county busted wide open. several gang members are under arrest. they're accused of recruiting high school students to have sex and then threatening them with violence if they wanted out. pat collins is live in alexandria with more. >> reporter: wendy, it's all spelled out in this federal indictment. five suspects arrested, ten teenage victims, gang prostitution, and they say it's been going on for years. they say he's one of them -- he goes by the nickname bleak. others with nicknames like j-dirt, loc, and knox, alleged gang members charged with luring high school girls into prostitution. >> the sexual exploitation, the sexual trafficking of young girls, is an unconscionable crime yielding unspeakable trauma. >> reporter: the recruiting. they approach teenage girls at metro stations like this one in

springfield. one 17-year-old says she was approached at her school. others contacted on facebook. the pitch always the same. you're pretty. you can make a lot of money. when one girl said she was only 16, they say, that's good. we can make more money off young girls. >> young women including juveniles were allegedly targeted, recruited, exploited, physically abused, and threatened and put at risk for financial gain by others. >> reporter: the sex. they were told to charge $30 to $40 for ten minutes. they often sold sex door to door at apartments in alexandria. they were told to try to find apartments with multiple men inside to minimize the walking outside and maximize the profits. one 17-year-old teenager says she was taken to an apartment and force today have sex with 14

unknown males. the violence. when one teenager tried to quit, she says she was choked. another says she was cut with a knife. a third said she was physically assaulted on several occasions. >> the sex traffickers in the northern virginia area and beyond. law enforcement is looking for you. we will find you. we will charge you. we will put you behind bars. potentially for the rest of your life. >> reporter: a warning to parents from law enforcement. watch who your children are hanging out with. watch what they're doing on the internet. live in alexandria, pat collins, news 4. students in prince george's county today are mourning the sudden death of a 17-year-old classmate. she was a senior at seratsville high school in clinton, maryland and collapsed yesterday while jogging on the school track during gym class.

today students marched around the track in her honor. some wore pink and carried pink balloons her favorite color. grief counselors were also on hand today. the girl's father said he is not aware of any illness or condition that could have caused her death. new video is creating even more confusion in the shooting death of that unarmed teenager in florida and tonight leaders in d.c. are demanding the arrest of the community watch volunteer who shot trayvon martin. derrick ward joins us now with more on this. >> reporter: the protests continue surrounding this case and with every piece of new information comes a new round of debate regarding its significance. but demonstrators downtown today focused much of their attention on what they say is the genesis of the law which empowered one man and led to the dea of the teenager. george zimmerman seen here in the custody of sanford, florida police after his deadly encount wer trayvon martin. martin's family says the footage though silent speaks volumes. >> there is no blood on his clothes. >> reporter: he is referring to the account in the police report that said zimmerman had a broken

nose, wound to the back of his head, and soil on the back of his clothes suggesting a struggle, that he was attacked and shot the teen in self-defense. >> there absolutely was some misleading the public when they said his nose was broke and there was blood on the back of his head. >> reporter: some questions have arisen about the quality of the surveillance video, whether it has enough detail to show any injuries. it does show zimmerman in handcuffs. he has not been placed under arrest. in a sense it answers some questions while placing a sloughshroud over others. >> we demand justice for trayvon martin. >> meanwhile today in washington -- we're here if you will to pull the curtain back. demonstrators took aim at the laws zimmerman has indicated he will invoke in his defense, so-called stand your ground laws. >> we call them kill at will. or shoot to kill. or kill first. >> mark muriel president of the national urban league was among dozens who gathered downtown outside the offices of the

american legislative exchange council, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers and private sector leaders promoting certain policies. he calls them ghost writers. >> these are laws that you might have seen in the united states in the 1890s. these are laws from a bygone era. >> reporter: the group says they didn't draft florida's law and like others they questioned whether stand your ground laws even applied to zimmerman. protesters say they want to see those laws on trial as much as they do the man who shot trayvon martin more than a month ago. the latest video of george zimmerman does not appear to be official evidence, the kind that will be presented before a grand jury when it convenes on april 10th. an update to breaking news we told you about yesterday. a teenager shot and killed by police in southeast d.c. has been identified as 19-year-old kevin bolden. police were called out to the 800 block of 51st street yesterday because of a drug complaint. officers say they were forced to fire after bolden pulled out a gun and shot at them. the officers weren't hit and the

shooting is under investigation. president obama's plan to cut billions in tax breaks for big oil companies was defeated in the u.s. senate today. he argued oil companies should not get subsidies while they raised prices on drivers but republicans say prices at the pumps are not impacted by tax breaks. >> facts are stubborn things and supply and demand is what dictates products. we should be exploring the national resources of the domestic united states of america for less dependence on foreign oil and more dependence on our own oil. >> are high oil prices around the world they've got more than enough incentive to produce even more oil. >> aides say the president will keep pushing to end taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies. the oil industry experts warn gas prices will continue to climb this summer. the national average is $3.92 according to triple-a. in the district the average is

4.15 up 40 cents from last year. in maryland the average for a gallon of unleaded is about $3.96 about 38 cents more than last year. and in virginia, drivers are paying an average of $3.87 up 36 cents from the year before. our weather was lovely today. it a little cool. we have an amazingly high pollen count creating big problems for allergy sufferers. >> yeah. us included. a little like our megamillions in the count. how high are we climbing today, doug? >> we're pretty high. as a matter of fact, four times higher than yesterday with that pollen and also in the top -- hasn't been this high in the month of march in the last 13 years. so if you think, hey, what is going on out here, it is definitely the pollen. it is way up there today. and if you're one of those pollen sufferers it will get a little bit better and i do mean just a little bit better as we make our way through the next couple days. one thing that keeping that pollen up and around the atmosphere right now is that wind out of the north at 16 miles per hour. we're seeing winds gusting over 20 to 25 miles an hour and that takes the pollen right off the trees and gets it out there where you're breathing it in.

62 degrees the current temperature with plenty of sunshine. other than the pollen not a bad day. 59 in frederick. 59 in leesburg. down to the south 74 in charlottesville and 69 in fredericksburg so a fairly nice afternoon. but it's going to be a fairly cold night. storm 4 radar, nothing to show you anywhere across the mid-atlantic states. we are going to see temperatures dipping down in the 30s for most of you inside the city, about 42 degrees by 5:00 a.m. 42 at 7:00. we're talking about a chilly morning and a frost advisory for parts of the area. i'll show you who is seeing what in just a minute. >> thank you, doug. new calls tonight to clear up the confusion surrounding those red top parking meters. as tom sherwood reports now advocates want the d.c. council to move forward and offer more handicapped parking on city streets. >> red top meters would be reserved for drivers with disabilities and began showing up on city streets in the last few months. confusion over the new program how it would work, how many there would be, prompted the

d.c. council to delay the project for 90 days. disability rights activists say drivers with disabilities don't mind the new requirement to pay for parking but they want meters accessible all around town. >> i also think a big concern that we have is that these accessible spaces be distributed so they are actually available, so there is definitely at least one every two blocks throughout the city. >> i personally don't oppose the parking as long as the access is equal. i don't think i should be required to pay the same fee that the general public pays for access to thousands of more meters than i have access to. >> reporter: kelly buckman of the national council on independent living said the city should do a full survey of private garages and surface parking lots to ensure they follow federal guidelines. ward 3 council member mary chase says the city program should assess accessibility and fairness and she agreed fraudulent use of disability placards should be monitored more closely. >> it is something that is on

the minds of people. one way i know this is because i've gotten e-mails from people. >> reporter: in the district tom sherwood, news 4. for now until the disability parking program is restarted the city says anyone can park at those red top meters. coming up next new details about the jet blue pilot who charged, was charged with having a mile high melt down. >> i'm julie carey in fairfax county where the signs are ready to go up. the new beltway express lanes will be opened by the end of the year. some important things commuters need to know about how to use the lanes, coming up. and a new report shows autism is much more common than we thought. tonight we break down the staggering statist

my dad was a union electrician. sometimes i'd tag along to a work site, carrying his lunch or tools. it was good, honest work. i went to college with the help of a union scholarship, then

started a maryland business, creating jobs by providing financing to small companies wall street ignored. today, congress is ignoring our need for jobs. my dad the electrician taught me, if something's broken, get in there and try to fix it. i'm john delaney, and i approve this message. i'm so distraught. we got israel. we got iraq. >> the jet blue pilot whose breakdown caused an emergency landing lost his father in a plane crash. his father was a pilot as well and died back in 19 t95. on tuesday osmon became unhinged yelling about jesus and al qaeda and passengers had to pin him down until the plane made the emergency landing in amarillo, texas.

osmom is charged with interfering with a flight crew. a new study indicates autism cases are rising sharply or more cases are being discovered but government researchers don't know what causes the disorder. brian mohr with our report. >> bubble. >> bubble. >> reporter: an ongoing study of 14 areas across the united states shows a troubling spike in autism cases. >> one in 88 children has been identified as autism. >> but experts acknowledge the increase might be better explained by increased diagnosis. >> what we don't know is if this is truly a change in the number of children developing autism or whether we're recognizing it better. >> reporter: the study by the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention shows autism cases jumped 23% from 2006 to 2008. they spiked 78% from 2002. the 2008 numbers show autism spectrum disorders are five

times more common in boys than girls. and the largest increase among hispanic and african-american children. older parents and premature births are suspected factors. but the cause remains a mystery. >> the prevailing scientific idea is that it is something that affects the brain development predominantly inute row. so it is either genetic or some environmental factor affecting inutero. >> reporter: the study shows the average age of diagnosis is 4 years old but experts say that is not good enough. they're hoping to get children diagnosed by 18 months to give them a head start on treatment. 13 million kids in the u.s. will be bullied this year making it the most common form of violence among young people. a new documentary comes out tomorrow that takes a good, hard look at the problem. it's called bully. it focuses and follows five kids over the course of the 2009-2010 school year looking at how

bullying has affected them and their families. bully also focuses on how parents and kids have launched a national movement to handle the problem in their communities. doug is joining us with a look at when we might be washing some of the pollen away. >> we need a hose. a fire hose. >> yes. mother nature is not going to provide that any time soon. that's the thing. even though we have a little storm coming through this weekend it won't be enough to really put a hold on that pollen out there right now. the reason we're seeing this pollen has to do with the wind. you can see outside right now a pretty good shot. plenty of sunshine but you can also see everything blooming. we saw the cherry blossoms bloom last week. now all of the leaves are coming out. the pollen is really high. the highest it's been in the month of march in the last 13 years. take a look at this shot. notice the wind right here. we'll call it the sneezing season. today pollen very high. almost record breaking high pollen counts around the area. by saturday it goes down a little bit but still in the medium to high range and on

sunday it just goes right back up so we're not going to see any relief really from pollen until we get some really good rain in here. it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon. this is what's helping the poll tone get out and about in the atmosphere. 24-mile-per-hour wind gusts in washington. 18 in frederick. 21 in leesburg. any time you have that wind it takes that pollen right off the trees and flowers and into your nose. 62 the current temperature out there right now with those winds out of the north northwest at 16 miles per hour. plenty of sunshine. that did help numbers to the south warm up. near 70 in fredericksburg. 74 in charlottesville. to the north a little cooler. 56 in hagerstown and 59 in frederick and watch what happens overnight. we get cold enough for some frost. a frost advisory now in effect for frederick county, maryland back toward washington county into maryland and then right down i-81. if you are around i-81 or to the west you are under at least a frost advisory. some of you well back to the west under a freeze warning, that back toward the mountains of western portions of maryland and western portions of west

virginia. but for our area in the washington, d.c. metro area i don't expect to have temperatures get down too cold tonight. satellite and radar showing clear skies across the area. that's why we're going to be allowed to cool off so much. not much in the way of insulation overnight tonight. we're going to continue to watch tomorrow as mostly cloudy skies come into the area and the models are trying to produce a little bit of shower activity tomorrow afternoon. right now i'm not seeing that but i wouldn't be surprised to see a few showers in here early so friday not looking quite as good as it was during the day yesterday. saturday looking a little bit better. this next storm system is a potent storm and does have some moisture but it doesn't come together fast enough to give us a lot of rain. just some shower activity during the day on saturday. but saturday i'm predicting it to be a fairly cool day with highs only in the upper 50s. that coming with plenty of cloud cover. tomorrow morning mostly clear. a cold start with possible frost. 32 to about 42 degrees. as you make your way through the day tomorrow, not too bad out there. pretty nice day especially early with plenty of sunshine but then increasing clouds could be a

shower out there early tomorrow evening but the best chance will be overnight tomorrow night into the day on saturday. 40% chance of rain there with a high of 59. only 68 or back to 68 rather on sunday and high near 70 on monday. so not a bad forecast. but when you consider we've just come out of two fantastic weeks the next four days. >> all right. >> we can deal with it. thank you, doug. coming up next is the first store of its kind on the east coast hoping to make big bucks off medical marijuana in d.c. more problems for metro tonight. it's not the old escalators that are breaking down. now the new ones are having trouble, too. >> and the odds are stacked against us. that's not going to stop us from snatching up megamillion tickets tonight. >> i'm buying this round. all right. >> yes you are. >> the story behind the world class figure skater who shows off his skills to get the attention of his son a

we're checking out hellie's lottery numbers. give me my ticket. >> seeing if there is a science there. >> thank you very much. >> okay. air talking hockey tonight. of course you have to ice skate to play hockey. >> a lot of people don't think about this area as a hockey hot bed but since the capitals have gotten good a lot more young hockey players have sprouted up around the area. peewee hockey teams from as far away as alaska and california converge on ashburn and reston this weekend for usa hockey's

tier 2 national tournament. one of the teams representing virginia has a definite leg up thanks to a world class father-son combination. christopher weis centers the top line for the reston raiders. in his early years, even his precise puck placement wasn't enough to keep his teammates from badgering him over his other sport. >> right before practice i liked figure skating and skating so they were like, oh, figure skater. figure skater. yeah. they're kind of like wimps almost. i don't want to be mean or anything but you think of them as kind of like they're focusing on perfection and you just really want to get the puck in the net. it's a different mentality. >> reporter: that mentality changed years ago when christopher's dad, three-time national champion michael weis, came to practice to help coach the finer points of skating.

>> the last thing hockey skaters want to do is work on skating skills so i was trying to get their attention so i was like okay. christopher, come here. i lined them up and laid my son down and came around and did a back flip over my son. then all of a sudden their eyes were wide open. now all of a sudden learning how to skate was really cool because i actually knew maybe what i was doing. >> i mean, i wish i could do that. i don't want to do the spins and everything but i like the flips. it's pretty cool. >> the whole basic to hockey playing is skating. there is nothing better than an olympic level athlete teaching your kids how to skate. he has a young personality and energy level that helps too because the key thing for all coaches is connecting with the kids. he does a great job of that. >> next three pucks ryan is on offense. now your work picks up. >> when michael weis takes to the ice the disco ball is still as he puts the reston raiders in motion. >> there it is. >> a national title is on the line this weekend, which is another area the guy with toe picks on his skates knows a lot

about. >> he tells me that confidence with mental is a big thing more than like skill. >> you don't know if your kids are listening but they actually, you know, sometimes when he reit rates it they do listen. when i was at the world championships the difference between the guy who won and the guy who was in 7th place, we could all do quads and triple axels. the difference was the guy who was mentally stronger and all that preparation came during practice. >> just as figure skaters proved their point to hockey players, the raiders had something to prove to the rest of the nation this weekend. >> like around the world like in alaska probably, they're coming to virginia and they're like oh, this isn't a big hockey state so i think we -- the perfect weekend would be implanted in their mind and to prove them wrong that we actually have some good skill here. >> fingers crossed for the reston raiders and it is almost like those kids have media coaches. what great -- >> imagine that. >> i hope they have a long, healthy hockey career because they'll be interviewed a bunch.

they're good. >> cute. >> thank you, dan. >> you're welcome. it could cut your commute in half. up next, we've got a look at the changes coming to northern virginia's express lanes project. >> our warm winter was great if you love the outdoors but there is one side effect to the nice weather that might surprise you or maybe even creep you out. i'm melissa mele in northwest washington. that story coming up. and batman unmasked. this real life super hero is helping sick children in our area. who knew?

i'll fast forward through headlines. police arrest alleged gang members in fairfax county accused of luring high school girls into prostitution. police say they pick up the girls at metro stops, at school, and on facebook. if they tried to quit the girls were threatened and physically assaulted. >> renewed outrage over the death of trayvon martin is video of george zimmerman doesn't appear to support the police account which says he was left bruised and covered with grass and a bloody nose after being attacked by the teenager. zimmerman has not been charged. today the u.s. senate defeated president obama's plan to cut billions in tax breaks for the big oil companies. republicans say stopping subsidies would not bring down gas prices. democrats argue oil companies' ceos are making tens of millions of dollars with taxpayers' help. your drive time on the beltway could be cut in half when virginia's new express lanes open. >> construction should wrap up

by the end of the year. julie carey is live along the beltway near braddock road in fairfax county with more on what drivers need to know. hey, julie. >> reporter: hey there. from this spot near braddock road you can clearly see the new express lanes out there just beyond those four white lines. and by december 20th, 2012, commuters will be able to use them provided they have a certain device inside their vehicle. by the end of december, a trip along the virginia beltway will look like this. four new high occupancy toll lanes, two in each direction, will be complete along with 58 rebuilt bridges and overpasses. >> faster, more reliable trips are coming to the capital beltway this year. >> reporter: officials from flora trans urban the company that will operate the express lanes and from v dot provided a detailed update today and say 90% of the work is finished to push the general purpose lanes out to their new locations. now the focus is on demolishing the old median and rebuilding the new between the express lanes. signs are stacked and ready to go up.

job number one? get go- getting the public used to the new name after years of calling them hot lanes they are express lanes. >> if you see those signs that is directing you or taking to you the express lanes. >> everyone has to have an ez pass transponder and officials revealed a special device called ez pass flex will be created for car poolers with three or more passengers who want to use the lanes for three. >> if you declare your hov you must have three people in the car and there will be no toll assessed. if for some reason one day you don't have three people you switch to toll mode and pay normal toll. >> reporter: there will be no toll gates. these structures will track each vehicle's transponder to assess the tolls along the way. flora trans urban is paying the virginia state police to add 11 troopers who will watch for cheaters. v dot planners expect beltway commutes could be cut in half for those who pay the price. >> you could see 20 to 30-minute improvements just in that

stretch. >> reporter: so you're probably wondering about the tolls. the tolling will be variable meaning the busier the road the higher the price and it could run more than a buck a mile during rush hour. coming up on news 4 at 6:00 i'll tell you what commuters think about the new opportunity. reporting live from fairfax county, julie carey. metro's first brand new escalators in more than a decade but some units here at the foggy bottom station had some problems this week. yesterday the escalator that goes up was out of service for about an hour during the morning. and another escalator was out of service for inspections. the transit agency tells us the new escalators are not breaking down and that if sensors detect any weight or speed problems, they will automatically shut down as a safety precaution. all the foggy bottom escalators are now back in service tonight. medical marijuana is coming to d.c. and tomorrow the department of health says it will announce who got permits.

the controversial industry is already bringing new business to ward 5 where most of the applicants want to set up the we grow store on rhode island avenue in northeast as busy prepping for its own big opening tomorrow. the store will provide supplies like lights and food for anyone who wants to grow indoor plants. it will also offer consulting services for medical marijuana growers. >> the goal is really also to educate these cultivators, to make sure that they're producing a high quality medicine for the district of columbia patients. because what we're seeing in areas where there's not a lot of education and resources available, the medical marijuana being grown is not very safe. >> the we grow store will not sell marijuana plants or seeds. it is the third store of its kind in the united states. have you bought your ticket yet? the highest jackpot in history is at $540 million and climbing. the big drawing is tomorrow night. all that money is creating megamillions mania. news 4's richard jordan joins us now from the newsroom with more

on the story. >> the clock is ticking to get those tickets and the more people that buy into the hype the bigger the price. >> reporter: tickets are selling fast. a record-breaking jackpot is up for grabs. and these players hope the megamillions lives up to its name. >> i wouldn't know what to do with it. that's what i'm saying. i would have to get five girlfriends each with 100 million. >> reporter: the jackpot climbs with every ticket sold. >> that's one good one right there. >> reporter: and now a six-number combination could make $1's value multiply 540 million times for one lucky winner. that kind of money is drawing newcomers to play. >> i saw you here and then i saw the gentleman here tell me how much money was involved. i don't normally play the lottery. >> that means you'll cut us in you win? >> sure. >> reporter: i got it on tape. it's on tape. >> the winning ticket. >> reporter: d.c. is the smallest megamillions playing

field. 227,000 tickets were sold wednesday alone. that's more than five times the tickets sold the week before. in a game of chance, most players say you have to be in it to win it. >> about $5. my husband will pay some. we try to do it in different areas so we can spread it out. >> reporter: the convenience store owners that sell tickets welcome the boom. >> if somebody buys it from my business and i get some money and i'll be able to celebrate too. >> a lucky shot is a lucky shot. somebody has to win. >> reporter: somebody does have to win. the final jackpot will be set at noon tomorrow. the lottery commission says it could reach $600 million. that's a lot of money and some people are willing to spend big to win big. ahead at 6:00 how much one man is wagering to become a multi-millionaire. jim and wendy? >> you know, last week or early this week no one won so they say someone has to win. not necessarily. you know? it could just keep getting bigger. >> that's right. can you imagine if it does get any bigger? >> yeah. >> breaking new ground.

>> a lot of money to go around. >> thanks. this time i'm lining up. i don't know what you did. i'm just saying we did not win. you should have. >> i didn't do anything wrong. a health risk linked to one alcoholic drink a day. >> also ahead, new viral video. eight months in the making. >> i'm liz crenshaw. ever catch yourself in an awkward money moment? tips for every day financial labored breathing ]

[ coughing continues ]

[ gasping ] [ elevator bell dings, coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] washington can't ignore the facts. more air pollution means more childhood asthma attacks. [ coughing continues ] log on to fightingforair.org and tell washington: don't weaken clean air protections. my dsometimes i'd tag alongian. washto a work site, carrying his lunch or tools. it was good, honest work. i went to college with the help of a union scholarship, then started a maryland business, creating jobs by providing financing to small companies wall street ignored. today, congress is ignoring our need for jobs. my dad the electrician taught me, if something's broken, get in there and try to fix it. i'm john delaney, and i approve this message.

awkward money moments. who pays for what? what do you do when someone asks you for money? >> we've been there for that. you've seen the reach haven't you? let me get that. there are situations folks find themselves in at work and at home. liz crenshaw is here now with some advice on how we should handle it. >> maybe money is tight or you can't support another person or another charity. kiplinger's personal finance calls those uncomfortable situations awkward money moments and has some tips on how to handle them. >> it comes up again and again and people don't know what to do. >> lisa is a staff writer with kiplinger's and has practical advice for the uncomfortable money situations. awkward money moment number one -- splitting the bill. >> split it evenly. seven people, split it seven ways including the tip. >> if they had more than one

drink and you're sit tlg, mine is only 14 and yours came to 45 how can we split that. >> i kind of throw my money in and run. >> this is a common situation and it depend on who you're with. >> reporter: she says if it is for business or birthday split it evenly. if you are with a familiar group of friends and they order more food and drinks than you, ask the server for separate checks. >> before is better if you want a separate check just avoiding the confusion at the end. >> reporter: awkward money moment number two. roommates. >> i had one roommate who couldn't for the life of him turn his check in on time. >> reporter: she says roommate rule, create an agreement. maybe roommates share the grocery bill or labeling what belongs to who and make sure everyone keeps the punctuality of the payments. >> kind of like a lease but you write an agreement between each other. have everyone sign it. maybe even impose a penalty. $2 for each day that you're

away. >> number three, co-worker charity donations. she says when it comes to giving to a charity your co-worker is promoting, saying no or giving less does not have to be awkward. you don't have to give a reason. a polite no and telling the person you admire what they're doing and wish them luck is acceptable. awkward money moment number four. family loans. >> a family member asks for money and you say? >> how much do you need? >> reporter: gersner warns against big loans. >> you do want to be careful about cosigning a loan. probably not a good idea if you're worried about them not paying it because your credit will be on the line if your name is on the loan if they default. >> reporter: awkward money moment number five. panhandlers. >> usually i keep looking forward. >> eyes straight? >> yes. eyes straight. >> i realize there are a lot of compassionate, generous people who decide not to give to panhandlers for various reasons. >> reporter: she says consider giving to an organization that

screens for neediness like a food bank or give a panhandler a coupon to a local food chain so the person has a couple bucks to eat. but no matter what the awkward money moment? one final piece of advice. >> i think the polite thing to do is say i'm sorry if you don't want to. it's always important to be kind and polite to everyone. >> it's good to be kind and polite tofrn but, yeah. it is sort of that awkward moment where you say, yeah. >> like going to the bathroom when they bring your check. you know? you tried that one on me before. >> i have to go to the ladies room when they bring the check. is that because you've eaten four meals and i've eaten one? he just keeps eating. you should pay three times i think. >> those are good tips. >> yes. >> very good tips. still ahead, have you seen them all? those rats running through the streets of d.c. now we know why there are so many of them. >> and where is the red jacket? oh, it's blue there. ron burgundy is making his return to tv. we've got details on the movie

sequel. doug, our favorite. >> i love that movie. great movie. good to see it coming back. 62 degrees out there right now. big problems with pollen and a very cold night tonight. some of us under a frost advisory. i'll explain in a minute.

an update on the breaking news at the top of the hour. the fire at andrews airforce base is still burning and the

damage is adding up. this all began around 4:00 in the back yard of a town home here on madison drive on the base. the flames then spread to two nearby town houses. we've just learned all three homes are a total loss. the good news? no one was hurt. >> there is a warning about the dangers of light drinking plus a devoted dog. an anchor man is returning. pat lawson muse is at the news 4 super screen with a look at what's trending today. >> an important health story tops tonight's trending topics. first up a new study finds that just one drink a day may increase women's risk of breast cancer by 5%. for women who have more than three drinks a day the risk goes up 50%. the study was published in the journal "alcohol and alcoholism" and previous research has suggested that moderate drinking could be good for your heart. now in today's viral video shows man's best friend and a hero's home coming. this dog is ecstatic when his owner returns to germany from an

eight-month deployment to afghanistan. the clip was uploaded to youtube a week ago and already there have been more than 1.6 million hits. and finally, ron burgundy is back. remember him? he shared some breaking news on conan last night. there will be a sequel to "anchor man." there will be a sequel. >> will ferrell made the announcement dressed as the title character from "anchor man the legend of ron burgundy." it stars ferrell as a self-absorbed newscaster and no word on when the sequel will be real eased. every time it makes me laf no matter how many times i see it. after days of speculation, we now know the true identity of batman. you may remember these images of the caped crusader being pulled over in his black lamborghini last week. police stopped him because his license plate was suspicious. "the washington post" is reporting now batman's real name is lenny b. robinson.

batman sounds better. he is a self-made businessman from baltimore county who now visits sick children in hospitals. robinson has been dressing up since 2001. he says he loves seeing the kids smile and hopes it helps them with the healing process. well the ski slopes were dry. cherry blossoms bloomed early. all thanks to our unseasonably warm winter. unfortunately, it also left us with a rather nasty problem. melissa mele is near new hampshire avenue and georgia avenues in northwest with these details. >> good evening. i am a little shaky now. i just saw a rat run down the alley. that's what this is all about. of course we all love the warm weather. rats especially love the warm weather. when it's warm they eat and reproduce. they have several litters every year and nine babies at a time. northwest resident charles pratt thinks the rat problem behind his house near new hampshire and georgia is as bad as it's ever been. >> i'm afraid.

they walk the alley at night. >> reporter: we saw several rats scurry from trash cans into nearby holes. the warm winter was like a 50-course meal for them. more people outside enjoying the weather means more food in trash cans and more food means more rat babies. >> they're big. the cats can't even catch them. >> reporter: no matter what you think of the furry creatures -- >> they are disgusting. >> reporter: they're persistent. it seems they'll eat anything, even gnawing through trash cans for a food fix. any man's trash is any rat's treasure. >> just something you got to deal with if you live in the city. >> reporter: georgetown's mercedes grovis has lived in the city nine years and says there are so many rats near her row house it is hard to entertain outside. >> then around 9ish or 10:00 you can see them crawling in the different square corners of the pat patio. >> reporter: the 40-foot alley in georgetown near the intersection of wisconsin and p are a pretty good example of how

serious this problem has really gotten for residents here. in just this alley there are three bait boxes and a handful of poison packs. >> this one today was huge. he barely fit in the trap. he was really hungry i guess because most of him was still out of the trap. >> though the rats may seem larger than they have in the past girard brown with d.c. rodent control says rats generally don't weigh more than one pound but puff up if they feel threatened. the team responds to dozens of calls every month putting down traps or poison. >> they can eat, you know, a lot of different things from pet food, pet waste, to human food. >> reporter: several pest control companies we spoke with agree. this has been one of their busiest years on record. >> very bad. we get calls every day for it. >> reporter: of course alleys like the one here in northwest this evening literally are breeding ground because of the trash and trash cans. the best thing you can do, keep a lid on a plastic trash can so

they can't get in. keep the area clear so that they don't kind of make a little habitat near that area and if you live in the district you can call 311 and they will come out and set traps or lay down poison. in northwest washington, melissa mele, news 4. back to you. >> all right. thanks, melissa. >> they like the warmer weather, too. >> they do. >> we need more cold nights it sounds like. it's going to be a little chilly out there tonight but i don't think it'll be chilly enough to ward off the rats out there. 62 degrees the current temperature. another glorious afternoon. we are dealing with a little bit of wind. winds gusting upwards of 20 to 25 miles an hour throughout the rest of the evening but plenty of clear skies. it is really nice. take a look at the numbers around the metro area. 61 in college park. 61 down toward campus springs. leesburg 59. out toward dulles temperatures there right now at 61. so a nice evening now but we'll start to cool down fairly quickly with clear skies around our area. no rain around us right now. the closest area of rain is way back toward the west out toward st. louis and then a very big

system down here toward houston dropping a ton of rain down there. that's actually something to watch as it moves down to the south and east but it will stay south and east of us. this is the little guy that i'm watching potentially for tomorrow. i was hoping tomorrow would be a fantastic friday. it looks like now we'll see a little bit more in the way of cloud cover and maybe a chance for some shower activity a little earlier than i was thinking. morning lows 34 in leesburg. 36 culpepper. 40 in fredericksburg. some of you are under a frost advisory. if you live to the west of the blue ridge or around 81, you are under a frost advisory for the night tonight including panhandle of west virginia, western portions of maryland, and western portions of virginia so we'll continue to see the chance for some frost early tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon we get right back into the low 60s. 60 in martinsburg. 64 culpepper. near 67 down near fredericksburg. clouds on the increase all day long. right now i have it dry throughout much of the day but wait until you see this new model information and see that little batch of rain that could make its way in a little

earlier. if you stay tuned to this forecast i do think we'll see rain by this time tomorrow night just off to the west. >> thank you, doug. same sex marriage has been legalized in maryland but a new poll shows people are still split on the issue. public policy polling found if a referendum is on the november ballot, 40% said they would vote to keep same sex marriage legal. 43% would vote to make it illegal. the group trying to get the referendum on the ballot still working to gather those signatures. if they get more than 55,000, the referendum will be on the ballot. put up for a vote. up next on news 4 at 5:00 tonight a popular school teacher from vermont murdered. how the suspects allegedly preyed on the woman's generosity to commit the crime. and for all your news follow news 4 online. search nbc washington on facebook and twitter.

new details in the murder of a vermont mother and school teacher. a couple is facing charges as police reveal how they allegedly lured the woman it a dark road and strangled her. ron mott has details. >> reporter: on the last day of her life, melissa jenkins did what friends say was in her nature. she tried to help someone.

>> she always had a smile. always had a positive thing to say. she always helped everyone out, everyone. >> reporter: but this time she paid the ultimate price. police charged 30-year-old alan crew and 33-year-old patricia crew with second-degree murder in the strangulation of the popular teacher and single mother. both have pleaded not guilty. >> they are married. they knew ms. jenkins. they had snow plowed her driveway a couple years ago. >> reporter: cops surrounded their mobile home wednesday. according to the affidavit patricia prue called jenkins sunday night saying the couple's car had broken down near her house asking for help. the 33-year-old jenkins cautiously agreed, court documents show, first calling an ex-boyfriend to let him know what she was doing, telling him she felt a bit uncomfortable around alan prue. when she got out of her car police say prue attacked her, choking and beating her severely before putting her in the

couple's car and driving off. patricia prue continued to choke jenkins according to court documents. jenkins' 2-year-old son ty was discovered safe and all alone in his mother's still idling suv describing the assault for police by pulling on the back of his neck and saying, mommy cried. >> a rise. >> reporter: when interviewed by investigators alan prue said he got the idea to get a girl while driving around. after killing jenkins police say he poured bleach on her body then put her in the water. she was found naked and face down, her feet bound. condoms and wrappers nearby. >> we know both suspects are alleged to have participated in the strangulation murder of the victim. what we don't know at this point is the wife's role. did she do this because she gained something from it emotionally or was she simply doing it because her husband told her to? >> according to the affidavit, prue once asked melissa jenkins to go out with him.

the prosecutor believes the alleged crime was sexually motivated and charges could be upgraded. that does it for news 4 at 5:00 tonight. news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. the promise of medical marijuana has some business sprouting up in the nation's capital. accused gang members busted for prostitution, recruiting high school girls from school and from facebook. gasoline prices up while billions of dollars in tax breaks continue to go to the big oil companies. and good evening and welcome. i'm wendy rieger sitting in for doreen gentzler. >> i'm jim vance. we begin tonight with new video in the trayvon martin case. the video shows the night that the man who shot martin was taken into custody was last month after that unarmed black teenager was killed. it is what you don't see on the tape that has some people alarmed. jay gray has our report. >> reporter: this police video shows george ziman