who his father is. good morning, and welcome to news4 today. i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. tom has a new word to add to your vocabulary this morning. octobery. take a look outside with us if you will right now. 55 degrees as we look live over the nation's capital. how are we defining octobery for people this morning? >> well, it's acting like it should be. it's regained its dignity as an autumn month. yesterday, it fell like a winter month. yesterday morning it was down into the 30s, much of the region. you don't need a winter coat, but you'll need your light fall jacket. right now, 55 at reagan national and generally in the upper 40s in prince george's county, but farther to the south and west, a few locations have dropped down to near 40 and that includes culpepper county, up toward manassas and prince william county, and right along the blue ridge, it's in the 40s.

into the mountains, most locations in the 40s. southern maryland, st. mary's, eastern shore, most locations low to mid 50s there. the view from space showing a clear sky, but we have increasing clouds coming in from the midwest. this is a line of showers coming into ohio, indiana, kentucky, down to tennessee. that's going to be getting closer to us as we get through the day. hour by hour for the whole region today. by 8:00 a.m., the low 50s, much of the area, and sunshine, and mostly sunny still by noontime, and the upper 60s. by mid afternoon, clouding up in the low 50s. late afternoon and evening, we might get passing thundershowers. there's a slight risk that some of them would produce some damaging winds. that will be generally 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. as the timeframe for that. i'm back in ten minutes. a look at your traffic. >> not seeing any reported delays on the rails. over to the roadways, 15 northbound at haymarket.

the ramp to i-66 eastbound is open. let's talk about delays. traveling i-66 eastbound. heavy on the brakes as you make your way to the bypass. not seeing any reports of accidents just yet, but you are sluggish. also sluggish, and it's a traffic alert for you i-270 southbound at father hurley boulevard. i can't see anything on camera, but unusually long delays right now. it looks like the cars are coming to a complete stop. i'm back in ten minutes with an update. new this morning, richmond highway in fairfax county is back open after a deadly pedestrian accident. this happened around 3:00 near huntington avenue. the victim was taken to the hospital, but did not survive. police are not releasing any details about the victim or the circumstances of the accident. we're told the driver stayed on the scene. so far, no charges have been filed. another pedestrian accident sent the woman to the hospital as well. this one happened in baltimore avenue last night. police say a truck was going south when it hit that woman.

she was taken to the hospital in critical condition. the driver there also stayed on the scene. no charges have been filed. baltimore avenue was closed for about five hours. and police are still searching for the driver responsible for a five-car pile-up in silver spring. chopper 4 above the crash there above university boulevard above east wayne avenue. a pedestrian was hit there as well. she is in critical condition in the hospital. we're told a second person was hurt, but should be okay. police are looking for a newer model black pickup truck with possible damage to the front passenger side. police are searching for the person who shot a man along bening road in northeast washington. the victim was taken to the hospital with a life-threatening injury. poli are not releasing any of the details or a motive in this case. their final debate may not be until next week, but president obama and mitt romney will be in the same room tonight. both candidates attending a charity dinner for the catholic archdiocese of new york.

that dinner will be a break from both men's grueling schedules. president obama campaigned yesterday ohio and iowa. you see that here. he will visit northern virginia tomorrow. mitt romney spent yesterday in the commonwealth. he held rallies in leesburg and in chesapeake, virginia, as well. today george allen and tim kaine will square off in their final debate before election day. the debate will take place on the virginia tech campus. political analysts don't expect neither fireworks tonight. they say neither candidate will take much of a risk because the race is so close. recent polls show the democrat tim kaine with a slight lead over republican allen. some sad news from the world of politics this morning. george mcgovern's family says the former democratic senator is near death. family members say the 90ear-old is no longer responsive in hospice care. his daughter says her father appears "restful and peaceful." mcgovern ran for president in 1972. he lost to richard nixon in a

landslide. breaking news now, a drone strike killed at least seven suspected al qaeda militants. security officials say overnight strikes targeted a gathering of militants on a farm outside of town that was once an al qaeda stronghold. the official says it was likely an american drone that fired several rockets at the group. this is the second drone attack this month. the first killed five suspected al qaeda gunmen. >> this morning we're getting reaction about that foiled terror plot in new york city from the family of the man arrested. the person who is accused of trying to blow up the federal reserve. according to britain's sky news, the father of the 21-year-old suspect is a bank manager himself. the suspect came to the u.s. from bangladesh on a student visa. federal agents arrested him yesterday after they say nafis tried to detonate a van loaded

with fake explosives. police say that plot proves that new yorkers cannot let their guard down. >> motivated by al qaeda, so we see this threat as, you know, being with us for a long time to come. >> the fbi started surveillance after nafis met an informant in new york's central park back in july. court documents showed he wrote an article to be published by a jihadist website. it mentioned targeting america's economy as a way to destroy the country. ahead, it's something millions of people do. this morning, a little insight into whether taking a daily vitamin is really doing you any good. tom is tracking the chance we could see some storms today. and next, it's happening from here to california. the event being called the great shakeout.

as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

under the president's policies, middle income americans have been buried. they're just being crushed. middle-income americans have seen their income come down by $4,300. this is a tax in and of itself. i'll call it the economy tax. i'm not going to raise taxes on anyone. my plan is to bring down rates to get more people working. my priority is putting people back to work in america. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

welcome back. what would you do if an earthquake struck? would you know? today is a great day to find out. d.c., maryland, and virginia are taking part in the first ever great southeast shakeout. it's an earthquake drill that begins at 10:18 this morning. rescuers say three little things could save your life in a quake. first, drop to the ground, then take cover under a sturdy table or desk while protecting your head and neck. and finally, hold on until the shaking stops. i think hardest part is just to remain calm. >> i'm wondering about this desk. i don't know. >> every man for himself, aaron. >> we've got all these lights hanging above us, too. >> oh, man. >> now you know what to do. coming up on 11 minutes after 6:00 on your thursday morning. here's a live look. you see the capitol dome off in the distance and clear skies. >> beautiful start to the day. weather and traffic on the 1s. it's chilly, not cold like yesterday morning. we're generally in the 40s and

low 50s. olney, 8:00 a.m., near 50 there and partly cloudy. elsewhere, all around the region, hour by hour, a rapid warm-up. low 70s by mid afternoon. late this afternoon and into this evening is when we could get some thunderstorms coming through. looks like the timeframe, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. some of those storms, slight risk that they would produce any wind damage. otherwise passing showers with thunder and lightning coming through. some lingering showers after that. into perhaps tomorrow morning. we'll look at the rest of friday, the weekend, and into next week. the seven-day outlook in ten minutes. a look at traffic now with danella. >> well, tom, keeping my eye on vw parkway southbound at 100, you'll find an accident in the roadway, maybe blocking at least one of your lanes. back over to i-270, calling about this. not seeing any reports of accidents, so if you're traveling southbound i-270 at father hurley boulevard, you're heavy on the brakes in this

area. also keeping an eye on i-95, starting to see delays. so about seven miles, you're going to be sluggish. stop and go. from prince william parkway, you're at about 41 miles per hour. to get to the beltway, that drive will take 18 minutes. back over to you. >> this morning, a lot of kids may want to pack up and move. the country that is considering banning homework. >> the embarrassing moment caught on tape for one of the world's most powerful women. and next, dramatic video of a chopper shot out of mid air a [ female announcer ] as you're making your decision...

maybe you're wondering what to believe about mitt romney. well, when it comes to protecting your access to birth control... and the basic women's health care services planned parenthood provides... one thing we must remember, is this: i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. [ female announcer ] he'll cut it off. cut us off. planned parenthood. we're going to get rid of that. [ female announcer ] women need to know the real mitt romney. [ obama ] i'm barack obama and i approve this message.

you're watching news4 today. >> nbc news working to authenticate this video, which syrian rebels claim shows a military helicopter being shot down. they say the chopper went down yesterday. syria's government is not commenting on that video. >> we may know who was behind last month's deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. "the new york times" is reporting that libyan authorities blame ahmed ah ahbu kattalah, the leader of a militant islamist group. that group is not affiliated with al qaeda, but does share some of its believes. they have denied having any part in the attack. a military judge says he won't let the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks make personal comments in his courtroom again. khalid sheikh mohammed accused the u.s. government of killing millions of people yesterday. he also claimed the government uses national security as a reason to torture people.

he and four other men are charged with terrorism and murder. they could receive the death penalty if convicted. >> health officials say three more people have died from the national meningitis outbreak. that raises the death toll to 19. the latest deaths were reported in florida and tennessee. two people have died in virginia and one in maryland. this morning, at least 247 people in 15 states are sick. the outbreak is linked to a steroid shot for back pain. federal officials are investigating the massachusetts pharmacy that made the steroid. the food and drug administration says other drugs from the pharmacy may also be tainted. a sailor stranded in the middle of the ocean can thank passengers on a commercial jet for his rescue. a huge wave hit the man's yacht off the coast of new south wales and broke the mast. on top of that, he was low on fuel. australian authorities launched a search. a pilot heard about that search effort and asked his passengers to look out the window as they flew over the area where the sailor likely was stranded.

>> i did hear the jet, but it wasn't until the aircraft from melbourne, the rescue plane 431 flew over the top of me and i heard its very distinctive propeller plane and quite low that i realized that they'd found me. >> the airline said the plane flew at just 4,000 feet and that helped the crew and the passengers spot the missing sailor. this morning, two virginia hikers are waking up with their families after they got lost in the wilderness for six days. neal peckens of herndon and jason hizer of richmond got lost in glacier national park. they used a blanket and put out an sos using burned logs so rescuers could find them. they were rescued late monday. while they were lost, they were worried about their families back home. >> i think that the people at home had it worse than we had it. sadly. >> my wife was having a baby

shower on saturday when i still wasn't home yet, so i was worried about ruining that as well. >> hizer is expecting his first child. peckens and his wife have a 1-year-old. the men each lost roughly 15 pounds. but other than that, they are fine. telemarketers are not just interrupting dinners across the country. they're apparently clogging emergency lines, too. the federal communications commission approved the creation of a do not call list for all 911 centers. violators could face a $100,000 fine for each call and text made the a call center on that list. according to fcc, hundreds or even thousands of unwanted robo calls are made to 911 call centers every day. >> it sounds like a promise straight out of a student council election. no more homework for students, but that is the new proposal by new french president francois hollande. it is part of his education reform plan. he says class work should be done at school and not at home. he worries that students who

don't have a good support system at home will be left behind. but it's not all good news for students. he also wants to extend the school day by half a day. >> there have been polls done in france as well. the people don't follow this. so it probably won't happen because they don't want it to happen out there. but part of the logic is so many kids have no family time. you're not eating dinner with your family, you're not having conversations, you're going to school, doing tons of homework, then maybe going to play soccer and you're in bed at 8:00. >> but if you extend the school day -- if school ends at 3:00 and you're in school until 5:00 now, does that mean you go home, straight to dinner and a little time with your family? does it mean the same thing if you're doing work anyway for a couple extra hours? >> it's a good point. never going to happen here, so don't even think about it. >> i was going to say you're going to have homework. when you're the prime minister or the president of a country, cameras tends to follow you everywhere you go. >> they will likely catch a number of embarrassing moments. australia's prime minister says

she was doing okay after this stumble. yikes. she fell while walking during a state trip to india. officials quickly helped her back to her feet. she put her shoe back on and then continued on her way. she managed to laugh it off. >> for men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel, it can get imbedded in soft grass, and then when you pull your foot out, the shoe doesn't come, and the rest of it, is as you saw. >> good sport about this. she had been visiting the gandy memorial on the last di of her trip. i feel so bad for her. because of course, we have to play the video again and again. it's bad enough that it happened the first time. and i feel for her, because as a woman who does wear heels a lot, your heel gets stuck in everything, in the soft ground, in grates. forget cobblestones. >> don't you know -- can't you anticipate that sort of thing? >> i've become a little adept at walking in heels, but boy, i

might break my ankle one day. let's hope not. >> i don't envy you that plight. i'm sorry you have to go through it. >> all right. oh, stop it. 6:21. meteorologist tom kierein here with more on our forecast. good morning. >> to the rescue. good morning. and this morning, we are starting off with a bit of a chill in the air, but not as cold as yesterday, feeling like october of all things on this thursday morning. right now, these areas in green are generalfully the low 50s. that includes most of southern maryland near the bay waters and around the met row area. but just to the north of washington and many locations there in the 40s. all this area in blue, that's the 40s across most of virginia, eastern and western virginia. we are going to have this chill in the air here for perhaps another couple of hours. then a rapid warm-up. we're going to have a lot of sun this morning. a clear start now, but clouds are on the increase. they're rapidly moving into west virginia now. there is a line of some showers activity that had been producing some severe weather yesterday that's now diminished.

later today as we get into the late afternoon hours, that's when we have a possibility of some of these storms developing here, moving west to east 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. looks like the time we could get some storms, might produce some damaging winds. maybe a lingering shower tomorrow morning. but looking great for the weekend. mid 70s tomorrow afternoon. saturday, sunday, 60s during the afternoons with sunshine. sunny into next week and mild afternoons. how's traffic? >> still keeping an eye on bw parkway. traveling southbound, good news. just past 100, the crash there is out of the roadway. it's moved to your shoulder lane. over to i-95 in maryland. so far travel lanes look open, earlier, had a disabled vehicle. it was blocking at least one of your lanes. you are still seeing delays as you make your way southbound. northbound not bad. southbound just a bit sluggish. 48 miles per hour. 12 minutes to get from 216 as you make your way to the

beltway. ahead, the company that's about to go on a surprising hiring spree. and new research this morning that carbo loading may

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marywe invest in them.umber one in america because but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education.

that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven. multi-vitamins may have unexpected benefits when it comes to preventing cancer. researchers did a study of 15,000 male doctors aged 50 and older for ten years. they say some got a pack of centrum silver multi-vitamins, the others got placebos. you have to take it for ten years. those taking the real pills had 8% fewer of several varieties of cancers. several studies involving individual vitamins have not shown a reduced cancer risk. >> older people who have higher carbo diets have more likely to have cognitive developments.

those who had diets high in ca s -- carbs were more likely to develop a precursor to alzheimer's disease. a local family literally dodges a bullet in their own home. we'll tell you who police locked up. plus, a local police department increasing patrols to try to find some sneaker snatching suspects. and the chance storm clouds could roll in

ma

and now, from washington's leading news station, this is news4 today. >> a close call in a local home. a bullet comes tearing through wall just above a bed. who police say fired shot. and some welcome pepco workers turn into rescue workers. how they helped save the life of a little boy. good morning, and welcome back to news4 today. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. let's take a live look outside at 6:30. a little bit chilly but looking like a nice fall day ahead. >> you see the first lyiight of

day beginning to show up. there's a bit of a chilly breeze blowing coming in out of the south. it's certainly more humid. you'll notice that when you step out. but at least not quite as cold as it was yesterday. feeling like a typical october morning. so dress for a chilly morning. here are the metro area temperatures. reagan national, 55. it's near 50 in prince george's county, much of montgomery, arlington, and fairfax counties p it's in the 40s farther south and west across much of virginia. here's a wider view. temperatures showing out in the mountains and much of the shenandoah valley low to mid 40s there and some patchy fog. watch out for that, too. much of southern maryland, northern neck, eastern shore away from the waters. it's in the upper 40s. here's your storm team 4 hour by hour forecast for this thursday. by 8:00 a.m., ought to be in the low 50s and sunshine. generally a call wind. maybe a few gusts from time to time. light breeze is picking up a bit

by noontime. by then, in the upper 60s. by 3:00 p.m., the low 70s. maybe still a blustery wind. maybe some damaging winds from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. maybe some lingering showers by midnight and around the morning commute time. a look at friday and the weekend, that's coming up this half-hour and a hometown forecast in ten minutes. how's traffic? >> it's starting to really slow down in our area. if you're traveling on i-66, the first delays, out of haymarket, pretty slow this morning. let me show you what 66 looks like as you slowly make your way eastbound. you are under speed in this area. unfortunately, delays continue to the beltway. it will take you at least 15 minutes to make that drive. inside the beltway on 66 as well, heading eastbound,

delays -- seeing them as you pass the dulles toll road. that's where you're slow. average speed here about 35 miles per hour. 11 minutes to get from the beltway to glebe. two prince george's county police officers face second-degree assault and police misconduct charges in their trial for beating a university of maryland student. a judge tossed out a more serious charge against officers reginald baker and james harrison. the judge says there is no proof that they meant to inflict permanent injuries. the incident happened after maryland's basketball victory over duke in 2010. baker testified he felt threatened when he saw a large male yelling and running at police horses with clenched firsts. the victim suffered a concussion. gallaudet university wants an ad featuring a suspended staff member pulled off the air. it features angela mccaskill. the school suspended her because she signed a referendum petition. the ad by the maryland marriage alliance opposes the state's same-sex marriage law which is

up for referendum next month. they say the video featuring mccaskill is copyrighted material and should stop running immediately. a neighborhood in the capitol hill area is on edge after a brazen daylight robbery. police say thee masked men robbed the game stop at jenkins row yesterday afternoon. we're told the men had guns and took money along with xboxes. investigators say they got out of there in less than three minutes. there were customers inside the store at the time but no one was hurt. thieves shot a teenager for his sneakers. police say robbers attacked two teens outside a convenience store in the 2,000 block of alabama avenue in southeast washington. those robbers got away with those nike tim duncan shoes. they were worth more than about $200. police sources tell news4 one of the robbers misfired and hit one of the teens in the arm. the victim was taken to the hospital. neighbors in this area are shocked. >> it's pathetic. >> terrible to know that someone would think that tennis shoes is worth shooting someone over.

>> d.c. police say they're stepping up patrols in that area. a fredericksburg, virginia, man is facing charges for allegedly firing a bullet into his neighbor's apartment. police say alexander ferguson shot a gun into craig gibson's master bedroom early yesterday morning. no one was hurt. gibson says he didn't even notice it until his 5-year-old son found the bullet hole in the wall. the bullet was lodged into the side of a dresser. police ended up searching ferguson's apartment. there were clear totes that koim o came out, pretty decent size. you could definitely see the ammunition sticking straight up in the air. >> police seized four firearms from ferguson's apartment. he was arrested and charged. it's not clear what ferguson was doing when the gun went off. next week, you'll have a chance to win some free tickets to the national christmas tree lighting ceremony. there are 3,000 seated tickets and 14,000 standing room only tickets available. if you want one, you can enter online next thursday, october

25th, at thenationaltree.org. we also have a link on our website. the lottery will run through the following monday. the 90th national christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held december 6th on the ellipse. >> always a great show. the presidential candidates like you've never heard them before. the debate turned into a musical. plus, the federal government's new strategy to cut down on drivers who tacked how they plan to catch violators. a little boy saved from a burning home. but it's not firefighters who his mother is thanking this morning. your wea maryland schools are number one in america because we invest in them. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland.

it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education. that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven.

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the "today" show is coming up next at 7:00. let's check in now with savannah

guthrie to see what they're working on. nice to see you. >> hi, good to see you. coming up on a thursday morning on "today," much more on the foiled terror plot targeting the federal reserve building here in new york. a 21-year-old is behind bars, and overnight, a possible co-conspirator arrested in san diego on unrelated charges. we'll have the latest. also ahead, some students call it the focus. this morning, a warning to parents. the adhd drug aderol being used as a dangerous study aid on a growing number of college campuses. and then the siblings who posed the same awkward way in family photos for 23 straight years. and we've tackled stocks and sauces. today bobby flay is going to teach me some no fail chicken recipes when we get started on a thursday morning. >> i can't wait until you throw your first dinner party. i hope i can be there for that. >> well, it's tomorrow morning.

>> you're not getting off that easy. >> thank you, savannah. >> i'm going to practice on matt so i can do it perfect for you. >> thanks so much. we'll see you soon. >> okay, bye. take a look at this video. a meteor shower lit up the skies overnight in san francisco and other parts of california. witnesses saw a really bright fire ball streaking across the sky. these pictures from the university of california, they show part of that meteor shower, which will peak over the weekend. they are part of the orion meteors, which are the fastest of all meteor showers, hitting the atmosphere at 148,000 miles per hour. >> cool beans. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. tom kierein telling us about an octobery day. >> yeah. in fact, we have our own sky show under way. look at this view of our skyline looking off to the east. that bright spot at the top of your screen, that is the planet venus in that dark midnight blue

sky, and then that swath of pumpkin orange there at the horizon. high in the sky is jupiter. here is the hometown forecast for franconia. by the noon hour, into the mid 60s. then during the afternoon, hour by hour for the entire region, we should reach the low 70s. much of the area with increasing clouds and a bit breezy. as we get toward late afternoon, 6:00 p.m. might have some thunderstorms moving in southwest and heading northeast. there's a slight risk they would be severe with some damaging winds. and that threat exists all the way until about 10:00. here's the evening planner. after that, maybe some lingering showers until the morning rush hour tomorrow. we'll talk about that friday, the weekend, and into next week. danella, how's traffic? >> slow in our area. first, let's start with the rails. a minor delay. six minutes, brunswick east on the mart train. metro and vre not reporting delays at this time. if you're traveling 50 in maryland, making your way

inbound from landover road really from the beltway, you're sluggish as you head to kennelworth avenue. to get to 295, about 28 miles per hour from the beltway to 295. let's head over right now to 395 in virginia. seeing delays here as well. sluggish from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. that drive will take 20 minutes. over to you. melissa is at the live desk with some breaking news. >> right now, people the south are waking up to some pretty serious damage after stormed ripped through overnight. take a look. this video just came into our newsroom from tennessee. you're going to see a massive tree that tore into the side of a mobile home there. the nasty weather also barrelled through louisiana, arkansas, mississippi. the winds damaged homes, toppled trees and downed power lines. take a look at the storm on radar. there have been several reports of tornados touching down, but no fatalities.

some more breaking news this morning. we're learning about a drone strike that killed at least seven suspected al qaeda militants in yemen. security officials there say overnight strikes targeted a gathering of militants on a farm. this was outside a town that once held an al qaeda stronghold. the official says it was likely an american drone that fired several rockets at the group. this is the second drone attack this month. the first killed five suspected al qaeda gunmen. this morning we're getting reaction about a fouled bomb plot in new york from the family of the man arrested. quazi nafis is in jail. the father of the 21-year-old is a bank manager. his family says nafis never showed radical tendencies and even prays five times a day. nafis came to the u.s. from bangladesh on a student visa. federal officials say he tried to detonate a van loaded with fake explosives. news came as a shock to some who work nearby.

>> i'm just glad that they caught him. because if it failed this time, it was always a chance that he can do it again. >> i work in the building next the treasury, and -- >> it's unsettling? >> it is unsettling. because otherwise i wouldn't have known, i wouldn't have heard anything. >> federal agents say he first targeted new york stock exchange but decided last month to go after the bank instead. new this morning, richmond highway in fairfax county is back open after a deadly pedestrian accident. it happened about 3:00. the victim was taken to the hospital but did not survive. we're told the driver did stay on the scene. no charges have been filed. another pedestrian accident sends a woman to the hospital this morning. the accident happened on baltimore avenue in college park about 9:30 last night. police say the truck was driving south when it hit the woman. she was taken to the hospital in critical condition. that driver did stay on the

scene as well. no charges have been filed. baltimore avenue was closed for about five hours while police gathered evidence. it's back open now. police are still searching for the driver responsible for a five-car pile-up in silver spring. chopper 4 above the crash around 9:00 last night. the pedestrian was hit. she is in critical condition at the hospital. we're told a second person was hurt, but should be okay. police are looking for a newer model black pickup truck with possible damage to the front passenger side. and new this morning, police are searching for the person who shot a man on bening road in northeast d.c. that shooting happened about 12:30 this morning. the victim was taken to the hospital with a life-threatening injury. police are not releasing any other details or word about a motive in this case. president obama is hoping humor wins him a few more votes. he is scheduled to appear on the daily show with jon stewart tonight. both candidates are attending a charity dinner for the catholic

archdiocese of new york. that will be romney's only public appearance today. he spent yesterday in virginia with rallies in chesapeake. the president campaigned yesterday in ohio and iowa. he'll visit northern virginia tomorrow. election night will be a little more low-key for president obama this time around. he plans on holding his election night rally at chicago's mccormick place convention center. it is much smaller than grant park where the president held a massive outdoor rally after winning four years ago. the convention center will ease concerns over potential inclement weather and security. 13 before the hour right now. it isn't very often that you can say that presidential debate is stuck in my head. ♪ welcome to the town hall debate where ordinary people talk to the candidates ♪ >> yeah this is the work of the youtube stars the gregory brothers. they turned portions of tuesday night's debate into a musical, apparently. more than 200,000 have watched this music video on youtube.

you may have the wait until after election day to find out if you'll be paying more in taxes next year. the white house says president obama will veto republican legislation blocking tax hikes and spending cuts at the end of the year. if the president is re-elected, he could have the power to dictate the terms of a deal to reduce the debt. if he loses, he could let bush era tax cuts expire before mitt romney takes office. democrats want those tax cuts extended for americans earning less than $250,000 a year. republicans want the tax cuts extended for all americans. virginia senate candidates tim kaine and george allen will square off tonight in their final debate before election day. this takes place at 7:00 on the virginia tech campus in blacksburg. tim kaine holds a slight lead over the republican allen in recent polls. both men hope to replace democrat jim webb, who is not running for re-election. george mcgovern's health has taken a turn for the worst. his family says the 90-year-old

is no longer responsive in hospice care. mcgovern was the democratic presidential nominee in 1962. he lost to richard nixon in a landslide. in recent years, he's turned his attention to endg world hunger. the majority of college students are leaving college with more just an education. student loan debt is on the rise. jackie has more on that. >> reporter: student debt continues to mount. the report says that 2/3 of the class of 2011 finished school with loan debt the average amount of debt, $26,600, up 5% from the class of 2010. but the good news is that job prospects are still better for people who have a college degree. the unemployment rate for those with at least a bachelor's degree was 8.8% last year, versus 19% for people who only have a high school diploma. and also, american airlines is putting out the help wanted signs. the bankrupt carrier plans to hire 1,500 flight attendants. american expects thousands of

current flight attendants, ground workers and mechanics to leave either through early buyouts or layoffs in the coming months as it's trying to cut back billions in labor costs. american still needs enough people to cover its routes and business has been improving, so that's the silver lining over there. >> thank you. emergency management officials want to make sure that you are prepared for an earthquake. d.c., maryland, and virginia are taking part in the first ever great southeast shakeout. it's an earthquake drill that takes place at 10:18 this morning. rescuers recommend that you remember to drop, cover, and hold on during a quake. first drop to the ground, then take cover under a sturdy desk, cover your head or neck, and hold on until the shaking stops. >> most of us caught off guard last year. only one person in our newsroom knew what to do, or actually did it. only jason actually ended up under a desk. >> i think the rest of us would be trying to run out the door. >> some good advice there.

not to run out the door, but to get under the desk. let's go to tom kierein and get a look at the forecast. >> starting off with a chill. good morning, we are seeing increasing gorgeous autumn color. the autumn color has really been growing. and it has been continuing to grow all around our region, as we do get into part of virginia, that area around chantilly. they have some gorgeous autumn color there, too. the temperatures around the region are beginning to climb as we get toward the afternoon hours. but there is a chill in the air now. 55 at reagan national. and we will have the winds that are out of the south now around ten miles an hour, maybe pick up a b midday. we will have a bit of a chill in the air here throughout much of the region, in the 40s and low and mid 50s for a couple hours and then we'll warm up rapidly by noontime. we've got a decreasing line of showers in kentucky, tennessee, and parts of ohio. but later today, they may refire

as they come through this yellow severe risk zone. 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. is when we could get some damaging winds. no problems for the morning commute. by 8:00 a.m., clear, chilly and breezy, so you're going to need at least your fall jacket. we'll be in the 40s and low mid 50s by 8:00 a.m. by noontime, beautiful for the lumplg ho lunch hour. by the time we're coming back home, maybe dodging some lightning bolts and maybe some heavy downpours briefly coming through around 6:00 p.m. we'll drop from near 70 mid afternoon back to the mid 60s. there is that possibility of some of those storms all the way until maybe 10:00 this evening. here's the evening planner. and only a slight risk any of those storms would produce any wind damage. bied my night, maybe a passing shower, and by friday morning, might have a lingering shower for the morning commute tomorrow. then some sun back tomorrow afternoon into the mid 70s.

on saturday and sunday, chilly in the mornings. in the 40s, afternoon highs, mid 60s both days. great for outdoor activities over the weekend, and getting back to school monday, tuesday, and wednesday. warming up during the afternoons, near 70 monday. da fi how's traffic? >> we are seeing some delays. traveling the outer loop of the beltway, approaching university boulevard, have a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane. let's head up to i-95, traveling southbound in maryland. delays continue as you make your way to the beltway in this area. not seeing any reports of accidents on i-95 in maryland. let's head over to 29 southbound. sluggish as you make your way from east randolph road all the way to the beltway, you are under speed. heavy on the brakes in lorton, but slow all the way to the beltway from prince william parkway as you make your way to the beltway. you're at 29 miles per hour. that drive will take you 26 minutes. aaron, over to you.

d.c. mayor vincent gray says he wants whatever will optimize safety when it cops to speed camera fines. three council members recently introduced a measure to cap low level violations at $50. right now you could pay up to $250. the d.c. speed cam program is expected to net $80 million this year for the city. gray says he'd like to know how the financial impact of lowering the fines might play out, even if it passes, it could be 2014 before a new fine structure takes effect. federal authorities are trying a new strategy to crack down on drivers who text behind the wheel. the u.s. department of transportation gave more than a half a million dollars to the states of connecticut and massachusetts for a pilot project to stop distracted driving. each state will get $275,000 to develop an anti-texting enforcement plan, which includes police spotters. right now maryland and the district banned texting while driving. in virginia, it is a secondary offense. breaking news now in northwest d.c. a deadly fire this morning.

tony tull live with more. >> reporter: the fire department confirmi confirming an elderly man they transported to the hospital has died. early reports we're getting that have not been confirmed was that it was an oxygen tank or container of some kind inside the house that caught on fire. again, it was small. no fire damage inside the house. but again, fire department is confirming the death of an elderly man, possibly in his 60s. we'll have more details on the news4 at midday. live in northwest, tony tull, news4. there's another fire with a different ending we want to tell you about. a 19-year-old pepco employee is being called a hero for saving a little boy from a house fire. ryan callahan was with a crew upgrading electricity in a rural home. he noticed smoke and ran inside to wake up a 3-year-old boy who was sleeping upstairs. the other pepco workers ran to alert the homeowner. she was walking her two other children down the property's long driveway to the school bus.

and she's thankful this morning that the pepco workers moved so fast. >> i ran -- i couldn't see anything. this whole area was full of smoke. >> they were really a god send because i don't know what would have happened. >> firefighters are still trying to figure out exactly how that fire started. and that is news4 today. thank you for starting your morning with us. >> the "today" show is next. we'll be back in 25 minutes with weather, traffic and breaking news. have a great day.

take away his toys and he'll play with a stick. take away their bikes and they'll still find a way to get where they're going. but if take you away early childhood education... slash k-12 funding... and cut college aid for middle class families ... they won't go far. yet that's exactly what mitt romney wants to do... ...to pay for a $250,000 tax break for multi-millionaires. if mitt romney wins, the middle class loses. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together