here in washington this afternoon saying they do welcome the screwed knee. in the meantime they will see if the shooter will face charges. 28-year-old george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, who shot and killed an unarmed teen last month has not been charged in the killing, but officials have announced that the justice department and a florida grand jury will look into the shooting. >> this is a tragedy that as you hear as a parent, as a parent myself, no parent wants to hear that their son has been killed. we are very interested in making sure a thorough, independent investigation is done so that justice prevails. >> reporter: 17-year-old trayvon martin was shot and killed during a confrontation with zimmerman. the black teen was wearing a hoodie walking back to his father's house with a bag of skittles and an iced tea. critics say the shooting was racially motivated. zimmerman says he felt threatened and shot the teen in self defense. >> i am tired of burying black boys. i am tired of burying them.

i've buried so many and paid for their funerals and attended their funerals and cried so many tears for them, i cannot even explain how sad this makes me. >> reporter: an attorney for the teen's family says martin was on the phone with his girlfriend before he was shot and indicated he was being followed and repeatedly asked why he was in the neighborhood. >> the dots have all been connected. arrest george zimmerman for the killing of trayvon martin in cold blood today. >> reporter: the grand jury is expected to consider evidence in the shooting, starting on april 10th. sanford officials say this case has obviously raised tensions there. the justice department is bringing in resources to ensure the situation does not become violent. civil rights activist al sharpton is expected to join sanford city leaders at a town hall meeting this evening to discuss this investigation. reporting live from the

newsroom, darcy spencer, news 4. a 16-year-old girl has been assaulted walking home from whitson high school. it happened yesterday around 4:00 on a popular path near pickett road. that is just three miles away from another sexual assault last week. in the latest case the girl says the man grabbed her neck and dragged her into the woods. there was a struggle, she screamed and he ran off. the victim ran to a nearby house to get help. police are trying to figure out if the attacks are connected. there is a new lawsuit over bullying filed in montgomery county today, but the alleged victims are teachers. the accused bully, the principal. news 4's chris gordon is live on the reportedly outrageous actions some teachers say forced them out of their jobs. >> reporter: the teachers tell me they wouldn't have filed this lawsuit here at the montgomery county circuit court if there had been any alternative. but they say for the past four and a half years at their school, things have gone from bad to worse. the teachers and their attorney

filed the lawsuit against the montgomery county board of education for ignoring their complaints against elementary school principal floyd stearns, who they say has created a hostile environment for teachers, staff and students. >> the environment that we work in is completely abusive. our administrator is a bully. >> you know, my wife is a fantastic teacher. i'm very proud of her. i'm so supportive of what she does. for the last few years, she comes home in tears and she goes to school in tears. >> reporter: the attendance secretary who worked in the school office resigned last year. >> i've been there for four years, but the administrator destroyed my -- the environment in the office and i can't stay there for more time. >> reporter: the lawyer says they are suing for money but

really want action. >> we're seeking for the board of education to do what they haven't done for the past four and a half years. step in, get rid of this principal, let these plaintiffs, teachers, be restored to the dignity that they have earned, the respect that they have earned. get rid of the false stories in their files. and let's start off over again and get back to teaching students. >> reporter: principal floyd stearns was not at the kent mill elementary school when i came by this afternoon to ask for a comment, so i left my business card. but the principal has a defender in kelly agregrady. she's had five children attend kent mill, three are currently students, and she serves as the pta vice president. >> i think the teachers and him have the best children of the interests at heart, they may have differences of opinions on how to approach things. >> reporter: do you think mr. stearns is a bully? >> oh, no. i've never experienced him as a bully. >> reporter: the montgomery county board of education this evening issued a written

statement saying it has not been served with a lawsuit and will respond at the appropriate time. and the written statement adds it is unfortunate that a group of people are using the media to make accusations, thus far proven to be false and erroneous against the principal of kent mill elementary school. live at the courthouse, chris gordon, news 4. the latest on a developing story we're following from mexico where a strong 7.4 earthquake has rattled the area near mexico city. the epicenter was about 11 miles underground. it was followed by a 5.1 aftershock. mexican tv showed damage from buildings there. people tried to escape swaying buildings. this area is popular with a lot of spring breakers. no reports of serious damage or injuries. strong storms rumbled

through the region this morning. the lightning is blamed for sparking a fire in the area. no one was injured. chief meteorologist doug kammerer is here with a look at what we can expect next. >> i think we'll see the potential for more storms during the day tomorrow and thursday too, but just like the one that say came through early this morning, not everybody will see those. out there right now, a beautiful day outside and really a perfect evening all across the area. 71 degrees the current temperature out there right now, winds out of the east at 8 miles per hour. it is simply spectacular and will continue to be so. right now 79 in culpeper, 77 in fredericksburg. gaithersburg coming in at 70 degrees. baltimore also at that 70-degree mark. storm 4 radar showing all of that rain is well to our south and west, talking about areas around charlottesville. if you're traveling down i-81 towards roanoke, some big-time storms there so just know that. waking up tol morning to the potential for some fog with temperatures extremely mild, by

about 20 degrees above average. i'll tell you when the pattern change shifts coming up. a maryland national guardsman killed during his deployment to afghanistan was buried with full military honors today. major robert marchanty was laid to rest at arlington national cemetery. last month he was shot in the head during an attack on a government blding in kabul. he is from baltimore. flags in maryland are flying at half staff in his memory today. he was 48 years old and he leaves behind a wife of 24 years and four children. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan says he expects american troops will be out by the end of 2014 as planned. that timetable has been under scrutiny both by critics who believe it's not enough time and by those who want americans out even sooner. but as brian mooar reports, the general fighting the war insists the strategy is on track. >> reporter: despite bloody

setbacks, the afghan military force will be ready to fight on its own by the end of 2014. that is the assessment of the u.s. general fighting the war. >> the force has grown significantly in just a year, but it has also grown in its capabilities. >> reporter: general john allen told the house armed services committee that president obama's 2014 timeline is intact, but he declined to say how quickly american troops will be pulling out. >> i don't have a decision at this point. >> reporter: violent attacks and civilian casualties are down dramatically over the last year, but that does not reflect the anti-western violence that flared after muslim holy books were burned on a u.s. air base. dozens were killed, including 13 nato troops. and at ft. leavenworth, kansas, staff sergeant robert bales faces charges in the rampage that took the lives of 16 afghan civilians. his attorney now says bales doesn't remember what happened. >> it's like if you woke up and didn't realize what you had done

last night and people were telling you that you'd done some really awful things and you had no memory of that. >> reporter: in washington, general allen promised investigations of both the crime and the system. >> the entire command and control process, how he was assigned, why he was assigned. >> reporter: but he says finishing the mission is what matters for the americans who have lived and died in afghanistan. general allen says he plans to give president obama his recommendation on the next phase of troop drawdowns sometime next month. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. it's another day that could prove pivotal in the race for the white house. the republican primary is under way in illinois. mitt romney has had a comfortable lead heading into today and may be helped by a verbal gaffe rick santorum made yesterday. he was arguing that his campaign is focused on smaller, less intrusive government rather than the economy. >> i don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. it doesn't matter to me.

>> i do care about the unemployment rate. it does bother me. i want to get people back to work. >> of course i care about the unemployment rate. i want the unemployment rate to go down. i'm saying my candidacy doesn't hinge on whether the unemployment rate goes up and down. meanwhile, newt gingrich was campaigning in louisiana, the seen of the next primary which takes place on saturday. today the granddaughter of dwight d. eisenhower told congress the family wants some changes in a memorial planned in his honor. susan eisenhower told a congressional subcommittee that the central theme of the design should be eisenhower's contribution to the nation, including his leadership as a world war ii general, a cold war president and a civil rights champion. the family believes the existing plan dilutes that theme. the memorial was designed by the esteemed architect frank geary. he sent word to lawmakers that he's open to changes. the planned memorial will be on independence avenue. up next at 5:00, it was

fast, it was furious. home video rolls as a tornado touches down in texas. tonight people there begin to assess the damage. another fire on a montgomery county ride-on bus. how this blaze was a bit different coming up. and it impacts one out of every 100 newborns, but detection is the key.

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hart abnormalities are the most common defect in new pobon. doreen gentzler joins us with more on how to screen for these conditions before it's too late. >> reporter: hi, pat. the technology to screen for heart defects has been available for years, but now doctors are warning that not enough physicians are using the technology and that may be costing the lives of too many babies. looking at 6-month-old spencer gilman, you would never know he had already undergone more surgeries that some people have in a lifetime. that's because before he was even born, doctors found a defect in spencer's heart. >> his try cuspid valve didn't

form properly so she has a three-chamber heart instead of a four-chamber heart. i was just distraught thinking will he survive? >> reporter: but spencer is one of the lucky ones. doctors were able to identify the condition during his mother's 21-week pregnancy ultrasound. just days after he was born, surgeons were already prepared to fix the valve, the first of three surgeries to repair his heart. >> if we have the baby come to us soon enough and it's recognized early enough before they get sick, most of the heart diseases that we take care of have great outcomes. the problem is that babies sometimes don't make it to us before they become quite sick. >> reporter: dr. philip spevak specializes at john hopkins children's center. he said of the hundreds born with heart defects every year, only half will be diagnosed before they leave the hospital. >> if they are already getting sick, the horse is out of the barn so to speak. >> reporter: that means they

could have brain damage, organ failure or end up dead. there are several measures to improve early diagnosis and the first step is doing a thorough prenatal ultrasound exam. >> so screening ultrasound picks up pretty easily diagnosed abnormalities but it sometimes misses heart disease. >> reporter: the doctor says that's because most practices only spend 5 to 10 minutes on that screening. other measures include educating doctors about symptoms and giving all newborns pulse ox imtree tests, a tool that measures blood oxygen levels which can indicate whether the heart is pumping properly. >> it's cheap, relatively effecti effective. >> reporter: katherine gilman says she's just happy doctors were able to diagnose spencer earl. >> he's really laughing a lot now and just babbling all the time. i think he's more relaxed and he's happy and he's extremely smiley, happy little guy.

>> reporter: spencer is a cutie. right now a handful of states, including maryland, have passed legislation to make the pulse oximetry screening mandatory for all newborns. >> boy, he was a beautiful baby, oh, my goodness. >> we're glad he's going to be better. >> yeah, we are. the weather made for some terrifying moments for people ou last night. this video shows a tornado that touched down in the city of divine, texas, trapping some people inside their mobile homes. several injuries were reported. it also knocked out power in the dallas area and in oklahoma. as the cleanup is under way, those areas are also bracing for widespread flooding in the forecast. people across virginia took part in an emergency tornado drill today. this was the scene in norfolk, where students learned how to huddle against a wall. fairfax county kicked off its own three-day drill yesterday.

state officials say 51 tornados hit virginia last year. the second highest number on record since '04 when 87 twisters were confirmed. last april tornados were blamed for killing ten people and hurting more than 100 people across the commonwealth. doug is here now with a check on our weather, which has been a little wet today. then we got a little sun. >> yeah, turned out beautiful. you talk about that tornado drill, it's really good they do that in the state of virginia. this could be another one of those springs where we do have the potential for severe weather across our region, just like most of the rest of the country, at least the eastern two-thirds. i'll take you on radar out towards texas in just a second, but right now let's take a look at what's happening in our area. simply gorgeous around the region of the right now we're dealing with some sunshine, a few clouds out there. those clouds rumbled through a little earlier today and the thunderstorms came through right before you made your way outside. probably a lot of you woken up this morning by those storms. 72 degrees the current

temperature, 72 in leesburg, 75 in manassas, 77 in culpeper and 69 over towards pax river so a nice afternoon. it's going to be a great evening, there are a couple of storm systems developing, there's a couple over here, one turning guy here, one guy here and another one that's making its way down to the south. this is the one that's really producing the potential for some thunderstorms, even some strong storms but nothing around the metro area. that means a great evening. just down to our south and west, some big-time storms here. a lot of lightning and heavy rain potentially too. if you're heading down 81 towards roanoke, you'll be going through very heavy rain. here's the big storm right now around dallas, texas. you see where dallas is. now most of the rain and the severe weather just off to the east but they are expecting around shreveport, louisiana, nearly 7 inches of rain. that rain coming right off the gulf of mexico right on into that region. they need the rain, they have been in a drought the past

couple of years. they do need to see the rain. it's also going to give us rain as it makes its way across the country very slowly. i think it will affect our weekend so there will be a major change in our weather pattern but not any time soon. today we had nice, warm temperatures with a few showers down to the south and west. a similar scenario tomorrow. not everybody will get it so don't think it's going to be a washout, just expect things to stay on the warm side. that's the one thing we know for sure, it's definitely staying warm. 74 tomorrow, 79 on your thursday and then 80, i think a fantastic friday. we may even be in the low 80s on friday, if we can get warm enough. then on saturday, temperature around 67 degrees and that rain could stick around all weekend long. this weekend could be a very rainy weekend if that storm moves across and it looks like it will cool things back down closer to average. still a little above but closer

to average. we need to see the rain, but unfortunately it looks like it will come during the weekend. we'll continue to hone in on the weekend. coming up next, a soggy start to the cherry blossom festival, but this morning's weather couldn't keep people from taking in our beautiful trees. a faster check-in at reagan national. a new program allowing some travelers to speed through security. and a puppy mill rescued dozens of these little guys. these dogs were living in deplorable conditions at puppy

pc. hey, dan is here with the story of an 8-year-old skateboarder. there's a lot of them out there. >> it is not very often -- he's good. he is really good. and washington, d.c. has never really been known as a skateboarding hot bed but one young man is doing his best to change that. his name is kordell green, a pint-sensed third grader with the uncanny knack for doing the spectacular on a board. >> reporter: jump on board with 8-year-old kordell green. it's quite a ride. >> he's just a kid skateboarding around. in the corner of my eye i'm seeing him hit certain tricks. i'm kind of wondering did he

just do that. he was hitting stairs and doing tricks that i can't do. really put me to shame. like i said, it was intimidating. >> reporter: at 4'2" and 53 pounds, kordell green is rolling big in the nation's capital. in a culture where we focus on the next big thing, this third grader is focused on just being himself. >> do you ever think about maybe you're the next tiger woods of skateboarding? >> no. >> no? >> i don't try to be like someone else, i just be myself. i'm really doing this -- these hard things at a young age and i feel fine even though everybody is older than me. >> he just comes out. he begins something. if he doesn't get it right away, he just tweaks it and tweaks it and tweaks it until he gets it.

and that same method he uses with his school work, with his chores. you know, it's focus. it's focus. >> what's up? >> reporter: his father first saw that focus in the backyard when his youngest child started skateboarding at the age of 4. since then, his skills have taken off, developing into one of the best young talents in the d.c. area. with kordell green, what you see is what you get, an 8-year-old kid who rides his skateboard with a passion. >> i would say keep practicing until you've got the trick and you know you can do it. even though i fall off my board, i still get back up and try it again. >> anybody who has children understands the value of nurturing. if you don't, you might want to

take into consideration the value of nurturing. there is no substitute for that. and long after i'm gone and hopefully i'll get a chance to watch all of this grow, because i do see big things for him. i would like to know that the time spent was well. >> what are your dreams? what are your hopes? >> to become a pro skateboarder and have my own company. >> reporter: even as an 8-year-old, kordell green is not just spinning his wheels. he's learning to enjoy the ride. hakem dermish, news 4 sports. >> how cute. >> he is a cute kid. earlier this month he placed second in a skateboard contest in only maryland in the 13 and 15-year-old age division. remember, he's just 8. >> he's got a good head on his shoulders thanks to his parents and the way they were raising him. it looks like he just innately is a smart kid. >> i know we all loved it when

he said i don't want to be anybody else, i just want to be me. >> he's very poised for an 8-year-old. >> that he is. impressive kid. >> balanced in many ways. >> that he is. up next, another montgomery county ride-on bus catches fire and it's not the first time it's happened, so why are officials refusing to take the buses off the road. a local police department is firing back over allegations of ticket and arrest quotas. and a young life cut short.

another ride-on bus fire is under investigation in montgomery county. >> it happened this morning in the glenmont area. no one was on board the bus and the driver wasn't injured. >> melissa is live in rockville with the calls to pull these vehicles off the road where someone does get hurt. melissa? >> reporter: that's right, good evening. the drivers union and mechanics say these buses need to come off the roads immediately. you might remember the first five buses that caught fire were actually diesel buses. today, though, this bus ran on gasoline. there have been six fires on the buses in the past three years. the latest happened early this morning along georgia avenue near the glenmont metro station.

the fire started in the engine compartment. only the driver was on board but the first in 2009 there was a fire in white oak, december 27th and others in rockville and silver spring. luckily no one has ever been injured. hearing of this latest fire has this rider nervous. >> what if i was the one in the bus this morning, right? i'm not willing to take that risk. >> reporter: the buses may look similar, but the first five fires all happened on buses manufactured by a different company and they ran on diesel engines. this latest bus ran on gas. the county says that makes this latest fire different. but the bus drivers union disagrees. >> a bus that catches on fire, regardless of the fuel source, is not different. >> reporter: montgomery county declined an on-camera interview with news 4, but officials here say they're concerned. they sent this statement saying in part they will take appropriate action once the cause of the fire is determined. they say similar buses won't be pulled out of service until they know what happened in today's case. >> for those of us who believe

in public transportation, there is not a whole lot of other options. >> reporter: the causes of the fires have ranged from circuit breaker issues to brake problems, which the county said started the february fire. since then the braking mechanism that failed that day has been replaced on the remaining 23 buses in that fleet. >> the mechanics don't want to work on them because they're afraid if they work on them and it catches on fire, they're going to blame the mechanics. >> reporter: the county plans to replace the buses within the next 18 months. the union says it will continue to push the county to take the buses off the roads. >> we have buses in montgomery county that are bursting in flames. is it going to take an entire busload of people to be trapped on that bus for this county executive to do the responsible thing? >> reporter: coming up at 6:00 tonight, the next step the union plans to take to get these buses off the road. live in rockville, maryland, melissa malay, news 4, back to you. tonight family, friends and

members of the columbia heights community will hold a rally in response to recent hate crimes. the silent march will start at the ihop on irving street where the first of two attacks took place. it will then continue to the scene of the second attack at georgia avenue and irving streets. a gay man was shot at the ihop after witnesses say the shooter used a gay slur. the next day a gay man was robbed and beaten on georgia avenue. police are classifying both cases as hate crimes. that march starts at 7:00. d.c. councilmember david katena got emotional as the council took a vote on the south capital street memorial act. he headed up a two-year effort to create and pass a bill focused on youth behavioral health and truancy after the south capital street murders. nine people were shot in a drive-by shooting in 2010. four of them died. today he was thanking the mother

of one of the victims when he got choked up. >> i am honored and humbled -- you know, after these tragedies happen, you can't simply light a candle, walk down the street and call it a day. the people who are harmed and wounded by these actions live with these wounds and walk among the wounded. >> although he's a member at large, he doesn't represent my ward, i just felt like he represented the whole entire district of columbia and all of the victims in such a passionate way. >> the bill now heads to mayor vincent gray's desk for his signature. d.c. police are launching a major effort to stop robberies following a big spike in the crime. according to the "washington post" robberies are up more than 30% for 2012. one of the most startling factors, crimes with guns are up more than 70%. many cases involve robbers stealing electronics from pedestrians. d.c.'s increase is high compared with other major cities. the "post" reports a 10% jump in robberies in philadelphia and an 8% jump in new york.

our cherry blossoms survived this morning's storm and today marks the official start of the cherry blossom festival. it's also the beginning of the peak blooming period. thousands are expected to take part in this 100-year celebration which lasts through april 27th. megan mcgrath caught up with some blossom watchers who got a very early start. >> reporter: they are hard-core cherry blossom fans and photographers. you can find them along the tidal basin at dawn snapping pictures at first light. >> i try to come out almost every day because sometimes the sky of the blue and the color changing almost every day. it's different every time i come out here. >> reporter: today is the first day of the cherry blossom festival and the first day of the peak bloom period. that means 70% or more of the blossoms are out. >> these cherry blossoms are beautiful. we come out here every year and try to get some nice pictures.

the rain has made it look really nice, with the raindrops on it, and try to get a little different picture every year. >> reporter:. >> i come here every year with my mother and my sister and we have breakfast together. so this is a tradition. >> reporter: while the peak bloom is short-lived, the overall blooming period is longer and depends on wind and rain. the overall bloom period was 14 days last year, but only 10 days in 2010. it's all up to mother nature. >> especially because it was so warm already, it's -- yeah, it could be shorter than usual. but we're enjoying it while we're here. >> it's kind of like something you see in post cards, but nothing i thought i'd be able to photograph or come out and see or stuff, so amazing. >> reporter: now, we did have that thunderstorm this morning. fortunately there wasn't a lot of wind associated with it, so the blossoms are still in pretty good shape. they're a little wet. some of the petals did come off, but there are still plenty of

blooms, enough to last through the peak bloom, which is expected to be through friday. down at the tidal basin, megan mcgrath, news 4. still ahead, tsa agents pat down a toddler in a wheelchair. does this cross the line? hear from the family that shot the video and what they want

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program.outrage>n we'll tell you why next.uf! outrage is building over a viral video that shows a toddler in a wheelchair getting a patdown by airline security. the father of the 3-year-old boy posted the video on youtube over the weekend. we do have to point out this incident happened two years ago at chicago o'hare airport, two years ago. the family was on its way to disney world when security told them they would have to swab the son's chair for explosives. the father was upset. said what upset him the most was that he wasn't allowed to touch his son during this. >> i'm pretty angry. i start talking to my wife and i'm noticing that he's shaking, he's physically shaking. i can't even get close to him. they have already said you can't touch him because we're going to swab you and you can't have contact with him. >> tsa officials say the boy couldn't go through normal screening because his wheelchair wasn't able to go through the metal detector.

the modified screening measures nearly eliminate patdowns of children now. frequent fliers are getting through airport screening a little faster today at reagan national airport. reagan national is now one of 11 airports around the country using the tsa's precheck program. frequent fliers and some active duty service members can be prescreened for security. anyone who's low-risk gets to use the fast lane. tsa plans to expand the precheck program to dulles and bwi and thurgood marshall airports later in the year. she vanished without a trace 75 years ago but there's a new investigation that could reveal what happened to amelia earhart. plus going execution over those red top parking meters in the district. what the d.c. council is doing to make sure drivers know the rules. doug. >> i didn't know the rules one time but i quickly figured it out. out there right now, 70 degrees. the temperature out there just continues to get better.

secretary of state hillary clinton is meeting with researchers who are looking into the disappearance of amelia earhart. she vanished in 1937 en route to howland island in the south

pacific. the international group for historic aircraft recovery is launching a brand new search to solve this mystery. the search will focus on an island. it will start in june coinciding with the 75th anniversary of earhart's departure. the arlington county police chief is denying a report that his officers are being told to meet monthly quotas. the report followed the release of an internal memo that appeared to outline a quota system for traffic tickets, arrests, parking citations. it was issued by two police captains. today the chief said the memo was meant to serve as a performance guideline and that arlington does not use quotas. >> the mere suggestion of a quota system in a police department damages or sullys the professional reputation of the agency, and i take that very seriously. there is no month-to-month or day-to-day numeric quota system

for our officers, and i want to be emphatic about that. >> chief scott says he has rescinded that memo. d.c. is red-faced over its effort to install red top meters for disabled drivers. there's so much confusion over the program, the mayor and the d.c. council have decided to suspend it. tom sherwood is in our newsroom with details. >> reporter: handicapped parking is important. it's often abused and right now it's just kind of confused. here's the source of confusion. these red top meters showing up all around town, intended only for drivers with valid disability placards. the meters give twice the time per quarter. about 1500 are to be installed. but ddot's fast rollout of the program, there's a $250 fine if you park at one illegally, has caused real confusion. >> there's nobody in the city who -- or in this area who would be very happy to get a $250 ticket. wh that is a whopping ticket.

>> i just think it's confusing. everyone agrees that it's very confusing and we need to clear it up and get it fixed. >> but this idea about the red top, you're taking one out of every ten meters out of mission, i don't know that's a good idea. >> reporter: after some extended discussion and to warn people of the hefty fines, the council voted on tuesday to suspend the whole program until the mayor and ddot can better explain it and educate the public. no $250 tickets for those red tops right now. >> to put a pause on this program for the life of the emergency, for 90 days. >> reporter: there's no confusion on why the city is trying to change its hand capped parking policies, there's too much cheating. >> we do have a problem in the district of columbia it is not hard to get a handicapped placard and people are using it for free parking. >> reporter: the drivers can park at any meter for free for twice the allotted time but not all day. >> they ought to have a mix of

both. they should be allowed to park when there's an available spot for free, but they need to have some reserved spots because there aren't any parking places in d.c. >> reporter: the city hopes to clear up everything over the next few months and then publicize the changes. pat, back to you. >> thanks, tom. let's get a look at our forecast. oh, it's going to be beautiful and then it's going to be really ugly. >> it could be really ugly out there later this weekend. so if you're thinking about getting down to the cherry blossoms, you might want to do so between now and friday. i think we have some fantastic weather tomorrow, thursday, friday, all looking very, very nice. however, this weekend maybe not so nice. out there right now take a look at our current temperatures sitting at 70 degrees with winds out of the east at 8 miles an hour. it is spectacular down there along the tidal basin so a nice evening to get out and walk about.

72 in rockville, 68 in gaithersburg, 75 in manassas, 77 in warrenton. a great day everywhere. after some early morning rain and early morning fog we have cleared out quite nicely. storm 4 radar, nothing to show you right now around our region of the most of the metro area is high and dry. just to the south in through rockingham county and portions of charlottesville, just to the west of charlottesville, some big-time thunderstorms. nothing severe right now but we are looking at a lot of lightning and heavy rain down there. if you're going to be traveling out maybe 66 towards 81 and then down to the south, you're probably going to run into some fairly heavy rain as you make your way through there the rest of the evening hours. overnight tonight 52 in leesburg, 52 in manassas, 56 in la plate avmt a very warm 58 overnight in washington. the only problem tomorrow morning will be the potential for some fog. i do expect to see some fog. some of that could be locally dense in toward southern maryland. you have the best chance to see

that dense fog. maybe right around the district too, so heads up. tomorrow afternoon 72 in martinsburg, near 80 down towards charlottesville. how about a temperature of 74 once again around the washington, d.c. area. there will be a chance for showers, maybe a rumble of thunder or two, but once again i'm not expecting much in the way of rain during the day tomorrow. similar scenario comes up for the day on thursday but look at these temperatures. 74. 79. 80 on friday. oh, it's looking great. and then here comes the weekend, 67 with a pretty good chance of rain and maybe a lot of it. we'll talk more about it at 6:00. dozens of dogs rescued from a puppy mill near lexington, kentucky, are now in our area and they need a good home. 140 dogs were removed from the property a few months ago. 39 of these cute little guys were -- and gals were brought to the washington animal rescue league in northwest. they arrived this morning. league officials say because of deplorable conditions at the mill, many of the animals need treatment, but they will be

available for adoption soon. the owner of the puppy mill pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. let's get a check from doreen on what's coming up in just a few minutes at 6:00. coming up tonight at 6:00, metro has come up with a new way to help beat the rush hour crowds. we'll have details on that. big spring travel deals have been announced today by some airlines. we'll break down the savings for a local trip. and it's not accessible by plane, but we will take you to a place that's being called a fisherman's paradise. those stories and a lot more coming up at 6:00. i don't know why you'd want to leave town right now, it's so nice. >> it could be we'll be fishing in the streets by this weekend. >> thanks, doreen. coming up next, tragedy on spring break. a mother is sharing her story of loss, warning other teenagers about the dangers of binge drinking. drinkin[ male announcer ] for the dreamers...

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6er.vvdxuknmttjzsfqwwen. spring break is supposed to be fun and carefree, but you throw in a little binge drinking and it can bring deadly consequences. >> just last week in panama beach, florida, a man died after a night of heavy drinking.

as janet shamlian reports, it's not an isolated case. >> reporter: the bikini brigade in panama city beach. when 450 women paraded along the beach earlier this month, it shattered an old guinness world record and kicked off a new season, spring break. this year, more than a quarter million students will descend on the florida city. across the country, millions of teens and 20 somethings will hit other hot spots for what's often an alcohol-fueled blur of sun and surf. one year ago, molly started her spring break. no faraway destination for the university of florida freshman, just an overnight at a beach front condo not far from her parents' home. >> she left at 9:00 at night to go to the beach with friends. >> reporter: and were you concerned at that point? >> no. >> reporter: and why would her mother be? a star student, the 19-year-old was always considered the responsible one. but on this night, molly's friends say she drank too much. at 2:00 in the morning, they put

her to bed to sleep it off. she would never wake up. molly's blood alcohol content was 0.4, the equivalent of 13 shots of alcohol and five times the legal limit. >> i was really worried about, you know, date rape at a party. i mean that's the kind of stuff i used to preach on. never did i think she would drink so much in such a short period of time that it would cost her her life. >> reporter: molly's death has shattered her family. her older sister, katie, transferred schools to be closer to home. her parents are emotionally broken. >> i know she's not coming home, but it's still the way she left it. >> reporter: one year after it happened, angie can't bear to pack up molly's bedroom, but she is tackling something equally as challenging, speaking out and sharing molly's story on facebook. >> the message has to be you are your brother's keeper. look out and don't be afraid to call for help. >> reporter: out of control drinking is on the rise. more than 90% of the alcohol

consumed by youth under the age of 21 is chugged in the form of binge drinking. a whopping 42% of full-time college students are binge drinkers. experts say the care-free culture of spring break can be a breeding ground for bingeing. liquoring up and passing out was sometimes part of the plan. it wasn't in molly's. >> i may have been really mad if they called me and said molly is drunk and incoherent. you would so much rather be that mad at your child than face a lifetime without them. >> reporter: a daughter's death, a mother's heart break, and hope that molly's story just might save a life. >> well, that is it for news 4 at 5:00. >> news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. an incident of bullying at a local school is turn sbog a courtroom battle. the person accused of being the bully is the school principal.

it's a political face-off for gop presidential candidates. >> we begin with the story of the 17-year-old boy shot and killed while he held a package of candy. the man who allegedly shot the boy has not been arrested, and the national outrage has now reached washington. good evening. >> the justice department civil rights division and the fbi have opened investigations into the death of trayvon martin. he was shot on february 26th. martin was walking from a convenience store in sanford, florida, when the neighborhood watch volunteer shot him in what the volunteer says was self defense. jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: it's been almost a month. >> the guy is yelling help. >> reporter: still those cries for help and the controversy over what happened here echo through this florida apartment complex and now across the country. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right. what is your -