good morning, everyone, welcome to "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. it's friday, august 15, 2012. new today, maryland governor martin o'malley just signed controversial bill to expand gambling into law. the house agreed to the measure this morning at a tight 71-58 vote. voters will have their own say before poker and blackjack tables show up at the state's casinos. news4 has more from annapoliss on the signing and what's next for that measure. good morning. >> reporter: that's right. good morning to you, barbara. that's right. he just signed this bill a couple of moment ago.

he says it will bring thousands of jobs to the state of maryland, millions of dollars in revenue, and yes, now, it is up to the voters. maryland governor martin o'malley signing a bill to expand gambling in the state. the bill would allow table games like blackjack and roulette at some current locations as well as new construction and give tax breaks to the five existing casinos in the state. but voters in prince george's county would need to approve the new casino site, something county executives believe they will do. >> now it's up to the citizens which is what we wanted all along. i feel good about prince george's county, good about our future. it's a great day. >> narrator: in the ballot question passes statewide but not here, table games would be allowed but not a new casino. prince george's resident would have to brace for more construction here at national harbor where the casino would likely be built. >> personally i don't gamble that much. i mean, i play the lottery every now and then. but i mean, that's not my thing.

>> i'm really not in favor of casinos, but it seems like it would bring a lot of money to the county. and i know that we need a lot of money for education here in prince george's county. so for that reason, i probably would vote for casinos. >> reporter: lawmakers called for a special session, debated the bill for seven hours yesterday alone. if voters say yes, the number of slots here in maryland will be on par with those in las vegas. the first new venue could open in 2016. >> bringing revenue to the county and jobs. yeah, i would vote for it. >> reporter: supporters say the casinos could bring in up to $200 million in extra rene year, some aren't buying it. >> not an expert, but none of the projections ever seem to be right. >> reporter: county resident jeff nichols thinks the casino market will quickly become oversaturated. he says he will vote against the plan. >> i think that there's -- there's enough in the county itself, in p.g. county as well as surrounding states with virginia, west virginia, that

you don't need one more. and the number that would come here, i think there's other things you could build in p.g. county that would be more beneficial. >> reporter: now over the next few months, no doubt prince george's county voters will be bombarded with all kinds of ads vying for their votes. live in annapolis, maryland, melissa mollet, back to you. >> thanks. a controversial pit bull law was also on the table but did not survive. the general assembly was attempting to overrule a court decision that labels pit bulls as inherently dangerous. but the house and senate disagreed over how to change the law, and when owners should be held responsible for dog attacks. the court of appeals could vote to uphold its original ruling on that law as early as tomorrow. and turning to the weather now and a mix of sun and clouds out there this wednesday morning. storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson is in for tom kierein and joins us with the first forecast. i think i wanted to move us ahead to the end of the week already. >> you know it's going to be nice tomorrow, right?

>> yeah. we don't want to miss thursday. i was about to jump over to friday. that's how i said good morning. tell us about what we can expect this wednesday. >> all right. sure, we're always ready to start the weekend early. what's out there now, well, we've gotten some clouds. so it's not quite as bright as it was earlier. in fact, when the sun first came up and just from there a couple of hours off of that, now we've got high clouds across the area. and like yesterday, we could see some strong storms come across our area. the spot that had the most severe weather yesterday was up around northeastern maryland. there was hail damage there. there was wind damage up there. it's in this area shaded in yellow, in fact, from new york, areas through philadelphia down to baltimore, d.c., south to raleigh, north carolina, we could see some more strong, possibly severe storms come through during the afternoon. and those storms could again bring high wind and some hail too the area. we've got this system that's going to finally be making its way on through our area. 81 degrees is where we are right now. we're warming up.

we've got, again, sunshine, some warmth, and we've got higher dew point temperatures. and this weather system that, again, is moving in. look at the cloud loop the last couple of hours. you see the clouds really have moved in now. the radar, just some showers around. we'll zoom in on the showers in a couple of minutes to tell you where those storms could fire later today and the temperature for tomorrow because you're going to like -- tomorrow you're going to like the weekend for a different reason. back to you. >> oh, okay. can't wait to hear what you've got to tell us. come on in here. >> all right. >> see you later. let's check on the midday traffic. here's danella. good morning. good morning, you are not alone. i'm hoping it's friday already. i'm sure these drivers are, too. let me tell you what's happening on activities. traveling eastbound, getting closer to the beltway. what's happening is this was a crash that was blocking the left side of the roadway, only the right lane was getting by. they're just in the final stage of moving it to the shoulder lane. here are the delays on i-66, absolutely jammed at chain bridge. you see these cars are just

sitting here. it's a slow trip to the beltway from fairfax county parkway to the beltway. travel speed, 17 miles per hour. 34 minutes to make the trip. it's slow, right? tgif -- soon, barbara, soon. back to you. >> can't wait. all right. thanks a lot. and new this morning, we're learning more about the overnight murder of a 23-year-old man in forestville. police say someone broke into his house on surry square lane around 2:00 a.m. the victim tried to fight him off. the intruder shot the 23-year-old. he died on the way to the hospital. police say the victim was a promoter for a local music group called total control band. a man is in serious condition after a brutal attack in chinatown. d.c. police say someone beat the victim with a cane. this happened overnight in an alley near the 500 block of h street in northwest. so far norrest in this case. also new today, firefighters say a domestic dispute was the reason behind a house fire in prince george's county, where this happened. the fire broke out just after midnight on chapel wood lane in

capitol heights. police aren't saying exactly how the fire started but are saying it started because of a fight between two people inside. a man was taken to the hospital. no word on his injuries at this time. and around the same time, another fire displaced one family in northeast d.c. the fire happened in the 3000 block of franklin street. investigators say the fire started in the basement and quickly spread through the house and into the attic. no one was home at the time. the red cross is helping the family. the cause of that fire remains under investigation. and today, millions of americans are crossing their fingers and clutching their lucky charms. they're hoping to be the lucky winner of tonight's powerball drawing. the jackpot is worth a cool $320 million. news4's angie goff is in arlington where many people are hoping today will be their lucky day. >> reporter: here in virginia, lottery officials expect to sell more than one million powerball tickets. all people hoping to strike it rich now that the jackpot stands

at an eye-popping $320 million. daydreamers got their tickets early for what will be the fourth largest jackpot in lottery history. $320 million up for grabs, a cash payout that would be more than $2 million. virginia loiter officials say during -- lottery officials say during peak times they'll sell 2,100 tickets a minute. you can buy tickets in virginia, maryland, and d.c. all day. many buy with a plan to win. >> i'd give a lot of money to all the churches i belong to. and i'd hire people to take care of my house, and then i'd sit and enjoy my own house. >> i'd probably rest for about a year. that's what i would do. >> reporter: the manager here at the 7-eleven tells me he's bringing in three extra employees to help brace for today's volume. now just to put this powerball in perspective, the only larger jackpot than this one was back in february when an 81-year-old grandmother struck it big,

$336.4 million. after taxes, she walked away with $210 million. in arlington, angie goff, news4. >> very tempting. it's eight minutes after 11:00 now. coming up, the heartbreaking story coming out of washington state this morning. wildfires continue to devastate parts of that area. unchain wall street. [ booing ] >> they're going to put y'all back in chains. [ laughter ] >> plus, comment controversy. the instant reaction from republicans and how vice president joe biden is clarifying what he said.

i'm one of six children that my mother raised by herself, and so college was a dream when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was gonna do it, but i knew i was gonna get that opportunity one day, and that's what happened with university of phoenix. i feel like the sky's the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix. find the program that's right for you at phoenix.edu/beltway

at least three people have been hurt in a bombing near a hotel in syria. the explosion rocked the hotel in damascus early today. u.n. observers were staying there, but no u.n. staffers were

hurt. we have a developing story now out west where wildfires are again threatening dozens of homes. firefighters are battling at least 60 blazes in ten states this morning. the worst is in central washington state. there's a fire in the cascade mountains, and it's already swallowed up 70 homes. more than 900 people have been evacuated from surrounding communities there. >> i know one of the firefighters here, his house burned down while he was trying to help fight this fire. there's a lot of people that are going to be affected by it. >> the fire is only 10% contained. meanwhile, another blaze in idaho has turned deadly. 20-year-old ann veseth was killed when a tree fell on her. it was only her second summer on the job as a firefighter. we're getting a new indicator of just how widespread the drought is this year. the national climactic data center is releasing a report for july. numbers already out show 37% of

the country has severe or extreme conditions right now, making this the sixth worst drought on record. farmers say it could take years to replenish soil and help their crops to recover. and storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson is here. she tells us we could get a little rain. how are we doing with our total rainfall for the year? >> right now we're eight inches under. so our deficit, eight inches for reagan national, i think since june 1. nearly three inches the deficit. we have been getting the rain in spots with these drenching storms -- >> not enough. >> right. just not enough. and not everywhere. so a lot of folks telling me, hey, i need some rain, i didn't get anything yesterday. and today, well, more scattered storms around the area. by the way, the national climactic data center is ncdc, i did two years in college there working. >> where is that located? >> in asheville, north carolina. stores weather data. pretty cool.

speaking of data, look at the weather map. shaw to petworth, temperature, 81 degrees. damasc damascus, germantown, kensington, 73. you've got 79 already in manassas, virginia. warming up nicely despite some of the cloud cover. those high clouds that are already across the area. had a high of 90 degrees yesterday. now the clouds were going to keep the temperature down a little bit. leesburg, high of 87 degrees today. la plata, 86. fredericksburg, i think getting up to 88 for a high temperature today. and we're talking about scattered storms around the area. the best chance right here, this corridor. baltimore to d.c., la plata, pax river, around st. mary's, areas off to the east. that's the best chance for seeing the storms later today. again, they'll be scattered pretty much everywhere. look at the satellite and radar review and how thick some of the cloud cover is getting. back to the west, around front royal and charlottesville and petersburg. in fact, some showers already showing up around leesburg. the area south of leesburg

making their way quickly to the east. sprinkles, maybe light showers south of gaithersburg, around 270 out of bethesda the next couple of minutes. pack the umbrella today. you'll need it, i think, for the afternoon. we've got one big cluster heading away from new york city. we've got the next one that's going to be moving in quickly through our area. but a chance of rain for the afternoon, between about 2:0 p.m. and i think as late now as about 8:00, maybe 9:00 p.m. so the system moves out tomorrow. tomorrow is going to be fantastic. if you've got plans, it's going to be great. if you don't have plans, make some plan for tomorrow. it's going to be a nice, late summer day for us, high about 90 degrees. low humidity, lots of sunshine. and then the next weather system will start to move in. and that front comes in for friday afternoon. our best chance of rain about 5:00, 6:00. then that system is going to stall around the area. saturday, sunday right now looks a little unsettled with showers

around the area. temperatures currently, again, 81 here. 69 morgantown. it's cooler back to the north and west. when we look all the way back to the north and west, coming out of canada, some much cooler air, 69 in minneapolis right now. temperatures in the low 60s up there. that's the cooler air that's going to be coming in for our weekend. for today, though, 88. again, showers, storms, isolated severe storms possible yet again. evening forecast, showers end, we clear out, 74 to 78 for a temperature. and then tomorrow morning, we'll be starting out between 64 and 70 degrees. clear, cooler, and a very nice start for the day tomorrow. here's the four-day forecast for thursday. again, nice conditions with a high of 90 degrees. a little warmer than today but with less humidity. it's really going to feel like a great summer day. friday, the high, 93 with afternoon storms. and not a washout for saturday, barbara, but we will see some occasional showers, maybe a storm or two coming through our area. we'll take a look at the

extended forecast and second half of the weekend in a couple of minutes. >> okay. thank you. >> you bet. we'll check on the midday traffic again. how are things moving now, danella? >> now we have a situation in northwest washington, d.c., along g street. the 800 block of g street is closed now for police activity. this is not only for vehicles but also pedestrian traffic. your alternate roads are going to be -- you can take h or e street. please avoid g street. let's head to i-66. earlier eastbound had a crash around nutley. out of the roadway, but you're still seeing delays. we'll take a live look at chain bridge. heavy on the brakes in this area. and your travel speed from fairfax county parkway to get to the beltway still under speed, 20 miles per hour. that drive taking about 29 minutes. if you're thinking of jumping on metro, i'm checking it now. metro's not reporting any delays. barbara, back to you. >> okay, thank you so much. see you again shortly. breaking news. police tell us a security guard at a local museum was shot outside -- a museum in chinatown

neighborhood, we're hearing. the shooting happened shortly after 11:00 a.m. near the intersection of 8th and g street northwest. we're told the security guard was shot in the arm. his or her condition, and we're not told who this was at this time anyway, is -- is okay at this time. we're going continue to follow this. we'll bring you updates as the news comes in to us. again, a guard at one of the museums in the area shot in the arm. it's now 19 minutes after 11:00. still ahead on "news4 midday," a popular baby product is recalled. plus, get your kid ready to head back to school in style. from clothes to backpacks to accessories. and the three rules you need to follow to successfully lose weight. we've got that for you, too: first, here's what's hot on nbcwashington.com. stay with us.

as summer starts winding down, one thing that's sure to be on the mind of parents and kids alike is back-to-school shopping. lifestyle editor of guiltkids.com is here to share the best in back-to-school fashion and accessories. welcome. >> thank you very much. >> you know that pants and kids can disagree on what they want to buy in the stores. kids are going one way, parents going another. you've brought some things that you say parents and kids can agree on, right? >> absolutely. we've got the hottest trends for back to school. that's all the kids are thinking about. and as parents, we're thinking about how back-to-school shopping for less. >> you want kids to be excited about going back to school. letting them choose things themselves is pretty important. >> it's a big deal. as parents we can feel a little better when we're not paying, you know, top dollar. >> that's true. let's talk it what you can get at a good priood price. clothes? >> the hottest trends are bold

color, that french schoolgirl and schoolboy look and lots of patterns. at guilt, one of our favorite brands is jockety. it's expensive but you can get up to 50% off on guilt.com. we see celebs. from j. lo's kids and even surry cruise. >> so the french look, the clean, uncomplicated styles that you're showing us over there are kind of what's in right now? >> absolutely. lots of plaids and sort of a very classic look. >> let's talk about backpacks. >> now backpacks, you know, we think about handbags, but for kids, backpacks are the big deal. we've got a great selection. starting with this from dabawalla, made out of scuba suit material. that's fantastic. it's indestructible. we love the animals. animals are a big trend. original retail is $40, but you can get it for just $24. >> you can shop on line. a lot of discount sites line.

>> you can shop around on line. but the great thing about the web site is we offer daily sales of top designer brands for up to 60% off. you really can get the hottest trends for less. now, love this backpack company. it's called school bags for kids. you buy one, you're actually giving back. they'll give a backpack filled with school supplies to charity to needy children. so you know, you can do good while you're back-to-school shopping. >> here's an interesting -- not a backpack but, what, a schoolbag, the old kind we used in the old days. >> the messenger bag. this is a big trend. over the shoulder. this is from alex toys. the great thing about it, you can color in. you can let your kids use their imagination. exactly. now, you got our fashionable backpack, you got to have school supplies that are just as fashionable. believe it or not, you can find them now -- >> i see the wonderful colors -- >> our sister company, guilt city, has a national deal with organize.com, where you spend $25 and get $50. you really can get all your

school supplies for less. >> i've seen even in the grocery stores, you see lots of wonderful colors. i guess you can let the kids pick their own colors. >> it's all about bold color this season. you can get it in supplies, too, believe it or not. >> what are these? this is cute. what is that? >> little luggage tags, great for the backpacks. animals are a really big trend this season. >> and this is really cute. you've got them in all kinds of animals. >> all kinds. >> i guess kids -- because a lot of pack packs are going to end up -- backpacks are going end to up looking the same, nice idea to write their names on. they can tell which is theirs. >> moms want to make sure we get it back. it's a cute way for kids to do it, too. >> quickly. >> yeah, lunchbooks for big kids and little kids. we're all into the ecofrenchly brand. this is a great way to go. headbands -- >> yes. all the little girls going to want those. >> yes, you can get them for 50% at guiltkids. it's the rage for the fashionista set. >> sneakers, of course, always a thing that kids want to wear.

>> ben simone, the french look. love it. celebs love it, too. for rainy days -- my son would never get into his rain gear until i found this. now it's like dress-up when it rains. >> actually fire engine here. >> exactly. and again, up to 40% off. so -- >> fantastic. you've got to shop around to look for the things that kids are going to like. but this is it. lots of color. >> exactly. these are the trends, ideas you'll want to look out for. >> thank you very much for coming and showing us what's hot for school this year. >> thank you. >> thank you. 11:27 is the time now. and of course, these products can be seen on our web site and also on their web site, as well. which is guiltkids.com. coming up in the next half-hour of "news4 midday," vice president joe biden is in virginia again today. it is his remarks yesterday, yeah, those remarks are being criticized. we'll tell you why.

breaking news now. police tell us a security guard was shot outside of a museum in the chinatown neighborhood. the shooting happened shortly after 11:00 this morning near the intersection of 8th and g streets northwest. we're told the security guard was shot in the arm. his or her condition is unknown at this time. we have a news crew on the way there. and we will bring you more updates on this story throughout the day. and right now on "news4 midday," maryland governor o'mall o'malley signed a hotly debated gambling expansion bill into law. makes room for table gables and a sixth casino in prince george's county. it lowers taxes and raises revenues for existing casinos. voters will have to approve the measure in november in a referendum that month. vice president joe biden is not backing down from a controversial remark he made

yesterday in virginia. >> romney wants to let -- he said in the first 100 days he's going to let the big bank again write their own rules. unchain wall street. [ booing ] >> they're going to put y'all back in chains. >> biden made that comment in front of hundreds of african-americans in danville, virginia. he says he meant to say unshackled but is not apologizing for what he said. this morning on the "today" show, rnc chairman frebis said the comment shows how low the obama campaign is sinking just to win an election. >> i don't know what he meant. it obviously -- i don't think it was very well received. i don't think it's the type of tone that we need in this campaign. i think it takes things to a new level. a level of just negativity. and i think it was a shameful comment. but it goes with what the obama campaign is doing right now. they promised they were going to be different four years ago, that they were going to be positive, they would bring people together. look what they're doing -- putting people in chains.

>> mitt romney says it shows what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. americans may still be divided as to whether paul ryan is fit to be vice president, but everyone can agree that the wisconsin congressman is fit. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more on the v.p. candidate's grueling working routine. up, two, up -- >> reporter: call it extreme. and we're not talking about his politics here. >> let's go, let's go, let's go! >> reporter: you won't actually see him sweat, but paul ryan loves to talk about his exercise. >> pullups, pushups, situps, lots of cardio, karate, jump training, yoga. >> reporter: a dedication that puts more than running in this running mate. >> i was actually a fitness trainer. his three jobs when i came out of college. one was a fitness trainer. >> reporter: on his first day alongside mitt romney, ryan beamed when asked about exercise by the celebrity goes insite tmz. >> what's your workout regimen?

>> what's my workout? p 90x insanity. have a good one -- >> how many crunches can you do? >> p90g and insanity generate sales and sweat. more than five million copies sold. this vice presidential candidate who loves crunching numbers and his abs stands 6'2", a lean 163 pounds, and claims his body fat is just between 6% and 8%. ryan even leads a p90x class for a dozen members of congress. that got the attention of the expert seen in the video, tony horton. >> tony horton, the creator, works out with us every few months. >> reporter: horton may be the only guy who could coax a sleeveless ryan into showing off his guns for a camera. back in the land that celebrates cheeseheads and brats, ryan's wisconsin childhood was active with everything from soccer to skiing. but this commitment to fitness is deeply rooted in the roughest experience of his life.

>> my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. >> narrator: ryan was a teenager when he found his 55-year-old father dead from a heart attack. like his grandfather and great grandfather who had also died in their 50s, giving him an incentive, he says, to stay in shape. >> paul ryan has talked quite a bit about the loss of his father at a relatively young age. you know, i think it's influenced his entire life in that he is someone who is clearly very disciplined. >> that was kelly o'donnell reporting. running for vice president isn't keeping paul ryan from staying in shape. we understand he's been spotted in hotel gyms early in the morning getting in a quick workout. veronica johnson has the latest on our forecast. when do you think we might see rain, veronica? >> reporter: that's going to come during the afternoon, barbara. i'm of course outside on our weather patio or storm team 4 weather pat year. the surface here dry, but out there, you know, it's still a little wet. i'm going to stay right here.

and i feel like i have to talk louder because it is noisy out here with the bugs and insects. for me at least the mosquitoes aren't biting. above me i've got some clouds. high clouds. we've got the filtered sunshine right now. i don't need any of japanese manmade filters to block the sunshine right now. clouds, yes, and we're still i think expecting showers and thunderstorms. those will fire during the afternoon after about 2:00 or so. just showers now moving through montgomery county and heading to the east, toward howard county. so gaithersburg, you're getting a little light shower right now. 75 in reston. 81 in d.c. 81 also in annapolis. temperatures will rise about another eight, maybe ten degrees. the hometown forecast for gaithersburg where i showed you where the showers are coming through, showers to thunderstorms. 5:00, 81 the temperature. we'll be cooling off in a hurty with any of the storms that come through. we could see high wind and the possibility of downpours in the area. clearing out nicely tonight as

we drop to 72. good looking day coming tomorrow. we'll take another look at that in a couple of minutes. >> okay. thanks. virginia state employees will have reason to celebrate. they're getting a bonus. governor bob mcdonnell is announcing today the state agency saved more than $100 million through the first half of the year. and that's enough to provide state worker with a one-time 3% bonus this december. this will be the third year in a row that virginia has had a budget surplus. well, clean up your act. that's the message local and federal leaders have for the agency overseeing construction of metro's silver line. transportation secretary ray la hood, d.c. mayor gray, maryland governor martin o'malley, and virginia governor bob mcdonnell sent a scalding letter to the metropolitan washington airport's authority yesterday. they essentially told the organization it had lost the public's trust and must change how it does business if it wants to get it back. the letter read in part, "we are

gravely concerned with the lack of accountability, transparency, and sound judgment that has come to lighted regarding the board's recent activities." the board has been criticized in recent months for spending tens of thousands of dollars on tips and handing out contracts to former board members. today we expect to find out the results from the military's unmanned supersonic test flight. airspace engineers tested a new wave rider yesterday over the pacific ocean near edwards air force base in california. it's supposed to reach mach six for at least five minutes, that's six times the speed of sound. engineers are using new technology on planes that's similar to the technology on rocket ships. the plane is designed to fly from l.a. to new york in less than one hour. in outer space, nasa's "curiosity" voefr preparing for its -- rover is preparing for its first test drive on mars. nasa says the rover survived the ufo four-day switch from land

mode to surface mode. now the rover will be able to use its row pottic arm and drive around the planet and hopefully send back pictures of what's up there. we're going to check on the midday traffic again now. here's danella with the latest. hi. hi, barbara. still seeing issues in northwest. the 800 block of g street still closed while police are investigating the earlier shooting in the area. your alternate roads are going to be h street and e street. keep in mind it's not only vehicle traffic but also pedestrian traffic. let's head to the beltway. outer loop and inner loop. seeing delays between i-270 should the dulles toll road. and this is because of roadwork. you're going to see the left lane blocked here. this is at old -- at georgetown pike. left lane on the inner loop as well as the outer loop in this area. and delays as i said before, pretty slow between i-270 as well as the dulles toll road. let's take a live look at activities here eastbound at chain bridge road. delays on the way to the beltway. the earlier crash at nut she gone.

we'll check travel speeds, fairfax county parkway to the beltway, you're at about 29 miles per hour. that drive taking 20 minutes. barbara, back to you. >> all right. thank you. we want to bring all of you up to date on breaking news we have right now. we're getting live pictures from the scene of a shag outside the portrait gallery in the chinatown neighborhood. the shooting happened shortly after 11:00 this morning near the intersection of 8th and g streets northwest. we're told a security guard was shot in the arm. his or her condition is not known at this time. at least we don't know. the police chief is on the scene skprn , and one person was seen being taken into custody. we will continue to follow the story and bring you updates as they come in to us. moving on now. today, the army psychiatrist charged in the deadly shooting at ft. hood must enter a not guilty plea. the military judge hearing the case against army major nadal hasan refused to delay the trial. military law doesn't allow guilty pleas to charges that

carry the death penalty. hasan is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 23 others in a shooting spree on the army base in november of 2009. the jury selection is scheduled to begin on monday. and we have new information in the drew peterson murder trial. the defense withdrew its request for a mistrial. now the trial will resume. the illinois judge reprimanded prosecutors for asking a witness if kathleen savio had sought an order of protection against peterson. the judge had warned prosecutors not to ask that question in front of jurors. prosecutors ended up asking the question through times. peterson is on trial for the death of his third wife, savio, which was originally ruled an accident. when peterson's fourth wife disappeared, savio's body was re-examined. a new immigration policy goes to effect today that could allow younger illegal immigrant s to temporarily stay in this country.

the policy lets illegal immigrants 30 years and younger apply for a u.s. work permit. one government nova scoton was saw a long line 24 hours before it even began accepting applications. the policy does not grant citizenship or the permission to travel internationally. president obama announced the program back in june after congress failed to pass the dream act. it's 11:42. ahead on "news4 midday," the steps that will be taken before you can go shopping that could save you some money. steps you'll need to take. plus, three rules to follow that could help you lose weight.

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we have a warning for parents of young babies. bumbo is recalling about four million of its popular baby seats. at least 50 babies have been injured in recent years when they fell while the seat was on a raised surface. more than a dozen of those babies actually fractured their skulls. bumbo is offering a free repair kit which includes a restraint belt. you can find out more information on line at

recall.bumbousa.com. recallbumbousa.com. the worst drought in half a century could send the price of food soaring. we have this report. >> reporter: it's already withered corn crops. cracked the earth and sent ranchers scrambling to feed their herds. the next stop for this year's record drought is the nation's grocery stores. >> i think we're going to see price increases across the board because corn in particular is such a ubiquitous product. it's used in the man facture of most foods. >> reporter: it will mean hikes down the i'll on products like cereal and chips. but its animal-based hperishabl foods that will be hit the hardest. beef, dairy, poultry, pork, hit the hardest. 3.5% to 5% next year. >> economically we don't have

extra money to spend on things like groceries that you have to eat. >> reporter: for a family of four, the hikes will add an estimated $615 to their annual grocery bill in 2013. >> i'll be more careful about how much i buy so that there's no waste. and -- be careful what i buy. >> reporter: experts predict shoppers will use more coupons and switch to cheaper items to try to beat the rising cost of feeding a family. >> that was janet shahblan reporting. august saw the highest increase in years. pooef more on th-- we have more that and the rest of the business headlines. >> reporter: we've got stocks trading in a narrow range this hour. looking at the major averages, the dow down nine, the s&p up

11, and we have had more encouraging news for the housing market, especially from homebuilder. sentiment among homebuilders rose in august to the highest level in more than five years. that's according to new data from the national association of homebuilders. the fourth month in a row sentiment has improved with expectations in the coming more for more interest in single family homes, buyer traffic, and new home sales. and new government data shows consumer prices were flat in july for the second straight month, and the 1.4% increase for the year is the low ever since november of 2010. a drop in energy prices was offset by a slight gain in food prices and we know as you were reporting the midwest drought will mean higher food prices in the coming months. meanwhile, the federal reserve now is also saying industrial production's on the rise as factories made more cars, computers, and airplanes last month. now, it all adds up to an economy that's kind of trudging along but not really weak enough to get the federal reserve to do

more to stimulate the economy any time soon. that's, frankly, what's keeping a lid on stock prices today. just another example that sometimes what is good for main street is not always good for wall street. at least in the minds of traders. barbara, back to you. >> all right. so right. thank you very much. have a great day. >> great to see you, bye-bye. more now on our effort to save you a little money on back-to-school shocking. parents are poised to spend on average $688 on back-to-school shopping. a "today" show contributor came up with this list of money-saving ideas. here they go -- have kids start with their own closet first. do a cleanout and decide what still works and keep that before you go shopping. make money off of your kids' old clothes. go to a consignment store and try to sell them that way. if your kids are craving brand names, you might be able to snag those for less by shopping at designer discount stores or on line.

don't rule out alterations. hem a pair of old pants and turn them into capris. finalli, do shop on line. you can final bargains that way. do you need to drop a few pounds? as a lot of us do? a study found three simple rules can help women in particular lose weight. grab a pen and paper. as dee dee roy reports, you'll need both to help keep off the pounds with this diet plan. lots of vegetables. >> reporter: 34-year-old jessica mcdowell is already breaking one of the rules for losing weight. >> i'm on my way to five guys. >> reporter: new research published in the "journal of the academy of nutrition and i do debtics" finds women who eat out at lunch time at least once a week don't lose as much as women who regularly eat in. researchers say restaurant meals at any time stop a diet dead in its tracks, but lunch seems to be the worst. >> i'm not going to have anything else that's kind of fattening for the rest of the day. >> reporter: mcdowell says today's takeout burger is a special treat. she usually eats salads and

sandwiches brought from home. >> there was a time when i weighed close to 200 pounds. and i've kept that off for many, many years. >> reporter: mcdowell lost 50 pounds ten years ago following the lunch rule, and two others recommended in the new study. the rules -- don't skip meals, and keep a food log. >> it's probably one of the strongest predictors of term and weight control. >> reporter: head of research at temple university, dr. gary ster, says the study which focuses women 50 and up is good advice for anyone trying to trim down. >> most of the guidance that consumers get about what they should eat is eat this, don't eat that. i would argue most people know what to eat and what not to eat. what they don't get as much help with is the how. so these are very applied how tips. our time now is 11:51. good luck if you're starting your diet. coming up, a new slogan by nike is raising eyebrows. ni[ male announcer ] you paid in to medicare for years.

every paycheck. now, when you need it obama has cut $716 billion dollars from medicare. why? to pay for obamacare. so now the money you paid for your guaranteed healthcare

is going to a massive new government program that's not for you. the romney-ryan plan protects medicare benefits for today's seniors and strengthens the plan for the next generation. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. a family of raccoons is back together after a daring rescue. a mother raccoon and her four babies decided to move into a chimney at one arlington home in july. well, that wasn't a very good

idea, turns out. that raccoon family got trapped, two of the babies fell down into the furnace area. humane wildlife services rescued the family, but it took four days to reach those little ones that were stuck in the furnace. the two were dehydrated and needed to be nursed back to health. then rescuers reunited the whole family. redskins training camp is a wrap now. and we're hearing that rg3 decorated his locker with a theme. yesterday, reporters were allowed in the skins' locker room for the first time this season. they were asked not to take pictures of robert griffin iii's locker. we can tell you that he has it all decked out with action figures including spider-man, the incredible hulk, and captain america. he has inspirational slogans including "conquer every obstacle" and another that says "sacrifice." the biggest message he had in the locker, forget about being mvp, forget about being in the pro bowl. those are just nice consolation prizes if you don't get a super

bowl ring. sounds like he knows what he's after. does this shirt inspire you to go after an olympic gold medal? nike claims that's the goal of its new gold digging t-shirt. it's designed for women, though. many people say they're offended by the shirt. nike was obviously prepared for the controversy, though. it's official -- its official description reads "we aren't saying they're gold-digger, we're just saying they're out for the gold." and what's wrong with that? a look at stories we'll be following on news4 this afternoon. at 4:00, an 81-year-old woman from virginia tells the story of being trapped under a lawnmower for hours. and how she finally saved herself. plus, from secretary of state to fashion model. how condoleezza rice ended up in front of the camera. we'll tell you about that and show you the picture. and time now for a final check on our forecast. here's veronica. >> rain for today. you know, all we had to do was step outside. you know something's peruing out there with the clouds.

-- brewing out there with the clouds. they're thickening up. you see the clouds across the area on satellite and radar. the clouds coming on in. there's been a few showers with even a few thunderstorms that are starting to fire in extreme western portions of west virginia. 88 and a few showers at the beach. 87 tomorrow. nice, some late day storms for friday right now, barbara. take advantage of thursday. again, showers moving into howard county now. light winds and folks keep asking where is the severe weather risk for today. it's baltimore, d.c., down toward fredericksburg, all those areas shaded in yellow where we could have some wind, possibly even some hail damage. four-day forecast here. 88 the high today. 50% chance of showers and storms. 90, quiet tomorrow. for the weekend, a bit unsettled. so there will be showers moving through from time to time. >> we'll see you this afternoon at 4:00. >> you bet. before we leave you, want to bring an update on the breaking news we've been following this hour. we have some picture now from the scene of a shooting at 8th

and g streets northwest. the shooting happened shortly after 11:00 a.m. this morning. we're told a security guard was shot in the arm. security guard from a museum. the police chief is on the scene. one person was taken into custody. roads are blocked in the area now because of all that police activity. we'll have the latest coming up at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00. at this time, we have more on nbcwashington.com. you can check it out this. and that's "news4 midday." thank you for being with us. we invite you to tune in at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and tonight at 11:00.