some relief. but my family is still gone.

>> reporter: petit lost his wife and daughters in july 2007. prosecutors say that's when hayes and joshua komisarjevsky oke into theetit home, beat william, tied him up and tied his two girls to their bed post upstairs. they send jennifer to withdraw money from a bank, but upon turning raped and strangled her. the house was then set on fire. both menwere caught fleeing the scene. the sentencing phase for hayes begins in two weeks with the jury considering the death penalty in 6 of his 16 convictions. >> we hope they will continue to use the same diligence and clarity of thought as they consider argumen in the penalty phase of the trial. reporter: komisarjevsky goes on trial next week, the petits hoping with the same outcome.

the man who tried to set off a car bomb in times square gets life in prison today.shazad sai regrets. he pleaded guilty to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction chargethis past summer. he admitted packing explosives in his vehicle and parking it in times square. he told the udge, he welcomed the six consecutive life sentences and said the defeat of the united states is imminent. europe remains on alert as investigators try to learn more about the potential terror plot that has triggered travel alerts in the u.s. and other countries. intelligence gathered by u.s. and other officials indicates that pay number of european citizens have travelled to pakistan to get weapons training. it's believed that some of those europeans have already returned home and may be planning to carry out attacks in european

cities. just yesterday a u.s. predator drone strike like this one killed five german nationals in pakistan. nbc news has learned a top cia target was in the house when the drone attack took place. his name is kari hussein, a top taliba commander. he trained suicide bombers he suspected to be the mastermind of an attack in december. this is the thirdime he's escaped a cia drone attack. a winchester, virginia man who was not happy about the customer service he was getting on the phone, took his displeasure to a new level. made a personal trip to the company headquarters to get some satisfaction. dave dariner owns two gm's, but the power steering pump in his wife's gm kept failing. he took off for gm's headquarters. 400 mile as way in detroit.

>> i'm tired of being handled on the phone like it's not like you're going to drive three states away. where are you, viginia? we'll do what we can, kind of attitude, condescending. i had some satisfaction in knowing i've done all i can do. >> security kicked him out of the building when he first got there. but then decided to give him a refund on his repair after he contacted the nbc station there with his complaint. we've all felt his pain on the phone before? >> yes. there's more to come this afternoon. the salahis areere in our studio to talk about the season finale of "the real housewives of d.c." ozzy osbourne pays tribute to m

it's ever so warmer today, st a little bit. >> 4 degrees, it feels better, doesn't it? >> it does. >> yesterday we had a high of 57. this mning we went down to 50 degrees. if we were at 49 that would be the coolest we've been since may 11th. i think we're going to get there overnight tonit. a little bit of a cool night out there, and still a little on the cool side. average high temperature this time of year is 73. right now we're sitting at 61 degrees. any time you're above 60, it feels better than when you'rin the 50s. live outside right now, all

clear. we're not going to see any rain over the next 12 hours or so. i do think we stand a chance for a shower during the day tomorrow. quantico and la plata coming in at 60 deees. toward salisbury coming in at 58 degrees. satellite and radar showing that upper level low continuing to sit and spin righover the region. most of the rain up towrd the philadelphia area, back toward parts of west virginia, but most of us are on the dry side. i think we're going to stay tt way until the upper low rotates right on through. here it is. it's going to be rotating through tonight and tomorrow. it will take the cool air and clouds away from therea during the day on thursday. by thursday, we're looking at fairly nice weather. high pressure starts to build on in here. slight chance of a shower tomorrowbut that's really about it. it just gets gorgeous right on through the weekend. tonight mostly cloudy, through this evening, mostly cloudy. on the cool side, continued breezy, 56 to 60 degrees. tomorrow morning, when you're waking up, sending those kids off to school. mostly cloy, still a little

damp outside. 40 to 46 degrees, it wille chilly. you'll need the coats out there tomorrow. mostly cloudy, torrow afternoon, quickhower possible. three to four degrees warmer. that should make everyone happier. as we move on through the four-day forecast. 10 degrees warmer on thursday. even warmer on friday, with some areas approaching the upper 70s with plenty of sunshine. >> oh, yeah. >> we like that. and we need to dry out just a litt. >> we waited so lng to see all the rain. and then we got it. >> all at once. >> and now it's time for sunshine. >> thank you, doug. when we come back at 4:00, their tripto the white house made them famous. next, tarek and mikhail salahi join us toalk about th week's season finale of "the real housewives." the potato chip comes to an end.

♪ ♪ how can i go forward when i don't know which way to turn ♪ >> ozzy osbourne is honoring john lennon on what would have been his 70 birthday. he's recorded a special version of lennon's song "how." lennon was a driving force for

humanity andredits the beatles as the inspiration for his musical career. you may be seeing a lot more of new jersey's real housewife theresa. bravo executives are reportedly discussing the possibility of giving the series' most popular star her own reality spin-off show. many observers believe her story would be appealing to viewers. she's a wife, a mom, whose mily is trying to regroup after dealing with a ton of legal and financial troubles. bravo has not confirmed a spin-off is in the works, howeve this coming thursday, you'll l get to see the season dpfinale of "the real housewives of d.c." >> today we're joined by mikhail and tarek salahi. we saved the best for last. you brought in your book, diane dimond wrote this book. you wrote in the book you're

suffering om ms, how e you doing? >> thank you for asking. taking each day. 17 years ago i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, kept it a secret. often i saw people inheir jobs losing it for less than that. the illness was always something private. when the media, after the white house kind of started digging, it was time that i beathem to it, and got out there ahead of them, and decided to share it, and maybe be able to do some good for someone else, like my mom has helped me. >> we're glad you're feeling better. let's talk about the season finale. it airs tomorrow night, have you seen it? >> yes, it's huge. >> thursday night. >> at 9:00 on bravo, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. it did for us, because our life is all out there. >> it's very tense. >> it's exciting, it's going to show everything. it's going to show the truth.

>> yeah, have ou t watch. >> it's a big night. we will be watching. you brought up the white house, and certainly that made you a usehold name. in this country, en around the world, everybody saw the photographs. now there's word or reports that you threatened to sue the other housives if they called you white house party crashers or refer to you as party crashers, is that true? >> no, it's not, but it sells pars. our attorney lisa bloom just sent out to the media, and to those wives, to everyone a courtesy letter, not threatening a lawsuit, but just saying hey could you use the term alleged. >> putting fact the in there, what really happened and what the government has stated. and she's very factu about it. >> i think you said you had linda on your show. linda didn't like being called escort service for her agency, you n't want people to defame you or hurt you. are we going to sue anyone? no, we don't have the time or

energy to do that. >> speaking of the other housewives on the show. a loot of the women have formed allies, little clicks. do you have any friends on that show? >> i don't know. >> just the two of us and our dog. >> do other women like you? >> you know, after seeing -- i'm anxious to see what america thinks, the finale. i saw a different side of everybody. so it was hard to watch because we had a preview, we just saw it. so we'll see what america thinks. and that was hard. you know, you think, you believe in people, and you hope that people will see good. >> did you feel like they were ganging up on you? we'll see what america thinks. when i watched the finale, i was shocked. i've been ised not to take pleasure in someone else's pain. i saw all four won taking

pleasure in someone else's pain. >> the answer is, yes, they all gang up on mikhail. >> living the high life. there's a phrase in texas, all hat no cattle. a lot of these house wives have said youe been living beyond your means. have you? >> you know, going through the family struggle, it's been tough. diwe go beyond our means. we suffered like any other business in america suffered, recently. >> for the last two years. >> and the recession came, we had other complications happening with my dad's health now. sadly, we're going to lose my father in the near term. this has been -- you put all at together you have the perfect storm. it's been a struggle. the winery's been around this capitol region for 35 years. we've done a lot of good for the region, supported many balls for

republicans and democrats, as you know. >> are you coming back, are you in bankruptcy? >> yeah, we've been in bankruptcy, we are getting ready come back. it's not officially inked, it's not officially announced. we have some good ns with the family pain and struggle that we're begiing to come back together and we're working on getting ready to have an opening. >> i have to ask you about the dress. it already sold at auction ov theeekend for $7,000. >> right. >> and we understand the money's going to charity? >> yes. >> who is it going to. >> the clinton/bush haiti relief and ms. i'm happy it went for 7,000. >> were you surprised? >> i was shocked. i was so grateful, any bit that would be offered i'm grateful it's helping a charity that's important to me and haiti relief. princess di her dress went for $14,000. i'm honored to be even half of that.

>> real quick, in this whole last year, any regrets? >> you know, no, we've learned a lot. we believed in what we heard and what we were told. so what we've learned is -- >> be careful who you trust. >> yeah. >> i think we learned a lot of that, you know. the bookeally tells the truth about what happened before the white house, after the white house. and really tells you about who kn what when? >> great to see you. we'll talk to you again. wearing shirts ♪

♪ which caused a trend alert ♪ and everyone ♪ saw everybody ♪ tellm all ♪ tell'em something, where to go and what it's all about ♪ ♪ tell them how to feel when they shout it out ♪ ♪ tell everybody else ♪ and everyone ♪ tell everybody else

looks like the green sun chips bags are going to the dumpster. frito-lay says they're getting rid of some of the bags because they're too darn noisy. the bag is so noisy due to an unusual molecular structure that are less rigid. they are returning to their nongreen bags until they come up with a less noisy version. earing a cpap machine to bed could change the look of your face. >> none of the patients noticed permanent differences. still ahead on news 4 at 4:00, the latest on the suspected mexican pirates who killed a man in front of his

wife. [ music throughout ] [ male announcer ] looking for a complete picture of your money?

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there are new tensions at the border between texas and mexico. an american man was shot in the headuring an apparent pirate attack last week. his family wants to recover his body. janet shamlian reports. >> reporter: they knew each other since high schooland had a passion for adventure.

tiffany and her 30-year-old husband david could never have imagined how a sight seeing trip woulchange their lives forever. last thursday, the couple ventured out on the reservoir in texas to photograph a partially submerged church in a ghost town in mexico. >> could you see anybody? >> there are three boots. >> three boats? >> three boats, and they came back looking at me. >> three boats and a barrage of bullets. and then the ultimate agony. tiffany was forced to abandon her dying husband in a desperate bid to save her own life. she finally reached shore, describing sheer terro in her call to 911. >> are you sure that your husband got shot? >> yes, he's -- in the head. >> okay, was he thrown out?

is he in the water or something? >> he was thrown off the jet ski, and i couldn't pull him up. >> bullets came close to hitting her, landing on the water, she was not hit. >> reporter: the rervoir is a unique body of water, the u.s./mexico border runs right through the middle of it. tiffany admits they were on the mexican side where gun toting pirates have become more brazen in their attacks. texas authorities don have jurisdiction on mexico's side of the lake. >> we'd like to go out there and retrieve that body. the way things are now on the border, we would need to be armed to protect ourselves. >> for a couple married eight years this seems sadly ironic. her goal wh david was to live life to the fullest and to live without fear. janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. david hartley's mother appeared on "today" this morning

and begged authorities to help recover her son's body. >> he has to come home. president obama help us. president of mexico help us, please. >> this is the fifth report since april of a pirate attack at falcon reservoir. that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. a burglar has struck several times in an upscale heymarket neighborhood. now police are investigating to see if these newest cases are the work of a serial burglar. good afternoon, welcome to news 4 at 5:00. >> those four burglaries all happened within a mter of hours in the same neighborhood. >> this happened overnight on sunday and monday morning in a three block span of riding club drive of heymarket.

the m.o. fit s that of a serial robber in virginia. >> reporter: initially fairfax county police said it appeared the serial burglar may have taken off. maybe not. he may have struck again this time in prince william county. four homes in this community in prince william county were burglarized this week. they're looking into the possibility that it was a serial burglar who's broken into dozens of homes in fairfax county since august. i know we've been in communication with fairfax, but just due to the short timerame they occurred and up to this point we can't make a definite determination of a connection yet. >> reporte all four homes are on riding club ive. the burglaries happened in the overnight hours between sunday and monday. the burglar got inthrough unlocked doors and ndows. in one case he