into a wooded area. police say another jogger heard her cries for help and escorted her to the home on brookway drive. that's an entryway to the trail about 100 yards from the scene of the attack. >> i think no place is secure nowadays. >> reporter: today park police officers on horseback and on bike are patrolling the trail. it's used by joggers, bikers and walkers every day, day and night. some say there's been an increase in va grants here. >> i've been reporting the graffiti, the homeless, the drunken behaviobehavior, i'm pip beer cans a lot on this trail. >> reporter: but others say a safe trail where something tragic and unusual happened, that it's a reminder to stay in pairs or groups and avoid being on the path alone after dark. >> i don't want the trail to get tainted by this. >> reporter: police tell me the victim remains in the hospital this afternoon recovering from that head wound. no arrests have been made in this sexual assault. reporting live from bethesda,

darcy spencer, news4. police are hoping a recent robbery victim might shed some light on the murder of a prince george's county teenager. 18-year-old marckel ross was killed last month. there was another robbery in that same area and it went unreported. they want that victim to contact them. ross's mother is hoping her son's murder is solved soon. it's not all about my child, it's anyone's child in a community. which i'm here today about. because like i said, to let the murderer go, there will be another mother standing here grieving and we don't want that. >> there is a $25,000 reward in this case. the political fortunes of both presidential candidates could be tied to tonight's performance. the latest nbc news "wall street journal" survey finds president obama and mitt romney tied among likely voters at 47% each. both candidates will be trying

to break that tie tonight at their debate in boca raton, florida. kristen, let's play the expectations game. we know that the topic tonight is foreign affairs. which candidate is most likely to benefit from that? >> reporter: good evening, jim. foreign policy typically favors a sitting president. he is steeped in these issues. it's something that he's actually been dealing with for the past four years. the romney campaign knows that. so as he has with the first two debates, mitt romney has been preparing vigorously for this third debate. you can expect president obama to talk about the fact that he killed osama bin laden. let's talk about the fact he ended the war in iraq, that he's drawn down troops in afghanistan. but of course, there's a big opening here, and that is on the issue of libya. mitt romney has been hammering president obama and the obama administration for its handling of the situation in libya, for their sort of muddled message in the beginning for not having enough security at the consulate

there in libya. i think you can expect romney to come out strong on that issue. and also on the issue of china. this is something that the two men have been sparring about on the campaign trail. i think we'll hear them talk about it quite a bit this evening. one more point i want to make, jim. president obama did not have a strong debate performance during that first debate. his campaign advisers tell me he just can't afford to have another debate performance like that. president obama has also been preparing vigorously over the weekend. >> kristen, what would have to happen tonight to change the poll numbers in either direction? >> reporter: well, you know, i think it's tough, this race is just so close. i think one of the things that people are going to be paying close attention to, where are the differences between these two candidates when it comes to an issue like iran? a loot t has sound similar, lik issues in afghanistan and the drawdown. mitt romney said he also agrees with essential live the timeline

that the president has laid out. although he has cited some specific differences. i think that's what voters are going to be listening for. is there a real difference between these two candidates. is there a tangible difference when it comes to issues like iran, when it comes to china. that is going to be a big topic of conversation here. mitt romney accused president obama of not being strong enough on china. tonight he's really going to map out what he would do differently, to sort of make sure that china does not, in his words, manipulate its currency there, and harm american workers. >> after tonight, just two weeks left. where does this final stretch take both men? >> reporter: wow. well, they are going to be spending a lot of time in those key battleground states. ohio, nevada, virginia, north carolina. they've already spent a lot of time in these states. ohio is an interesting state to be watching. right now, it shows the president with a small lead there. that lead has sort of narrowed

in recent weeks, though. the romney campaign sees an opening, and the bottom line is, if the romney campaign doesn't win, ohio is going to be really tough for him to get to 270 electoral votes. but no doubt mitt romney has the momentum on his side. i think you'll see both men spending a lot of time in ohio, and of course right here in florida. the romney campaign feeling quite confident about its prospects in florida right now. president obama camp not ready to concede. they said they're going to be vigorously campaigning in florida. all the proof you need, he's here for the debate, he has a campaign event here tomorrow and then he returns later on this week. >> big night in boca. kristen, thanks so much. we want to hear from you during and after tonight's debate. angie goff will be here gathering your feedback on facebook to twitter to use on air. you can join the conversation by using #dctalks. your comments may end up o

news4 tonight at 11:00. november 6th, two weeks away, dozens of states and d.c. are allowing their voters to vote early. in fact, d.c.'s early voting started today. tom sherwood joins us with that story. >> hey, wendy. early voting in maryland starts saturday. lots of people wanted their voices heard. >> right here? >> 36. >> reporter: even before noon, hundreds of district citizens had turned out at the board of elections to cast early ballots for the november 6th election. they're being cast in more than 35 states this election season. >> very enthusiastic this time. that's why i came down early. i don't normally vote early. this time, i wanted it in. >> reporter: this voter had to take off a lot of obama stickers before she was allowed in to vote. >> so i had to go around, find a bathroom, turn my shirt inside out and tape a piece of paper over this. >> reporter: dozens of local and national issues are on the ballot in the district. plus three d.c. council measures

that would toughen ethics laws and force leaders to be forced from office. some still unresolved. >> we have very important local charter provisions to vote on. >> reporter: on the ethics thing? >> absolutely. >> reporter: maryland's early voting began saturday. virginia allows more traditional absentee balloting that's already begun. the early voting in the district is new since the 2008 presidential election. when voters were confronted with extraordinary lines for president obama, who got 93% of the vote. >> we had a situation where the morning vote on election day, the lines extended blocks and blocks and blocks. we'll see whether the early voting takes some of that pressure off. but we're ready. >> nationwide, 4.5 million people already have cast their ballots for november 6th. wendy, that includes me. >> good for you. thanks, tom. banned for life, and out of the record books. today cycling's govning body

stripped lance armstrong of his record seven tour de france titles. the international cycling union announced armstrong will have to return his medals and pay back millions of dollars in prize money. an exact amount will be determined later this week. the anti-doping agency accuses armstrong of masterminding a sophisticated doping scheme. he's denied the allegations. the man who was arrested after police say he threw a molotov cocktail inside the ballston mall is going to have his mental health status checked. trail was silent at a court hearing today and sat with his head bowed. he is accused of throwing a bottle into the food court last friday. it looks like a broken kitchen appliance started a fire that put three people out of their apartments in alexandria this morning. firefighters say the blaze started about 11:30 on north

armistead street. we're just getting started here on news4 at 5:00 tonight. why a local couple says drinking a popular energy drink caused their teenage daughter's death. >> the beautiful grass just went in. but why are the medians already being torn up? i'm adam tuss. the story coming up. a special edition of the chris cooley report, now that the former redskins tight end is back in the burgundy and gold. we are loving that. take a look at the numbers out there. temperature 72 degrees in the d.c. area. just down to the south and west, ose to 80. i'll let you know when the warmer numbers move in, after a beautiful day today. we'll be right back. 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.

it took 8 1/2 months, but now the south entrance to the dupont circle metro station is finally back open. three brand-new escalators. workers replaced the old ones. they were notorious for breaking down. metro's next project, the escalators at the pentagon station, and the other entrance on the other side of the dupont station. and the ones at bethesda. another construction project has people scratching their

heads tonight, trying to figure out why contractors planted grass in medians near potomac yards. only to pull it all right up. adam tuss joins us with the story. adam? >> reporter: yeah, jim, a transportation mystery uncovered. and it all has to do with a promise of a better commute. like so many parts of the area, potomac yard in alexandria is in transition. changing, but some commuters along route 1 are puzzled by one of the changes. why were beautiful lush graddy medians set up, just to be pulled up. it's bringing a network of street cars and buses. transportation progress, yes, but well thought out -- >> it makes me think the government is not using their money efficiently. especially when belts are being tightened, all that sort of stuff. we should be smarter with our

finances. >> be more strategic in what you're doing, more efficient. be consider at of people's time and their money. >> reporter: this project is being funded by federal dollars, and is within budget right now. so why put the grass down in the first place? well, it was to help keep the construction mess under control. >> that ground cover was put on basically as erosion control. dust control. you can imagine with the amount of traffic we ha, 35,000 cars a day, on route 1, the need for dust control is quite large. >> reporter: robin works at conklin's flower shop next to the construction site and still doesn't get it. >> they've been watering it, and doing all kinds of things to it. now it's gone. >> reporter: this project is expected to be ready by next winter. transportation leaders say it's the end product of all the work that people should be focusing on. >> now we're putting in the final landscaping, bus shelters, along that entire median lane. >> reporter: jim and wendy, we're told the grass that's gone

could possibly be reused in a future part of the project. reporting live in alexandria, adam tuss, news4. >> thanks, adam. what a gorgeous day out there. tough to come back indoors. >> and doug just came in. >> were you outside on the grass? >> i was outside, soaking it all in. and then they said, you've got to come in and work. you've got to do -- >> the trees just suddenly went -- they exploded in the last 36 hours. >> absolutely beautiful. i've got fantastic pictures to show you, too. it was gorgeous, gorgeous weekend. a little on the cool side. temperatures in the 60s. but wow, was it nice with all that sunshine. especially yesterday. today, a repeat. plenty of sunshine. but a little bit warmer. highs now in the low 70s across the area. and like i said, i've got great pictures to show you. first off, how about chantilly, where these pictures were taken. there's the beautiful red colors for you. veronica out and about earlier

this weekend, take a look at this picture. this down around the quantico area. simply gorgeous. we are really seeing some beautiful color this year. as a result of a little bit of dry weather, that dry weather helping to bring out those fall colors we've seen so often. here's another great shot of the potomac here and woodrow bridge. and alexandria off in the distance. quite nice. bright blue skies. it is amazing out right now. 72 degrees. winds out of the north at 7 miles per hour. not a problem at all, as far as the weather is concerned. we're well above average. we're going to stay well above average as far as the temperatures are concerned. 70 right now in martinsburg, 72 in culpepper, 73 in fredericksburg. take a look at this number right here. petersburg, west virginia, at 79 degrees. that's the warmer air that's going to be making its way in here during the day tomorrow and into the day on wednesday. we're going to be close to record highs, i think, on wednesday.

temperatures looking good. the radar, also looking good. no rain to talk about. we're not going to see any chances for rain over the next couple of days as the area of high pressure sits across our region, bringing this nice weather with all of this sunshine. this high, though, will slide to the south. a very warm day tomorrow. we'll have a frontal boundary to our north. that will allow for more cloud cover during the day tomorrow. highs in the mid to upper 70s tomorrow. some areas getting close to 80. same scenario plays out on wednesday. a few more clouds. partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies. it is going to be warm. wednesday we're going for a high of 80. the average high is only in the upper 60s. record high is 84. i want to show you this. this is our tropical satellite. haven't shown you the tropics very often. this is newly formed tropical storm sandy. why is this important? tropical storm watch is in effect for jamaica. but more importantly, this could come right up the east coast. i don't think it's going to affect us directly, but we're going to be talking about this guy, or this girl, sandy, very

much over the next couple of days. evening forecast, clear skies, a great evening. temperatures 64 to about 69 degrees. tomorrow morning, starting off on a nice note, a few more clouds out there. temperatures 44 in the suburbs to about 54 inside the city. as we move on through the next couple of days, here comes the heat. the heat is on. 79 on your tuesday. near record highs on wednesday. thursday a high of # 77. 76 on friday. and then temperatures get back closer to average on sunday and monday. monday would be the time where that storm could be close to the coast. this is when we'll be talking about it a lot. don't worry too much, it's not going to bring us snow. some online rumors, sno, no. >> that's not going to happen. straight ahead, we're going to show you how you can spice up your next meal with a little fall flavor. the ingredients that will do are wonders. a call for safety guidelines

tonight for cheerleaders. coming up in sports, chris cooley back with the redskins. and he's still with us on nbc 4, a highly anticipated cooley report coming up next. and here's what's coming up tonight at 6:00. i'm jackie bensen in upper marlboro. a local family receives a unique a loc[ male announcer ] a unique if barack obama is re-elected,

what will the next four years be like? one: the debt will grow from $16 trillion to $20 trillion. two: 20 million americans could lose their employer-based health care. three: taxes on the middle class will go up by $4,000. four: energy prices will continue to go up. and five: $716 billion in medicare cuts that hurt current seniors. five reasons we can't afford four more years of barack obama. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. marywe invest in them.umber one in america becausema. 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. president obama: i'm barack obamthis message.ve... anncr: victims. dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare. but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system.

seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year. a plan aarp says would undermine medicare. you're no victim...you earned your benefits. don't let mitt romney take them away. tough to watch the turnovers and injuries, but guess who's coming back. that's the bright side. >> how cool is this, dan. you tweeted this out this morning, that was very cool to hear. chris, i'm sure chris is excited. i'm just looking at him. >> suddenly we're not as important to him as we used to be, because he has another job. the cooley report does live on.

chris, i guess the outfit in the room s room, that question was answered last night. what did you think when you heard about fred davis going down? >> fred is a friend of mine. so initially, i was concerned with what was going on with him. and i'm disappointed because of the year that he's having, it's very frustrating to watch a guy come out, work so hard, play great, a great start to his season, a big part of this offense, a key part of this offense and have something freak like an achilles happen. i talked to fred for a minute today. he's obviously dealing with it. but this is just not the best thing for him right now. >> obviously he had a franchise deal so he had a one-year contract. this is a big year for him. when did you first know how bad it was? who informed you that this is a season-ending injury? >> i was listening to it on 980 actually. i was driving and heard doc walker saying he was taking his gloves off. i've had two season-ending

injuries, both times were the only two times i took my gloves off. so i felt like that's not very good. >> well, when you got the call from mike shanahan after the plane landed, probably a call you were expecting, i guess it didn't take you very long to say yes, i'd like to come back. >> i was waiting. i had the phone on the couch by me. i was waiting for the call. i didn't know it was coming, i hoped it was. but i was very excited. the first thing the coach asked, do you want to play football. absolutely, i want to play football right now. he said, are you healthy? yep. time to play. >> listen, you've said you've been working out. i know you've been doing a lot of working out, lifting pottery bowls. have you really been working out? >> i have been working out. i made a comment earlier to the post, i haven't been doing power cleaning, but i'm not that removed from the power cleaning. i went in for the monday morning workout. i felt very good. i ran, doing all kinds of

things. i'll fit right in. i'm not worried as far as being in shape. it will be a transition into running routes and running around with the guys. but i've done it before. so i think i can do it again. >> i can tell you you're really excited. do you have any idea what your role is going to be with the team right now? >> i'm not sure what the role will be. kind of what i'm looking forward to is doing whatever they need. making the transition into what's going on. logan paulson played great as fred went down. they've been filling the roles they've had throughout the year. i'm not just coming in to say, hey, i'm the guy, look at me. but at the same time i do want to be effective in this offense. i would be lying to you if i told you i didn't want to start. >> you've got pittsburgh coming up. rg3 still the third rated quarterback in the nfl. the way the redskins were beaten with the touchdown pass from eli manning to victor cruz, however, robert griffin iii continues to

have the eye-popping moments. what's it going to be like for you to actually get out on the field in a game that matters? >> there's something so special about what rg3 is doing on the field, what this offense is putting together on the field, the way they're running the ball. i haven't seen this confidence since i've been here. so i'm thrilled to get in the mix of it. i definitely think it's something special and it's building. could be something great. it doesn't have to be something great two years from now, it can be something great this season. >> steelers on the horizon. no easing into it. chris cooley will have more of the cooley report part deaux coming up. >> he corrected me last week. don't feel bad. coming up, a man gunned down on the streets of d.c. tonight, hear from the victim's mother and relatives of the suspect.

no matter who wins next month's election, get ready to pay a lot more in taxes. the tax break that will soon evaporate. maryland has a senate race. it's unique. ben cardin has two oppts. hear from the senator next.

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.

police in montgomery county warning people to be on alert in bethesda after a sexual assault on the capitol crescent trail, a popular trail. that happened last night. the victim a 11-year-old woman. she's still in the hospital. facing off in the third and final debate, booth hoping for game changer. a survey shows the candidates are tied among likely voters. early voting started today in the district. residents casting their ballots inside the old council chambers at 1 judiciary square northwest. that site is open from 8:30 to

7:00. on saturday, early voting will be expanding to seven other d.c. locations. let's fast forward to the beautiful weather. >> it doesn't get much more beautiful than this, this time of year. beautiful fall color down along the potomac, out there early this evening. temperatures quite nice. into the low 70s. but take a look at the satellite and radar. i'll let you know where we go over the next couple of days, through the week and weekend coming up. tonight we're learning more about the suspect of a deadly shooting in northeast washington. news4's pat collins spoke with both the victim and suspect's families. he joins us outside d.c. superior court. pat? >> reporter: jim, before he was old enough for a driver's license, they say he was in deep trouble with the law. now this teen known as the caveman faces murder charges. do you remember that day?

>> yeah. like it was yesterday. i heard shots. i come running outside. it's my baby on the ground. i'm trying to get to my baby. i get there, he has no life to him. he's gone. i didn't even get to tell my baby i loved him. >> reporter: it was last friday that toni buried her son gregory. he was her youngest child. he was 22 years old. gregory shot and killed in this alley off eighth street northeast. the suspect in the case, 18-year-old kevon austin. he was arrested by police last weekend. though we don't know the exact motive for this murder, this case gives us a sharp insight into how some people end up dead in the streets of our city. he's been in a lot of trouble, hasn't he?

>> yes, he has. and i'm done. >> reporter: that's the suspect's aunt. she had custody of the teenager for some time. the aunt says back in 2008, there was a fire at the austin family home in northeast. kevon austin was held responsible for the arson. the aunt says he was sent to a juvenile facility here. then a juvenile facility in florida for a year. then a group home here. then placed in her custody after that. now comes the charge of murder. >> i tried to do my best to, you know, to try to give him an environment in which he could grow, and get educated, or get a job or something. but he just kept going in and out of the system. after this last incident, i'm just done. >> reporter: at the time of the murder, kevon austin was wearing a court-ordered gps tracking device on his ankle. but right before the murder, it

stops working. how did that happen? indeed, there are a lot of questions here, including one from toni troxler. she wants to know why her son was gunned down in that alley. >> i just want to know why. that's all, i want to know why. >> reporter: murder suspect kevon austin held without bond tonight pending further court action in the case. live at superior court, pat collins, news4. a husband and wife from bristol, virginia, will not go to jail in connection with a baby's death that occurred at an illegal day care center they were running out of their home. a 3-month-old girl died at their house back in march. the medical examiner could not determine an exact cause of the girl's death. today chavez pled guilty, her six-year prison sentence is suspended, and she'll be on

probation for his next three years. his six-month sentence was suspended. there were almost 200 kids under the age of 4 in that house which is illegal. the two people watching the baby when she died, they're still awaiting trial on child endangerment charges. tonight the u.s. food and drug administration is looking into reports of five deaths that could be linked to that monster energy drink. it comes as the family of a maryland teen filed a wrongful death suit last week. 14-year-old anesteni had two monster drinks. her death was ruled cardiac arrhythmia. monster said it doesn't believe its beverages caused any deaths. the shares fell 14% on wall street. the senate race in maryland getting interesting. ben cardin running for a second term.

chris gordon is in the newsroom with how the race is shaping up. >> good evening. senator cardin's challengers say voters want new choices, and elected leaders who will be accountable. cardin has held the elected office and been a maryland democratic party leader going back to 1967. the largest and most politically aware precincts in maryland. u.s. senator ben cardin seeking a second term, is extremely popular here. >> i have a record of getting things done during a very difficult environment. i work across party lines to get things accomplished for the people of maryland. >> reporter: tony asked about third party candidates. maryland's u.s. senate race is unique, because of the apparent strong showing of independent candidate bob sobhani. he's spent nearly $4 million of his own money on tv ads.

>> i say i'm going to shabe ablo connect the americans to the international market. i can do it, because i've done it. that's my success. >> reporter: republican dan bongino is focused on senator cardin, but feels sobhani's presence in the race. >> i think we're seeing in the poll data, people are looking for an alternative to senator cardin. >> reporter: a new poll shows senator cardin favored by 53% of likely voters. dan bongino 22%, rob sobhani 14% and dean ahmed at 2%. two debates are scheduled for the u.s. senate candidates in maryland over the next two weeks. the latest live in the newsroom, chris gordon, news4. when we come back, pediatricians offer first-ever reports on organic food for

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new research suggests children can benefit from eating organic produce. the american academy of pediatrics conducted the study and researchers found the nutritional value of conventional versus organic is identical, but organic has lower levels of pesticides. there are indications that exposure to pesticides can impact things like intelligence, behavior and development in children. >> when you look at big groups like populations, you see small changes in the equivalent of iq by five points. five points for most of us isn't very important, but for a whole population it is. and we add it to a lot of other toxins in the environment, it adds up. >> doctors say if families

cannot afford the organics, eating the conventional fruits and vegetables is better than not eating healthy foods. cheerleading is becoming a dangerous activity. a leading doctors' group is asking for new guidelines to make it safer. they want schools to designate cheerleading as a sport. that would mean cheerleaders would have to undergo mandatory preseason physicals, have access to better coaches and get better medical care. the number of serious injuries from cheerleading has skyrocketed. the cpsc said last year alone, there were almost 37,000 emergency room visits for cheerleading injuries. no matter who wins the presidential election, your taxes are going up in 2013. that's because a temporary reduction in social security payroll taxes expires at the end of this year. and that means in january, 163 million workers should see a big

tax hike. it will cost a typical worker about $1,000 a year. two-earner families with six-figure incomes could pay as much as $4,500. still ahead on news4 at 5:00, meet metro's new canine who is leading the way. i'm liz crenshaw. the bounty of fall, but what to do with all these fruits and roots. great ideas from the chef at the ritz are coming up. a pretty nice day out there today. high pressure here, but that area of high pressure is moving down to the south. what does that mean for your forecast? 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. 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. we were told to build a 30-foot stage. gathered the guys and we built that 30-foot stage, not knowing what it was for. just days later, all three shifts were told to assemble in the warehouse.

a group of people walked out on that stage and told us that the plant is now closed and all of you are fired... i looked both ways, i looked at the crowd, and...we all just lost our jobs. we don't have an income. mitt romney made over 100 million dollars by shutting down our plant and devastated our lives. turns out that when we built that stage, it was like building my own coffin, and it just made me sick. [ male announcer ] priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

he's a bomb-sniffing combat veteran, and his name is hatch. he's 6 years old and he's a labrador retriever. he spent four years working with the marines in afghanistan. and today was his first day on the job with metro transit police. his new handler said taking the escalator may seem tame after what hatch has been through in afghanistan. >> he's doing fantastic. i think coming from rappelling out of helicopters with his marine handler, and being in afghanistan, i think he'll like it. he starts in the morning and goes until night. he's going 100 miles an hour. whoever picked the dogs for the

marine corps did a good job. >> the service has been looking for new homes for these working dogs. the sergeant said they all seem to be well socialized and that hatch's personality and skills are a great fit for our transit system. so good to have him here. >> knows his way around that station. this time of year, fall flavor can easily be filled with fresh ingredients, if you know which ones to pick. liz crenshaw is here with how reaching for fruits and roots can easily change your next dish. >> fruits and roots are the foundation for the dishes that you're about to see. we got help from the ritz carlton in the district. ideas for fall with a seasonal taste. we're here at the ritz-carlton with the chef. we'll do some fall cooking today and calling it fruits and roots. where do we start? >> the fruits and roots are like the parsnip soup.

a mix between green mango and a coconut. >> he said peel the parsnip first, then dice. saute onion, garlic, cesell ri d thyme. this smells like fall. beautiful. >> what we'll do is garnish it with a little cinnamon croutons. >> cinnamon croutons for fall. chef, you've got something that you're calling beets. i have the golden beet, you have the red beet. >> we're going to physically add a little olive oil to it. kind of cook them with a lot of flavor inside already. >> sprinkle cumin soeeeds and tn roast. >> thin slice it. place them like this. >> add arugula.

and here's a twist. add sorbet. upside down? what are we using? >> we're using carrots, turnips and parsnips. we're going to start peeling them. >> all right. >> peel them. dice them. blanching them. >> we have four different roots going in this. butter, maple syrup and brown sugar molded into a dish, topped with a mix roots and puffed pastry. but the finished dish is up side down and you have a root vegetable tart. here's a fall dish, duck breast with roasted fruits and roots. >> slice the fruits and the roots and cook them in the oven. then we can display the duck right on top. >> it looks like it needs a little sauce. oh, wow. chef, this is fall on a plate, isn't it? >> yes. >> how about some local fall

flavor. seared rockfish on a puree of celery root. >> we'll dice it up to make the puree. and i'll dress it up. we'll add the fish. >> ah, yes. >> we'll just garnish it with a little citrus salad. >> thank you so much. they're beautiful autumn dishes. they're gorgeous. >> thank you. >> gorgeous and delicious. you can get all of our fruits and roots recipes through our website nbcwashington.com. just search fruits and roots. you have to remember that. >> beautiful. >> yeah. >> and looks easy. >> if you go to the farmers market this time of year, you go, what do i do with a parsnip? now you know. >> or celery. that was gorgeous. >> thank you, liz. it felt like summer out there a bit today, doug. >> everything all right, guys?

>> yeah, we can hear you. >> good. i'm standing by jefferson memorial, i wasn't sure if you could hear me or not. outside right now, 72 degrees. winds out of the north at 7 miles per hour. a beautiful, beautiful afternoon. it's going to stay that way. take a look at the numbers. 68 right now in reston. >> all right of the we've got mike problems there. >> the good news is it's going to be beautiful all week. >> yes. in a word. beautiful. let's check out the stories trending online today. >> let's start with everyone's favorite alien, e.t. now immortalized in wax at madame tussauds, little gallery up the road. six locations all around the world. all part of the 30th anniversary of steven spielberg's hit film. you can find e.t. on display in l.a., sydney, tokyo, berlin and amsterdam. >> phone home, doug kammerer. tomorrow apple will reveal a

smaller version of the ipad. they expect the base version somewhere between $250 and $300. it's expected to have a 7.8-inch screen. that puts it on par with the google nexus, and kindle fire. all right. coming up next, a pregnant woman is killed the day before her wedding. and the strange twist that the d.c. sniper lee mal vo. anncr: seven-hundred-thousand jobs. that's what the plan george allen supports... would cost our economy. newspapers called it "economically destructive." like allen's votes to give tax breaks to companies... that ship jobs overseas, his economic plan would... help big corporations, devastating the middle class.

allen even voted against tax breaks for small businesses. virginia can't afford to go back to george allen. the democratic senatorial campaign committee... is responsible for the content of this advertising. e. the middle class, who move our country forward. work hard. raise families. and keep america strong. but mitt romney's budget plan will hurt the middle class. raising taxes on the average family by up to $2000 dollars. while giving a tax break of $250,000 dollars to multi-millionaires. doesn't mitt romney understand, we can't rebuild america...by tearing down the middle class. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. president obama: i'm barack obamthis message.ve... anncr: victims. dependent. that's what mitt romney called forty-seven percent... of americans. including people on medicare. but what about his plan for you? romney would replace guaranteed benefits with a voucher system. seniors could pay six thousand dollars more a year.

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sunshine, 71 degrees. a beautiful afternoon. take a look at these numbers. down to 67 now in reston, 72 right now at fort belvoir. huntsingtown only has 64 degrees. as far as the rain is concerned, don't worry about any rain. we're not going to see any for the next couple of days, and we don't have any rain in the forecast for about a week.

so we're going to go through a fairly dry period. not just dry, but rather warm, too. so a good time to get outside, and maybe take a look at fall color. down to the south, seeing some color in the eastern shore. good color along the i-95 corridor, near peak color near i-81, through the blue ridge, going to see very nice colors here over the next couple of days. and at peak or even past peak back towards garrett county and points to the west. once again, if you have a chance to get out and see the leaves, they've been spectacular. yesterday was a great day to get out and about. i think we'll have a couple of more of those in the forecast, too. 44 in gaithersburg overnight, and 47 down towards fredericksburg. d.c. area 54 degrees. we'll start off cool tomorrow, but it's not going to be cold by any means. tomorrow afternoon, look at these numbers. highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees across the region. 80 in manassas. 80 in fredericksburg. 78 in baltimore. and a high temperature of 79 in

washington. i think we'll see more clouds in the northern portions of the area tomorrow. more sunshine to the south. but take a look on wednesday. i think we get to that 80-degree mark in the d.c. area. some locations to the south, even warmer than that. highs in the low 80s, record high on that day is 84 degrees. we could be close. 77 on your thursday, 76 on friday, and right now the weekend looking dry. more clouds on monday. we'll talk about a storm potentially all week long, we've got the frontal boundary, tropical system coming up, hopefully it stays off the coast and we're just dealing with a chance of rain and a little bit of wind. we'll keep an eye on it for you. >> thanks, doug. a pregnant mother of four was supposed to get married on sunday in new york. but on saturday, someone killed her. and left a chilling note. >> that note said, more pregnant women will die. until the d.c. sniper lee boyd malvo is released from prison. detectives do not believe this woman or her killer had any

connection to the sniper. but as jonathan reports, police and family members are puzzled. >> reporter: it was to be the day 38-year-old linda lee smith married her fiance, instead these church doors are closed as police search for the man who brutally murdered this mother of four who was eight months pregnant. her friends and family who asked not to be identified spoke briefly outside the church, where on top of a wedding they were planning to hold a baby shower. >> it's really sad. it's sad. >> reporter: smith was murdered early saturday morning in the basement of her home, just a few doors down from the church. police say someone brutally stabbed her in the neck and left her and her unborn child to die. >> it just hurts. it's sad. it's really sad that -- to have to take two innocent lives. >> reporter: the tragic news traveled quickly through this community. smith was an active member at new dimension who greeted everyone with a welcoming smile. >> she was always here.

sometimes i open the church for her. >> reporter: police say they are still looking for a suspect and a motive. meanwhile, devastated family and friends must now plan a funeral. news4 new york. now, at 6:00, a young woman beaten and sexually assaulted. we'll hear from a neighbor who went to help her. redskins fans, chris cooley is making a comeback. the race between president obama and mitt romney is a dead heat now. the final debate tonight on foreign policy could tip the scales. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> and i'm doreen gentzler. the final face-off is just a few hours away now. the last debate is set to get under way in florida shortly. the debate is expected to be hotly contested in november. steve handelsman