hello, everyone. welcome to "news4 today." i'm angie goff. >> good morning, everyone. i'm erika gonzalez. it is sunday, march 11th of 2012. >> and it is a cold start to our sunday morning, and those winds, i believe we expect them to pick up a little, right, chuck? >> a little bit. it's not going to be as breezy as yesterday morning, but it's still going to be breezy at times later this afternoon. but today, the difference is going to be, it's going to be a south breeze. yesterday was a north breeze. today it's a south breeze. >> kind of going down. >> what's going down? >> i don't know. if it's a south breeze, it's going down, right?

>> absolutely. you're cool like that. it's going down. temperatures are going up, but whatever it is, it's going down. outside we go. a clear sky out there for you on a sunday morning. good morning, everybody! if you're up at 6:00 a.m. and you think to yourself, wow, it feels dark or something like that, yes, indeed. the time change doing us all in. move every clock in your house ahead an hour if you didn't do it before bed last night. temperatures a big spread. 25 in martinsburg, 25 manassas, 37 in washington, 38 in manassas, 36 in buoy, maryland, 28 into st. mary's county. nothing showing up on storm4 radar. hometown 4-cast today, annandale climbing up to 46 for a high today and back down into the 30s and 40s tonight. nothing wrong with today, mostly sunny, warmer than yesterday by quite a bit. yesterday we made 50 for a high. today, 60-plus. >> nice. >> breezy at times. like you mentioned, a south breeze will make all the difference. >> okay, thanks, chuck. >> you're welcome. this morning, a popular

restaurant in northwest washington remains closed following a stabbing. we brought you this story as breaking news yesterday morning. since then, we've learned that d.c. police chief cathy lanier shut down the island cafe in upshur street. not everybody is happy with this decision. news4's darcy spencer reports. >> reporter: the sign says open, but the island cafe on upshur street in the petworth neighborhood of northwest washington has been shut down by order of the police chief after a man was stabbed and seriously wounded inside the business. ma'am, can we get your comment about the business being closed? the violence broke out around 2:00 saturday morning. police say the victim was stabbed in the stomach while arguing with another man. >> that's sad, you know. in the neighborhood, stabbings, shootings, they've got to cease. this is crazy. >> never seen anything, anything out of the ordinary here at all. it's always been a beautiful

place. >> reporter: this isn't the first time the chief has shut down the island cafe. she gave the same order in march of 2008 when a man was shot inside the club. some residents fought to have the bar's liquor license taken away. >> this is the third documented, clear incident with a stabbing or shooting in three years. so, i think there's clearly going to be a push to get the license revoked. >> reporter: the chief has ordered the cafe closed for 96 hours pending a hearing before the alcoholic beverage control board, but some disagree with that order. >> i really don't think it should be shut down by somebody else's actions. that's just how i feel about it. >> it's a lovely place. that's ridiculous. >> reporter: what do you think about it being shut down? >> it's hurtful because i'm supposed to have a birthday party here. >> reporter: the chief's order went into effect at 6:00 on saturday evening, and it will stay in effect until 6:00 on wednesday evening. in northwest washington, darcy spencer, news4. federal officials are

investigating more letters with white powder discovered in d.c. two letters with the substance were found at the blt steak restaurant on i street northwest yesterday afternoon. like the previous letters, hazmat crews determined that the powder was harmless. the fbi is trying to figure out if these cases are connected to other suspicious letters found in the past year. meanwhile, an oregon man will appear in court tomorrow' accused of sending similar suspicious letters to members of congress. police arrested christopher lee carlson friday in the pacific northwest. over the past month, several lawmakers received threatening letters that had a nontoxic white powder. maryland senator barbara mikulski was one of the recipients. these letters are not connected with those that arrived at d.c. schools strauntrestaurants over past week. now to "decision 2012" where the already tough gop race is heating up. the candidates turning their attention to tuesday with two crucial contests in alabama and mississippi.

rick santorum captured kansas, crushing the other three candidates and winning at least 20 of the state's 40 delegates. mitt romney took home some smaller victories, winning the u.s. territories as well as wyoming's caucus, which actually voted last week. romney didn't have any events planned for yesterday, and santorum took the opportunity to position himself as the only true conservative. >> it's no surprise to me that all the washington insiders and all the big money in new york is behind governor romney. they want just something a little less, back off a little bit, you're going too fast for the american people. they don't want fundamental change. >> santorum is currently third in polling in alabama behind romney and newt gingrich. he's also third in mississippi with gingrich holding a slight lead over romney before tuesday's primaries. now, santorum and romney's victories does little to change the delegates' standings.

romney has a commanding lead with 377 delegates, more than the other three candidates combined. santorum has 146 delegates with gingrich at 112 and ron paul at just 31. the challengers need 1,144 delegates to secure the republican nomination. rick santorum will be a guest today on nbc's "meet the press" with david gregory. "meet the press" will also feature a debate on the economy from two familiar faces from our region, maryland democratic governor martin o'malley along with virginia republican governor bob mcdonnell will be on the show. you can see "meet the press" right here on nbc 4 at 10:30 this morning. today marks one year since a woman was brutally killed by a co-worker at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. jana murray died inside the yoga apparel store on bethesda road. today her co-workers will have an open house to share memories about murray. her brother and his wife are

expected to be there beginning at 10:00 this morning. a jury convicted brittany norwood for murray's murder. norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. this morning, we have a traffic alert to pass along to you. drivers may want to avoid downtown washington this morning. there is going to be rolling road closures for the st. patrick's day 8k race. and right now, people are gathering at freedom plaza. the race starts and ends on pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 13th street northwest. rolling road closures begin at 5:00 this morning and will continue through 1:00 this afternoon. meanwhile, what's a st. patrick's day celebration without a parade? this year's parade theme is feed the soul and nourish the palate. that sounds good. police will close constitution avenue from 7th street to 17th street for the parade. that begins at noon. 7th street between constitution and independence avenues is also closed. the road closures begin at 9:00 this morning and run through

3:00 this afternoon. >> and in addition to the road closures this morning because of the st. patrick's day race, there is also closures and delays all around the metro. on the red line, the woodley park and cleveland park metro stations are closed. free shuttle buses are running between dupont circle and van ness stations to get you around the closures. there is also single tracking on parts of the blue, orange and yellow lines. all work should be finished before tomorrow morning's commute. and we know that chuck does not like to wear gloves when he runs. >> no. >> but for those headed out for that 8k this morning -- >> don't want to, but i will do it on occasion. the marine corps marathon last fall was really cold, so yeah. >> people running this spring might do that. >> be ready to shed the gloves >> be ready to shed the gloves as soon as the sun comes up

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welcome back, everybody. we're hurting. >> we are, oh, yeah. oh, are we. >> that one hour. anybody who works the overnight, early mornings, we are feeling your pain. >> man, i know it. i laid down, put my head on the pillow and i heard my clock gonging at midnight and the next thing i knew, the coffee machine was going off. i was like, oh! >> i was so paranoid, because you know, all the smartphones do the automatic update and i was so paranoid. i e-mailed the producers and i said, do me a favor, just check on me at 3:30 and make sure that the alarm went off and that i'm here, because it just, i mean -- >> no doubt. >> and we lose an hour. i mean, the sun's coming up an hour later. >> yeah, it is. but it will go down an hour later as well, so that's welcome news. outside, though, going to be a good way to start your sunday morning, off to a chilly start. most of the western suburbs now well below the freezing mark. take a check on that outside on our city camera view. a clear sky overhead, but it is still middle of the night dark out there for you this morning. temperatures have dropped, as i mentioned, well down into the 20s and 30s. outside we go then.

take a look. clear skies, yes, indeed, over washington. sun doesn't come up now until after 7:00 a.m. this morning. 7:25, to be exact, as opposed to yesterday morning when it came up at 6:26. out there we go. 37 degrees here in washington now with a light breeze out of the south. important wind change, direction change here. yesterday we had that north wind. today, winds back around to the south. this is the tip of the warming trend for us. cold to get your day started, though. mid-20s out towards the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia. right around the freezing mark for stafford, spotsylvania and fredericksburg, but it's going to be a sunshine-filled day today. temperatures mid-40s by midmorning, near 60 for much of the afternoon. our afternoon high temperatures today probably inching their way just above the freezing mark. in warrenton this morning, warrenton, virginia, actually, starting off in the mid-20s. sunshine today should put us up near 63 degrees for a high in warrenton. nothing showing up on radar. nearest rain drops to us are still a long, long ways away,

down across parts of the southern plain states. that moisture will inch its way in our direction. i think our next chance at seeing rain drops here comes on in here late monday night into the overnight hours into tuesday morning. that's when i think we'll have our best chance. high pressure in charge for today, so let the warming begin. low to mid-60s today, and i think each and every day this week we've got a shot at 70 degrees or better around here. most of this rain and moisture is going to be bypassing us to the north, but i do think late monday night we might get a couple of showers. could even see a rumble or two of thunder, but no severe weather expected. so, today, mostly sunny, warmer, a little breezy at times. but with a south breeze, upper 50s to low and mid-60s for highs today. back to work and school tomorrow. morning sunshine giving way to clouds tomorrow afternoon. and again, maybe a chance of a few showers, but not until well after the sun goes down on monday. so, your monday will be dry. tuesday, might have a quick little shower first thing in the morning, but monday afternoon and tuesday afternoon are both looking dry, even though we've got some rain drops posted there. that's a late-night,

early-morning chance, but ooh! who wanted to just skip april and march altogether, go straight into the monthf may? mid-70s for highs. >> beautiful. >> 60s for lows. that is mid-may gorgeous. >> wow. couldn't ask for better. >> i know it. >> thank you, chuck. >> thanks, chuck. >> you're welcome. the caps are coming off a big win against the defending stanley cup champs as they get ready to hit the ice today. >> that's right, and d.c. united kicked off their season. here's hakeem dermish with your "sports minute." >> good morning, everyone. your "sports minute" begins with hockey. capitals on the road yesterday against the bruins. second period, caps on the power play. time running out. washington was 0 for 9 on the man advantage entering the game. dennis wideman, brooks laich in front. caps win 4-3, one point behind the panthers for the division lead. washington plays at home against the maple leafs later today. mls, d.c. united opening up the season at home against sporting kansas city. no score in stoppage time.

k.c. on the corner kick and it's c.j. suppan with the header. united falls 1-0. nba, wizards hosting the trail blazers. portland had five players in double figures, including aldridge and the wizards lose 110-99 and their record drops to 9-30. and congrats to the mcgruder high school men's basketball team. last night, the colonels won the maryland 4a state championship, beating eleanor roosevelt 39-36. mcgruder finished the season with a 26-1 record. that's your "sports minute." i'm hakeem dermish. have a great day. >> thanks, you the same. next up is "reporter's notebook," and this week's conversation features some pretty hot topics out of maryland and virginia, angie. >> and of course, we're going to be back in 15 minutes with the morning's top stories and chuck will have your sunday forecast once again. but for now, here is jim handly. good morning, and welcome to "reporter's notebook." i'm jim handly. a lot to get to this sunday morning. let's start off in virginia,

where virginia governor bob mcdonnell signed into law a very controversial measure that would require women to have abdominal ultrasound exams before undergoing an abortion. gentlemen, is this something that is going to hamper or help him, should he take the national political stage, and how much support does he have in the commonwealth? >> well, i don't know about the commonwealth, but the national stage right now, the temperature, the atmosphere on the national stage on women's rights and any issue related to women's rights is quite debatable. and i was just watching something on msnbc last week where there was a big issue of women coming out in concern, saying that they're very, very concerned about men making these decisions. >> well, abortion rights are very volatile, obviously, as you say. those who support abortion rights think he's going too far. those who are against abortion rights, they think that he

didn't go far enough. so, he may not win with either -- it will be interesting to see how he does with either constituency, what effect is has on his quest to be vice president under somebody's ticket. but he is treading carefully. he's walking on mine fields and that's what you do when you have this issue. >> you know, what worries me is the fact that here we are, four men talking about abortion, and neither one of us will ever have an abortion. >> right. >> and it's not to say men don't have a say in it. it's just that i always go back, dave, to that congressional hearing. >> sure. >> exactly. >> where it was all men. having said that, i think that his biggest problem really is going to be young women who have lived with this issue time and time again. you know, he's playing, clearly, to the social conservatives of his state. your question is, how will this impact his chances nationally. it can't hurt to be on the

ticket for the republicans, but i think in the long run, among independents, and certainly among democrats, it puts him in the category with the four who are running for president of the united states, and that's why he went ahead and signed it, although i must give the women credit because they stopped the most invasive form of examining a woman. and that -- >> weeks and weeks of protests. >> that's absolutely right. and so, you've got to give credit to the women who stood up and said, no, you've gone too far. >> i still say, like dave says, volatile. the atmosphere is still there nationally, and to walk into that, to me, he's treading on thin ice. >> let's move in to maryland and prince george's county, where council member karen towles has really come out, read an apology last week, we saw, and the chief of police there in the county has made a change in charges for

this. this is the speeding case where she was going in excess of 100 miles an hour. and what to many in the county got a slap on the wrist. >> well, they've reviewed the case and decided that the officer in charge, perhaps, obviously acting in the best, he thought, in the best interests of police work, really didn't go far enough, and that upon review, that she deserved a fine and a hefty fine. and look, she loses at least six points, which is really tough. no jail time. you know, it will be interesting to see if people think that's enough. but the fact remains that things have changed. she has made an apology. there's a big step forward on this issue. the concern among her constituents may reveal itself on election day, and that may be when the final end of the story comes. >> the officer in charge -- i think last week we talked about this, and we said what about the officer's responsibility? he was cleared of any wrongdoing. and according to the article that i read, that he did not make any mistakes on the scene.

but there were some additional violations that he obviously didn't charge her with. and i think what may have happened is that maybe last week they listened to this show when we made the point that there's some of us who have gotten tickets and citations for less. >> right. >> it was six points on her license. >> she got six points on her license, right. >> and will no longer be able to drive a government vehicle. my question was -- >> i think a $510 fine. >> right. we were talking about this during the break earlier. i'm wondering, did they know that this was a government vehicle? you've got to think they did. >> sure. >> and who it was behind the wheel when all this was happening. >> either you recognize the woman or the information could have been given to him when he called in the event. you know, besides the technicalities here, i'm looking at what john q. public is

saying, the people in her district. and a lot of people from the sound bites i saw and some people i've talked to, they're saying, well, here's another show where you have the right name, you have the right clout, you get away. >> you know, what's interesting is she had five previous -- >> previous. >> previous, since 2009! >> right. >> i mean, this is somebody -- >> and that should come over the radio, too, somehow. >> well, if it doesn't come over the radio, i mean, it should be in front of a judge where you say, whoa, wait a minute, you've been here about five times. >> you've been here 20 times, you know. >> i think it was five. >> five times. >> there is a perception in the body of politics that lawmakers get away, are given special treatment. >> that's my point. >> from the bank imbalance thing years ago in the house. >> right. >> the special privileges that members from time to time, our own concern -- not our own concern -- as reporters, we don't have concerns, we just have stories we report, but the concern of the public in the district of columbia with what's going on with the d.c. council and the mayor and whether or not there was hanky panky in his

re-election campaign, whether people were paid to heckle him and all that kind of thing, the special privilege, and people are angry about that, if it is special privilege. >> while we're in maryland, let's talk about this proposal in the legislature now. and this would keep access to a job candidate's social media, passwords, et cetera, private when they're up for a job. apparently, there's a case involving a man who was applying for a job. i think he may have been applying to get his old job back. and they wanted to find his password to facebook and other social media. aclu has taken on this case. now there's a proposed law. >> what ever happened to private policies, you know? private policies in companies i've -- i don't know about giving your personal password in order to get the job? crazy. >> oh, it's stupid. i mean, the reality is that this bill -- i think it's house bill 964 -- it ought to pass immediately. i mean, let's get this through hearing. >> right. >> the reality is that no employer should require your

personal password to get into your facebook. that's like saying -- let me give an analogy -- bring in your diary. >> yeah, right. >> the old days of writing in a diary. bring a diary because we want to see your diary. and that's what these facebooks are. they're really electronic diaries. and yes, children, adults, everyone should be careful what they put on their facebook, but no one has the right to ask for a personal password. >> there's a time when there's a concern about privacy and whether one should be on facebook if you want to risk having things get out that you don't want to have get out and all that kind of thing. >> right. >> to have somebody demand to take a look at that facebook, you can -- it's obviously going to spark a lot of criticism and a lot of opposition. >> but in the world of high tech, this has come up over and over. do you remember when this came up before? this hinges on the case where the employers wanted to get the passwords of employees using

equipment in their particular workplace. and there was a fight about that, that this is still private. even though you have a password, that is your private business, like joe is saying. >> well, supposing you're applying for a high-level intelligence job in the government -- >> exactly. >> where everything about you really, your potential bosses would say, we need to know everything. if there's anything in your past that would give you a problem with this job, we need to know it. then i wonder what the question would be there, what they would do. >> yeah. >> what they do do. >> we have to take a break. we'll be right back on "reporter's notebook," so stay with us. [ male announcer ] the draw of the past is a powerful thing. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ]

the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. welcome back to "reporter's notebook." let's move into the district now, and a new report out shows that d.c. income inequality is among the highest in the country. i think we're at number three, atlanta being number one, boston number two. no real surprise here, but i'm wondering if the trend's gotten even worse.

as more people, people of means and higher education move into the city, we know that housing is still strong in d.c. >> well, i would say, over the years, covering d.c. and looking at income and all the trends of people in d.c., i still say d.c. is a very transient town, because people come in and they leave. a lot of people come here working for the government but they don't live in d.c. and i think if you look at, you know, the income trends of the city, you have to look at the population trends. where do people live? where does the money go? and this has always been the fight of the district government, district leaders, to keep monies in d.c. >> well, the folks on the low end of the scale, $9,100 a year, that's certainly a poverty level. the folks in the 1%, i guess you could say, over $400,000, almost $500,000 a year. this has always been a city of extremes, high-level people and very poor people.

it's always been that way as long as i've lived here. the question is, is it worse than it's ever been? it looks like it's as bad as it's ever been. whether it's any worse -- although with the recent economic travails, it's -- [ everyone talking at once ] you always have this. if you look at the washington region, we're doing very well, but if you include the district of columbia in that, it takes a hit a little bit because of the poverty level in the city, and you always have to put that in the figures. >> i think one of the reasons is, and people don't, i think, realize it -- d.c. has, unlike a lot of cities, various layers of power. having lived in detroit, you have the automotive industry. and then after that, you know, you really don't have powerful industries. but here you have government, supreme court, congress. then you have education, we're a media center. and so, all of the people who control these various levels of

power live in the washington, d.c., area. >> area. >> well, but -- >> and in d.c. >> and in d.c. itself. >> i mean, you bring up detroit. you've got people dying to get into d.c. you don't see that in the city of detroit itself. >> and you don't have the layers of power. i mean, this is a town where you can be at a coffee place and standing in line next to the supreme court justice. >> right. >> you don't find that in many cities. >> but there's a danger. the danger is that middle-middle and lower-middle are having a harder and harder time existing in the district of columbia from what statistics tell us and it's getting harder and harder in the future. >> that's a result, yes. >> of the poverty we have. there's a figure you could argue we should really be looking at. how do we maintain a viable middle class in the district of columbia, not just the haves and the have-nots? >> well, it's always been, because i remember in the kennedy administration, i was just going to school and i had a project of doing a survey on the

district on this very issue, and this is what back in the '60s. and what we found was that a man can make $20,000 a year living next door to a man making $100,000 a year, and this was in columbia -- what is now called columbia heights, 14th street, around pot road and all. >> sure. >> but there was this roller coaster of incomes within one neighborhood. >> but that's not the case now because we've got this thing called gentrification that is taking over a lot of the poorer cities. and you know what's ironic? those with lower income are leaving the city. >> they're leaving the city? >> and going out into -- >> into the other suburbs -- [ everyone talking at once ] >> i kind of made that point to begin with -- >> or being forced into the suburbs. as i mentioned before -- >> we've got just a minute left. >> sure. >> just want to touch on the investigation regarding city officials in d.c. the mayor, again, coming down today, sticking by his story that if his 2010 mayoral campaign did anything illegal, he was not aware of it. >> his problem isn't going to go

away. jeff thompson clearly has a problem by virtue of the lawyer that he's hired. >> this is someone who has contributed to multiple campaigns currently and previous administrations. >> that's right. >> now the fbi has searched his house. they've ratcheted up the campaign and everybody's wondering, what's next? are they getting close to some conclusions? what do they mean for the mayor and his council? it's a story, but the story's going on steroids, man. >> and his defense is going to remain the same -- i didn't know. >> yeah. >> it's ratcheting up. what does that tell you? >> but the buck stops at the top. >> at the top. we're going to have to leave it there. gentlemen, thank you. great to see you again this sunday morning. and thank you for watching. now back to "news4 today." good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 today." i'm erika gonzalez.

>> and i'm angie goff. it is sunday, march 11th, 2012. >> all right, and here's a look at this morning's top stories. today marks one year since a co-worker brutally killed jayna murray at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. family and friends will share memories about murray during an open house this morning. brittany norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murray's murder. the island cafe in the petworth neighborhood is shut down following a stabbing. d.c. police chief cathy lanier used her emergency powers to shut down the restaurant until a hearing. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside the restaurant. he is in the hospital with serious injuries. both mitt romney and rick santorum picked up big wins ahead of tuesday's southern primaries. romney captured wyoming and the u.s. territories while santorum took home kansas. romney still holds a commanding lead in delegates. tuesday features primaries in alabama and mississippi.

virginia's general assembly needs more time to come to a budget agreement. yesterday ended the regular session without a deal on the state budget. democrats are pushing for an extra $450 million in spending. $150 million of that would go toward education and transportation projes, and they're also pushing for money to cover the state's controversial ultrasound bill for women wanting to get abortions. the special session is expected to start march 21st. lawmakers have until july 1st to agree on a deal or face a partial government shutdown. china tortured a prominent writer for what he wrote about the government. now that writer lives in northern virginia and he's talking about the inhumane treatment that forced him out of his country and how he's still trying to make an impact. for most, the flag on the front porch flies for pride.

>> hang a flag there the first day he moved into this house. >> reporter: at ugia's home in gainesville, it's about freedom from fear. >> translator: there is a big difference between the life he has now and the life back home. >> reporter: from his new quiet virginia community, one of china's most famous dissident writers opens up about his abuse. >> he was tortured by secret police, and they physically bent his fingers backwards and slapped his face and stamped his chest. >> reporter: he has boldly criticized chinese leaders in his writings. it was his 11 books and a dear friendship that almost cost him his life. >> the police were threatening him, saying that it would only take them half an hour to dig a hole there to bury him alive. >> reporter: in 2010, eu was detained after his imprisoned friend was awarded the nobel peace prize. the two worked closely together, a relationship that would lead to days of torture, months of monitoring, and eventually, no

more writing. >> he knew that his life is under threat constantly, so he didn't feel safe anymore inside china. >> reporter: in january, eu, his wife and young son were permitted to leave. he thinks officials wanted him out during a presidential transition year. now out of the country, he's still on course, writing two new books, contributing to "the washington post" and staying connected while hoping to make a difference some day back home. >> he feels only in that way could he propel the process of democratization in china. >> one of eu gia's new books criticized china's current president hu jintao, and that will be out in june. while you were sleeping, japan held a moment of silence to mark one year since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit, causing a tsunami.

♪ [ chanting ] >> residents near the damaged nuclear plant in fukushima held a candlelight vigil. the natural disaster created a nuclear crisis that's under control but not completely fixed. 19,000 people died in the disaster. syrian troops launched a new assault on its people in a region that's been the center of an uprising against the syrian president. amateur video posted online showed smoke billowing across the skyline. families left the town while dozens spird at neighborhoods causing explosions. while the fighting raged, u.n. envoy kofi annan met with the syrian president in damascus, but the talks ended with no agreement. a bogus facebook account may have led senior british defense officials to give out personal information. investigators say spies opened a fake account for nato's supreme allied commander, admiral james

stavardes and tricked officers into friending him, allowing access to e-mail addresses, photos and pictures. he was in charge of operations to end moammar gadhafi's reign in libya. officials say that while the spies didn't steal any classified information, the incident is embarrassing. all right, well, we are heading into another pivotal week in politics. >> that's right. up next, "meet the press" moderator david gregory will join us in our studio to give us his perspective on the gop race for president. plus -- why people treated this caravan with rock star status at 4:00 in the morning as it rolled into one city. hi, i'm eun yang. wake up with "news4 today" on monday morning. we'll get you ready for all the madness that comes with march. we'll break down the ncaa tournament brackets and tell you who your favorite team is playing and where. plus, the news to get you ready

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good morning, everyone. we are just days away from another key race in the republican race for the presidency. >> on tuesday, the candidates will be put to the test in the southern states. >> that's right, and joining us to talk about what's ahead is the moderator of nbc's "meet the press," david gregory. david, good morning. >> good morning. >> thanks so much for joining us. >> sure. >> so, we're coming into tuesday's southern primaries. romney's got about what, maybe 300-plus delegates, gingrich with about 112. will alabama and mississippi really make that much of a difference for gingrich when the margin there is just -- i mean, the gap is really expanding. >> it's a different threshold. i think for gingrich, if he's going to remain as something of

a southern candidate, then he's got to actually do well in the south beyond georgia, and he hasn't shown that he's able to do that. romney has a big test. he'd like to show he's got some ability to compete in the south. he hasn't demonstrated that. the momentum in the south is really with rick santorum. he won the kansas caucus yesterday, so he's got some momentum on the calendar over the next ten days. i think the big test overall will be illinois coming up later in the month. but again, the southern primaries are important and you're seeing romney down there because he'd love to be able to show up big in one or both of those to show that he's got some staying power and expand that base of support. >> you mentioned rick santorum. we know right now he's not leading the polls in both of those states. >> right. >> but if he were to pull something off here, are these the races where he knocks newt gingrich out and he becomes that lone contender to challenge mitt romney? >> there's already pressure for gingrich to get out, and i do think that these southern primaries will be important. one of the questions i'd like to ask him this morning is what ultimately will tip the scales?

he's got to raise more money. there's some signs that he's doing that. this becomes a question of will for gingrich. what's going to force him out? but there's no question, if you look at the polling, that santorum in many ways deserves to have a one-on-one shot with mitt romney, because if you look at the polling, he does pretty well there. but the delegate math, gingrich has more delegates at the moment. depending how you want to argue this, the reality is the conservative vote gets split if both santorum and gingrich remain in the race. >> david, at what point does this hurt the gop race? at what point should these candidates say i'm going to bow out gracefully, it's time to go? i know i said i was going to stick it through until the end, but it's time to go? is this hurting the gop race? >> well, i think there's maybe other issues that are hurting the gop brand, and that's some of the debate, whether it's focused on contraception or other social issues. i think when they get away from the economy, that probably hurts the brand overall. i'm not a big believer that they're going to be hobbled just because they're in a tight competition. i mean, you saw clinton and

obama go through a lot in 2008, and that was an extended period. i think the bigger problem is that romney as a front-runner still remains fragile, still remains rather narrow in his base of support. i think he's got to do better as he faces the prospect of becoming the nominee. >> and really a win in either of these states would show that he, perhaps, might be able to have that ablt ility to rally the evangelical voters. >> the calendar doesn't favor him. >> coming up on the show, rick santorum is back. >> rick santorum and governors mcdonnell and o'malley, local voices, for sure. we'll talk about the fall campaign and some of the issues at stake there, including the economy. then we'll talk a little bit more about civility in politics on our roundtable. >> really? >> yeah. >> that should be interesting. >> yeah, exactly. and i want to mention, on hbo last night was "game change," a terrific movie about the '08 race. >> yes. >> and we've got the guys who wrote the book on "press pass" right after "meet the press" this morning. >> should be good. david gregory, "meet the press," thanks so much.

see you in a bit. >> thanks. and turning our eyes over to chuck. >> yes. >> it's been -- [ laughter ] >> yes? >> i think we've got a shot of you somewhere. >> somewhere. i'm over here. >> pretty cold out there, but you said that things are going to heat up. >> yes. >> and boy, are we in for a rebound midweek. >> we've taken a vote around here and no one wanted to deal with the month of march. you know, lions and all that other stuff. so we're going to skip ahead to the month of may and we'll deal with it that way. but you need to be aware, the seven-day forecast may be bad news for allergy sufferers. so, we'll give you all that coming up next. people! look at you!

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the time right now is 6:48. have you remembered to spring

forward? >> that's right, 6:48. it's not 5:48. earlier this morning, almost everybody lost an hour of sleep. it's hard to say. because of daylight saving time. so, from 1:59 to 3:00 a.m. this morning, everyone except for those in hawaii and arizona made the switch. this small change could have a big effect on your safety on the roads come monday morning. why? well, aaa says one in six crashes involving drowsy driver. so, be sure and grab some extra zs tonight. everybody says that, i'm going to get a nap, i'm going to get a nap. it never happens. >> nope! >> never happens. >> you're right. well, daylight saving is also a great time to keep your entire family safe. fire departments recommend you change out the batteries in your smoke detectors today. prince george's county fire chief mark was sure with with us yesterday morning. he says families should also agree on a plan in case of an emergency.

>> home escape plans are critical. you know, everybody thinks they can handle it, but when that situation hits, your mind is going in a million different directions. so not only come up with a plan, but practice it. at first of the month when you check your alarm, practice your escape plan as well. >> bashoor says 900 people would be saved every year from house fires if they replaced their batteries on time. and if you recall, he said just this week he had a situation where the smoke alarm wasn't working and a dog woke up the family and was able to save them. >> that's right. >> so, very close call there. >> good to have a dog that would wake you up. my dog -- >> nicholas. >> that's a different story. >> good old nicholas at 15 1/2, the old dachshund isn't quite the alarm clock he used to be. >> that's all right. >> he's more interested in rolling over, taking another nap. >> he'd be snoozing. >> you deal with the fire, i'll be right here. you come get me. >> you've just got to remember to change your batteries, right? >> well, we have already sprung forward. it's a cold start outside first thing this morning as well, so sort of be ready for that on your sunday morning as you head out for sunday services or just

to walk the dog, take the bike ride, go for your morning run. yes, indeed, a little dark outside this morning, but the sun will be up, oh, a little less than 35 minutes or so from now. 7:25 the sun comes up. it is now 6:51 on your sunday morning. so, you figure that out, that's not too terribly far away, 34 minutes, something like that. clear skies overhead, 37 degrees now at national airport. light breeze now from the south averaging 7 miles per hour. southerly breezes today means that's the beginning of our warming trend. yesterday we only made 50 degrees, a rare occurrence this winter where we had a subaverage high temperature. 25 now in martinsburg and charlestown, up in the panhandle of west virginia, front royal, winchester, towards toms brook in the upper 20s. closer to the 30-degree mark in the close-in suburbs. but for everybody, it's going to be 100% sunshine today. temperatures areawide up into the low 40s by 10:00, into the low 60s for highs this afternoon and back into the upper 50s by 6:00 tonight.

your hometown 4-cast, front royal, virginia starting off at 27 degrees this morning. bright sunshine, climbing up to 63 for a high in front royal today. then clear skies tonight. another chilly start tomorrow morning but nowhere near as cold. start-off temperatures tomorrow in the mid-30s. so, today on storm4 doppler, you can almost turn the radar off. nothing but clear skies. no precip anywhere close to us. all the rain is in the middle of the country, kansas, oklahoma, arkansas, louisiana, texas all getting wet today. that moisture is part of a very large and complex storm system which is going to bring changes to our weather, most of which i think you'll appreciate. high pressure heading off the eastern seaboard today will make it sunny and mild today. that big area of low pressure is headed up into the western part of the great lakes. so, as it races northbound it pulls most of the moisture with it, but out ahead of it, we'll have generally dry weather for most of the day tomorrow. but what you're really going to notice is the warming trend. a chance for a couple late-day showers, maybe a rumble or two

of thunder late monday night into the front half of tuesday, but really not much to complain about. sunny today, warmer, highs into the upper 50s and low 60s. tomorrow, back to work, everybody. morning sunshine giving way to some clouds monday afternoon. a risk of a few showers, but probably not until after the sun goes down. best chances for rain, sunset monday night to about sunrise on tuesday morning. tuesday afternoon, oh, southerly breezes, yes, indeed! up into the mid-70s we will go. i think wednesday and thursday, i mentioned this yesterday, but i do think that somewhere in virginia we'll touch 80 degrees for the first time -- >> you are kidding. >> oh, no, no. >> wow. >> it's going to be really warm. if we have 65 here, it will easily reach 80 along the virginia border. >> time to break out the spf. >> yes, it is. >> i was going to say, time to hit -- >> spf? come on! >> all right. all right, thanks a lot. moving on this morning. some news to watch out for. drivers who go through upper northeast washington may need to

add some extra time to their commute. that's because road crews are preparing to shut down the ramp from eastbound riggs road to southbound south dakota avenue. the closure will be permanent. crews will add another lane so drivers can make a right turn from riggs on to south dakota. a popular ice skating rink in pentagon city will soon get a little bigger. the arlington county board approved a plan to expand the rink by 40 feet at the pentagon row shops. they also agreed to add another month to the rink's operating season. the measure calls for new landscaping, seating, and get this, a fire pit. all the upgrades should be completed by the fall of next year. well, there is a pretty big rock star in los angeles this weekend, not the one that you would think. it's a 340-ton granite boulder that has made its way to tinseltown. it's part of the new exhibit at the l.a. museum of art. nbc's craig melvin explains.

>> reporter: a predawn welcome for a 340-ton party magnet. >> everyone started cheering and screaming. >> it's a new rock star. >> reporter: in a city of stars, this rolling rock has perhaps become the biggest. it's as if these people don't even know it's 4:00 a.m. in los angeles. >> quite bizarre, absolutely, and immensely unique. >> reporter: for the shrink-wrapped rock, it was a tricky 105-mile journal grey a desert foray through four counties and 22 cities. a custom-made 174-wheel trailer two football fields long, taking up three lanes of traffic, prepped along at 5 miles an hour, narrowly missing bridges and power lines. >> we had places where we had absolutely no room, our tires were right up to the side of curbs. >> reporter: for 11 days, side shows and spectacles followed. ♪ 20,000 played and posed with it over in long beach. >> whoo! >> reporter: one man used it to propose in riverside county.

>> maybe that rock wouldn't fit on your finger, but maybe this one will. will you marry me? >> reporter: in a few weeks, it will be hoisted into place at the los angeles museum of art, where it will become the centerpiece of an exhibit called "levitated mass." >> this beautiful, pyramidal 340-ton piece of california granite will sit lightly on those two walls, such that it will sort of float. >> this rock will be here forever. so, when she's older, she'll be able to walk under the rock with her kids. >> reporter: and maybe remember when a chunk of ancient history rolled into town and became art. craig melvin, nbc news, los angeles. >> am i the only one that's like, it's a rock. y you. >> you just took the words out of my mouth. >> it's a rock, people. >> we want this kind of a rock. all right, some of the area's strongest men and women gathered to push, pull, flex and show off their muscles. >> that's right. it was all about a gun show. it was part of the second annual capitol classic strongman

challenge. some of these goliaths lifted items as heavy as 700 pounds. the winners in each class qualified for the north american strongman competition later this year. good for them. 700 pounds. see, lift that boulder and then come talk to me. >> exactly right. >> all right, there's still more "news4 today" after the break, everyone. >> that's right, and also, news4's "viewpoint," so stay with us.

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good morning, everyone. i'm erika gonzalez. >> and i'm angie goff. welcome to "news4 today" on this sunday, march 11th, 2012. happy daylight saving. >> ah! i think you're the only one saying happy. >> a lot of people -- you have to focus on the positives in this world, and the nice thing is, we get our daylight back at the end of the day. so, now eating dinner outside becomes that much easier. >> well, when you have 70-degree temperatures to go along with it, and we will this week. >> yes, indeed! no complaints at all. march is as good as done. we're moving straight into may,

no doubt about that. temperatures today will feel like april, but tomorrow they will feel like may, and most of the upcoming week not going to feel like march at all. clear sky out there this morning. it's cold. if you like cold, get outside fast and enjoy it because this little chill in the air won't last long. 36 in town, 30 waldorf and la plata, charlotte hall, all below freezing this morning. stafford, fredericksburg, dale city and triangle also below freezing. nothing showing up on radar. we'll have near 100% sunshine today. your hometown 4-cast in annapolis, maryland, off into the upper 40s and low 50s currently, up to near 60 degrees today. i think it will be a little cooler alongside of the bay and back down into the 40s tonight. so, mostly sunny today. enjoy. warmer than yesterday. about a 10 to 12-degree improvement over yesterday. and tomorrow, another 10 to 12 degrees on top of that will put us 60s today and 70s tomorrow. and that's where we're going to stay most of the week. chance of a shower late monday, early tuesday. we'll talk about that in the seven-day in a little bit. >> all right, thank you, chuck. here's a look at this

morning's top stories. today marks one year since a co-worker brutally killed jayna murray at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. family and friends will share memories about murray during an open house this morning. brittany norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murray's murder. the island cafe in the petworth neighborhood is shut down following a stabbing. d.c. police chief cathy lanier used her emergency powers to shut down the restaurant until a hearing. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside the restaurant. he is in the hospital with serious injuries. both mitt romney and rick santorum picked up wins ahead of tuesday's southern primaries. romney captured wyoming and the u.s. territories while santorum took home kansas. romney holds a commanding lead in delegates. tuesday's primaries are in alabama and mississippi. and those are some of the stories making news early this sunday morning.

next is nbc 4's "viewpoint." >> and we'll be back in just a few minutes with an update. good morning. welcome to "viewpoint." i'm pat lawson muse. the greater washington hispanic chamber of commerce will host its third annual business expo coming up this week, bringing together business and civic leaders from around the region to discuss successes and strategies and challenges in the hispanic latino business communities. our guests are angela franco, who is president and ceo of the chamber, jerry godlin is a business development specialist with montgomery county department's economic development, and christina mossi is ceo of divas inc., a tech company contracted by the white house to develop, register and train and put veterans to work. >> yes. >> welcome all of you to "viewpoint" this morning. >> thank you. >> let's start with the challenges. how do the challenges facing small hispanic and latino businesses differ from the challenges facing any other small business in this economy?

angela? >> well, i would say there are a couple of things. the first one is that is a new community. when you move to a different country, you have to learn the language, you have to learn the people, you have to learn the processes. and second is access to capital. because you have very low credit history, i mean, very little history, and getting access to capital, it takes a while, where you build your history, you build your credit. and i think those are the two biggest challenges that our community faces. >> and in which areas are we seeing some of the fastest growth? because we understand that the businesses in these communities are growing. jerry? >> i would say what i've seen is in the professional services, because the sales cycle is a lot shorter. you know, you can start up, for example, an accounting business, have a few clients and then start building within 30 days and receiving your accounts receivables. but being in the area that we are, you also see a lot of

high-tech -- we're in the bio area, biotechnology area as well. but at the end of the day, professional services companies are the ones that generate the most jobs. >> christina, you run a high-tech company. >> yes, i do. >> you're part of a growing trend. tell us what your company does. >> well, we do a lot of i.t. support for the federal government. that is websites, web systems, databases, all sorts of programs that they need to run their business, in essence, in a better way, more efficient way. and we work with several agencies. and most recently, we did some work in trying to launch the job veteran bank, job bank initiative, which, hopefully, will help veterans find jobs. >> and that's the partnership you have with the white house. >> yes, that's correct. >> that must be pretty exciting. >> it is very exciting. >> i imagine a lot of companies would love to be in your place. >> yes. there are many companies that were hoping, but we were at the right place at the right time.

we do a lot of work with veterans administration already and the white house, and this initiative was happening, veterans day was coming up, and they needed something, and we just said we'll do it, you know? >> all the pieces came together. >> it all came together. >> the perfect storm for you. >> yes. >> how many employees do you have? >> we have about 70 employees right now, yes. and you know, we've been fairly stable in this market, which is a good thing, and we continue to see a lot of work. we still continue to see a lot of activity in the i.t. side of things. in the federal government, i know it's going to shrink, but we still have a lot of work to do. >> according to the "washington business journal," roughly 10% of businesses in this region were owned by latinos and hispanics last year. how much growth does that represent? >> in terms -- well, i have some statistics here to share. these are the last statistics

that we have from 2002 to 2007. but basically, hispanic business owners grew 54% while other businesses were growing 21%. and based on some information, some of the statistics and information put out, there is 30% more probability of immigrants building a business because they have the risk involved in their lives. so, when they move here, they are more pro penced to open a business, to build a business. >> so, they don't mind the challenge. >> they don't mind the challenge. it's that moving and beginning a new life in itself is a challenge. so, it's like, what else do we have to lose? you can take all the risk you need to take. >> why not do that? jerry? >> think about it, we come to this country with minimal or few resources, so we're all start-ups on an individual basis, so we're used to -- and this goes for all the immigrant communities, actually. but as angela said, we're three

times more likely to start a business. the census revealed this, 2010, in the general population. so, we're on a personal level all start-ups when we come to the u.s. so, we're a risk -- >> tolerance. >> -- our risk tolerance is higher, so that's part of the reason. >> okay, interesting. we'll continue our discussion about hispanic and latino businesses in the washington community after this break. stay with us.

welcome back. we're talking about small businesses, small hispanic, latino businesses here in the washington area, which are growing. and aren't they grewing, by comparison to the population, are they sort of matching those numbers? we're seeing phenomenal growth in the hispanic populations in

this region. in 2010, the population increased 43%, which is four times the national growth rate. >> right. yeah, it has grown a lot, and a lot of -- well, we were just talking about it. a lot of people who move to this country, i mean, hispanic/latinos or any immigrant community, they're more propensed to build their own business. it's a learning process and businesses grow, and sometimes they bring people to work at their companies. they bring other latinos, hispanic to work with them. >> and in terms of trends, jerry and christina, are we seeing more mom-and-pops or fewer mom-and-pop businesses? >> well, there's another dynamic i want to point out in the hispanic business community, whereas in a lot of sectors, people start a business and they do one thing and one thing only. the hispanic business communities see a lot of portfolio entrepreneurs, where they have a restaurant and they own a couple buildings. they may have a representation from a product from their home

country, sell it here in the u.s. so, that's a little bit of a different dynamic. and yes, there are a lot of growth in different sectors. part of the challenge is navigating through the system. of course, we've seen a fair amount of flameouts as well, unfortunately, but there's always been growth. i personally think this is one of the sectors that will help the u.s. get out of its fiscal situation we're in right now. >> christina, what was one of the biggest challenges you faced? >> i think one of the biggest challenges is, well, we do federal contracting, and federal contracting is not an easy thing to do. it's not a mom-and-pop, you were talking about that. that's not the first thing that jumps to mind when you're thinking i'm going to start a new business. but i was lucky in that i worked with this company initially, and the way i got to being the owner is i bought in over time, which is maybe a the momodel that not of people do. but getting the money to buy, you know, a business and really set it up, i think that's

probably the biggest hurdle. and going to a traditional bank is not going to do it. i mean, in the end, the loan has to be a personal loan. and if you don't have anything to back it up, you know, it's just not going to happen. >> isn't that true of most small businesses, though? >> it is. it is. i mean, and i worked in banks for many years. all my career was in banking. and basically, they take a look at the whole picture of a person, and this is the belief that -- and i agree with that -- that when you're opening a business and you're the owner, you have to guarantee the loan of your business. but yes, they take a look at your credit, they take a look at your cash flow, they want to make sure that you have collateral, and then the source of repayment is going to be the business and then what's going to be the second source of repayment? and a lot of people, that's their source of payment and that's their source of living. so, yes. and the other big factor there is credit history, because when you begin credit, i mean, you begin with whatever, you begin

with a $500 credit card. i began with a $2,500 credit card, my credit. and then with time, you begin building your history, i mean, your score, but it takes time. so, if a person opens a business like two or three years after they moved here, their probability of getting a loan is minimal. >> and of course, we've seen credit regulations tightened in recent years because of the mortgage crisis. how is that impacting the picture here? >> well, another thing, another trend or dynamic in the hispanic community is there's more of a tendency to bootstrap it on your own. as angela pointed out before, this is a first community, fi t first-generation community, starting to become a second-generation community. in latin american countries, it's a thing of honor not to owe money to anyone. no debt.

here, the higher your credit line, the more status, basically. so, that's part of the education process of making people aware that the access to credit capital here in the u.s. is easier. however, the credit crunch has become, has made that more challenging, and that's why it's important to establish good relationships with banking institutions and other nontraditional lenders. >> christina, you weathered the downturn pretty well. >> yes. yes, i did. i was pretty lucky. i think i have a great staff and we have great clients and we do a lot of keeping the client happy is pretty much our focus. and i think that is really what has kept us going through the hard times is the personal relationships that we've built over time and the confidence and trust that our clients have in us is a key element. >> all right. we've got to take a break, but we'll continue our talk right after this. [ female announcer ] with xfinity,

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good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. here are some of the stories we're following this sunday morning. today marks one year since a co-worker brutally killed jayna murray at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. family and friends will share memories about murray during an open house this morning. brittany norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murray's murder. the island cafe in the petworth neighborhood is shut down following a stabbing. d.c. police chief cathy lanier used her emergency powers to shut down the restaurant until a hearing. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside the restaurant. he is in the hospital with serious injuries. both mitt romney and rick santorum picked up wins ahead of tuesday's southern primaries. romney captured wyoming and the u.s. territories, while santorum took home kansas. we'll be back in 15 minutes with more news. but for now, back to "viewpoint."

welcome back. we're talking about small businesses this morning, and i want to go to montgomery county. jerry, there has been tremendous growth in the silver spring/white oak areas. talk about the kind of growth that you're seeing there and about the programs that montgomery county's put into place to help these small businesses. >> certainly. like in the silver spring -- it's been a planned process, and it has to be. it has to be a several-year, near-term/long-term process for it to work, as we've seen in silver spring, the revitalization of the downtown area. that's moving north to the areas you've mentioned, and now wheaton is becoming a priority area as well. that's the next, one of the next priority areas in the county. >> so, it's primarily retail? >> in silver spring, as you've seen, yes, but we also have, for example, we've been able to attract discovery communications, we have afi silver in fill more that just opened recently, but as you've seen, there's a lot of retail

there. a lot of the programs, or some of the programs that the county has, montgomery county has to support the growth of these businesses is, for example, specifically in the program that i've helped to develop and manage is our business incubator program, where we now have five, we call them innovation centers, located geographically throughout the county, and we basically provide business support services, shared use of conference rooms, office spaces, wet labs, clean rooms, and most importantly, business technical assistance to help in the commercialization process of those companies. >> and how do the programs that montgomery county is providing compare with programs in other areas where we've seen, you know, rapid growth in the hispanic and latino communities as well as the businesses, like the district, arlington, fairfax county? >> well, in the district, there are different programs through the slbd, and the chamber provides interpretation. for example, we're talking about specifically hispanic community. the chamber has a program through the mayor's office on

latino affairs where we provide assistance one on one to clients, plus education. in arlington, we also have a program with arlington economic development corporation that is provided in spanish. we have a person providing assistance all the time, thus we have education. >> let's talk about unemployment. it's very high in the african-american community, it's high among youth. you're experiencing an increase in the growth of businesses, and there's an increase in population. what about the unemployment rate? are these growing businesses hiring, you know, people from the hispanic and latino communities? >> well, we have seen a lot of growth in terms of companies demanding bi-lingual people. that, for sure. not necessarily hispanic, but bi-lingual. and in the chamber, we created a database where people can post their positions if they're looking for bi-lingual people.

however, the unemployment rate has grown as well in the hispanic community. >> what are your strategies? >> what a time to start a business. >> yes. >> perfect time to start a business, be creative. >> exactly. the reality is, and it's not just, for example, the recently arrived immigrant. it's professional sectors as well. but the reality is that many of america's large companies, traditional companies, were started during the great depression or in severe fiscally challenging times. so, that's where we are, though we're starting to see indications that we're slowly growing out of it. but as i've stated before, it's a good time to explore that option, start a business. >> but what's your advice to people who are looking for work? i mean, there are a lot of folks looking for work. and you know, i think there are stores like home depot, lowe's, where you generally see a lot of day workers. i used to see them a lot in oxon hill, for example. i don't see as many people standing out there anymore, and

i'm wondering if they've given up or have they gone someplace else to look for work? >> i think it's a bit of both. as we know, some of the unemployment numbers may actually be a little bit higher, because after i think six -- i forget the economic metric -- but i think after six months, they just basically fall off the count. so, i think what you mentioned, i think there's a bit of both and also initiatives by organizations to help centralize and find better ways for these laborers to find work and be placed. >> what kind of advice would you offer to folks who are looking for jobs? >> i would say, well, technology field. we actually have a hard time hiring because we don't find the talent. so, it's actually a very -- it's kind of cruel, actually, that

there's so many people unemployed and sometimes we have a position, we can't fill it. and it's because it's the very specific technical expertise is not there, and the hispanic community has not traditionally been about math and science. so, i think in particular, our community doesn't get to have that opportunity, and i know there's a lot of initiatives to try to get people with math, technology backgrounds, you know, pushed through high school. hopefully, that will create the next-generation of our i.t. workforce, because right now, it's really competitive right now, and especially in the d.c. area. >> all right. we've got to take a break, but we'll continue right after this. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] no success is overnight. ♪ it's about working harder. ♪ and smarter. ♪ it's the culmination of a million decisions. it's where you see yourself going

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welcome back. we continue our discussion now. i want to move to street vendors. they make up a large percentage of the small latino businesses. and then many street vendors,

and this is a sensitive topic in this area, they're facing pressure in communities like adams morgan and columbia heights and georgetown. talk about some of these pressures. >> well, it is street vendors, basically, are companies that want to start a business in some way. so, it's a great way of putting their name out, to begin selling, to begin getting some income. but at the same time, businesses feel that it's not fair to have a street vendor because they have to pay for their store, they have to pay for electricity, taxes and -- >> they're competing for the same customers. >> and they're competing. so i mean, i would say that there is an agreement of certain days that street vendors can stay there, certain hours, and everybody's in agreement and comfortable and maybe not competing in the products or services they're selling. it's a great way of helping entrepreneurs to grow. >> do you think it would be better to have them all on the mall? >> i'm not certain. i know in silver spring, they're sorting out through how to best

handle the street vendors and competing with national retailers, but there's -- in montgomery county, of course, there's a permitting process involved. >> what are the most popular traits? we talked a little, a moment ago, about day workers who were either looking for work or fallen off the map, off the grid. but when you talk about trades, it will take a long time to get some folks through school to teach them the high-tech business, but what about other trades that can be learned more quickly? >> construction is something that, for example, spanish catholic center, they have courses, six weeks, eight-week courses, something that they graduate and they can begin working. restaurants -- >> yeah, health care also is offering a lot of unique careers, dental assistants,

dental hygienists. coding is a huge area where there's demand, and the training is relatively short and the person can be placed into an office where there's a lot of demand. and this is for insurance purposes. you know, this treatment has specific code and so forth. so, that's an area where there's a large demand and growth potential. >> tell us about the expo. now it's coming up this week, on the 15th? >> yes, yes. it's the third year that we've put it together. basically, the expo was created to have opportunities for businesses. so, what we have there are organizations that support business in terms of incorpor e incorporating a business plan and we have organizations that certify businesses like the maryland supplied development council. then we have as part of the expo match-making, that basically, we match suppliers and buyers. and then we're going to have business reception at the end that we're going to showcase

more latin american restaurants and we have educational seminars throughout the day about social media, hispanic media, where it's a better place to incorporate maryland, d.c. or virginia, or what's based on your company, what you want to do, what is the best place to incorporate. so, we try to cover, like all levels, entry level, medium-sized companies, large companies, and also covering the metropolitan area of washington, d.c. >> good place to be if you want to start a business? >> montgomery county, maryland. the ideal place. and not just because i'm from there and i work there, but it's -- if you look at the entrepreneurial climate we've established there, it makes sense, and because of our location as well. it's, as i stated, the ideal location to start a business and stay and grow your business. >> christina, when you decided you wanted to start your business, did you have to choose a spot, the location carefully?

>> well, arlington made sense to me because it's the federal government, it's close by. a lot of our clients were on the same metro line, which is always a good thing. so, our office next to the metro in courthouse was a logical decision. >> all right, so, the expo takes place on the 15th, and what time and where? >> march 15th. it begins at 10:30 and it goes until 7:00. it's free for everybody. you can register online or you can call the office and just register. it's free and we're really working hard. i mean, we have our partners right here, because montgomery county was one of the partners. arlington economic development was another partner. dslbd in washington, d.c., was another partner. so, we've got great players involved and we really, really work hard to have the right people there and the right companies and organizations. >> all right. so, that is the greater washington hispanic chamber of commerce. the third annual business expo. here's the information on your screen. logon to www.gwhcc.org, and

there is the number, 202-728-0352. i'm sure you can get a lot out of that. >> yes. >> a lot of businesses will get a lot of help. >> yes, they will. >> thank you all for joining us, angelo franco, jerry god win and christina mossie. stay with us. "news4 today" continues. good morning, everybody. i'm angie goff. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. welcome to "news4 today" on this sunday, march 11th, 2012. >> let's take a look at this morning's top stories. two more suspicious letters containing white powder showed up at a d.c. restaurant. hazmat crews shut down the blt steak restaurant on i street northwest yesterday for a few

hours, but eventually determined the powder was harmless. a year ago today, a co-worker brutally killed jayna murray at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. later this morning, family and friends will share memories about murray during an open house at the store. the jury convicted brittany norwood for murray's murder. she is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. the island cafe in the petworth neighborhood is shut down following a stabbing. d.c. police chief cathy lanier used her emergency powers to shut down the restaurant until wednesday evening. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside the restaurant. he is in the hospital with serious injuries. both mitt romney and rick santorum gained momentum ahead of two crucial primaries on tuesday. yesterday, santorum won kansas's caucuses, capturing at least 20 of the state's 40 delegates. romney took home some smaller victories, winning the u.s. territories as well as wyoming's

caucus, which actually voted last week. santorum is currently third in polling in alabama behind romney and newt gingrich. he's also third in mississippi with gingrich holding a slight lead over romney before tuesday's caucuses. santorum and romney's victories does little to change the delegates standings. take a look. romney has a commanding lead with 377 delegates, more than the other three candidates combined. santorum has 146, gingrich at 112 and ron paul at just 31. the challengers need 1,144 delegates to secure the republican nomination. with just a couple days until alabama and mississippi, each candidate is hoping to capture the southern states. nbc's david gregory joined us earlier today and says for romney, santorum and gingrich, a win for them on tuesday would mean very different things. >> it's a different threshold. i think for gingrich, if he's going to remain as something of a southern candidate, then he's

got to actually do well in the south beyond georgia, and he hasn't shown that he's able to do that. romney has a big test. he'd like to show he's got some ability to compete in the south. he hasn't demonstrated that yet. the momentum in the south is really with rick santorum. he won the kansas caucus yesterday. so, he's got some of the momentum over the count over the next ten days. >> be sure to tune in to "meet the press" at 10:30. david sits down with rick santorum as well as maryland and virginia governors martin o'malley and bob mcdonnell. well, if you like cold weather, maybe you'll get the last opportunities. >> that's right. >> before we make it to summer. >> go outside. that's right. if you like the cold, you need to get out early this morning, because it's a nice, chilly start here to our march morning. this will help slow down springtime just a smidgen, but oh, boy, wait until you see the extended forecast a little later in the show here. right now, it's a clear sky outside, the first rays of sunshine in daylight saving time have now reached the roof of the

jefferson memorial. temperature mid-30s downtown, upper 30s in annapolis right now, but most of the suburbs are below freezing. 27 in new market, maryland, 28 degrees in new market, virginia, 30 in culpeper, virginia, 27 manassas and 30 degrees in falls church and vienna. storm4 radar, nothing to show you this morning. plenty of sunshine on the way. it will be a warmer day today than yesterday. yesterday we made 50 for a high and today i think we'll be over 60, so that's a nice improvement. enjoy it today. tomorrow, morning sunshine giving way to some clouds by your monday afternoon and a chance of a few showers monday night into early tuesday, but monday afternoon looks mild and dry with a high near 70. angie? >> all right, thank you, chuck. virginia lawmakers will need a special legislative session to agree on a state budget. yesterday ended the regular session without a deal. democrats are pushing for an extra $450 million in spending with a chunk of that going towards education and

transportation projects. they're also pushing for money to cover the state's controversial ultrasound bill for women wanting to get abortions. the special session is expected to start march 21st. lawmakers have until july 1st to agree on a deal or face a partial government shutdown. on this day in 1977, more than 130 hostages in d.c. were freed from their captors. this month marks 35 years since a group on a hunt for revenge systematically took over three buildings in the district. it was deadly, scary and an act of terrorism the city had never seen before. news4's pat collins has a look back at the hanafi takeover. >> it was the first major terrorist event in washington, d.c. it was serious. it was incredibly violent and also veerntly anti-semitic. >> four suspects entered the building this morning, first floor, held hostages there. >> reporter: march 9th, 1977.

the city of washington comes to a standstill. hamas abdul khalese, leader of the hanafi muslims, his family murdered by gunmen years earlier. so enraged by their deaths, he tried to take justice into his own hands. >> you know damn well what went down! >> reporter: the takeover. [ sirens ] at the district building, shots fired. reporter maurice williams killed. then councilman marion barry hit in the chest. >> i stepped off the elevator, boom! hit me right on my chest here. it was scary. i was afraid not to breathe, i was afraid to breathe. >> reporter: they moved with military-like precision. they had so many weapons, they needed a u-haul. 9,000 rounds of ammunition. rifles, shotguns, handguns,

machetes, all sorts of knives. there were seven hostage-takers, and they were out for blood. >> women were beaten, they were pistol-whipped, and i heard khalese tell us, whoever we prayed to, we'd better pray to because we're going to be dying today. >> reporter: paul green was one of the 124 hostages. now, after 35 years, he's written a book about it. >> it was an incident that people need to know about. >> reporter: it went on for 40 hours. khalese demanded that the man who murdered his family be released to him so he could kill them. but finally, after three islamic ambassadors met with khalese, he and his followers surrendered. >> hello, i'm jim vance and we're on the air right now because it is over. >> nobody expected this. nobo nobody could understand. you know, we just weren't prepared for any kind of

terrorism, any kind of takeover because we figured we're washington, d.c., our nation's capital. >> it was an incredibly important event to the people who were impacted and a lesson for the world to know. >> reporter: i'm pat collins, news4. >> hamas abdul khalese and his 11 followers were eventually tried and sentenced to long jail terms. khalese himself died at the federal penitentiary in butner, north carolina. he was 83 years old. syrian troops launched a new assault on its people in a new region that's been the center of the uprising against the syrian president. amateur video posted online show smoke billowing across the skyline. dozens of tanks fired at neighborhoods, causing massive explosions. while the fighting raged, u.n. envoy kofi annan met with the syrian president in damascus, but the talks ended with no agreement. meanwhile, family and friends of an american

journalist killed in syria are remembering her today. a wake for maria colvin will happen tonight followed by her funeral service and private burial tomorrow in new york. colvin worked for the british newspaper "the sunday times" for 25 years. she was a war correspondent. she lost an eye while covering the war in sri lanka but she didn't survive the crisis in syria. a rocket hit a make-shift media center, killing colvin and a french photojournalist. colvin was 56 years old. israeli air strikes have reportedly killed at least 17 palestinians in the gaza strip. the attacks began on friday as israeli forces killed a militant commander behind the abduction of an israeli soldier. palestinian militants responded by firing nearly 100 rockets into israel, killing a 12-year-old boy in the process. these attacks are the worst between israel and the palestinians in more than a year, and efforts from egypt to achieve a cease fire have

failed. meanwhile, u.s. air strikes killed at least 18 militants linked to al qaeda in yemen. there are rumors that the attacks were actually carried out by yemen's air force. that has not been confirmed. yemen's air force was responsible for killing 20 al qaeda militants in the southern part of the country. however, yemeni officials say they did not authorize the air strikes and don't have the capacity to carry out those attacks at night. a bogus facebook account may have led senior british defense officials to give out personal information. investigators say spies opened a fake account for nato's supreme allied commander, admiral james staverdis. they then tricked officers into friending him, allowing access to e-mail addresses, phone numbers and pictures. he was in charge of operations to end moammar gadhafi's reign in libya. military officials say that while the spies didn't steal any classified information, the incident is embarrassing. the "uss enterprise" will

set sail on its final voyage. the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was made famous in the film "top gun." for the past 50 years, it's been involved in several wars and played a role in the cuban missile crisis. following its final mission, the navy will decommission the vessel following 51 years of service. >> very cool. well, we are just about 18 minutes away from the 8:00 hour, start of the "today" show, coming up. >> that's right. a traffic alert as d.c. drivers get ready to head back to work tomorrow. plus, 1,700 fire-resistant polo shirts bought in 2010. news4 uncovers why they're sitting in boxes instead of being worn by emergency crews. and caught on camera, a close-up view as a violent tornado touched down. okay, people, let's get started.

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a traffic alert for you this morning. drivers who go through upper northeast washington may need to tack on some extra time for their commute. road crews are preparing to shut down the ramp from eastbound riggs road to southbound south dakota avenue. now, this is a permanent closure. crews will add another lane so drivers can make a right turn from riggs on to south dakota. a popular ice skating rink in pentagon city will soon get a little bigger. the arlington county board approved a plan to expand the rink by 40 feet at the pentagon row shops. they also agreed to add another month to the rink's operating

season. the measure calls for new landscaping, seating and a fire pit. all of the upgrades should be completed by the fall of next year. erika? >> thanks, angie. $70,000 worth of brand-new polo shirts ordered for the d.c. fire department have been sitting in boxes since 2010. those boxes are now in a warehouse gathering dust. news4's darcy spencer explains why the shirts have not been worn. >> reporter: inside this warehouse in northeast d.c. sits $70,000 worth of d.c. fire and ems department polo shirts packed away in boxes. chief kenneth ellerbe says he won't distribute them because sewn on to them is this patch, which was used by the former fire chief. ellerbe wants firefighters and ems workers to wear uniforms affixed with this patch. >> i don't want to waste anything and i don't want to be responsible for something somebody else ordered that they know they're not going to use

either. sometimes there's trickery in terms of one administration to another as well. >> reporter: the 1,700 polo shirts were ordered by former chief dennis rubin, who wanted to phase in the new patch, but they've been gathering dust for about a year. ed smith, president of the union representing d.c. firefighters, explains the difference. this is the patch that's back in use. >> yes, back in use. >> reporter: and what is this one? >> this was the patch under then fire chief dennis rubin that was made official in 2009. >> reporter: the union argues that the shirts, which are fire-resistant, should be worn, not put on the shelf. >> it's been a huge push from our membership for fire-resistive stationwear, and we're not backing off of that. as long as it's provided, these shirts have been provided for by the taxpayers and they should be in use. >> reporter: the issue flared up at a judiciary committee meeting wednesday. chairman phil mendelson was obviously frustrated about getting the run-around about the polo shirts. he says he's been told they didn't even exist.

>> this has been a big rumor. and you know what i mean, there have just been a lot of complaints about it. >> reporter: fire officials say they've received inquiries from d.c.'s inspector general's office about the polos. darcy spencer, "news4 today." >> while the chief said he wants to see if he can get some of the money back or maybe let the department's roughly 100 summer workers use them. councilman mendelson says the issue has become a distraction for the department. it's unclear how it will be resolved. st. patrick's day may be next saturday, but that's not stopping people from celebrating today. there's a st. patrick's day 8k race and parade. drivers may want to avoid downtown washington this morning, however. right now, people are gathering at freedom plaza and the race starts and ends on pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 13th streets northwest. rolling road closures begin at 5:00 this morning and will continue through 1:00 this afternoon. this year's parade theme is feed the soul and nourish the palate.

police will close constitution avenue from 7th street to 17th street for the parade. that is set to begin at noon. the road closures begin at 9:00 this morning and run through 3:00 this afternoon. so, a lot to think about this morning if you're headed downtown. >> that's right. the "today" show is next on nbc 4. it starts at 8:00 and we want to get a preview this morning. >> with lester holt. let's check in with him. >> good morning. coming up on "today," the republican presidential hopefuls are now setting their sights on the south after weekend wins for both rick santorum and mitt romney. we're live from the campaign trail to preview tuesday's crucial primaries in alabama and mississippi. madeleine mccann's cold case reopened. investigators in portugal hope to shed new light on the little girl who's been missing for five years. we'll get details. plus, lottery ticket sellers. seems some clerks are cheating the odds and helping themselves to winning tickets. "dateline's" chris hansen will have the results of his undercover investigation. and dancing machine. the 6-year-old's steps are

becoming an internet sensation. he'll join us in the studio to show off his smooth moves. those stories and much more when jen gentlemna and i see you lat "today." >> smooth moves. chuck? >> it's easier to let loose and dance when you're 6 years old, i'm convinced. >> yeah. >> the older you get, the harder, because you start thinking -- >> yeah, people are judging you and everything. >> exactly. >> all right, well, as far as the weather, no judgment here because it is looking good. >> we're going to do the texas two-step right into springtime around here. wait until you see how fast the weather is going to warm up. your detailed bonuses of sunshine are next.

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take a look at this incredible video of a tornado as it ripped through northern kentucky last week. security cameras caught this ef-3 twister roll by a pharmacy, tossing debris everywhere. the tornado killed six people and left more than 600 displaced as part of last week's deadly round of storms. an amazing video. >> yeah. >> scary stuff. the outbreak of tornadoes displaced nearly two dozen pets. the humane society of

indianapolis is hoping to find new homes for the some pet owners actually had to give up their pets because they no longer have homes. so, those are some of the sad stories that come out of si on the other end, there's a lot of reunions that happen as well. >> right. >> which are also heart-warming stories. >> very true. boy, that would be tough. if you just lost everything else and then had to give up your dog. yikes! >> i know. >> that would be hard. that would be hard stuff. for us, things have gotten a little bit easier around here because springtime is inching its way forward into the washington area already. daffodils are up all over my neighborhood. i don't know about yours. the heissins are up as well. the precynthia bushes are already bright and yellow in and around northwest washington right now. and if you think the flowers are impressive now, put five or six days in a row over 70 on them and see how much more it looks like springtime around here by this time next weekend. outside we go on your sunday morning. a clear sky out there this morning. good-looking start to the day,

but it is a chilly one. still need to get a couple more chill hours in before we're completely done with a little bit of a cold season out there. but look at that bright sun out in our eastern sky this morning. came up a little later than yesterday. no doubt you noticed that. 7:25 was our sunrise this morning. 58 minutes later than it was yesterday, thanks to the clock change. don't forget to change all the other clocks around your world, your watches and also the car clock, the one on the wall, the one in the library you never look at. all those clocks need to be changed today as well as the batteries in your smoke detector. clear skies. 36 now at national airport, so we're off to a chilly start. most of the western burbs, though, below freezing. chantilly and manassas, leesburg, below freezing. mid-20s in the panhandle of west virginia, mid-to-upper 20s across much of the shenandoah valley. good news is it's bright and sunny out there. temperatures will jump into the low 40s by mid to late morning and up into the low 60s for a brief time this afternoon with plenty of sunshine out there. sun does not go down until 12

minutes after 7:00. your hometown 4-cast, front royal, virginia, starting off below freezing, but at least the sun's already up. as we go through the rest of the day, temperatures up into the low 60s in front royal for a high temperature today, and then back down into the chilly 30s and 40s by tomorrow morning, but that 38 tomorrow morning is about a 10 or 12-degree improvement over where we are now. storm4 radar, zippo going on around here. all that sunshine. we don't need to worry about anything in the way of rain chances for us today. our next chance for rain is developing out here across the middle of the country. the leading edge of these showers here, i think, is the leading edge of the warmer air, starts to come into our area. we might pick up a shower or two late tomorrow night into early tuesday. i think our best rain chances are going to be from sundown monday to sunrise on tuesday, but rainfall amounts are going to be very, very paltry at best. sunshine for now. let the warming begin. 60s today, near 70 tomorrow and mid-70s for much of the week. here's our futurecast model.

by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, most of the rain chances way out to our west. as we get towards about 7:00 tomorrow night, just as the sun's going down, i think that will be our chance to start seeing a little chance for rain around here. then showery weather late monday night into tuesday before the real warm air moves in for the rest of the week. today then, no complaints at all. mostly sunny, warmer than yesterday, a little bit of a breeze at times, but it will be a south breeze and that will make all the difference. highs today upper 50s to low and mid-60s. then for tomorrow, back to work. another outdoor recess day. kids, it's going to be outdoor recess every day this week, just in case you were wondering. morning sunshine tomorrow giving way to some cloud cover in the afternoon and a few showers possible late in the day. you'll remember monday, though, as being mostly just sunny and mild and dry. up near 70 tomorrow. that will feel cold by comparison, because we'll be in the mid-70s for tuesday, wednesday and thursday. could even see upper 70s around the metropolitan area as we get into thursday. somewhere in virginia i think we'll touch 80 degrees, either wednesday and/or thursday this

week. so, mild, mild, mild are the three best ways to describe this upcoming week. you can always stay ahead of the forecast and ahead of spring fever by calling me on twitter, @chuckbell4. come into the website. i've got my calibrated tree. i have chosen a secret tree alongside the tidal basin and i'm taking a picture of the blossoms every day or so and putting it on the website. >> i love that. >> we'll eventually be able to show a time lapse of the flowers. >> you're thinking things will be blooming early. >> five or six 70-degree days in a row? look out! >> thanks, chuck. boston, the productivity in your office is about to crash this week as selection sunday tonight kicks off the ncaa tournament. >> march madness, can you feel it? today we're going to find out where the georgetown men and women as well as the maryland women's team ranks ahead of the big dance. one team that most likely won't be dancing is the howard university's women's team. the bison had a chance for an automatic bid last night in the meac championship but fell to

hampton by just one point. as quarterback peyton manning prepares to select his new team, his old team is saying thanks. the indianapolis colts added a poster of manning on to the wall of lucas oil stadium thanking him for his years with the team. manning helped lead the colts to a super bowl title in 2006 and leads the team in almost every offensive category. he was released earlier this week after 14 seasons in indianapolis and is currently a free agent. okay, music fans, listen up. we are down to the duet battles this week on nbc's hit show "the voice." ♪ ooh, baby, give me one more chance ♪ >> and you recognize that face, i'm sure. a gaithersburg woman is among the contestants. erin willette is her name. and on monday, the soulful singer will join me and big tigger here in the studio on "news4" at 4:00 p.m.

then you can see "the voice" monday night. it airs at 8:00 at night on nbc 4, right here on this channel. and during the show, big tigger and myself, we're going to be online, computer in hand, live web-chatting throughout the entire thing. and we hope that everybody will join us as well. and it's really, really fun. we get in there and we critique the performances. and what's even better is erin, who you saw there, along with the shields brothers who are from virginia, but grew up around the bethesda area, they join us in the chat and kind of give us behind-the-scenes perspective. >> love the behind-the-scenes! that's good stuff. >> absolutely. we hope to see you online. >> that's it for "news4 today." we'll be back in 25 minutes with another update. [ female announcer ] with xfinity, you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too. plus more speed from america's fastest internet provider. so you can run more devices at the same time.