>> reporter: today the justice department acknowledged that investigators and agents with the fbi are now looking into the death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. martin was killed by a crime watch community volunteer, 28-year-old george zimmerman, patrolling the area with his 9-millimeter pistol, as a string of robberies over the last year and a half. zimmerman was questioned after the shooting but never arrested. he told officers he acted in self defense after a scuffle with the teenager, who has no previous criminal record and had only a package of candy and a drink in his pockets when he was killed. this morning an attorney for martin's family played an audio interview with a friend of the young man. the teenaged girl said she was on the phone with martin that night and he told her he was being followed and was trying to get away. >> the dots have all been connected. arrest george zimmerman for the killing of trayvon martin in cold blood today. >> reporter: a call for justice shared by a grieving mother

trying to make sense of her loss. >> that was my baby. and he was pleading for his life. and i just don't understand how that's self defense. you can clearly hear him yelling for help. >> reporter: help that this community continues to search for, even after martin's death, as the attention and outrage over the shooting continues to grow. jay gray, nbc news. today leaders from sanford, florida, traveled to washington to meet with members of congress and the justice department as they welcomed the federal investigation. members of the congressional black caucus are also commenting on the case. we'll hear from them in the next half hour. this day could prove pivotal in the republican race for the white house. the illinois primary is being held right now. it is the latest face-off between mitt romney and rick santorum. steve handelsman is on capitol hill now with more on this. >> reporter: good evening. if rick santorum really has a

shot at the gop nomination, most observers agree he's got to win today in what feels physically like a hot race. primary day in illinois. the usual march 20th temperature is 50. today it's 80 degrees. >> this has to be probably the warmest election day we've ever had in chicago, so we're hoping our voters come out. there are important races on the ballot. >> look at this. >> reporter: a big day for mitt romney. 54 delegates up for grabs. and for rick santorum. he needs to beat romney in the midwest, after failing to in michigan and ohio. but santorum made a gaffe. campaigning against intrusive government. >> i don't care what the unemployment ralt is going to be. it doesn't matter to me. >> reporter: mitt romney pounced. >> i do care about the unemployment rate. it does bother me. >> reporter: santorum had to back pedal. >> of course i care about the unemployment rate. i want the unemployment rate to go down. but i'm saying my candidacy doesn't hinge on whether the unemployment rate goes up and

down. it's about freedom. >> reporter: the republican race might hinge on louisiana. newt gingrich campaigned there today. the primary is saturday. it's a chance for the front runner to prove he can win in the south. today could be his launch pad. >> mitt romney can hold this lead which looks to be near double digits, if not over double digits in louisiana, he could get a boost going into louisiana, which is one of those away games. if he can win down there, he might begin to salt away this nomination. >> reporter: in a race that's already stretched into a new season. illinois has 69 delegates in all that will be chosen in a complex process, but there's one big question tonight, jim. can rick santorum beat mitt romney. back to you. >> steve handelsman. thanks, steve. the gunman who shot and killed four people at a school in southern france may have recorded those killings. surveillance tapes at the school show what appeared to be a camera strapped to the chest of the gunman. police are now scouring the internet for video of the

attack. they also say it appears the shooter was motivated by religious hate. the victims in the school shooting are all jewish. their bodies are being flown to jerusalem today for burial. the gunman is also a suspect in the shootings of three muslim soldiers in two separate incidents last week. a teenager says she was grabbed and assaulted while walking home from school in fairfax, virginia. the 16-year-old told police it happened about 4:00 yesterday on a path along pickett road. the teen told police a man approached her from behind, grabbed her neck and knocked her to the ground. she fought back and he eventually ran away. the teenager ran to a nearby house for help. some teachers in montgomery county say they have been bullied by their principal. they filed a lawsuit today. they claim the principal's allegedly outrageous actions, as they call them, forced them out of their jobs. chris gordon is at the montgomery county courthouse with more on this. chris. >> reporter: teachers say half

the staff at kent mill elementary school has left in the last year. they are suing both the principal and the montgomery county board of education. the teachers and their attorney filed the lawsuit against the montgomery county board of education for ignoring their complaints against kent mill elementary school principal floyd stearns, who they say has created a hostile environment for teachers, staff and students. >> i was at kent mill for 28 years. the reason we're bringing the lawsuit is to stop the bullying by the principal. it brought great sorrow to see the school brought down from a top quality school to now a school that's underachieving. >> reporter: this teacher taught at kent mill for the past 27 years. >> i feel i am an excellent teacher, but i've been bullied and harassed and observed repeatedly to the point that it really doesn't matter what it is -- what method i use, it's

going to be criticized. so the abuse has gotten to the point that i couldn't -- i couldn't go into the building any more. >> 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 they have earned. >> 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. the board fd education issued a statement thag it is unfortunate that a group of people is using the media to make accusations thus far proven to be overwhelmingly false and erroneous against the principal of kemp mill elementary school. kelly grady is a parent. she's had five children attend kemp mill and is the vice president of the pta. >> i personally keel that principal stearns has the best

interests of the students at heart. >> reporter: as a parent and member of the pta, do you think mr. stearns should be removed as principal? >> i have no reason at this time to desire principal stearns to leave the school. >> reporter: the board of education says it has not been served with a lawsuit that was filed here by the six teachers and staff members from the school. the board says it will respond at the appropriate time. that's the latest from the montgomery county courthouse. i'm chris gordon, news 4. >> thanks, chris. our beautiful cherry blossoms managed to survive that stormy weather this morning. here's a live look at the trees along the tidal basin. the centennial cherry blossom festival got underway today. it's also the start of the peak bloom period. that's when 70% or more of the petaling will be open. this year is the 100th anniversary of japan's gift of the trees to the nation's capital. thousands of people are taking part in the celebration, which continue through april 27th. they are indeed gorgeous. doug, you're telling us if we

want to catch them at their best, better do it by friday? >> yeah, because then i think we see a major pattern shift here. we've been fairly dry. yes, we had some rain early this morning and some areas saw the rain last night but there could be an abundance of rain this weekend so make sure you get down there the next couple of days because that is when they're going to be the most gorgeous. look at that picture right now. simply gorgeous. that's how you can explain it. the temperature right now 71 degrees, winds out of the east at 3 miles per hour. so that's not going to take off any of those flowers any time soon. as we move through the night tonight, we'll see the temperatures cool down but not much at all. 71 right here, 73 in manassas. near 80 in culpeper at this hour and 68 at gaithersburg. storm 4 radar, no rain around the metro area, but we're seeing some shower activity just south of warrenton and more showers and thunderstorms, big-time storms down around roanoke. if you're driving on i-81, be on

the lookout for some of those. i-95 a similar scenario. i'll let you know when the rain will impact our area, and it will, coming up. coming up on news 4 action an unexpected hero comes to the rescue. the supreme court is taking up the question of whether a jail sentence of life without parole represents cruel and unusual punishment for a 14-year-old. the u.s. plan to hand over security in afghanistan is being questioned after the recent shooting of civilians there. metro with a new plan to make the rush hour commute a bit easier. how about sports, dan? >> hey, the caps getting it done in hockey town. the terps feeling the sweet taste of victory. plus peynews 4 at 6:00 vvdxuknm,

a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit mexico today. the epicenter was in guerrero state about 11 miles underground. it was followed by a 5.1 aftershock. mexican television showed damage and debris from buildings in mexico city. people escaped swaying buildings and flooded the streets. this area is popular with spring break visitors. so far there are no reports of serious damage or injuries. the supreme court is now looking into sentence guidelines

for teenagers who are convicted of murder. the justices today heard arguments on whether sentences of life without parole for juvenile killers might violate amendments against cruel and unusual punishment. nbc justice correspondent pete williams is here now to help us to understand this. pete, to begin with, this is only a question because there are a number of states in the country where kids aren't tried as children, but rather has adults. >> right. >> can you explain this? if they're tried as an adult -- >> they can face the full criminal sentence. in fact there are 2300 juvenile offenders who are now in prison facing sentences of life without parole, which means they'll die in prison. the question is whether that's unconstitutional. twice before the supreme court has said juveniles are different. seven years ago it struck down the death penalty for juveniles and two years ago it struck down life without parole for nonhomicide offenders. so now the question is, is there

something different about death. is it still unconstitutional to sentence juvenile offenders to life without parole. >> and the court has a number of options? >> well, what the defense lawyers, the lawyers that are arguing that this unconstitutional want is the court to do like they did twice before and take it completely off the table and say it's unconstitutional to sentence any juvenile offender 18 or under to life without parole. i don't think without listening to the two hours of argument, i don't think they'll get that whole thing. what the supreme court may do is strike a middle ground and say, okay, we'll take life without parole away as an option for the youngest offenders, 14 and under. and by the way, there are 79 inmates in the prisons of the states right now who were 14 when they committed crimes. so the court could say for 14 and under no life without parole. but for 14 through 17 or up to 18, which is what most states consider to be juveniles, then states would have the option to sentence to life without parole. but in some states, in the

majority of the states that have life without parole for juveniles, it's mandatory. the states viewed it as sort of a fallback when the supreme court took the death penalty away for the juvenile offenders. states said we can't sentence you to death, so life without parole is mandatory. that's what would happen, for example, if the ohio school shooter defendant gets convicted. he would face a mandatory life without parole sentence unless the supreme court strikes it down. >> all right. we expect the ruling on this in the fall maybe? >> sometime before late june. >> thanks, pete. the current u.s. plan to end the 10-year-old war in afghanistan remains on track. that's according to the top american commander in afghanistan. general john allen testified before the house armed services committee today. he insisted the u.s. has no intention of staying in that country forever. general allen said while the last few months in afghanistan have been trying, coalition forces are making progress and handing over security to the afghans. >> this campaign has been long.

it has been difficult. and it has been costly. there have been setbacks to be sure, and we're experiencing them now. and there will be setbacks ahead. we are making a difference. i know this, and our troops know this. >> the current u.s. plan calls for a reduction of 23,000 combat troops by october followed by a complete withdrawal by the end of 2014. a maryland national guardsman killed in afghanistan was buried with full military honors today. major robert marchanty was laid to rest at arlington national semary. last month he was shot in an attack at kabul. he comes from baltimore. flags are at half staff in his memory today. he was 48 years old and leaves behind a wife of 24 years and four children. the pope has named a man with ties to the district as the new head of the archdiocese in baltimore.

william laurie made his first address as the archbishop of baltimore today. he came from the diocese in bridgeport, connecticut. before that, laurie won his doctorate from the catholic university here in washington. he also served as an associate pastor at st. joseph catholic church in landover, maryland. he rye places cardinal edwin o'brien who has been elevated to the post of grand master in jerusalem. a little girl out of newburgh, kentucky, has her older brother to thank for saving her life. 6-year-old trinity, but was using a spray cleaner on her shoes on sunday. some of it landed on a lamp nearby. that sparked an explosion an then a fire. other members of the family ran out of the house, but trinity says the fire was right beside her and she didn't know what to do. fortunately, her 10-year-old brother sensed that she was in trouble. >> the fire came right to us. it bumped my leg so that's when i ran out.

i thought trinity needed help so i ran back in. >> when the fire started, i was happy that anton saved me, hurried up and ran back to get me out of the fire. >> you bet she is. both kids are recovering from first and second degree arms to their arms and legs. they're expected to be just fine. >> you wouldn't think you would get into trouble trying to shine your shoes, would you? >> how about that. >> but a good big brother. >> there you go. >> that was some dramatic thunder i heard this morning. >> did you hear it? >> me too for sure. woke the kids right out of bed. it was amazing. for me you've got to wake up, look outside and see how cool it is. >> i didn't do that. i just rolled over. i didn't get up and go look out. >> you didn't time the time between the lightning and the thunder? >> no. >> maybe that's just me. out there right now, no thunderstorms. as a matter of fact, this is something i think we would all do together is look out there at those cherry blossoms. what a great shot this is, just

perfect the way the weather has been the last couple of days. it's going to be just about as perfect over the next couple of days if you're thinking about getting out to see those blossoms. 72 degrees the temperature out there. that was height temperature in washington. 62 the morning low this morning. that is a record low maximum low temperature, simply amazing how warm we are in the month of march. the average low is 39 degrees. so we were 23 degrees above that average low. just a tenth of an inch of rain this morning with those storms. some locations to the north and west of washington picked up a little more rain this morning. 70 degrees the current temperature, winds out of the east at 6 miles per hour. the rest of the area, everybody is on the mild side. it is going to be a perfect evening. 66 in gaithersburg, 70 in leesburg, 77 in culpeper and 75 in fredericksburg. the restaurants have been loving it, able to open those doors outside, any of those outdoor patios have been full and really packed the past couple of weeks as a result of this very nice

weather. just down to the south and west, though, the weather not so nice. big-time thunderstorms. if you're traveling down i-95 towards richmond and then i-81 towards roanoke, some big-time thunderstorms with very heavy rain. right now metro area, nothing to worry about. this is the area i'm talking about around charlottesville and harrisonburg and around roanoke. a lot of lightning with these storms. now on to the storm that's going to affect us this weekend. it's going to take its time getting here, but here it is right here. this came through dallas with a vengeance. as a matter of fact, all of texas. let's take a look at some video. this was out of divine, texas, a tornado reported around the san antonio area. it did destroy about 50 homes there. you can clearly see that tornado. and now to dallas. this was the video out of dallas a little bit earlier, with major flooding. they need to see the rain. they don't need to see it all at once. some locations towards texas and louisiana will easily pick up between 4 and 8 inches of rain. once again, that rain will start

to make its way our way, but it's going to do so very, very slowly. it's going to inch its way our way, and it will affect us, i think, this weekend. so get out and enjoy those cherry blossoms now. nice and warm, that's the way we saw things today with showers just down to our south and west. tomorrow a little bit better chance of showers around the washington region, but only a 30% chance. do not expect a washout. i think you could expect a pretty nice day. you may want to carry the umbrella just in case, but you can most likely find a tree or something to get under if it is raining outside. you never want to get under a tree when there's thunder or lightning, though. on thursday another chance of showers, another chance of thunderstorms down to the south and west, the best chance in toward the mountains once again. still on the warm side. temperatures could climb to near 80 grodegrees. this evening mostly cloudy, mild and humid. a few showers. most of those will stay well south and west of d.c. 62 to 67 degrees. that's at about the 7:00, 8:00

hour. tomorrow partly cloudy and areas of fog. that could be a concern tomorrow morning. maybe dense fog. a possible shower. most of us should be on the dry side. a few showers, maybe a storm tomorrow. 71 to 77 degrees. all in all, a nice wednesday out there. another nice day on thursday. about a 30% chance of a shower on thursday. 80 on friday. and that may be too cool. we may have to go into the low to mid-80s on friday in some locations. and then we get to the weekend. that storm comes in and it's going to be such a slow mover that i think some locations could pick up anywhere between 1 to 2 inches of rain. right now we'll monitor that forecast very, very closely. that, of course, would have an impact on the cherry blossoms, maybe taking some of those down. so hopefully that rain is not all that heavy. >> you better get your disguise ready to wear this weekend. >> i'm going to go as jim vance. >> that's not going to help you at all. i'd like to see how that turns out, though. coming up tonight, discount airlines have revealed their deals for spring travel. some really cheap fares out

there. there's been another ride-on bus fire in montgomery county, but there is something distinctly different about this one. we'll tell you about the outrage after the deadly shooting of an unarmed florida [ 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. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all, it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪

i am tired of fhfaebeecoehen. some teachers in montgomery county are suing the principal of their school. they say he's been a bully. his name is floyd stearns. teachers say he created a hostile work environment at the kemp mill elementary school. they're also suing the school board for allegedly ignoring their complaints. the school board calls the accusations false and erroneous. the presidential primary is under way in illinois today. election officials hope the unseasonably mild weather will increase voter turnout. it's usually 50 degrees on march 20th, but already today the temperature hit 85. cherry blossom festival is officially under way now. the trees around the tidal basin are expected to reach peak bloom today through friday. that's when 70% or more of the blossoms are expected to be out. this year is the 100th anniversary of japan's gift of trees to the nation's capital.

the festivities will continue through april 27th. today community leaders from sanford, florida, traveled to washington in the wake of the shooting death of young trayvon martin. >> they met with members of congress and the justice department as a federal investigation into that shooting gets under way. darcy spencer has our report. >> reporter: 28-year-old george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, who shot and killed an unarmed teen in a sanford, florida, neighborhood 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. >> we've opened our books. we have invited them in to review what we've done, how we've done it to make sure everything was done properly. >> 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 shot the boy

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. >> reporter: zimmerman saw martin as he was patrolling the neighborhood and called 911. >> this guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. >> people of good will, finding out what happened through the tapes, are understandably and necessarily outraged. >> reporter: zimmerman followed the teen, even though the dispatcher told him not to. the teen's family has demanded that zimmerman be charged in the killing. they say if the roles were

reversed, martin would be sitting in a jail cell. >> it just wasn't handled the way i would have handled it. we definitely need independent eyes to review the case. >> reporter: darcy spencer, news 4. >> a grand jury will consider evidence in the shooting on april 10th. the justice department is sending resources to sanford. they want to ensure that the growing tensions in that community do not boil over. tonight civil rights activist al sharpton is expected to join the city leaders in sanford. that will be at a town hall meeting where they intend to talk about the investigation. d.c. councilmember david catania got emotional today as they passed a bill he has been working on for the past two years. it focuses on youth behavioral health and truancy. it comes after the murders on south capital street. nine people were shot in a drive-by shooting back in 2010. four died. today the councilmember was

thanking the mother of one of the victims when he got emotional. >> i am honored and humbled -- you know, after these tragedies happened, you can't simply light a candle, walk down the street and call it a day because 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. today family, friends and other members of the columbia heights community will hold a rally in response to several recent hate crimes. the silent march will start at the ihop restaurant on irving street. that's where the first of two attacks took place more than a week ago. then it will continue to the scene of the second attack at the intersection of georgia avenue and irving street. a gay man was shot at the ihop after witnesses say the shooter used a gay slur. the very next day a gay man was

robbed and beaten on georgia avenue. that march will begin at 7:00 tonight. another ride-on bus fire is under investigation now in montgomery county. this one happened this morning in the glenmont area. nobody was on the bus at the time. the driver was not injured. all of the fires have started on the short 30-foot buses. but as melissa reports, some drivers fear for their safety. >> reporter: the ride-on drivers and mechanics union says this latest fire has some drivers anxious about doing their jobs. >> we're at a point now, and rightfully so, the drivers are questioning whether they should even get behind the wheel of these buses. >> reporter: 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 and only the driver was on board, but the first was back in 2009. there was a fire february 8th in white oak, december 27th and

others in rockville and silver spring. luckily no one has been injured. the union president says he feels the county should keep the buses parked. melvin ransom has been driving for ride-on for 25 years. >> some say that they pay more attention now than they normally would when they're on the bus. any little smell or anything, they check it out. >> reporter: the buses may look similar, but the first five fires all happened on buses manufactured by a different company and ran on diesel engines. this latest bus ran on gas. they say that makes this latest fire different but the you know 81 disagrees. >> a bus that catches on fire, regardless of the fuel source, is not different. >> reporter: five of the buses now sit in this rockville lot. their charred chassises a stark reminder of how dangerous these fires could have been. the causes of the fires have ranged from circuit breaker issues to brake problems, which the county says started the

february fire. montgomery county declined an on-camera interview with news 4, but officials here say they're concerned. they sent us this statement saying they will take appropriate action once the cause of the fire is determined. >> i just feel like they're not doing everything they can, and i don't feel safe around that -- with that. >> 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. in rockville, now back to you. county officials say they hope to know what caused this latest fire within the next couple weeks. the howard theater -- go ahead, korean. >> it's a d.c. landmark theater that helped launch the careers of duke ellington, ella fitzgerald and marvin gay, and it's about to shine again. the 100-year-old howard theater will reopen april 9th after a $29 million restoration. it's on t street near howard university and had been closed for several years. we're told it will feature a

state-of-the-art sound system as well as new seating and a gift shop. a big ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned to celebrate the reopening. the public is invited. the district government did something unusual today, it temporarily stopped the new handicapped parking program that has confused many drivers and that has exposed some of them to $250 parking tickets. tom sherwood reports. >> reporter: 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 or in this area who would be very happy to get a $250 ticket. i mean that is a whopping ticket. >> i just think it's confusing. everyone agrees on one thing, that it's very confusing right

now and we need to clear it up and get it fixed. >> but this requested about the red top, you're taking one out of ten meters really out of commission, i don't know that's a good idea. >> reporter: so 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 handicapped parking policies. there's too much cheating. >> we do have a problem in the district of columbia. it is not hard to get handicapped placard either in d.c., virginia or maryland and people are using it for free parking all through the district. >> reporter: the current often ignored policy is drivers with disability placards 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: in the district, tom sherwood, news 4. >> they hope to have this cleared up over the next few months and publicize any changes. coming up, we'll tell you about a new rush hour plan for metro. plus discount airlines are kicking offspring with big deals for travelers. and doug says there are changes coming in our weather. stay tuned. coming up in sports, a future hall of famer and a current hall of famer teaming up in vvdxuk4n.>

mowing competition as vvdxuknmt? a new program to ease the rush hour commute on metro is coming this summer. it's called rush plus. metro is going to start running six additional trains during peak hours on the green, yellow, blue and orange lines, so passengers won't have to wait as long between trains at 17 stations. the transit agency says this should improve service for more than 100,000 riders. the program kicks off june 18th. if you're looking to go on spring vacation, you might want to take advantage of some sales by some of the airlines. several of the airlines today announced sales on flights that are taken before the end of

june. jetblue now has 200 routes that start at $39 one way. one flight from national airport to boston is for 60 bucks. southwest has flights from bwi to boston at $69. air tran's trips between baltimore and rochester, new york, are also at $69. air tran and southwest sales end next week. the sale at jetblue ends at midnight tonight. verna miller lives in sioux falls, south dakota. miller has become a legend at a local restaurant called taco john's. she's been serving up a side of sass with the chips and salsa for the past 12 years. there she is. she's become such a part of the place the restaurant owner threw a surprise party for her yesterday. miller doesn't like to be asked about when she might retire. she says she'll probably never stop working because she just would be too bored. she thinks the key to her good health is she doesn't drink or

smoke and eats lots of sugar cookies with milk. >> how old is she? >> doesn't say here. >> sugar cookie with milk, i'm in good shape then. >> we're good to go. >> how about the chips and salsa. >> what you got? >> john elway is going from super bowl winner to super salesman, and it's bye bye blatche. [ male announcer ] for making cupcakes

and deposits at the same time. for paying your friend back for lunch from your tablet. for 26 paydays triggered with a single tap. for checking your line, then checking your portfolio. for making atms and branches appear out of thin air.

simple to use websites, tools, and apps. for making your financial life a little bit easier.

hello, everybody, i'm meteorologist doug kammerer. we're taking a look at another gorgeous day. the sun is starting to set across our area after another day with temperatures into the 70s. 70 degrees the current temperature out there, winds out of the east right now at 10 miles per hour. those winds will stay fairly calm throughout the rest of the evening and so a very nice evening if you're thinking about heading out and about. 66 in gaithersburg, 70 in leesburg. dulles at 71 degrees. 69 at camp springs and college park coming in at 72 degrees. what are we going to see? storm 4 radar, no rain across most of the area. a few light showers around the hagerstown area, just to the north of frederick, up there

towards the pennsylvania border, but this is the area we're seeing some bigger showers, around harrisonburg and stanton. a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for rockingham county. this storm making its way down towards charlottesville. most of these storms starting to die out here, but this has been one of the stronger ones to develop and there could be some hail there. if you're driving down 81 this evening, be on the lookout for heavier storms. if not, you're fine. 58 in washington, 54 in gaithersburg, 56 in la plata and down towards waldorf. the only thing we could see overnight and into tomorrow morning that could cause problems would be the potential for some fog and maybe some dense fog early tomorrow morning. that will then burn off. we'll see sunshine tomorrow. 75 in leesburg, 75 in manassas. 77 in fredericksburg and 72 in annapol annapolis. i will show you when you may expect a lot of rain coming up one more time in just a couple of minutes. >> thanks, doug.

so i expect that manning expects to win. >> oh, yeah. >> but he's also being very well compensated. >> yeah, we want to know the name of his agent. >> tom condon. >> what a deal. >> tom condon is his agent. yeah, it was a great deal. he's getting $18 million in the first year. assuming he passes his physical the next two years, he gets 20 million per. they worked through the night to pay manning over $$million. he missed last season because of several neck operations. he said he could play a game this weekend if he had to but he's not as comfortable as he wants to be just yet. with manning in denver, the odds makers in vegas have immediately made the broncos one of the favorites for the super bowl next season. for peyton, denver just felt like the right fit. >> talking football with john, with coach fox and his staff

helped me realize that this is a great place to be. i called john elway monday morning and let him know that i wanted to be a denver bronco. i am thrilled to be here and am looking forward to meeting my new teammates and doing everything i can to help this franchise win another super bowl. >> we didn't try to sell him hard. we wanted him to feel comfortable here and a place that he wanted to come and work. we're so fortunate that he has picked the denver broncos. he's a guy that's going to make our football team -- he's already made them better, and they haven't all met him yet, just because of the type person he is, his reputation, and what he's done in this league. and so he's just going to be a tremendous effect on the denver broncos, and i couldn't be happier that he chose to play for us. >> you know, not that peyton manning isn't used to pressure, but it sounds like anything less than at least getting to the super bowl would be a failure. >> i don't think he'll look at it that way, though.

and -- you know, but what a best of your memory -- bummer that is. remember when all the odds makers were talking about the jets going all wait this time. that's a terrible thing to lay on him. >> it was probably more so rex ryan himself than the odds makers because his mouth is so big. let's talk some hockey now. if the caps get lucky enough to make the stanley cup finals, let's hope they play detroit. the capitals have owned the red wings this year. last night they won a crucial game in motown. they have outscored a good red wings team 12-4 this evening. the general manager on hand last night in detroit. we start the first period, capitals on the power player. alex ovechkin goes top shelf. take another look, nothing was going to stop this shot. capitals on top 1-0. later in the first period, capitals up 2-0. ovechkin shoots once. look at him stay with it and finally put it in there. that's his 32nd goal of the

season, matching his goal total from all of last season. the capitals hang on to win an important game 5-3. >> we're really trying to play playoff hockey right now. we're battling for our life to get in, so we got -- you know, we were doing the little things. you see us sliding all over trying to block shots and we're desperate. it's tight out there and hard hitting. but, you know, it's every night it's games like this and that's what playoff hockey is. >> do a little hitting in hockey. we do have some sweet 16 teams to talk about, folks. georgetown's women's basketball team playing georgia tech tonight. actually for the right to advance to the sweet 16 for the second year in a row. last season, if you remember, they beat maryland in college park to get there. this year a different story for the terps. brenda freeze and her ladies already have a sweet 16 spot on lockdown. her sons, tyler on the left and marcus on the right there to cheer on mama last night. good ball movement.

got it. mincy goes for a game high 24. terps up 2 at the break. this was the last chance for louisville. check out mincy, great defense. gets the block. maryland ends the game on a 13-4 run. they win it 72-68. the terps moving on to the sweet 16. the coach soaking it all in. boech koet a both coach and players appreciating it even more after a disappointing end last season. >> this time last year i was so distraught but it feels much better to be moving on. our team has pushed really hard this year to get better and i think we've shown that so it feels great. i'm glad my career didn't end today so i'm happy about that. >> we wanted to obviously embrace the moment. you know, obviously a game that was so competitive from both ends. both teams making plays, players making plays. we're just thrilled to be able to advance and move on to the sweet 16. >> next up for the terps, texas a&m, just the defending national

champions. if the wizards are going to get any more wins this season, they'll have to do it without andray blatche at least in the near future. he's been struggling with conditioning and getting booed lately. the wizards say he's going to sit out until he gets in better shape. yeah, he's probably the worst conditioned player on the team if not one of the worst in all of the nba. >> how can you be paid millions of dollars and you're not in shape in march. just let him go and let's move on. >> that's a great question. >> it's ridiculous. >> it's hard to write that check for more than $10 million a year to andray blatche. >> that's toxic in the locker room. >> right a check for the personal trainer that moves in for him. >> we do have a couple more things. for that let's hit the heli pad quickly. according to cbssports.com, unless something drastic changes in the next 24 hours, shaka is staying at vcu. led the rams to the final four last season. back to the ncaa tournament this year. gilbert arenas, we have a

citing. he's back in the nba with the memphis grizzlies. arenas finished last season with the orlando magic. he will get the nba minimum. hines ward has called it a career. the veteran wide receivers retiring from the nfl. he spent all 14 of his seasons in pittsburgh. that is a rarity. he won a couple of super bowls there and he's a lock to go to the hall of fame. >> and there are some defensive backs who are glad that he is finally retiring. >> do you remember shawn springs when he said if there's one guy to hit, i would hit hines ward. >> they say he was one of the nastiest guys out there. >> that crack back will get you. >> thanks, dan. coming up, we'll take you to ♪

♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ ♪ no more, no more, no more ♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds and puts down a barrier to stop new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control spray once. stop weeds for months.

on december 21st, polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space, which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd and you still need to retire, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? just

facebook andn.r.vvdxuknmttjzsfq 40 dogs rescued from a puppy mill near lexington, kentucky, are now here in our area. they arrived at the washington animal rescue league in northwest this afternoon.

league officials say because of the deplorable conditions in which they were living, many of the animals have health problems, but they're all being treated and will be available for adoption soon. in all, about 140 dogs were removed from that puppy mill. the owner pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. final check, my man. >> a lot of people saying if it's this warm now, what does this mean for the summer? i think the summer should be about average, maybe even a little bit below, so looking like a pretty nice summer out there. the next couple of days will stay not just above average but way above average. as a matter of fact, some areas could come close to a couple of records on friday with temperatures into the 80s. but sun and clouds for tomorrow. a few showers, maybe a thunderstorm or two but don't expect a lot of rain tomorrow. still warm temperatures. 71 to 77 degrees. the wind should stay on the light side. 79 on thursday, going for a high of 80 on friday with mostly sunny skies. we may have to bump that number up the next couple of days. remember our average high is 58 right now.

on saturday, 67 degrees with rain. that storm, that big storm is making its way across the country very slowly and will make its way across our region very slowly. it could produce a lot of rain on saturday and sunday depending on just how it comes through here. sunday could be a cool and rainy day, so we'll talk more about that the next couple of days. >> thank you, doug. there's a rather unusual resort about to open off the coast of clearwater, florida, and at least one of us is going down there just as soon as we can. it is called fisherman's paradise. at one time it was a barge used for building a natural gas pipeline. now it's a five-story floating hotel. it's located in the gulf of mexico about 15 miles off the coast. 14 guest cabins that run only $250 a night, can't beat that with a stick. there are also some vip suites. visitors who are not interested in fishing can enjoy a lounging pool, two gyms, a sauna. getting there could be a

challenge but they have their own helicopter and some shuttle