you're watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now, live in hd, this is "news 4 midday." >> good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 midday. i'm barbara harrison. it's tuesday, october 18th, 2011. right now, montgomery county police are combing through a wooded area search again for 11-year-old william mcclane. his mother was found dead and his stepfather is charged with her murder. news 4's megan mcgrath is live in clarksburg where police are concentrating their efforts today. how is it looking out there? >> well, barabara, we have a very intense police presence here in the 23000 block of

clarksburg road. i'll step out of the way. they have a very large section of this road blocked off with police stap. they aren't allowing any regular traffic down the road at all. you can see all the police traffic here on the scene, one of which is parked straddling the roadway. the police seem to be focusing their attention in a wooded area to the right just off the shoulder of the road near a curve. if you are familiar at all with this area, this is an area just down from the liberty gas station here in the 23000 block of clarksburg road. police are not exactly saying what they are doing. we knew they were getting together to again resume their search for william. they searched an area not far from here. they found nothing. then this morning we were told that the area they'd be searching today was different, just a short distance from where they were yesterday. and they've been very, very hush hush, i will say. they aren't provide anything details. we were led less than an hour ago, maybe a half hour ago to

this area. they did allow us behind some of their blockades but nirt saying exactly what's going on down there in that wooded area near the curve in the road. we did have a police chopper in the area. they are doing to surveillance or looking from above. it appears chief manger may be on the scene here as well. there's a large group of officers talking, consulting with one another. and we are hoping to get an update here shortly. this is just, i should mention, a few miles from where william lived with his mother. his mom jane was found dead inside their home on september 30th. and william has been missing ever since then and the search has been on. now curtis lopez, jane mckwan's estranged husband was arrested. he was charged with her murder, picked up in north carolina. we are waiting to receive word whether there has been some sort of a break in this case, whether william has been found or whether this is another dead end. we simply don't know. what i can tell you is this is a

large-scale search. unlike some of the other efforts we've seen over the weekend and here, they actually have a street cordoned off. we'll be standing by and bring you the very latest when we get it. barbara, back to you. >> we're working to learn more information about a deadly next prince george's county. chopper 4 over the scene of powder mill road in laurel. one person died. investigators closed the road near laurel buoy road. in fairfax county, a police pursuit ended in a crash on interstate 395. investigators say just before 4:00 this morning, an officer tried to stop a car near the fairfax county parkway exit. the officer used the cruiser to purposely crash into the other vehicle to get it to stop at edsell road in alexandria. it kept the exit ramp closed for hours this morning. the officer and driver were slightly hurt and taken to the hospital. and let's check on the traffic conditions right now.

danella joins us with the latest. >> it was a tough morning today. right now we're looking much better. good news, powder mill road has reopened at laurel buoy road. shut down for most of the morning while police investigated. taking a look at the beltway. outer loop idid see some crowding here. right now looking much better. travel time, if you are making your way from 270 towards clara barton parkway, right now traveling at 43 miles per hour. it will take you eight minutes to get there. taking the beltway in virginia, inner loop and outer loop here is clear. so far, barbara, nothing but good news on the roadways. >> glad to get good news at this hour. and looki ining at the skie pretty good news with the weather. let's see what tom has to tell us about what to expect the rest of this day. hi, tom. tom? i'm not sure tom can hear us, but we're looking at the weather out there, tom. are you ready to tell us what we

can expect? all right. we'll get back to him. i don't think he can hear us right now. let's move on to our next story. district police are looking for a man accused of fondling a georgetown university student in broad daylight. police say the student was walking on the 3500 block of s street in northwest around 2:00 yesterday afternoon when a man approached her from behind and forcibly fondled her. he then ran off in the direction of 36th street. anyone who has any information about the suspect or may have seen the incident is asked to contact the georgetown department of public safety. and police are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a bicyclist in northeast d.c. the shooting happened along lincoln road near the intersection of north capitol and florida avenue around 8:00 last night. the victim was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. police are not releasing the victim's name at this time. so far, no arrests have been made. a second shooting in the district. this one in southeast

washington. it happened at a gas station along martin luther king avenue. we're told a man was shot. no word on his condition. so far, we've heard nothing of any arrests being made in this case. today, prince george's county is holding a special election to replace former councilwoman leslie johnson. johnson resigned from the county council this summer after pleading guilty to evidence tampering in a sweeping corruption scandal in which her husband, former county executive, pleaded guilty to bribery. democrat derek leon davis and republican day gardner are running for the 6th district seat. polls opened at 7:00 this morning and will close at 8:00 p.m. this evening. the defense team for another prince george's county lawmaker accused of taking bribes will offer a second round of character witnesses today. yesterday lawyers for state senator uliss s. curry called on a witness who described the lawmaker as a nice and wonderful person but someone known not to be all that smart.

the defense is trying to portray curry as someone who could not concoct a bribery scheme. curry is accused of receiving $245,000 in payments from the shoppers grocery chain in exchange for legislative favors. well, take a peek at the national cathedral today. you may notice something odd. people hanging from the side of the ornate landmark. the same crew that spent more than a week dangling from the washington monument is inspecting the cathedral to see how much damage from the east coast quake was caused there. and news 4's tracee wilkins is live with more at the cathedral and can tell us more of what's happening. are they up there yet? >> they are still working this morning, barbara. i heard that they actually prefer the cathedral to the monument because of all the architectural detail they have here at this building. they think it's much more interesting to take a closer look at the cathedral than the monument. right now just their ropes are

dangling because they are taking a break. let me show you what it looked like earlier, though. we did have them rappelling off the building. they are known as the difficult access team. the team condifts of trained architects and engineers who are rappelling down the side of the cathedral checking for damage from the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck the east coast in august damaging a number of structures here in washington. the team is now giving the cathedral one last thorough check before beginning repair work. >> the cathedral has been deemed structurally sound so all the work that's being done is to ready the building to be reopened to the public on november 12th for the consecration of the new bishop of washington. so that the work they are doing we consider to be out of precaution and to be due diligence to inspect the facade to be able to remove any debris that you can't see from the ground. >> so right now they are working on the northwest side of the

building. then they are going to move over to the southwest side of the building and then later on, next week, they are expecting to move on to the central tower and check there. after they are done with all their inspections, they are going to begin the actual repair work for the cathedral. in northwest, i'm tracee wilkins. >> i can imagine it would be a lot more interesting on the cathedral than on the washington monument. and we're get something -- >> they said the monument was just that flat structure, but here there is all of this detail that they can enjoy looking at. it's a great opportunity when you think about it. >> even for us because we're seeing close-up, i think, some things we hadn't noticed before there. >> absolutely. >> thanks so much, tracee. nine minutes after 11:00 is the time now. coming up, this morning an israeli soldier is in custody for five years. or he was for five years. he's back home this morning. we have that story. that large-scale deal worked out for his freedom. plus why the president could be missing something pretty important when his bus arrives important when his bus arrives in virginia.

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an israeli soldier held hostage for more than five years is now a free man as part of a massive prisoner swap with the palestinians. he israeli military says 25-year-old army sergeant is showing signs of malnutrition but is in relatively good health. in exchange for his release, more than 400 palestinian prisoners were set free. they received a hero's welcome as they arrived in gaza and the west bank.

iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad is denying allegations that iranian agents were involved in a plot to assassinate the saudi ambassador to washington. ahmadinejad says the u.s. fabricated the story in part to divert attention away from its internal economic problems. ahmadinejad said the united states was cues, iran in a terror plot to strengthen international sanctions against the republic. he says iran will not investigate the allegations. the lawyer for a virginia man accused of being a syrian spy says his client's recent travels to that country was part of a fact-finding mission led by a u.s. congressman. but that lawmaker has a different story. the congressman who led the delegation, ohio democrat dennis kucinich says he doesn't know muhammad suede. suede is accused of spying on americans who oppose bashar assad's regime. the obama administration is boosting its support for libya's new leadership.

secretary of state hillary clinton visited tripoli today and pledged $11 million in aid there. it includes medical care for wounded fighters and help securing weapons that the fear could end up as terrorists. clinton said the aid will help libya with a promising future after 42 years of dictatorship by moammar gadhafi. well, president obama is about to speak to students at a north carolina technical college as he makes his pitch for his jobs bill. the president is trying to convince people that pieces of the bill which were blocked as a whole by congress are what america needs to get the economy going. republicans are attacking the president's trip saying he's campaigning for re-election on the taskpayers' dime. >> he's traveling around on a canadian bus touting american jobs. is that appropriate on the taxpayers' dime since it is clearly campaigning? >> if we're not playing politics if we're not focused on the election 13 months from now but

we're focused on what can help the economy right now. >> the senate could vote on the first piece of the president's bill at the end of this week. it would provide $35 billion to save nearly 300,000 state and local government employees who are set to be laid off. and the president will have an unlikely ally tomorrow when he rallies for a plan to help put veterans to work. virginia governor bob mcdonnell, a republican and frequent critic of the president will join mr. obama at joint base langry eustice in hampton to help unveil a veterans jobs plan. not everything has gone smoothly during the president's bus tour. a truck loaded with equipment for one of the stops was stolen from a virginia hotel parking lot. the truck was parked at a hotel just north of richmond when thieves stole it. the defense department says it was carrying a presidential podium, teleprompter and a sound system. the truck was later recovered at this holiday inn express about ten miles away.

at this time, the government won't say if the thieves were able to take anything. republican presidential hopefuls will face off tonight for the eighth debate of the election season. this time they will be in sin city, las vegas, nevada, and the economy will likely be a hot topic with nevada's unemployment and foreclosure rates the high nest the nation. the feefld candidates will also be smaller with jon huntsman boycotting the debate because nevada moved up its caucus date. the iowa caucuses have also been moved up to january 3rd. florida started a chain reaction to shifting presidential primary dates when it moved up its primary to january 31st. and all of the maneuvering may not be over yet. new hampshire which traditionally holds the nation's first primary, is now considering moving its primary date to as early as december the 6th. and we've got tom with us now. we missed you a little bit earlier. you have a lot to talk about now to catch us up on what to expect

from the weather. >> beautiful october morning if you like crisp, fresh, chilly october weather. it has certainly been with us all morning. we've got some clouds in and out as well. a little sunshine in and out illuminating the tech color autumn foliage there showing up. live picture from our sky watcher camera peering down into american university park here in northwest washington where a lot of those trees are beginning to take on quite a bit of color. there's the scene along the potomac river. live picture from the city camera. right now at reagan national, sunshine. temperatures 66 degrees. with a calm wind. and elsewhere, temperatures around the region have hit the mid and upper 60s in a few locations. and it's going to continue to climb perhaps into the low 70s here by early afternoon. right now near 70 in southern maryland, around the chesapeake bay. cambridge now at 70. farther west and north, hagerstown, 62. and it's chilly 61 out in cumberland. a chilly morning. down in the 40s throughout much

of west virginia. and the panhandle of west virginia and western maryland. and we have break news now. i'll have your forecast coming right up. >> tom, we need to break in and go to megan mcgrath who does have some breaking news for us. what can you tell us? it looks like we're going to have some kind of announcement coming. we've got a news conference it seems set up and ready to go. we're going to listen and see what they have to tell us. we are, of course, following the story of the missing boy whose mother was found murdered in her home in germantown. let's listen in. thomas manger, chief of police out there about to speak. again, montgomery county chief of police thomas manger at the podium about to make an announcement. we will listen in as he speaks about what they have hopefully just found. >> i'm chief tom manger, montgomery county police

department. our search continued today for 11-year-old william mcquain. we were searching about 30,000 acres in the greater germantown and clarksburg area. we had dozens of searchers, both from law enforcement agencies as well as volunteers. we had searchers from the montgomery county police department, maryland state police, maryland national capitol park police and the maryland natural resources police. in addition, we had dozens of volunteers from the community who were assisting us. at 9:11 a.m., this morning, a canine handler from the montgomery county police department and a volunteer canine handler from mid-atlantic dogs located the remains of a young african-american male in a wooded area off of route 121 a quarter mile west of route 355. we believe the remains are

william mcquain. we believe that william has been here at this location since october 1st. we have camera footage of curtis lopez, the suspect in this case, with william at a storage facility at the 13,000 block of wisteria drive in germantown. the footage was from the morning of october 1st. the clothing on the body appears similar to what william was wearing on october 1st. our forensic investigation is just beginning. and we'll have updates later today. >> the video you have, security video of the suspect and william at that storage facility, was he going into one of those storage units? coming out of it? >> actually, he and the suspect

went there twice on saturday morning, october 1st. they went in to the storage facility and both in and out twice. two different times. >> at what time in the morning? >> it was -- i don't have the exact times. but it was in the morning on saturday, october 1st. >> and do you have any idea where william may have been killed? was it -- >> right now, the forensic investigation is just beginning. it's -- we've not determined whether it occurred here or if it occurred some other location. that's still under investigation. >> but he was seen leaving alive? [ inaudible question ] ? >> he was seen leave alive from the storage facility? >> yes, he was. >> were you able to tell [ inaudible ]. >> the footage shows william appearing to be in a playful mood, and so it doesn't appear

that he was under -- in any distress with what we see on the -- with the camera footage. >> did they carry anything in, anything out? >> that's under investigation. >> can you repeat how william appeared and what you saw in the videotape? >> the videotape from october 1st, he and the suspect in this case, mr. lopez, were seen twice on saturday morning going to the storage facility, going into the storage facility and then coming back out. >> from what you can tell it didn't look like he suspected that curtis lopez had any evil intent. >> it did not appear there was any distress between the two in the footage. >> you said he was playful? >> he appeared to be running around as you would expect a boy that age to do. >> what sort of evidence brought you here, though, to clarksburg? >> well, we're not going to talk about that evidence right now. but we have done a lot of work in trying to determine where the

suspect, trying to follow his -- where he's been and so that really brought us to really 30,000 acres that we had in germantown and clarksburg area to search. and i am very appreciative for the volunteers and certainly mid-atlantic dogs for their efforts in helping us locate him. >> what did you think this was all about? this whole horrible episode? >> i have no idea at this point. >> what is your motive at this point? this has got to be awfully upsetting to you and your officers. >> it is. it is -- a lot of folks in the police department, 15 many -- probably all of us were hoping just we had that little shred of hope that we would find william, that maybe the suspect dropped him off somewhere and said, you know, keep william. that's what we were praying for. not to be. >> this video you have of security -- storage facility

taken after his mother was discovered? >> no. no, this was -- if i understand your question, we didn't find this video until recently. >> was this storage facility owned by william's mother or -- >> i don't know the answer to that. i believe it was, but i'm not sure. >> that's why he went there to check it out? >> actually, i don't know if it was his or william's mother. >> can you detail one more time the sequence of events? so you have this video. is this on the same day that you believe that william was murdered and left here in the woods? >> it may have been. we're not certain at this point. again, we're just starting to collect the forensic evidence at the scene. so we don't -- we're not sure where the murder occurred or exactly when it occurred. we believe he may have been here since october 1st. >> any clear signs of trauma on the body that you can share with

us? >> i have not -- we're just now beginning to collect the forensic evidence so we have -- we can't speculate as to cause of death at this point. >> i'm sorry. i had to drag my photographer up here. could you go back and -- i have -- no disrespect for my photographer intended. we were out of position. could you describe what you have just discovered. >> at 9:11 a.m. this morning we recovered the remains of a young african-american male off of route 121, a quarter mile west of route 355. and we believe those remains to be william mcquain. and -- but again, our forensic investigation is just beginning. >> we've been listening to montgomery county police chief thomas manger talk about the discovery at 9:11 this morning of the body of a young boy believed to be that of william mcquain, the 11-year-old who has been missing, found in a wooded area in clarksburg. we'll continue to follow this story, but now we're going to go

back to tom who joins us with the weather in progress. >> for the rest of today, some sunshine in and out and a mild afternoon. we're in the 60s and should make it up into the low 70s throughout much of the region over the next couple of hours. tomorrow, looks like a rather wet day. rain developing during the day. light rain initially in the morning from time to time. and mainly to the east of i-95. and the rest of the day, some light rain spreading throughout much of the region. then perhaps passing thundershowers during the afternoon on wednesday into wednesday evening. the rain should taper off and end. then we get some sunshine back and much cooler weather with a blustery wind on thursday. highs just in the low to mid-60s. chillier weather for friday and the weekend. morning lows near 40. afternoon highs only near 60 on friday and saturday. should make it up in the mid-60s on sunday. but sunny weather each day all the way into the first part of next week and cool temperatures. that's the way it looks. barbara. >> tom, thanks so much. it's 11:26.

still ahead on "news 4 midday," how to protect your skin this coming winter. what you should be putting on and into your body. plus, a child caught on camera behind the wheel. but this is no joy ride. why investigators say the little girl was being the responsible one. first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. just got her flu shot, like a champ -- mom! taking on the master of disaster, the flu! it's the fight of the season! your flu shot's next, champ. let's do this. flu shots. every day. no appointment needed. most insurance accepted. get a $5 cvs gift card if you're not covered. find us at minuteclinic.com. i'm jack, and i took the flu down.

you're watching "news 4 midday."

>> this morning, a michigan father faces child abuse charges for letting his 9-year-old drive because he was drunk. a surveillance camera shows a little girl carefully pulling up to a gas station near detroit in that red van. mind you, this was at 3:00 in the morning on a saturday. once inside, the drunk dad bragged to the gas station clerk about his designated driver. >> 9 years old. nine! dad, drinking. listen, we're leaving. and she's driving. she drives us here. i swear to you. 9 years old. in the truck. we're parked right here. she drove all the way here. >> and i parked. >> she said and i parked. >> a customer followed the little girl and called police to get the kid driver to stop. >> it is now 11:30. coming up in the next half hour, the attorney for the local man being held in aruba explains why his client had nothing to do

with the death of a maryland woman and why money from an insurance policy was not a motive. plus, the crippling dust storm that packed winds almost as powerful as a hurricane. tom kierein will also be back with a look at when we can see rain move into our area.

we're following breaking news now. just after 9:00 this morning, the body of a boy was found in a wooded area in clarksburg, maryland. police chief thomas manger just announced the boy is believed to be 11-year-old william mcquain. william's mother was found dead in her apartment last week. her husband is suspected of the murder and is in jail in charlotte, north carolina, at this time. the maryland man held in aruba in the disappearance of a maryland woman isn't coming home any time soon. a judge denied gary giordano's appeal. janet shamlian has the latest from aruba. >> reporter: a major change in defense strategy for gary giordano who has now spent 75 days locked up in this prison in aruba. considered, prosecutors say, the only suspect in the

disappearance of gardner. his lead counsel is blowing holes in the money as a motive theory. a theory fueled by a call giordano made just days after gardner went missing to check on a $1.5 million travel insurance policy he'd taken out on robin, naming himself as beneficiary. >> why would he have made a call like that? >> he made it upon advice of his counsel. his attorney told him to do so. >> reporter: giordano's first attorney, michael lopez, who is still on the case prompted that call telling gary the search along the coastline where robin went missing was going to be expensive. giordano has consistently denied any wrongdoing. with monday's bid for release denied, both sides are preparing for a critical hearing late next week where prosecutors will ask a judge to hold giordano another 30 days. this time in preparation for a trial.

aruba solicitor general detailed for nbc news the new evidence they hope to present. >> there's a blood sample that's being checked, and there are some electronic equipment that's being checked. and, of course there is the handwriting test that's being done on some of the documents that were seized. >> reporter: presumed dead, in recent weeks, cadaver dogs have been brought in to search for robin's body and re-enactments carried out based on what giordano said what happened. now with an important court date looming, conflicting reports on just how much gary giordano is assisting the investigation. >> at this moment, he's not cooperate, period. >> reporter: a claim his defense disputes. >> he has been cooperating right from the start, even before he became a suspect. he has told them the story, the complete story from the start to the end. >> that was janet shamlian reporting. aruban prosecutors plan to ask to detain giordano for another

30 days at next week's hearing. the parents of baby lisa irwin have hired a defense attorney and private investigator. this has criminal charges could be looming against deborah bradley. the kansas city mother gave inconsistent statements to investigators. first she said she was drinking the night her baby vanished in her crib or from her crib. now bradley says she was taking anxiety medication. and may have blacked out. and even saw her daughter much earlier than she first thought. bradley's new lawyer says the mother has been under intense pressure since her baby's disappearance. >> if people are making a little bit more of it than it is. she's not changing her story as to when she saw the baby last. she describes putting the baby to bed at a certain time during the night. obviously, she wasn't clocking that when she was putting the baby to bed. she wasn't marking the time down. when she was re-interviewed she had her recollection refreshed on some thijs and moved the type. the new private investigator

believes baby lisa is alive. >> who steals a puppy to do away with the puppy? you steal that puppy because you want it. and i think something -- it's either trafficking or maybe an emotionally disturbed person that took this child. i do believe this child is alive. and that's the focus. >> the home was amess that night when the husband came home. the home was absolutely ame lly. the screen was dinged in. there were lights on that were never on before. when jeremy woke deborah up there was something wrong and that's the first thing they did. instantaneously they called 911. >> kansas city police have not gotten full cooperation from the baby's parents and have no leads on the baby's location. a wall of dust moved through lubbock, texas overnight. winds up to 70 miles per hour

pushed through the city reducing visibility to almost zero. if the dust wasn't bad enough, the high winds knocked down street signs and power lines. west texas is in the middle of a major drought right now. the national weather service says the 2011 year could be the driest year on record there. and we're going to check in with tom kierein on our latest on the weather. it's almost like a dust bowl now down there in texas. >> it really is. the worst drought in texas history. not just there around lubbock. includes practically the entire state of texas in a major drought there and they certainly had strong gusty winds on the northern and southern plains. we get those winds going and once they pick up that dust it just keeps on blowing. well, things have settled down there. here we've had a lot of rain. not today, though. look at this beautiful picture from our sky watcher camera. gorgeous autumn morning under way. and we've got cool to comfortable temperatures now. it's right around 70 degrees throughout much of virginia. in washington, much of maryland.

we're in the mid and upper 60s. a delightful autumn day under way. just a few clouds drifting through. we'll have them with us from time to time into the afternoon. and highs reaching the low 70s. and then tomorrow, some light rain likely off and on in the morning and passing showers. maybe showers in the afternoon. ending wednesday night. and then sunny, cool, autumnal weather returns and will will be place thursday through the first part of next week with chilly mornings and cool afternoons with sunshine. barbara? >> tom, thank you. let's head out to the roads to see what danella has to tell us about how things are moving at this hour. morning again. >> good morning. things are definitely moving. clear in a lot of areas. let's take a look at the woodrow wilson bridge. in both directions not seeing any problems. if you are taking the beltway from the wilson bridge to the american legion bridge, still clear. not seeing any difficulties for you this morning. here's a look at the american legion bridge. earlier the outer loop had some

congestion but that's all gone. as we loop around to 395, it's clear here. in fact, clear from edsell to the 14th street bridge. not seeing any issues for you. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. he was just planning on watching the redskins game but a fredericksburg man might have felt like he was playing football after tackling a would-be thief breaking into his home during the game. john delacy said it was toward the end of the third quarter of sunday's game when his dog started barking and acting strangely. he went to investigate and came face to face with a man going through his stuff. delacy says he didn't take any chances. he charged and took the burglar down. >> he was standing about right here. and i just quickly moved in, you know, not only just questioning who the hell are you and why are you in my house but you're not leaving. delacy struggled with the man but was able to pin him down while his girlfriend called 911. police say the crook is

41-year-old robert white who they say is responsible for a number of daytime burglaries, including one near delacy's home just 30 minutes earlier. the principal at d.c.'s woodrow wilson high school says he's recommending four students be kicked out of the school for setting fires back in august. news 4 toured the school's $120 million renovations. according to "the washington post," two bathroom fires caused $150,000 in damage. the principal told the newspaper he wants to press charges. in addition to expelling the students who are responsible. those who saw the arson but did not report it are also going to be punished. the principal says. he also said surveillance cameras have been moved for better observation and security has been ordered to monitor those cameras at all times. 11:42 is our time. still ahead on "news 4 midday," an increase in maryland's gas tax. a look at who is proposing it and why. plus, how to protect your

skin this winter. what you should be

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you're watching "news 4 midday." >> maryland's governor is proposing a 15-cent increase on the state gas tax in an effort to fund more spending on infrastructure in the state. governor martin omalley told a special session of the general assembly that increased revenue from a higher gas tax would help

fund other transportation projects that could create jobs. maryland's gas tax currently ranked 27th in the nation at 23.5 cents per gallon. a 15-cent hike would put it in the top ten in the country. a surge in gas costs drove wholesale prices up in september. we're going to check in with cnbc's courtney reagan with more on that. and she has the rest of this day's business headlines. >> good morning, barbara. those producer prices did rise a bit more than expected. so we saw our futures a bit under pressure. right now, stocks are actually positive. near the highs of the session. investors digesting a number of other big-picture concerns. china's economy slowed this summer. that's heightening worries the world's growth engine is losing steam which is causing additional economic worries really throughout the world. investors are also heeding moody's warning for a possible downgrade to france's debt obligations. one possible ray of sunshine, at

least according to the national association of home builders, home builder sentiment rose to its highest level in a year and a half. that's despite the ongoing sluggishness of the u.s. housing market. earnings parade marches on. here's a quick rundown of the day's highlights so far. on the consumer earnings front, it's a mixed picture. johnson & johnson reporting lower earnings for the quarter, though the results were better than expected. coca-cola says its third quarter profits rose 8% thanks to higher sales in both the u.s. and overseas. as for banking, those tough numbers continue. goldman sachs reporting a third quarter loss. only its second quarterly loss since shares began trading in 1999. while bank of america reported a higher profit for the quarter it was more the result of accounting gains and asset sales rather than strength in its core business. the u.s. government and big banks are reportedly working on a plan to make mortgage refinancing available to borrowers who are under water or remember those are the ones that owe more than their home is actually worth at this point

because of the drop in housing values. they typically can't refinance because they don't have enough equity in their homes. reports say the plan would only apply to loans owned by the banks. bank of america, citibank, wells fargo and ally financial so far have agreed to participate. >> thanks, courtney. it's time to start thinking about changing your skin care routine. we all suffer from occasional dry skin during the cold winter months when the heat is running and humidity is low. but there are ways to avoid that. dr. cheryl burgess joins us with tips on how to keep the skin feeling and looking great. and since some of the things we have to start on right now because they are things you have to take. we want to -- we want to start talking about that early. so first of all, tell us what causes the dry skin in the winter. >> well, we use -- lose a lot of moisture. and in the summer months, when the humidity is high, we retain more moisture than, say, when the air is less humid.

so that's the first step of what happens. so we feel a little more parched. a little drier. so we have to use certain preparations to trap that moisture in the skin. >> do we need to change the moisturizer we've been using all year? all summer? >> in fact, i do usually advise people to do that because the creams may be too heavy for the summer months. whereas they are just perfect for winter months. and the lotions may not be heavy enough to conceal moisture in the winter months. so, yes, there is a change in the regimen of skin care products from different seasons. >> so what should we look for? i know you say we can buy things over the counter. we don't have to buy those real expensive ones. what should we look for? >> a rule of thumb is i tell people if it shakes, it's more loose like a lotion. so it's not going to be as ecluesive or moisturizing, say, as something that if you turn it upside down it won't fall out of the jar.

so your preparations in the tubs or the jars are going to be a lot heavier, a lot thicker, more moisturizing than the ones in the shake bottle. >> okay. and these, you don't have to be afraid are going to clog your pores because they are so thick? >> that's the issue. most people are very dry from the neck down but the face can vary from season to season. so those who are very oily should probably stick with the lotions on the face versus a heavier, thicker cream. >> how do you ward off the winter itch? you say taking a warm bath, not a hot bath, is a good idea? >> correct. because one of the main reasons why people itch in the wintertime is because of dryness. and there's certain things that we tend to do to kind of induce this as well. so we're partly responsible. but the increasing the heat in your home or in your car when you are driving will dry the skin out a lot quicker. also taking very hot showers. and i know usually when you get

up in the morning it's cold and the first thing people want to do is kind of warm up with a hot shower. but it can -- >> i'm one of those. >> it can cause itching. >> should we invest in a humidifier? will that help? >> a lot of people do but you can boil water on the stove. >> what about omega 3 fish oils. >> it's excellent all year round. we should take our omega 3 and 6 vitamins. but also i want to remind people vitamin d because sometimes you get up in the morning, it's dark when you go to work. it's dark when you get home and you don't really get any sunlight throughout the day. so we definitely need to supplement with vitamin d. >> vitamin d and fish oils like cod liver oil, which my mother used to give us. >> correct. >> thanks so much. great to see you, dr. burgess. it's 11:51. coming up, wilbur the pig's new home. plus, meteorologist tom kierein will be back with more on the big changes coming to our weather.

you're watching "news 4 midday." >> if you are an nbc 4 facebook fan you can win $100 amazon gift card. just like our nbc washington page on facebook and then sign up to win great prizes. we pick a winner at 6:00 and then make the announcement during the 11:00 p.m. newscast. he was found wandering along a prince william county road.

you'll remember him. but after an appearance here on nbc 4, it didn't take long for someone to fall in love with wilbur the pig. and this morning he has a brand new pen to call home and a new name, too. news 4's erin gilchrist visited his new family. >> he's the pot belly porker previously known as wilbur. now they call him norm. no longer an orphan. he's in fauquier county living high on the hog. >> i saw your news story and saw norm. he's just very handsome. and i thought, i think i need that pig. although my husband is out of the country right now so what a nice surprise that is. >> just last week wilbur was up for adopt yen at the prince william county animal shelter. his previous owner found the 2-2 200-pounder too much to handle. he has all the hay he can handle and a 16-year-old new best friend who he has already snuggled up to like a pig in a blanket. >> he's quiet for a big mail like that. he's a lot more gentle and quiet

than i thought he would be. >> reporter: while norm's new people love having him, eventually he'll have a farm full of friends from the animal kingdom, too. >> we have goats and llamas and dogs and cats and a turtle. did i -- and chickens. i always miss the chickens. >> reporter: the other animals will probably think that norm is a pretty terrific next spring when he gets his new house. >> word is he may be getting a girlfriend in here. what do you think? i'm going to say that would be happier than a pig in slop. aaron gilchrist, news 4. the van normans changed the name from wilbur because he reminded them of norm from "cheers." we're going to be looking at stories we'll be following this afternoon at 4:00. cain joins us with all the hot talk.

plus the american academy of pediatrics on sleep safety. and doreen gentzler reports on a lower risk alternative to open heart surgery for some patients. > it's time for final check on the forecast. here's tom. >> what we've got, the wonderful sunshine and a few clouds coming through. and the crisp, fresh and cool autumn day under way. that's a live picture from the sky watcher camera showing the sunshine now pouring down on northwest washington. elsewhere some clouds obscuring the sun. they'll come through from time to time. right now near 70. a delightful midday under way right now. all around the region. just a few clouds drifting through. and we'll have them with us from time to time through the rest of the afternoon and this evening but no rain. that won't arrive until tomorrow. we'll likely have some light showers from time to time, perhaps in the morning tomorrow. then passing moderate to maybe even downpour especially east of the bay and around the bay during the afternoon on wednesday as a coastal area of

low pressure comes on through. perhaps even a little thunder and lightning as well. especially east of i-95. and then dry and chilly weather moves in after that for thursday, friday and into the weekend. sunshine each day, but cold in the mornings. only in the low 40s. afternoon highs only near 60 on saturday and sunday. that's the way it looks. >> it's going to feel a lot more like fall. thanks a lot. that's "news 4 midday." we thank you for being with us. we invite you to join us for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00. have a terrific day. we'll see you in the morning. [ male announcer ] does your cable company keep charging you more...

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