>> and i'm wendy rieger in for doreen gentzler. he still faces sexual assault charges, but in a huge twist the case against him could get tossed out. a judge has ordered his $1 million bail dropped. michelle franzen joins us live from downtown manhattan with the day's developments. michelle? >> reporter: well, wendy, this case hinges on the prosecution's witness, the accuser, the hotel maid that accused strauss-kahn of attacking her in the hotel room in may. now prosecutors say she is accused of lying. not only about details in this case, but also about her background. suddenly this case has turned upside down. a smiling dominique strauss-kahn walked out of a new york court following a bail hearing, free from house arrest. >> the defendant will be released in his own recognizance. >> reporter: the former chief of the international monetary fund still faces attempted rape and other sexual assault charges, accused of attacking a hotel made at a midtown luxury hotel.

but prosecutors admitted the strength of their case is now in jeopardy. that after the credibility of strauss-kahn's accuser came into question. >> we are absolutely convinced while today is a first giant step in the right direction, the next step will lead to a complete dismissal of the charges. >> reporter: court papers showed during the prosecution's investigation, the hotel maid's account of the attack was inconsistent. prosecutors also say she admitted to lying on her asylum application to come to the u.s. including making claims she was raped in her native guinea. there are also reports she contacted a convicted drug dealer, looking for advice on how to profit from the strauss-kahn case. >> today's proceedings did not dismiss the indictment or any of the charges against the defendant. >> reporter: the victim's attorney says his client was assaulted, and there is also independent evidence, including strauss-kahn's dna to support her claims.

>> she has described that sexual assault many times to the prosecutors and to me. and she has never once changed a single thing than account. >> reporter: strauss-kahn, who was once considered a front-runner for president of problems on the has maintained his innocence all along, even though the twist in this case gives him freedom, he will not get his passport back just yet, and cannot leave the u.s. strauss-kahn's next court appearance here in new york city july 18th. prosecutors also have until then to decide whether to withdraw some of the charges or drop this case all together. wendy? >> all right. michelle franzen. thanks, michelle. we have some breaking news in the district this afternoon. several homes are on fire in northwest d.c. darcy spencer is there now. dars? >> reporter: several

firefighters told me you could see the thick black smoke from the fire from as far away as the verizon center downtown. they got the call here just before 5:00 this afternoon in the 900 block of decatur street in northwest washington. apparently the fire started toward the rear of one of the row houses in this block in the middle of this block, and then spread to additional units. let's go ahead and show some of the video that was shot by a d.c. firefighter here on the scene this afternoon. again, this started at one row house and spread. we believe to at least two additional row houses. as i mentioned, there was heavy smoke in this area. that also extended into several of the houses here in the middle of this block. it appeared that the bulk of the fire was toward the rear of this building. i was able to speak to one woman who lives here in the block. she said it seems like the fire just came out of nowhere. >> i was out back on my deck with my little cousin. and i happened to see the fire flames. and they were shooting out. i thought somebody was shooting firework. but it wasn't. it was fire everywhere. and i ran out the front and told

my son to go and see if anybody in the houses and ran down there and the next house caught on fire. five houses caught on fire. and that's a shame. i don't understand. you notice the water right here doesn't work. the water don't work on the block. so the next block had to go all the way up. >> reporter: what you're looking at is a live picture here. we just saw a firefighter, a d.c. firefighter come past us on a gurney. it looks like he is okay. this is a very hot scene out here. and firefighters are getting some cooling down. and there is a lot of smoke out here, as i have been reporting. looks like he is trying to get up from the stretcher here. well don't know exactly what the situation was. but it's very hot out here. and also, a lot of smoke conditions. so easy to get smoke inhalation problems here. but you can see he is walking himself freely into an ambulance. and there are 100 firefighters here battling the blaze. and one sign of good news here is no one was hurt. reporting live from northwest washington, darcy spencer, news4.

>> thank you, darcy. a 4-year-old boy is still in a hospital today, one day after he was shot on a playground by a 5-year-old. police in prince georges county are still trying to figure out how that child got the gun. pat collins has a report now on how the neighbors are sponsoring to all this. pat? >> reporter: jim, people not happy about what happened on that playground in temple hills. >> i mean, i don't know what else to say. the only thing is it's hideous. >> reporter: the scene, a playground. >> i'm wondering where were the parents. >> reporter: the victim, a 4-year-old boy. >> i was just flabbergasted. it was terrible. >> reporter: the gunman, he is a boy too. five years old. >> a 5-year-old looks and he sees what he sees. and he works with that. and what he sees doesn't always make it right. >> reporter: no kids on that

playground today. after what happened, that's not too surprising. it's called the parkway apartments. it's in temple hills. the 5-year-old lives in this building. across the way in this apartment, the home of the 4-year-old boy. in the middle this playground, a playground familiar to both of these young children. yesterday they say the 4-year-old was on the slide as he came down. the 5-year-old discharged a gun and struck and wounded that 4-year-old boy. prince georges police now focusing on the gun, who owns it, where the 5-year-old found it. and the history of the weapon. >> but as of now, the gun, the gunowner and where this little boy obtained the gun. >> are you going to check the ballistics to see if it's linked to any other incidents? >> absolutely. that's normal procedure every time we recover a weapon.

we do ballistic tests on the weapon and hopefully we can find out if this gun has been involved in any other crimes in the area. >> we got to find out where he got that gun from and hold his people accountable for sure. >> reporter: a 5-year-old boy. >> i know. a baby shot another baby, yeah. that's why i don't agree with guns in the home, period. >> reporter: now that 5-year-old faces no charges. the 4-year-old victim is in the hospital. they say he'll be all right. jim, back to you. >> pat collins. thank you, pat. in prince georges county, detectives went back to the university town center in hyattsville today. they're looking into a deadly stabbing that happened there. 21-year-old leonard smith matthews was killed. four others were injured after a big fight broke out. it happened last night. the four victims are expected to be okay. police have not said what started that fight. and they have not identified a suspect yet. if you're heading to the national mall and plan on using metro you have to expect some

delays this weekend because parts of the red, orange, and blue lines, they're going through track work today and tomorrow. and the smithsonian metro station is going to be closed for most of the day on monday. it will reopen after the fireworks are over. but to keep people from getting trampled on the escalators, a lot of the downtown station's escalators will be turned off. and all day monday, offpeak fares will be in effect. start of a holiday weekend. it's also a friday. so doug is out in somebody's backyard because he likes to do that on fridays. he is out in montgomery county. where are you, doug? >> oh, we're in potomac, jim. and i'll tell you what, it is a beautiful day, and a beautiful backyard too. take a look. a great house here in maryland. as far as the weather is concerned, the weather could not be any better. temperatures around 90 degrees across the area. but the humidity is very low. so it's very comfortable out here right now, especially in the shade. as far as our temperatures go around the rest of the region, most locations in the mid- to upper 80s to around the 90-degree mark. that's where we're going to stay

for the next couple of hours, and then dip down for the overnight hours. as far as our temperatures go overnight, first off nothing on the radar to show you. we're not going to show you any rain until the chance on sunday. and we'll talk about our chances for the fourth of july coming up too. but overnight tonight, you'll be waking up to temperatures tomorrow morning under clear skies. the temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 60s in most locations. some areas will wake up to temperatures in the 50s. now when we come back a little later on, we're going to meet the family. we're going to have some fun, and we're going to see what's on the grill here as well. right here in potomac. we'll be back with a little bit more backyard weather in just a bit. >> all right. looks good. thanks, doug. the weather is cooperating for crowds already converging on the mall today. a big spectacular fireworks show planned for monday night. thousands around the country celebrating in the days before. and tom sherwood is out there, soaking it all in. tom? >> reporter: yes, i'd like to point out without a tie. in the 5:00 show, some guy game by and said why are you wearing a tie out here? to honor whoever that was, i took it off.

anyway, thousands of people. none of them wearing ties, are already showing up here on the national mall for the big fourth of july weekend. ♪ these philippine dancers were a friday feature at the folk life festival which opened on the mall today. the beginning of the july 4th weekend that will climax with monday night's fireworks spectacular. >> we came to town with about 14,000 pounds of explosives, packaged into more than 2500 deluxe air quall bombs with some of those containing as many as 30 individual munitions. >> reporter: it's the fourth of july, but a new national poll says 25% of americans don't know what country america broke away from for independence. do you know what country we declared our independence day from? >> i'll let her take this one. >> the united kingdom, england.

>> reporter: united kingdom, even better. and the good thing about this year's folke life festival, it's under the shade under the trees. >> all the shade around, you're sitting in the sun. >> well, i rotate around the table. and then when there is no place left to rotate, i put my visor on. >> reporter: and early crowds were eager to find anything cold to drink. it's free. >> oh, yes. i know this is free. how much did it cost the government to give us this water today? >> reporter: what your drinking? you look so cool. and you got that white dress on and that nice drink. what is that? >> it's juice from west africa. and it's like hibiscus, hibiscus juice, slightly sweet, but not too sweet. >> reporter: despite the heat, public health officials say the mall will be ready. >> keep in mind that heat stress can kill. we've been fortunate on the mall to keep everybody safe. we have had incidents of heat stress. and we've got them taken care of. and we want to keep it that way. >> reporter: again, for the fireworks on monday night, and

here on the national mall, no alcohol. and they'd also like to suggest no wind like this. if you're going to bring things to eat and create trash, maybe you should try picking up and taking it with you, or at least to a trash receptacle after the fireworks are over. back to you you guys. >> i love that. pack out your trash. and we're still reeling from the fact that the guy didn't know what country we fought our independence -- fought the gain our independence. we are stunned. >> the maris poll, 25% did not know. >> we're blown away. >> i hate to tell this, 40% didn't know what july 4th was for. independence. >> wow. just for that they have to pack out their trash. now they have to. all right. our website has a complete list of independence day events, including parades and where you can see firework. which personal fireworks are legal where you live. it's all on our home page,

nbcwashington.com. amazing. coming up in the broadcast tonight, a major mafia arrest. the don of the corleone family. a home quickly turned into rubble. budget battles shutting down one state government, and making tempers short here in washington. i'm kristen dahlgren. the latest coming up. another royal couple in a wedding today. and hakem is enjoying the lovely weather at the park. >> hello, wendy. coming up in sports, the nats new skipper davy johnson set to make his home debut. some all-out effort at the wimbledon semifinals. plus, the capitals waving goodbye to a goaltender, but say [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable, and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. want to save evemore? call now and we'll add over 60 premium channels,

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you're watching news4 at 6:00. >> an explosion levelled a 5,000-square-foot home in georgia. this happened early this morning. three adults were taken to the hospital. their injuries are serious. neighbors say the house was renovated recently. no word on what caused this. police in italy say they have arrested a mafia boss. officials say the of 79-year-old rina follows a three-year investigation into extortion and other criminal activities. rina is the brother of a former cosa nostra king pen who is serving a number of life

sentences for sanctioning a number of killings. the sicilian town of corleone where this all happened in palermo, italy was made famous by the novel and the movie "the godfather." a michigan congressman says the republican front-runner is too similar to president obama. so he is announcing his run for president. it's representative thaddeus mccotter. he announces tomorrow. he is a 45-year-old lawyer, a conservative, a father of three. he has served fifth term as congressman. he also served as a michigan state senator. the congressman says he disagrees with mitt romney's position on health care and the financial bailout. the debt showdown between the president and congress will not take a holiday. with less than a month before the government reaches its borrowing limit, democrats and republicans do not have a lot of time to find common ground. and money matters are also big problems in some of the states

as well. kristen dahlgren has our report. >> reporter: in minnesota -- >> this is a very night of deep sorrow for me. >> reporter: when lawmakers couldn't bring on a bunt deal, the state government shut down. >> this governor has chosen maximum pain, maximum pain for political gain. >> reporter: so over the holiday weekend there, state parks will be closed. road projects stopped. tens of thousands laid off. >> it's going to be a lot of work for them to move somewhere else and try to find another job. >> reporter: what was the roadblock in budget talks? the governor wanted tax increases. the republican legislature spending cuts. and yes, it does sound a lot like the debt debate in washington. where congress has just one month to raise the country's borrowing limit or risk default. republicans want spending cuts as part of the deal. >> if we just keep raising the debt ceiling, that is no long-term strategy. >> reporter: democrats insist on closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. >> somebody who has an atm

account with $100 million should be paying their fair share. >> reporter: and while manufacturing did tick up slightly in june, economists say any recovery could be threatened by default. so as lawmakers headed out for a shortened holiday break, the tone in washington continued to head south. in a week where the president scolded congress -- >> if you know you've got to do something, just do it. >> reporter: and republicans told him to take a pill. >> maybe if he would just take a valium and calm down. >> reporter: many experts say failure to come together could be catastrophe. and as for timing the white house now says july 22nd is actually a more accurate debt ceiling deadline than august 2nd because it would take a few days to implement any increase. on capitol hill, kristen dahlgren, news4. this was leon panetta's first day on the job at the pentagon. he is the nation's new secretary of defense. panetta was sworn in during a

small ceremony in his office. army general david petraeus will replace panetta as director of the cia. petraeus will retire from the service next month and begin at the cia in september. and there was yet another royal wedding, this one in monaco where prince albert ii got married today. the 53-year-old royal tied the knot with charlene whittstock, the former olympic swimmer from south africa. the couple met more than ten years ago when prince albert presided over a swimming competition. it's the first wedding of a ruling prince in monaco since albert's father married american actress grace kelly on april 18th, 1956. >> we just thought you would like to know. coming up in the broadcast tonight, police looking for a man wanted for stealing wallets from customers and stores in alexandria. >> one year ago, a father murdered while getting ready for a fourth of july barbecue. and tonight his daughters are hoping someone will co

doug's been hanging out in somebody's backyard out in potomac, just waiting to be fed we have a feeling. >> got the feeling he is having a good time, right, doug? >> so far, no, jim. i got to tell you this. is not a fun group of people. it's a shame. i want to tell you this. is -- we're having such a great time.

these backyard weathers are really great time to get out and meet a lot of people in the area. today we're in potomac in a beautiful backyard. everybody is right here, because this is where the grilling is happening. say hello, everybody. this is the flow family? pat, come on over here. and i want you to first off introduce me to your family here. raise your hands, because i know some of you are kind of far away. >> so andy, sammy. >> sammy. >> ben, ben. >> daniel, ashley, and jane we don't know where. >> jane. and who is jane? >> jane is daughter number two. >> daughter number two. so jane, if you're watching us on tv right now. we're looking for you. we got to talk to ben. been is cooking up some things. take a look at the grill right here. ben, i'm looking at the chicken. it looks appetizing. but you're making something else over there that i've been waiting for decades. >> this is bratwurst.

this is our neighbor sig's bratwurst. >> is sig here? sig, if you're watching this on tv right now, we're look forgy you as well! there he is right there. there she is. let's show you the weather, guys, and show you how great things are right here. it's a little hot by the grill, but it's not all that bad at all outside. a boat along the potomac. that's a perfect place to be. record high temperature, or actually high temperature today 91 degrees. nowhere near the record. the low this morning 69. low humidity. and that just makes for a comfortable 90-degree temperature out there. as far as the rest of the area goes, temperatures are in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees. that's where we are right now at the airport. current humidity only around 21%. so extremely comfortable. sterling right now around 88 degrees. 88 in manassas right now. potomac, maryland around 87 where we are. baltimore around 88. annapolis a nice cool 84. we're looking at clear skies across our area.

plenty of sunshine, bright blue skies too. it is just fantastic. and a fantastic friday. as far as the next couple days go, though, look at this. nice weather here as high pressure continues to dominate. but notice the hot air. back towards the west that area of hot temperatures will begin to make its way our way during the day tomorrow. and then especially into the day on sunday. sunday will be very hot. i think we'll have a heat index close to 100 degrees during the day on sunday. and we will see a chance of showers as well as we watch a frontal boundary begin to make its way down from the north and west. that front will bring us a chance of showers. but i think it's going to be late in the day on sunday. so most of the day will be on the dry side. i think saturday and sunday are looking nice, just going to be hot. if you're thinking about going to the nationals game on sunday, i think it's a 1:35 game. you're looking pretty good. this evening clear skies, warm, but comfortable. 80 to 86 degrees. as far as the temperatures go tomorrow morning, those temperatures in the suburbs kind of cool, down to 56 in some areas. and another great start to our saturday. sunrise tomorrow morning at

5:47. as we make our way through the day tomorrow, temperatures back up into the upper 80s to the low 90s. sunny and hot. a little bit more humid. but still not oppressive. we're talking about the really humid weather coming in during the day on sunday. and the next four days shows the chance of showers late in the day on sunday. a high temperature of 94. and then on monday, your fourth of july holiday. i think we're going to be dry. a high temperature around 92. 90 on tuesday. as we make our way into next week, still above average with temperatures around 90 degrees. and if you would like me to come to your backyard, hey, do what peg did. send in a picture of that backyard to weather at nbcwashington.com, and maybe we can do the weather live in your front yard. i saw a minute ago, some people are holding up babies. where are the babies? babies were in the air. babies were flying in the air here in potomac. it may be something in the water. i don't know what is going on. we'll be back in a little bit, guys. >> okay. what they don't realize is having to get him out of their backyard is going to be a problem. all right. still ahead on the next half

hour, nasa monitors air quality on the ground with a flyover our area. a southeast man getting ready for a barbecue was killed for less than $100. i'm john schriffen. his daughters now speak out a year later, hoping to find his killer. and we'll hit the roads and check out the afternoon rush as folks trying to get out of town on this holiday weekend. coming up in sports, the capitals will see plenty of jaromir jagr, just not in their uniform. plus, davy johnson on taking

you're watching nbc4, washington's news leader. now live in hd, this is news4 at 6:00. >> and welcome back to news4 at 6:00. at this hour, a southeast washington man was murdered last july 3rd while getting things ready for a holiday barbecue. and his friends and families have called 66-year-old john pernell the mayor of their community. >> one year later, there still are no suspects in that killing. john chiffon talked to the man's daughters. they want some answers. every day you hear and you wonder if those are the guys.

>> reporter: for the past year, twins ayana and yolanda vogel son have been desperately searching for closure after their father was gunned down preparing for july 4th barbecue. d.c. police say 6-year-old john pernell was killed during a robbery gone wrong. >> just to know that my dad's life was worth less than $100 is extremely frustrating. it really makes me angry. >> reporter: last july 3rd around 4:00 in the afternoon, neighbors were preparing for the annual community cookout. suddenly police say five men with guns ambushed the barbecue area, demanding money. pernell, who spent much of his life as a protective services officer at the wilson building, stepped in trying to defend his neighbors. that's when witnesses say he was shot in the neck and stomach and died on the scene. residents here in this southeast neighborhood say things just haven't been the same since pernell passed away. to mark the one-year anniversary of his death on sunday, neighbors will come back out here to this barbecue area for a candlelight vigil, also an all-night camp-out to remember the man they called the mayor. >> within the community, he did

everything that he could. you know, john was the type that he would give the shirt off his back. >> reporter: the gunmen weren't wearing masks, and several people are believed to have seen their faces. pernell's daughters are hoping anyone who knows something will come forward, even if they're scared of retaliation. >> the scariest thing here is an innocent man lost his life. and a murderer and a thief are able to walk free. that's what people should be afraid of. >> reporter: in southeast d.c., i'm john schriffen for news4. today a jury in prince georges county found a man guilty of 16 counts in a pyramid fraud scheme. his name is eric bethea. they say he defrauded 11 victims out of more than a million dollars. bethea came to maryland from north carolina and promised his victims a good return if they loaned money to his company. he lost all their money. sentencing is set for next

month. bethea is facing up to 15 years in prison on each count. the police in alexandria are looking for something they're calling the king street wallet thief. a guy goes into several shops along king street, asks the employees to find something. he then takes wallets or money from the back room and then leaves. the guy uses some of the stolen credit cards at local gas stations, but so far police have not been able to find him. well, the fourth of july rush is well underway. let's take a look at i-95 south. this is a live look. look at that! it's moving. i don't think i've seen it like that in years and years. it looks wonderful. julie carey has more on the busy travel day and whether gas prices are changing anyone's holiday plans. >> reporter: by noon, the independence day getaway was in full swing. but it took some patience. continued construction slowed the beltway.

and on i-95 south, two accidents in prince william county left traffic crawling the rest of the afternoon. and a little travel might be easier between the fairfax county parkway because v dot has now wrapped up a project, adding a fourth lane southbound and northbound. still, it wasn't long before the four new lanes were jammed up too. this d.c. mom only got to dale center before her boys needed a stop. >> i'm going to virginia beach and stay at the virginia beach observation front. we go every year and stay for like eight days. >> reporter: with gas prices almost a dollar a gallon higher for 2010, aaa predicts a 2 1/2% decline in fourth of july travel. and while travellers say the recent dip in prices helps, most were prepared to take their trips no matter what. this family is going from hershey, pennsylvania to the outer banks. >> gas surprises, we just had to save a little bit more. it didn't change our vacation plans. we just had to plan ahead a

little more and do some additional saving. >> reporter: this prince william county man says it takes $105 to fill his suv so, he is staying home this fourth. >> hey, things too expensive. gas too expensive. >> reporter: and still overs in our area who were out shopping for their backyard barbecue say they have no desire to travel over the fourth. >> i've got family coming in from north carolina. family coming down from baltimore. and i always see my daughter for her first birthday and the fourth of july. so it's going to be a lot of fun. >> reporter: in prince william county, julie carey, news4. nasa is working with howard university and other local scientists to give us a better understanding of just how polluted our air is. today was the first of 14 flights that will gather air quality data over the d.c. area. a research plane with measuring instruments across the sky while scientists on the ground launched a weather balloon.

nasa already has satellites that can measure air pollution. but this new effort will distinguish between pollution in the high atmosphere and what we're exposed to closer to the ground. [ closing bell ] fireworks on wall street today. stocks wrapped up their best week in two years. growth in manufacturing eased concerns over the economic slump, and investors were also more optimistic one day after a temporary resolution to greece's debt situation. at the closing bell, the dow gained almost 5 1/2 points closing above 12,500. the nasdaq added 6.2%. all three indices had their biggest week percentage gain since july of '09. the president of venezuela, hugo chavez revealed today that he is fighting cancer. chavez had two operations a few weeks ago in cuba to remove a tumor that included cancerous

cells. chavez is 56 years old now. he appeared noticeably thinner when he appeared on tv last night. he has served now for more than 12 years. the military chief assured the country that venezuela's stability is, in his words, guaranteed. still ahead, a cruise line must maneuver through a tight space. >> and a huge power plant implosio

you're watching news4 at 6:00. >> and welcome back, everybody. i'm meteorologist doug kammerer in potomac, maryland for our backyard weather. and of course on this friday, the weather is fantastic. i've got peg, the homeowner, and what we now know as her cousin's daughters so that makes you guys i believe second cousins. but somebody do the research on that. this is dorothy. this is lilly right here. or dorothy when she was 5 years old danced right out there for their wedding, which was six years ago. your anniversary, peg is? >> tomorrow. >> do you want to say anything to your husband down there? >> ben, you are awesome. >> did you hear that, ben? did you hear that? she said you need to do a better job cleaning the house.

yeah, that's what she said. let's take a look and show you what is going on outside right now, because, again, we're looking at a fantastic afternoon. temperatures out there right now 90 degrees with that dew point of 45. that makes things very comfortable. as far as temperatures around the rest of the region go for this weekend, look at the chesapeake bay forecast. beautiful on saturday. 85 degrees. 87 on sunday with a late shower. i think after 5:00, 6:00. most of the day is going to be great, if not the entire day. fourth of july, we are looking at a chance of showers. but a better chance down the beach. so if you're going down towards ocean city, you may see some showers. but once again, this weekend is looking great down towards the beaches. for your fireworks on monday evening, temperatures around 84 degrees. it is going to be warm and on the humid side. and ben, i have to be honest. i said what would you like to tell your husband for your anniversary? and she said ben, i just want to tell you you're awesome. so there you go. we'll be back in just a minute.

>> thanks, doug. talk about a tight squeeze. we're not talking about doug. talk about a royal caribbean cruise line, take a look, had to maneuver into tight quarters in northern germany yesterday. that's pretty tight that that's is celebrity silhouette. it only had five feet to spare making its way through that canal. the ship is on its way to the netherlands. going to get some finishing touches. and the official cruise launch is the 21st of july out of hamburg. >> that's nervous pilot on that one. hakem down in nationals park. what you got, partner? >> hello, jim that buzz around the ballpark tonight. davy johnson, that's the new manager, talking about the most exciting part of being a big league skipper. a new number one in tennis launches into the women's wimbledon final. plus

i'm laura, and this is my cvs. i just transferred a prescription to cvs because they have care 1on1. it's where the pharmacist stops and talks to me about safety and saving money with generic prescriptions. laura, let's talk about possible side effects. it's all about me. love that. get care 1on1 and talk savings, safety, and side effects

when you transfer or fill a new, ongoing prescription. i'm laura, and this is my cvs. it's all mine. you're watching news4 at 6:00. >> there were a few delays, but a retired power plant eventually imploded today in frisco, texas. it took a couple of attempts after two of the 14 charged detonators failed. the collin county power plant will largely be recycled after 50 years of use. 85% of the steel, copper, and equipment from that plant will be shipped to recycling centers around the world so it can be used again. hakem is down at nationals park. it looks like the nationals are going to be there for a little while now. >> yes, sir, jim vance.

11-game home stand. davy johnson making his home debut, trying to get his first victory in a nationals uniform after going 0 for 3 on the west coast. good news tonight. the nats will get back rick ankiel. he will be available to be in the lineup later this evening. he is not starting but could come off the bench to pinch-hit. out on the west coast the nationals scored just eight runs in the three games against the angels. overall the nats had a solid month of june with a 17-10 record. and the nats have had success against the pirates this season. tonight the nats are look fogger their sixth straight home win against pittsburgh, a perfect opportunity to get davy johnson his first victory. >> yeah, awesome. the mood and tempo in the dugout is great. i enjoy playing for him. i know the rest of the team enjoys playing for him. we'll get him a win. >> i love being this the dugout. i love being around the players. i don't even mind talking to you and the press. the red-eyes sometimes aren't

that fun, because i don't really sleep on planes. i'm always moving around and talking to people. but i want to shake hands at the end of the game out on the field. >> davy johnson also told me he got ten hours of sleep last night so he is raring to go and feeling good. and jayson werth is 1 for 18. so he is in a little bit of a slump. but this the last two games against pittsburgh, he is 4 for 7. so that would be nice for him to get things going tonight. free agency in the nhl beginning today. and the caps making some big moves. the capitals trade goaltender semyon varlamov to the avalanche for the first round pick in next year's draft and a second round in the 2012 or 2013 draft. and semyon varl love, it was initially report head would play in russia's hml. but varlamov was a restricted free agent. so varly was a first round pick in 2006 and was expected to be the goaltender of the future, but several injuries limited his

playing time. 23-year-old varlamov appeared in 57 regular season games and 19 postseason games for the caps. the caps not done, fining potomac maryland native jeff halpern to a deal. he played six seasons in washington from 1990 to 2006. last season with the canadiens. halpern collected 26 points, 11 goals and 15 assists. halpern will provide another veteran presence. the caps also signed former predator and winger joel ward to a four-year contract. not done, the caps signed roman hamrlik to a two-year deal. here is gm george mcphee. >> right now we have jeff as a fourth line center. who is really going to face us real good penalty kill guy. but you know if you get banged up or someone is not playing well, you can move them up and down the lineup. we just want the good

experienced players, veteran players who bring leadership. we're really pleased. we didn't think we would get all three. >> i think all of these guys bring great character to our team. i don't know if it was something we needed, but it's something that, you know, is definitely improved our team. >> more nhl news. after seven years with the capitals center, boyd gordon signed a two-year deal with the phoenix coyotes for $2.56 million. also big news too. former capitals forward jaromir jagr will not be coming to the caps. he signed with the philadelphia flyers, a one-year deal for $3.3 million. everybody is getting paid today. turning out of tennis. novak djokovic is the number one tennis player in the world. today defeats jo-wilfried tsonga in the wimbledon semifinals, reaching his first final in his career. we're at the all england club. djokovic, a two-time australian open champ. we start in the first set. djokovic in the near court here. the two trade ground strokes from the baseline.

and tsongas tries the backhand. check out djokovic here. hustling to the net and gets it. tsongas with the diving volatile. backhand return and tsongas puts it away, but still loses the first set. third set, how about more diving? again, djokovic in the near court. tsongas has him on the run again. seems like the frenchman gets the final shot. but wow, djokovic dives. tsongas recovers but his shot is long. djokovic wins the second set but loses this third. i need a time-out there, huh? fourth set. match point for djokovic in and that's it. djokovic defeats tsongas in four sets moving to the finals for the first time in his career. love the reaction. djokovic will play the winner of the other semifinal. he is going to play rafael nadal gets andy murray. he gets nadal on the run. watch the nifty shot.

over the net, out of the reap for murray. and the frustration on murray starting to show. match point for nadal. from the far court. serving. just too powerful. nadal defeats murray in four sets. the men's final rafael nadal gets djokovic. you can see the match on nbc4 on sunday at 9:00 a.m. that's going to be a good match, jim vance. djokovic and rafael nadal. djokovic is now the number one in the world so he kind of takes his thunder. >> and nadal will not take that lightly. and i expect that nadal will regain the number one spot. we should note that the women play tomorrow. >> yes. the women play tomorrow. maria sharapova is in that with petra on nbc as well at 9:00 a.m. there is going to be some great tennis this weekend. got to move now quickly to golf. second round action at the at&t national just outside of philadelphia. we start with keegan bradley. chipping just off the green on

the par 4. third shot birdie. rolls it up perfectly. bradley finished it 4 over. just missing the cut. what a great shot by keegan bradley. second round of the at&t national belonged to k.j. choi. here on number 9, his approach appears long, but check out the spin. rolls to within a couple of feet. that's awesome. k.j. choi shoots a course tying 64. here at nats park tonight, nationals opening up an 11-game home stand. the pirates in town, and then it's the cubs and the colorado rockies. but the big news tonight, davy johnson trying to get his first win in a washington nationals uniform after going 0 for 3 on the west coast. and davy, oh, yeah, he is ready to go. >> what a great night for baseball. >> it's beautiful. >> sitting out in the park. eating all that nasty food that you got. >> i want to have a good hamburger. >> and who cares. >> and a three-day weekend ahead of you.

>> enjoy your work, hakem. >> we'll see you later. coming up next, a pregnant woman who couldn't wait until she got to the hospital, and neither

for the holiday weekend, a lot of people like to cook their own food and enjoy it in their own backyard. but trip to the supermarket could cost a bit more. nbc's chris clackum explains.

>> reporter: not even the july 4th barbecue is immune from the dreaded economic forces of nature. the national retail federation says the cost of the cookout is up 12%. from $54 last year to $61 this year. all the cookout staples are higher, even the charcoal, lighter fluid and propane to fire up the grill. and yes, even the beer. >> you have these raw materials that have to get shipped to the factories to make the beer. >> reporter: then from the brewery to the distributor to the retailer, and finally to the backyard after guzzling a lot of gas to get there. but there is another reason. bad weather in bavaria, germany has caused a worldwide shortage of hops. >> they're talking about one-third of the world's supply of this key ingredient for beer. suddenly either unavailable or certainly available in lesser quantities. >> reporter: prices on fireworks have gone up too. so much that dozens of cities have cut back or canceled

displays of the rockets' red glare. but still, this july 4th is expected to offer a lot of pop. chris clackum, nbc news. and no more pop than out in potomac, where doug is with the family out there. peg and her crew. >> hello, guys. and yes, this is the end. so peg, we want to say thank you very much for having us. ben, thank you very much, and congratulations on your anniversary tomorrow. >> thank you. thank you. thanks for coming. >> you're welcome. and the weather is going be very nice this weekend. for you guys, whatever you're doing. are you renewing the vows? >> no, no. >> i just wanted to make sure. if you needed somebody to do that, jim vance knows how. the next couple days because of weather is going to be quite nice. we're looking at temperatures into the 90s. 94 degrees on sunday. that's going to be the hot day. i think we'll be okay tomorrow. but then it gets really hot on sunday with just a slight chance of showers in the afternoon that will be the showers and storms would be the late on sunday evening. and i think right now the fourth

of july is looking okay with the temperature of around 92 degrees. jim, i've given them your number and they may be calling you. >> thanks, doug. talk about macy dulan now. she is one week old today. and when she gets a bit older, her parents are going to have quite a story to tell. you see, macy's mother went into labor friday night in new york state. her contractions were about five minutes apart. she and macy's dad got into the car and headed for the hospital. they got halfway there when it became clear macy was not about to wait. so mom just took off the seat belt. >> and just i pushed the first time her head came out. checked to see if the umbilical cord was around her neck because she wasn't crying. it wasn't. i pushed again and she came out. >> goodness. >> they got to the hospital ten minutes later. she weighed in at six pounds and two ounce.