good morning. welcome to "news 4 midday." it is monday, the fourth of july. independence day 2011. there is no better place to celebrate the birth of our nation than right here in d.c. right now hundreds of thousands of people started to make their way into the city for the night's marquee event fireworks, of course. but before you go, there are things you should know to have a fun and safe time. megan mcgrath is on the national mall for us. where lot of folks are starting to gather.

right? >> reporter: yes. look across 14th street. you can see there are folks here that have -- actually been here for several hours. they are staking out spots underneath those trees which isn't a bad idea. it is going to be a very, very hot day. lot of folks are going to be waiting a very long time for the fireworks tonight. bring chairs. bring blankets. bring a cooler with food and drinks. everyone is very anxious for the fireworks to begin. got a couple of hours to go here. got to say, though, there is the possibility of rain. there is a lot of people with their fingers crossed it will be okay. a hot and hazy day hasn't dampened the spirit of the crowd. they are ready inform have a good time. >> we brought food, chairs, we have umbrellas. we have everything to keep us comfortable and make sure we have the right foods. we are ready. >> reporter: it is only 8:00 a.m. 13 hours before the start of the fireworks. the gecko family has staked out their spot. they are willing to sit for hours in the heat to hold on to

it. you are just relaxing. >> absolutely. it is a wonderful day, perfect weather, great view of people watching. i'm enjoying it all. >> reporter: for many this is an annual ritual. for others it is their first time in washington for the big celebration. >> i have always wanted to come to washington, d.c. and this was my chance and i -- so excited. i have never been here. the history. i wanted to see and it the museums. just -- can't wait to -- very exciting to be here. >> reporter: security is tight this year because of concerns about possible terrorism. police have cordoned off the national mall. you can't just walk up and stake your claim. everyone must pass lou one of the security checkpoints. >> there's going to be difficult levels of searches that may take place. robust security plan in place. a real estate event. >> reporter: and they open those checkpoints at about 10:00 this morning. and there's a little bit of a

wait as some of the police officers are going lou some of the items like coolers things and to make sure there is month alcohol or anything that's prohibited. brought on to the grounds here of the washington monument. by and large things are running smoothly. and as the crowd goes and we go on in to the afternoon hours, no doubt it is going to get slower. you are going to have more of a wait. pack light and pack as light as you can. remember to bring some water and to bring food if you are going to be out here a long time. it is going to be a hot one. eric, back to you. >> that's a good point to make. megan mcgrath live for us on the mall. tourists in town for today's independence day celebrations are hoping they don't see this again. take a look at this video. high wind and rain that blew through put a damper on yesterday's festivities. right now crews are working to clean up the damage those strong storms brought to the area. high winds knocked down trees and power lines. thousands of people in northern virginia lost power. tracee wilkins has a look at the damage in arlington. >> we have seen some severe damage and it appears most of it

is really isolated here to the river crest neighborhood in arlington. take a look at this tree that came crashing down from a tree. you can see the way that the wind killed this limb straight down and right on top of this power line. this is part of the reason so many people woke up this morning without power. and this is not the worst of it. this tree sliced through someone's roof. no one was injured at the time but it split the top of this house in two. some roads were closed due to fallen tree limbs and also caused several intersections to go dark. vehicles were damaged and power lines were down on almost every other street. but the severe damage caused by last night's storm was not widespread but actually more isolated. >> i was shocked when i got to this intersection and the light was out. this was the first light that was out my whole way home. >> reporter: you were driving from where? >> i work near seven corners, route 50. >> reporter: done see any damage until you got to your own

neighborhood. >> right. >> reporter: some blocked streets as root systems were exposed. it was the fallen limbs that caused the most damage in most cases. not dead limbs but healthy, strong limbs ripped from healthy trees. >> we have damage on the rooftop, hole in the roof in the back of the house. we got leakage in the master bedroom. >> we have branch, several of them this big come out of our trees. it was just -- around last night. >> turned black outside. it was -- tremendous noise. and i think all of the trees fell at the same time. >> reporter: mary green lost quite a few trees in her backyard and lost her oak in the front. she's now dealing with damage to some of her windows and gutters. but luckily the structure of her home appears okay. where do you begin when you have this kind of mess in the yard? >> i don't know. we were put on hold from 911 for a while. it has been a white for them to get here. the insurance company took hours as well. today is a holiday.

they won't get back to us until tomorrow. >> we called the insurance and tree removal company. we are not sure how soon they will be out here. >> reporter: since thousands of people are in the dark,ors took to the streets taking pictures of damage and many are looking forward to the rest of their fourth of july trying to figure out how that will turn out. >> head to fredericksburg to my mother-in-l mother-in-law's. >> reporter: this is the reason we know we weren't dealing with a tornado, straight-lined winds. there are still leaves to branches of all the trees that fell over here. dominion is working to get the power back up for folks in the area. they are saying they are expecting complete restoration by tomorrow morning. in arlington, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >> thanks. strong wind and downpours are being blamed for the death of a man montgomery county this morning. the police say 56-year-old neil wright of new york was riding his bicycle along the c&o canal

towpath when a tree fell on him. emergency crew has to cut through several other fallen trees that came down on the towpath with a chain saw in order to reach wright. he died on the scene. we are going to turn now to today's weather. the question is are more storms expected this afternoon? meteorologist tom kierein joins with us the first forecast and the answer, tom. >> unfortunately we may get some showers and thundershowers. i don't think that they are going to be as strongs what we had yesterday. thanks to the cloud cover we have which is holding back the heating rays of sun. actually a pleasant fourth of july. most of the region as this morning progressed. right now the radar showing one shower that has come out of west virginia and now just coming in to rockingham county. it is just though the west of harrisonburg. that's going to be drifting east. and there's no thunder and lightning associated with that. that's the only shower in washington now. reagan national, temperature up to 84. it is rather humid but not quite as steamy as it was yesterday.

it is near 80 throughout most of the region now. we have a little bit of sunshine trying to peek through. storms from last night that headed out to sea and dissipated. we have a disturbance in ohio and indiana, kentucky right now. triggering showers. little bit of thunder there. that's going to be drifting over our region as we get into the afternoon. mostly cloudy inform partly sunny at times for the afternoon. it will be rather humid. chance of some storms developing. maybe some passing showers that wouldn't be million late afternoon looks like, maybe as early as around 5:00. and then into the evening. we will look at that. before then, up near 90 degrees. a look at tonight and into the rest of the week and weekend in a few minutes. the gw park sway back open. 7:30 this morning an rv caught fire on the parkway. take a look at the pyre and smoke. southbound lanes had to be closed while the fire was put out. the rv was completely destroyed. driver, though, was able to get out safely. what goes up must come down and what goes out must come in.

the thousands that clogged the bay bridge and other major highways to get to their fourth of july destinations all have to get home now. traffic expected to be even worse today as everyone is head back home as opposed to staggered traffic over the weekend. if you are looking for the latest traffic information on the bay bridge you can call 1-877-bay-span. for virginia highways you can call 511. a man is facing charges in a beating death in gaithersburg, maryland, police say it started with an argument between 24-year-old brandon de shield and justin carter saturday. investigators say dashiell hit him several times. carter was rushed to the hospital where he later died. a church is picking up the pieces sauchbd's severe storms caused major damage to the buildings. take a look at the video. firefighters were called to the marvin chapel methodist church early sunday morning. officials say that lightning struck the steep el there and started a fire that gutted the building. there's no estimate on the damage caused but parishioners

say they plan to rebuild soon. >> i'm hoping that we will rebuild. so that the community -- i'm sure we will. we don't give up easily. >> the church opened its doors to members of the marvin chapel until the repairs are completed. it appears fox news is the latest victim of a hacking. fox news politics twitter account has been reporting that president obama was assassinated. hackers sent out a series of six tweets since early this morning saying the president was shot wise while visiting iowa and that the shooter is unknown. fox's political account has more than 34,000 followers. fox has not yet commented on the hack and false information there. your time now is 11:10. coming up, prosecutors are getting the final word this morning in the casey anthony murder trial. when this case will be in the hands of the jury. plus, how tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil ended up in

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jury zlib rations expected to start soon in the casey anthony trial. after the prosecution finishes its rebuttal to the defense's closing arguments the jury was supposed to get the case yesterday but some unexpected fireworks in the courtroom caused significant delays.

nbc's kerry sanders explains. >> reporter: casey anthony is accused of premeditated murder of her daughter, caylee. on sunday the personality conflicts between the defense attorney jose baez and prosecutor jeff ashton that had long peppered this trial exploded. >> he can sit up here and lie all he wants and dance around the truth but the truth is the truth and he -- defending on who is asking the questions, whether it is in this laughing guy right here or whether it is -- >> objection. >> sustained. >> approach the bench. >> reporter: it stopped the trial cold. the jury was ordered out of the room. >> enough is enough. >> reporter: distracting side show in the first-degree murder show of the state told jurors it has proven in their closings casey anthony looking towards the jurors and the prosecutor ashton stitched 33 days of evidence into a story. beginning with a silent video. >> when you have a child, that

child becomes your life. this case is about the clash between that responsibility and the expectations that go with it. and the life that casey anthony wanted to have. >> reporter: a life without responsibilities. >> so she has a choice. a life tethered to a child or a life free to be 22. >> reporter: as to the defense claim caylee accidentally drowned and casey's father, george, covered it up. prosecutor ashton said the only way to conclude that was to suspend common sense. >> in the trip down the rabbit hole into a bizarre world where men who love their grand daughters find them drowned and do nothing. >> greatest crime lab in the country. >> reporter: in his closing

defense attorney jose baez fired back. >> they gave you two weeks of testimony that's completely irrelevant and served only one purpose. that was to paint casey anthony as a slut, as part girl, as a girl who lies, and has absolutely nothing to do with how caylee died. >> reporter: baez called the state's evidence of duct tape over caylee's mouth and nose and poisoning of chloroform fantasy forensic. >> cause of death, unknown. that's where the science ends. that's it. and that's where we are here today, how did caylee die? they want to tell you it is a homicide without telling you how. >> kerry sanders reporting. during yesterday's proceedings, the judge also threw out the information about casey being possibly sexually abused by her father and brother. he told the jurors that is not considered evidence. the lawyer for a french

novelist says she will file a lawsuit accusing former international monetary fund dominique strass-kahn of attempted rape. tristan will file that suit tomorrow in paris. back in may strass-kahn was arrested in new york on charges he tried to rape a hotel maid. he denied the allegation. last week he was released without bail after questions emerged about the maid's credibility. some in france are questioning whether strass-kahn will run for president there. before his arrest he was leading in the polls against conservative president sarkozy. developing story now out of mexico. a la 100-foot fishing boat capsized early this morning, killing one american with six others missing. 44 people were aboard the boat named the eric including more than two dozen americans when unexpected storms caused the boat to capsize off the coast of baja, california. the u.s. coast guard was assisting the mexican navy and searching for the missing people. boat left saturday night on a seven-day fishing trip when it

capsized. new today, police officer is among two people dead in a shooting that stemmed from a domestic dispute in memphis, tennessee. police were responding to the second disturbance called the night at the double tree hotel in the memphis entertainment district when shots rang out. timothy warren, eight-year veteran in the force was hit and was rushed to the hospital where he later died. another man was also shot and killed in the cross fire. memphis police say they have one man in custody. today crews con to search for oil from a pipeline spill in montana's yellowstone river. estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the river saturday when an exxonmobil pipeline broke. the oil is soiling river banks and vegetation. company executives say they are doing their best to sop up the oil and workers are monitoring the air and water quality. there's no word on why the pipe broke but there is speculation heavy rain and flooding may have left it vulnerable to debris. i want to turn to tom kierein now and talk about weather in our area. we are looking forward and

dealing with rain. >> perhaps later but right now, though, we are fine. we have this cloud cover which we are happy to have that. hold back those eheating rays o sun. pleasant. it is a little bit less humid than it was yesterday. there's the jefferson memorial. live picture from our city camera. and -- thomas jefferson was the author of the declaration of independence and condensing the ideas and into that eloquent document and one of the signers as well as he was an avid weather watcher. right now 81 -- 84 at reagan national. thomas jefferson recorded temperatures off the fourth of july in 1776 in philadelphia when they signed that document at 1:00 in the afternoon in philadelphia with 76. actually nice day back 235 years ago. and elsewhere around our region now, in addition to the clouds we have a few sprinkles beginning to show up just coming out into the shenandoah valley out of north central west virginia. no thunder with this. no storms yet. was just light shower. just heading into rockingham

county. heading towards harrisonburg. temperatures most of the region with a little sun breaking out. generally right around low to mid 80s. 84 at reagan national, 08, prince george's county. arlington, fairfax counties now right around 80 degrees. back at the atlantic beaches, though, heating up. they have more sun there. upper 80s there. out in the mountains quite a bit of cloudiness and scattered light showers now, they are in the low to mid to upper 70s. over the last 12 hours, the big storms we had last night long gone. there is an upper level disturbance now just coming into the ohio valley. that upper level disturbance is what's going to be drifting right over us as we get into the afternoon hours. right now it is triggering a few showers here in ohio and along southern indiana and into western kentucky. one thunderstorm here in south central kentucky. this is going to be drifting right over us and as it does move in later this afternoon is when we could get showers, this area of color, potential precipitation that as you see goes right across maryland, virginia and the district by

late afternoon and early evening. after that, we will begin to clear out and by dawn tomorrow, we will have sunshine back and we will have lower humidity as well during the day tuesday. and then as we get into tuesday night and wednesday, we will have humidity building and move back in. that will be in place wednesday all the way into the weekend. but it gets steamy again. so for this fourth of july, for the afternoon, partly sunny and rather humid. we should stay dry through most of the afternoon. however, we could get some showers and maybe some isolated storms developing late afternoon. before that we should get up to around 90 degrees and we will have a light northwesterly breeze and then this evening when we have the fireworks displays under way, big concert on the mall, there is a chance of a few passing storms and maybe a few passing showers about 4050% chance. otherwise it is going to be mostly cloudy. we will be in the mid 80s early evening. mid 70s by mid might. then by dawn tomorrow, you will notice a appreciate change in the air should be somewhat less

humid. we will be in the 60s and then near 90 during the afternoon. partly cloudy on tuesday. as we get into wednesday, though, steamy returns afternoon highs climbing again to around 90 degrees. and we could get some storms and during the afternoon and evening hours on wednesday. then on thursday, hot and humid up around 90 degrees or so and partly cloudy. just a small chance of an isolated storm during the afternoon and evening. then an increased chance again maybe of storms on friday. we will have heat and humidity again. up near 90 degrees. hot and humid for the weekend, too. only a very small chance of any storms around. highs near 90. and again on sunday. that's the way it looks now. hope reply we will stay dry. but have an umbrella april handy if you are going to be out this evening for the fireworks displays. you may need it. >> we have been warned. this fourth of july, i don't have to go far to get the best seafood in america. maryland's chesapeake bay takes the top spot. that's according to rankings

come piled by chief flights. maryland's eastern shore chosen for the countless places to get with the website calls the freshest crabs in the country. coming in second was baton rouge, louisiana, for its crawfish. boston made the list for its oysters. georgetown, maine, highlighted for lobster. and charleston, south carolina, was picked for its atlantic shrimp. still ahead orchestra "news4 midday," we are minutes away from the nathan's hot dog eating contest. what a local competitor says about her chances at victory. neighborhood pride. the new children's book that is spotlighting anacostia. first, though, here is a look at what's hot on what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lay on one of those, if you want a soft bed you can lay on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs.

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♪ tomorrow all the things were gone ♪ ♪ i worked for all my life >> beyonce's dress rehearsal for her performance in front of the statute liberty tonight. she is headlighting the fireworks spectacular. her performance celebrates the 125th anniversary of the statue of of liberty. it airs tonight at 9:00 right here on news4. people in takoma park already celebrate thing morning. a parade started at 10:00. it is followed by a community barbecue and a concert tonight and the day will end with

fireworks. it is an athletic competition unlike any other. only happens once a year. we are talking about the annual nathan's hot dog eating contest. it takes place in a few minutes on coney island in new york. and will feature local flavor. sonya "the black widow" thomas will chour down today. she is competing in a new women's division. she was on the "today" show yesterday and talked about training for this unique contest. >> i don't have any special training. i have been doing it for years. you know, focus. >> training isn't walking into a restaurant and order 4g 1 hot dogs and sitting down at a table and turning heads to see you start eating these. >> no, no. >> she is outeating a lot of guys in the competition. 96th annual nathan's hot dog eating contest begins at 11:30. coming up the next half hour, the special way some are mashing independence day at thomas jefferson's home in

charlottesville, virginia. countdown to the final countdown to the final space mission program. what nasa wants to accomplish on the final mission. kiran clearance let us know if storms can cause probl

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right now on "news4 midday," the casey anthony trial is in a short recess. when the trial resumes the jury will receive its instructions for deliberation. jury was supposed to receive the case yesterday. but the judge temporarily

suspended the trial due to a nasty war of words between the two sides' lawyers on either side. right now crews are cleaning up the debris left behind from last night's storms. high winds brought down power lines and trees. leaving thousands of people in the dark in northern virginia. most of the damage was in arlington. families are starting their way to make their way back to the national mall for tonight's fireworks display. just expect stepped-up security if you are looking to take a spot there. umbrella may absmart move, too, as a little rain is in the forecast for later today. if you are one of the hundreds of thousands headed downtown today either for the parade which starts in 15 minutes or tonight's fireworks, metro is adding extra service to make sure your trip goes smoothly. stations will be open from -- were open at 7:00 this morning and will close at midnight. the transit system will run six and eight-car trains at rush hour levels from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. there is no track work but smithsonian station will be closed until 10:30 tonight. metro bus will run on a saturday

schedule. if the crowds on the mall aren't quite your thing there are plenty of small town events to celebrate the fourth. one of the most unique will be at mt. vernon where they will shoot off special smoke fireworks. that will happen at 12:45. in maryland frederick's baker park including live music and bathtub races. fireworks there start at 9:30. in view any, virginia, festivities got under way at the convenient a community center. there are games, parts and crafts and chili cook-off going on. fireworks will be at 9:15 tonight. and the first family preparing to host a big independence day bash later today. you are looking live at the white house there. members of the military and their families will head there for a barbecue, concert and get a great view of the fireworks of the south lawn. administration staff and their families are also invited to attend. important most america's birthday is a time to enjoy

family, maybe travel to a beach or honor our country's military. for a select group july fourth marks a life changing event. the day they become american citizens. nbc's jenna wolfe reports. >> reporter: in order to fully understand american history 101, you have to go back through american history 235. as in 235 years ago. that's when the declaration of independence was adopted. it broke great britain's sxrul set the stage for what would eventually become our 50-statemation. and speaking of that declaration, of the 56 signatures, the guy who wrote the bulk of it, thomas jefferson. he lived here on his sprawling 5 thousand-acre property called monticello. what was once his home is today a year-round museum. >> after jefferson retires he is popular. >> reporter: andy marshall is a tour guide here. he first visited the property when he was 7.

clearly something stuck. >> starts off. >> reporter: to say he is a fan of our nation's third president would be an understatement. have you memorized the declaration of independence? >> during the course of hume aenchs it becomes necessary for one political body. kidding. >> reporter: i think he called my bluff. one day a year monticello is more than a museum. on july 4th it becomes a symbol of american citizenship. when it serves as the backdrop to the most prideful swearing in ceremony in the country. how symbolic is it to be naturalized here in monticello at thomas jefferson's home? think of it this way. it is the difference between getting married at a courthouse and at a grand cathedral. she was born and raised in the former czechoslovakia. she grew up poor with few opportunities. all she ever wanted was a chance. so she packed up her life and moved to america for one reason. >> this is a free country.

this is what people is. >> reporter: it took ten years for her to become an american citizen. as she puts it, it was one of the most accomplished things she has ever done in her life. >> this is me. this is me, a girl from a village in czechoslovakia. >> reporter: how has her life changed? for one thing, she can vote. she can also serve on a jury. but the big one, she can now brag to people that she is an american citizen. the mendoza family has waited a long time for today's ceremony. after safely making it out of el salvador, jose and jenny have carved out a life for themselves in virginia with two kids in school and a steady income, the last step will be completing their citizenship today. >> i have come to appreciate the life that my parents have given me and it means a lot to me that

they spared me from having to live that life. >> reporter: it has been a long road for this family from the move up to america through the application process and right up to the challenging naturalization test. >> we are very thankful that we came this far and it is our big dream, you know. >> reporter: a dream punctuated at this historic site on this historic day. and as the mendoza family, like most everyone else celebrating here today, heads off to enjoy their fourth of july festivities, they will do so for the first time as american citizens. >> there is a not so proud moment on this independence day. a new poll shows americans are increasingly unaware of their own country's history. how about this? according to a poll, 58% of americans know u.s. declared its independence in 1776. 42% were unsure or just got it wrong. 24% didn't now america broke away from great britain and the

future of america could be in a bit of jeopardy. the age group that got the lowest group with both questions, adults under the age of 30. got to do better, folks. maybe next year. let's check in with tom kierein again now for our forecast. tom? >> good morning. we had clouds around on this fourth of july morning here in washington. and a little bit of sunshine has been trying to break through from time to time. those clouds have been holding back the temperatures a bit. right now radar is scanning the sky. no precipitation anywhere near washington. we had a few sprinkles coming near harrisonburg with those since dissipated. temperatures are now into the low and mid 80s. and not as humid as it was yesterday. it is still rather humid right now 84 at reagan national. for the afternoon, partly sunny and rather humid. we do have a possibility of a few passing showers and maybe some thunderstorms. i don't think that will happen probably until like 5:00, 6:00 p.m. before then temperatures climbing to 90 degrees. then this evening we have an increased chance of some thunderstorms coming through

from about 6:00 p.m. all the way million midnight. there is that possibility so if you are going to be at the mall or outdoors in any of the area fireworks displace this evening, you might want to have an umbrella with you. just in case. otherwise mostly cloudy and mid 80s, early evening. mid 70s by midnight. tomorrow morning in the '60s and high nears 90 tomorrow afternoon, less hume and i had partly cloudy. getting humid again on wednesday, thursday and into the weekend. each day high near 90, storms wednesday afternoon and evening. again on friday. just a small chance over the weekend. that's the way it looks now. lawmakers will be trying to get a debt ceiling deal on capitol hill this week. instead of taking a holiday recess. expected to reach credit limit august 2. talks on increasing the debt limit fell apart last week. democrats want a mix of cuts and new receive may is -- republicans want to -- want cuts only opposing anything say amounts to a tax increase. this week marks the beginning of the end of an era.

the final than countdown for america's space shuttle program, shuttle "atlantis" scheduled to lift off friday on a resupply mission. nbc's tom costello looks back at three decades of achievement and tragic setbacks. >> reporter: ask anyone old enough to remember april 12, 1981, and chances are they do. >> shuttle cleared the tower. >> reporter: columbia, america's first shuttle rocketed to space with its crew of two. >> i think we have something that is really been pitting the country and world. >> reporter: after two days it landed safe reply the california desert. >> touchdown. >> reporter: today with "atlantis" sitting on the pad, the crew of four is prepare for the final countdown. >> we want to make sure that we -- the thousands and thousands of people that put their hands on a space shuttle are honored by this mission. and the legacy of this space shuttle. >> reporter: for three decades

the shuttle program has brought incredible triumph. the launch of the hubble telescope, john glenn's return to space, construction of the international space station, and the hubble repair mission. but also tragedy. the loss of challenger and columbia and 14 astronauts. lingering questions over whether spending 30 years in low earth orbit has been worth the financeal and scientific investment. it has been remarkable with what it has been able to accomplish. it has been stunning in terms of what we have learned from it. and that knowledge will hen go into building the next vehicle. >> reporter: with the loss of the shuttle program, tens of thousands of workers across the country are losing their jobs. many in florida. until commercial rock retsz ready, america will rely on the russian space program to carry astronauts into space. important the head of nasz a insists america is not giving up its leadership. >> some of my best friends died

flying on the shuttle. and i'm not about to let human space flight go away on my watch. >> reporter: meanwhile, the burden of the pineal mission falls on commander chris ferguson. >> i hope that i paints in a in the finest light that we pull off the cleanest mission that is possible because we want to fin official the strongest note. >> reporter: a strong close as america turns the page in space exploratio exploration. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> among the thousands making their way to d.c. today is one man who has traveled nearly 4,000 miles across the country in his wheelchair. you have never seen a wheelchair quite like this one. chet hoping to help find a cure important spinal cord injuries. he was paralyzed in a motocross accident. he set out through southern california five weeks ago. that chair goes 55 miles an hour. needless to say he gets a lot of looks from other motorists and questions from police. >> i built this wheelchair and i

decided that i would go do something for spinal cord research. something i have never done anything like this before. and just kind of jumped into it. didn't know what i was doing. learned a lot on the road. >> reporter: he says he hopes to get the attention of members of congress and the president before leaving d.c. >> get a helmet or windscreen or something. still ahead, why the first lady, michelle obama, may public warming up her arm and working on her aim today. neighborhood pride. new children's book that

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get the network that delivers more. get fios. a network ahead. now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. out for drinks, eats. i have very well fitting dentures. i like to eat a lot of fruits. love them all. the seal i get with the super poligrip free keeps the seeds from getting up underneath. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles.

super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. a lot of things going on in my life and the last thing i want to be thinking about is my dentures. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. there are a lot of books about the district of columbia. ? are written for children. but few shine a positive light on historic anacostia. the people who live there. a is for anacostia is a children's book that does just that. dr. courtney davis is the author of that book. she joins thus morning to talk about this. we got our hands on this a little while ago. i have read it. this is a cool little book. >> thank you. >> i like this so much. talk to us about the idea, where the idea came from to write this children's book. >> sure, sure. i was inspired by students in

the neighborhood. a book that uld reflect the faces they see and reflect the places in our neighborhood and make sure they can use it while they are learning. >> as you flip through here you see some of the things that are in the anacostia neighborhood. >> absolute. >> i was this -- sort of a -- i mean, was there a mapping involved for you in put thing book together and going through and figuring out where or what anacostia means to be part of it? >> there are a lot of things anacostia people know about and surprisingly there's some that the students enlighten me about. we try to choose some of their favorite places and some of the more popular places in the neighborhood as well like the frederick douglas house, big chair, going to anacostia river, going to the anacostia community museum to name a few. >> you -- you are a native of chicago. >> yes, i am. >> you lived in d.c. for ten years or so. but you chose to write a book about anacostia as opposed to chicago. >> absolutely. i'm a resident of washington, d.c. and anacostia. and oftentimes -- i tell people where live, i get a negative

response that. oh, no, you live there? i wanted to make sure that i teach students in the neighborhood and i have great neighbors and they are fun places to go in the neighborhood and i want to make sure i highlight those places and make sure i give a positive twist. people that live in the neighborhood and to people that don't live in the neighborhood and entice them to visit. >> if you had to single out one of the big misconceptions about anacostia, what might that be? this is a anybody hood growing and people constantly moving into that area. it is really -- really up and coming now. >> absolutely. i think that one of the largest most misperceptions about the neighborhood is people don't care about our neighborhood. there are lots of neighbors, lots of students, that are giving it their best effort. keeping it clean and take care of our students. very close-knit neighborhood. we show that and demonstrate that every day. >> i-want to ask about one other thing about the book. as you flip through here, i don't know how well we can see

that, you have a lot of great photos of -- not photos but drawings in this book. tell us about the author for this. you said that this is one of your favorite pictures here. >> yes. as jerry craft illustrated for the book and he -- is an amazing artist. i took pictures throughout the entire neighborhood, some are students, people, places, and i sent them to him. via e-mail and he would take a look at it. i shape my vision for the book with him. he made one trip to anacostia and took pictures. then we put it together and he came up with the become, i will strigs -- illustrations of the book. >> all of the pick turtures we from the neighborhood. they are pictures of students that i taught or pictures of students that are in the neighborhood. >> that's great. where do between find it? >> you can go to our website.

www.aisforanacostia.com. you can go to anacostia art gal. >> i it is a great book. i appreciate your coming by and sharing it with us. time right now is 11:48. coming up, the royal wedding and visit. plus, meteorologist tom kierein is back with the latest on what

ml bp.com is reporting the nationals promoted future all-star bryce harper to aa harrisburg. the nats learned who will represent them in the all-star game. tyler clifford was named to the national league's squad. the first of his career. the 26ier old has been fantastic out of the bull pen for washington. posting a 1.96 e.r.a. while striking out 57 in 46 innings. current first baseman michael morris has a chance to be named to the team as well. the slugger is part of the final man competition to make sure he makes the team. head over to nationals.com so you can vote. tomorrow the nats will have a very special first pitch ceremony. michelle obama will be at the game. she is helping to promote the joining forces effort. it is a nationwide effort to get people to support military families. children from military families

will escort the first lady to home plate. she will not throw out the first pitch. that honor will go to one of the children. the duke and duchess of cambridge are spending the day on prince edward island. yesterday william and kate stopped in historic quebec city. it is one of the oldest snoyts north america. a nod to the crowd there prince william thanked them for their patience with his french. [ speaking french ] >> they look like a real nice happy couple. >> prince edward island is home of anne of green gab-- anna of gables. they plan to participate in a dragon boat race. they will spend the next couple of days in canada before visiting california. monaco has a new princess today after a near 30-year wait. prince albert of monaco married a south african olympic swimmer. it was multimillion dollar affair in true riviera style.

♪ >> reporter: even before it started, this was glamour. where else would you gather crowned heads of europe, fashion kings, supermodels, and james bond filling the palace courtyard? royal wedding in monaco style. all pastels and lace, little girls in very fancy dress, words of love in french. [ speaking french ] >> reporter: prince albert marrying for the first time at 53. then the bride. charlene did not run away but dazzled. in a gown that took 2,500 hours to make embellished with 40,000 swarovski crystals. she was a vision. reminding so many here of albert's mother, princess grace. 55 years ago, marrying and

capturing. for the new princess charlene on her day, will was concern. watching the faces closely, is this the look of happiness? true love? when will they smile or look at each other or touch? one blink and one might miss their kisses. it has been a tough few weeks and n place that looks like a fairy tale. printed rumors from a woman claiming to have a child with prince albert to police taking charlene's passport so she couldn't leave. the palace has denied it. a friend of the couple concedes that there was an argument and charlene needed a break. she returned and after the service cried. >> rumors -- they showed that their love was much stronger. >> reporter: lasting love has not come eveny. princess grace's three children all had turbulent personal lives. prince albert known for his lively bachelor days and two

children he eventually acknowledged. monaco so wants this marriage to survive. >> everything is clear. we will see. >> reporter: for the prince and princess making their royal fairy tale happily ever after come true begins now. >> that was michelle kosinski reporting. the couple will fly to south africa this week for their honeymoon. let's get a look at the stories we are working on for news4 this afternoon. pat lawson muse is in the newsroom with a preview of what's to come. >> hey. how are you doing? >> good. how about you? >> i'm doing great. thank you. coming up this afternoon on "news4 at 4:00," the judge has given the jurors in the casey anthony trial their instructions. we will have a report from outside the courtroom at 4:00. the new harry potter movie comes out this week. and star actor daniel radcliffe makes a surprising admission. we have l have that for you. they are the quickest and many of the most popular restaurants in the country.

how does the quality of fast food from nationwide chains stack up against each other and against some of the smaller restaurants? we will have the results of the fast food taste test. those stories plus keeping our eyes on the skies. chance of storms that could put a damper on your july fourth 'fesstivities. join us for the latest at 4:00, 5:00 and 1996. >> one last look at the temperature important the afternoon. >> lot of outdoor events under way. and into the afternoon. nats are starting their game in an hour. should be good. for most of the afternoon. partly sunny and rather humid. highs reaching near 90. right now we are in the low and mid 80s. and then by late afternoon, we could have a few thunderstorms popping up and moving lou perhaps around 5:00, 6:00, 7:00. then through the evening, otherwise just mostly cloudy. and temperatures will be in the mid 80s by early evening and then the mid 70s by midnight. and any storms that do pop up should be done by midnight and then by dawn tomorrow partly cloudy into the 60s.

tomorrow less hume and i had highs near 90, partly cloudy. during the day wednesday and thursday, each day, hot and humid up near 90. could get afternoon and evening storms on wednesday. as well as on friday and only a small chance over the weekend. that's the way it looks now. we will see you tomorrow morning. have a fun fourth. >> all right. thanks, tom. that's it for "news4 at midday." thanks for joining us. tune in at 4:00. hope to see you back here tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. until then, have a great fourth of july.

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