>> shot him and now -- >> this woman says she witnessed her boyfriend being murdered in laurel late last night. what police are saying this morning about the person responsible. and breaking news right now in atlanta. a doctor infected with ebola is being released from the hospital. a news conference is about to start. news4's melissa is monitoring the news conference from the live desk now. melissa? >> good morning, that's right. that press conference scheduled to start at emory university hospital at any moment now. take a live look at this

picture. dr. kent brantly, the american doctor infected with ebola while working at a missionary clinic in liberia, he is supposed to be released from that hospital today. we expect dr. brantly and his doctor to be part of this presser. we also expect an update on nancy writebol. the other patient being treated there at emory. brantly is expected to speak but is not going to take any questions. he's been in the hospital's isolation unit nearly three weeks. the ebola outbreak has killed 1300 people across west africa. we'll keep an eye on this and bring it to you when it begins. thank you. turning to the weather now. hot, humid out there. amelia segal joins us with her first midday forecast for this thursday. good morning. >> well, barbara, summer has returned to the area. temperatures already very warm. 80 degrees is the temperature right now in washington, 79 in college park. we're going to continue to climb as we get on into the afternoon hours. not only is it hot today but

humid as well. you could be dealing with an afternoon or evening shower or thunderstorm. because of that, the weather having a low to maybe moderate impact on your day, especially if you're really looking to get something done outside later today. you do need to keep the umbrella handy because of that threat of rain for the afternoon and evening hours. really not looking at anything too crazy. it's going to be that hit or miss activity that could potentially last for 30 to 45 minutes. this is the activity, barbara, that we're tracking that will be moving in later this afternoon. i'll have the latest timing coming up with future weather in just a bit. >> okay, we'll see you in here in just a few minutes. new this morning, a woman is dealing with her boyfriend's death at the hands of her estranged husband. this happened in laurel not far from the bw parkway. megan mcgrath talked to the woman in the middle of all this. megan, what did she say? >> reporter: well, barbara, kathy mandioli had just left

recently her husband, the father of her seven children. she had a new boyfriend, was moving on, but she said her estranged husband, robert, just wouldn't let go. last night he killed her boyfriend and then turns the gun on himself. crying on her porch, kathy says she had finally gotten her life on track. >> i have been in a miserable marriage for 20 years and i finally had to just leave. and i met howard. >> reporter: she and howard had been dating just a few months. they were happy, she says. >> ever since i met him, my life began. i was so happy. i would always laugh. we would always laugh. >> reporter: but last night it all came to a violent end, when mendiola's estranged husband, robert, shot and killed howard. it happened as the couple got

into the car. >> he pulled out the gun and shot him. >> reporter: after shooting popp, police say robert mendiola ran to his nearby home where he shot himself in the backyard shed. still in shock, kathy talked about howard popp's family and how she had not yet gotten the chance to meet them. >> but if they see this, i'm so sorry. i never meant any of this to happen. >> reporter: kathy mendiola had a protective order against her estranged husband. she says that he violated it several times, that there had been contact between them, but that she had not called police. robert mendiola is in the hospital with life-threatening wounds after turning the gun on himself. he has been charged with first-degree murder. in laurel, megan mcgrath, news4. >> we're going back to melissa who has more on breaking news.

melissa? >> barbara, the final decision has just come down here in the medric mills death. those firefighters who did not help mills after he collapsed outside a northeast fire station in january. you might remember his daughter begged firefighters to help, they refused and mills died waiting for help. this trial board panel has recommended the reprimand of one firefighter, another member was found not guilty. one other was suspended. the interim fire chief in d.c. says he is not happy with this. these actions recommended are not severe enough. it is unacceptable for the firefighters to not respond to a request for emergency medical services, but unfortunately he has no authority to increase the penalty recommended by this fire trial board. >> thanks, melissa. we have a developing story right now. the tide seems to be turning in ferguson, missouri, as the number of protesters and the number of arrests dropped overnight. a smaller group of protesters marched around a single block. police stood guard but many wore

regular uniforms rather than riot gear. there were only six arrests overnight compared to 47 arrests the day before. in the meantime a grand jury has begun hearing evidence to determine whether a police officer should be charged in the shooting death of michael brown. the st. louis county prosecutor says there's no timeline for that process, but it could take weeks. isis militants are threatening to kill more american hostages if president obama does not leave iraq. but the president is pressing ahead, vowing justice for the execution of journalist james foley. more air strikes are targeting militants. yesterday the pentagon confirmed a top secret mission attempted to free foley and other u.s. hostages held in syria, but the mission failed because the hostages were not where u.s. intelligence thought they were. foley's mom said he brave lly endured two years of captivity. >> he was a great american and he believed in the very best of our country. >> isis is threatening to kill

another american journalist unless the air strikes stop. and right now former governor bob mcdonnell is on the witness stand. coming up, what the governor said as he entered court on this critical day in the trial. plus, a chance for you to help students in our area start the school year right with a backpack and supplies. call 202-885-4949 to donate backpacks for kids. we'll have more on where the backpacks go in just a few minutes. stay with us.

new this morning, virginia state police say a woman gave birth to a baby girl in the eastbound lanes of i-66. it happened just before 5:00 this morning in arlington. both mom and baby we understand were taken to the hospital and both we hear are in very good health this morning. a great part of the first part of school is that new book bag, pencils and paper. but some children never have the opportunity to have these things. you can change that, however. call in and donate money to our backpacks for kids campaign. the money goes for new backpacks and school supplies for kids in need in our area. we have volunteers standing by to take your calls right now. the number to call 202-885-4949. and the principal of concord elementary school in prince

george's county joins us this morning to talk a little bit about our backpacks program because you know how important it is to the kids of your school. welcome, good to have you with us. >> thank you. so nice to be here. >> what does it mean to the children? >> well, it's an enormous opportunity for them to be prepared. that's the biggest thing. as the demand, the academic demands on our students increase, we don't want the lack of student supplies to impede their success. >> now, what does concord elementary school and all prince george's county schools when, do they open? >> well, there is an orientation for new coming 6th graders and 9th graders on monday but school opens for all students on tuesday. >> and most of them will show up with their backpacks, right? >> well, we encourage them to have all their supplies, but as you know, sometimes that's problematic for some of our population. the good news is because of the generosity of your viewers and sponsors and nbc news all of our students will have a backpack. >> we're so excited about that

and we hope you're going to have a great year. you start next week for real. >> yes, we do. >> and we will continue to try to raise money or have people donate those backpacks because it means a lot to you. >> it means an awful lot. we are so appreciative of the generosity. thank you so much. >> thanks for coming. a reminder, if you want to help with backpacks and school supplies, call 885-4949 or log on to our website, nbcwashington.com. sglchbl we're back to breaking news now. ebola patient dr. kent brantly is now speaking. let's listen in. >> to have applied our training, our care and our experience to meeting their needs. all of us who have worked with them have been impressed by their courage and determination. their hope and faith have been an inspiration to all of us. in addition, both of the

patients' families provided tremendous support throughout this treatment process. their dedication and devotion has strengthened us as well as the patients. limited knowledge of the ebola virus, especially in our country, has created understandable anxiety and fear for some persons. we understand that there are a lot of questions and concerns regarding ebola virus and the infection that it causes. however, we cannot let our fears dictate our actions. we must all care. as grateful as we are today, our work is far from over. we are very mindful of all of those in west africa who are still fighting for their lives against this threat and those who are caring for them, putting

their own lives in danger. it was the right decision to bring these patients back to emory for treatment. what we learned in caring for them will help advance the world's understanding of how to treat ebola virus infections and help hopefully to improve survival in parts of the world where patients with this infection are treated. at emory, our mission is to heal and to advance knowledge. the team of professionals with me here today has trained for years to treat and contain the most dangerous infectious diseases in the world. we are grateful for the successful outcome in this case. but we are never going to be taking success for granted. three other critically important partners who have helped us throughout this episode deserve

recognition today. our neighbors, the centers for disease control, the food and drug administration and the state epidemiologists of georgia and north carolina. i will be taking your questions, as mr. dollard said, but before doing so dr. brantly has requested to make a brief statement. and as mr. dollard said, dr. brantly will not be taking any questions following his statement, so i ask that you respect his wishes and save your questions for me and for the other members of our health care team. thank you. >> dr. brantly. >> today is a miraculous day. i am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my

family. as a medical missionary, i never imagined myself in this position. when my family and i moved to liberia last october to begin a two-year term working with samaritans purse, ebola was not on the radar. we moved to liberia because god called us to serve the people of liberia. in march when we got word that ebola was in guinea and spread to liberia, we began preparing for the worst. we did not receive our first ebola patient until june. but when she arrived, we were ready. during the course of june and july, the number of ebola patients increased steadily, and our amazing crew at the hospital took care of each patient with great care and compassion. we also took every precaution to protect ourselves from this dreaded disease by following msf and who guidelines for safety.

after taking amber and our children to the airport to return to the states on sunday morning, july 20th, i poured myself into my work even more than before. transferring patients to our new, bigger isolation unit, training and orienting new staff, and working with our human resources officer to fill our staffing needs. three days later, on wednesday, july 23rd, i woke up feeling under the weather. and then my life took an unexpected turn as i was diagnosed with ebola virus disease. as i lay in my bed in liberia for the following nine days getting sicker and weaker eh day, i prayed that god would help me be faithful, even in my illness. and i prayed that in my life or in my death that he would be glorified. i did not know then but have

learned since that there were thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world praying for me throughout that week and even still today. i have heard story after story of how this situation has impacted the lives of individuals around the globe, both among my friends and family and also among complete strangers. i cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support. but what i can tell you is that i served a faithful god who answers prayers. through the care of the samaritans purse and sim missionary team in lie beeria, the use of an experimental drug and expertise and resources of the health care team at emory university hospital, god saved my life. a direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers. i am incredibly thankful to all of those who were involved in my care from the first day of my

illness all the way up to today, the day of my release from emory. if i tried to thank everyone, i would undoubtedly forget many. but i would be remiss if i did not say thank you to a few. i want to thank samaritans purse who has taken care of me and my family as though we were their own family. thank you to the samaritans purse and sim liberia community. you cared for me and ministered to me during the most difficult experience of my life. you did so with the love and mercy of jesus christ. thank you to emory university hospital and especially to the medical staff in the isolation unit. you treated me with expertise, yet with such tenderness and compassion.

for the last three weeks, you have been my friends and my family and so many of you have ministered to me not only physically but also spiritually, which has been an important part of my recovery. i will not forget you and all that you have done for me. and thank you to my family, my friends, my church family, and all who lifted me up in prayer asking for my healing and recovery. please do not stop praying for the people of liberia and west africa and for a quick end to this ebola epidemic. my dear friend, nancy writebol, upon her release from the hospital wanted me to share her gratitude for all of the prayers on her behalf. as she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was to god be the glory. nancy and david are now spending some much-needed time together.

thank you for your support throughout this whole ordeal. my family and i will now be going away for a period of time to reconnect, decompress and to continue to recover physically and emotionally. after i have recovered a little more and regained some of my strength, we will look forward to sharing more of our story, but for now we need some time together after more than a month apart. we appreciate having the opportunity to spend some time in private before talking to some of you who have expressed an interest in hearing more of our journey. thank you for granting us that. again, before we slip out, i want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to samaritans purse, sim, emory and all of the people involved in my treatment and care. above all, i am forever thankful to god for sparing my life and i'm glad for any attention my

sickness has attracted to the plight of west africa in the midst of this epidemic. please continue to pray for liberia and the people of west africa and encourage those in positions of leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this ebola outbreak to an end. thank you. >> we've been listening to dr. kent brantly from a news conference at emory university hospital in atlanta. he has just been released from the hospital. he is the one, the doctor who was medevaced from liberia with the ebola virus, apparently treated and released today. we have just gotten a news alert in the last few minutes that the other person, the woman who was also medevaced, nancy writebol, also discharged from the hospital. she too was brought here suffering from ebola.

she was discharged from the hospital on tuesday. we're going to go back to melissa at the live desk with an announcement from the justice department. what's happening? >> hi, barbara. $17 billion, that is what the bank of america is going to have to pay the justice department and several states and consumers after allegations the company misrepresented the quality of loans that it sold to investors. now, u.s. attorney general eric holder just wrapped up a press conference at the justice department about this major financial fraud case. >> this outcome does not preclude any criminal charges against the bank or its employees, nor was it inevitable over these last few weeks that this case would be resolved out of court. >> now, holder says relief will be counted as taxable income for those consumers who get the relief. bank of america will have to pay a portion but he's also calling on congress to help defray those costs for those consumers. students in fairfax county still have about a week and a half of summer left, but

educators across the county are working right now to get ready for the new year. dr. steven lockhart, the deputy superintendent, joins us this morning with a look at some of the challenges the school system is facing. good morning. >> good morning, barbara. >> good to see you. fairfax will become the tenth largest school system in the whole country, adding about 2100 new students. i didn't concern about overcrowding? >> correct. well, overcrowding is an issue that has faced fairfax county public schools for a number of years, nothing new. it is in pockets, however. not all of our schools are overcrowded, so we deal with that in a variety of ways. a lot of times for schools that means some trailer, portable types of classrooms. it might mean more sections of classes. it might mean some logistical challenges for some schools but we still provide staffing to provide the best instruction possible for our students. >> after a series of cuts to the budget, class sizes will probably grow. what is the average class size

expected to be? >> that kind of depends on what level we are talking about. in our middle and high schools, a lot of that is dependent on who's enrolling in what classes, what courses are offered at what schools. at the elementary level, we typically try to have our classes somewhere between the low to mid-20s and sometimes they get up to the high 20s, lower 30s. when that happens, we get to a certain threshold, we're looking at providing additional support, additional staffing to those schools so they can be manageable for instruction. >> so what kind of help are you talking about? you don't mean splitting the classes and getting another teacher? >> well, in some cases if they get large enough, we do have some contingency funds available so if we have growth that outpaces our expectations, we're able to provide that. we certainly don't want kindergarten classes of 38 students so we have that contingency to provide that kind of support. >> you have a new plan for snow days this year, we understand. tell us about that. >> yes. i'm hopeful i don't jinx snow days by talking about it. basically this comes back to the

full day monday that's been sort of undone. we've had elementary schools dismissing mondays for the last 40-some years early. and this year, this school year heading in we are going to be eliminating that practice. that provided an opportunity for staff development for our teachers. we worked that into our schedule in other ways, including days throughout the school year, so that our elementary students can be in school five full days aweek when the schedule allows it. that allows us to meet the expectation for hours required so that if we have 12 or fewer snow days, we won't have to add calendars on to the end of the school year or take away holidays or anything like that where folks have already made plans. so having our students in school for a full day monday not only adds more instructional time to their week and their day but has other benefits for us as well. >> so are you excited about the start of school? >> we are so excited. people think there's not a lot going on in the summer, but our

summit, dr. garza, our school board, all of our school-based staff have been hard at work gearing up for our students' return to 62. we're very excited to welcome them back. >> we wish you great luck for a terrific year. thanks for coming. >> thank you. a welcome sight. gas under $3. we'll let you know where and if more people plan to travel more this labor day weekend because of those lower gas prices. 75 years ago today a group of men came in search of knowledge and equal rights. we celebrate them here today. i'll have that coming up. and storm team 4 meteorologist amelia segal is back with more on our risk of rain today, tomorrow and the weekend. stay w

right now you can ket some cheap gasoline in spotsylvania county. take a look at this, gas at $2.99 a gallon. one of our producers scored a deal at sheetz station. several places have gas under $3 these days. low gas prices will be the reason for packed highways over the labor day weekend, we hear. aaa says this will be the most traveled labor day holiday in six years with nearly 35 million people traveling. gas prices are more than 10 cents cheaper than this time last year. flying will cost you more this year than last, though. the average flight will run you just over $200. storm team 4 meteorologist

amelia segal joins us now. it sounds like a good weekend to get out of town. rain coming? >> we're looking at a chance of showers on saturday. sunday is looking to be the better of the two weekend days. temperatures this weekend, barbara, will be noticeably cooler. today we're talking about high temperatures near 90 degrees. for this weekend, high temperatures will be in the low 80s, pretty much where they're at right now but won't continue to warm up. we're at 80 in washington, 79 in gaithersburg and leesburg. manassas coming in at 73. nice sunshine out there right now, but clouds will build back in as we get into the afternoon and evening hours. along with the increasing cloud cover we'll also be tracking some scattered showers and thunderstorms later today. high temperature in washington of 89. that was our high yesterday as well. 88 in leesburg, 85 in annapolis and 90 for a high temperature in fredericksburg. timing the scattered showers and thunderstorms arriving as early as 3:00 p.m. in areas like leesburg, down through other parts of virginia, back around

that 91 corridor. as we continue into the late afternoon and early evening hours, those showers and thunderstorms continue to push toward the east. here we are at 5:00, some rain moving through the d.c. metro area, potentially some heavy rain and that could slow the evening commute. notice the rain up into frederick county as well. 6:00, still tracking the rain in the d.c. metro area. that could impact the nationals game. i think a delay would be unlikely since the storms will be moving fairly quickly through the area. 8:00, still that potential for some hit or miss showers and thunderstorms. really the threat of showers and thunderstorms sticks around until midnight tonight. then after that, we should start to notice the radar quiet down. now, there's a low chance that you're dealing with a shower or thunderstorm today, about a 30% to 40% chance. i'm upping the chances from this morning. if we do see any thunderstorm or if you are, they could contain heavy rain and high winds. that would be the biggest threat this afternoon. so if you're dining out, a storm

is possible. but if you're in the metro area, especially if you hold off until 8:00 p.m., you should be okay. look at the temperatures, though. that might not be comfortable to eat outside, in the low to mid-80s during the evening. so the nationals this afternoon taking on the diamondbacks. the first pitch earlier than it typically is at 4:00. it's going to be hot and humid for the game. the chance of a storm, there could be a delay but i think it would be unlikely. they're certainly going to get the game in this afternoon. now tomorrow a high temperature of 86 degrees. a little bit better chance of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. some rain later in the day on friday, mainly during your friday evening. could be heavy. so heading out for friday night. take the umbrella with you. keep it around for saturday. some showers are possible. the timing really at any point during the day so stick with storm team 4 as we continue to refine the weekend forecast. cooler on saturday, a high of 80. 82 on sunday. again, it's looking nice on

sunday with low humidity as well. >> it's not so bad. >> no, not so bad. most of today, especially as we continue to work into the early afternoon hours will remain dry. >> thanks so much. right now the city of alexandria is remembering the 75th anniversary of a major civil rights event, the alexandria library sit-in. zachary kiesch is live tecate waller barrett library branch on queen street with more on this very special event. zach. >> reporter: that's right. they were black, they were discriminated against and they used nonviolent resistance, peaceful protests to see the change that they wanted to see in this community. it's taken a while, but certainly reason to celebrate. take a peek here. we're on queen street. live music and people hanging out today enjoying the day. as i mentioned, queen street is closed and for a good reason. the year was 1939. five black men carried out the first library sit-in after they were denied the right to check out books. today is the 75th anniversary of

that sit-in. folks are celebrating the contributions of those young men and the strides that have been made in the community as well. >> alexandria got its first public library in 1937. but based on the law, only -- it was a white-only facility. and so in 1939 we had a few people who decided to challenge that. >> 50 years before the civil rights act of 1964, and 60 years before brown versus board of education, those five brave young men were taking action to try to improve not only their lives but the lives for the citizens here in this community. >> reporter: a lot of people out here today having a good time. fairly warm out here but it's not keeping people away. big picture, a lot of talk about ferguson, missouri, and how some of the tactics used 75 years ago here today might be used to

effect the type of change they want to see there as well. and right now bob mcdonnell is back on the stand. the former virginia governor entered court this morning ready to take the stand for a second straight day. mcdonnell is expected to testify about his strained marriage with his wife, maureen. yesterday mcdonnell tried to prove that he gave no special treatment to virginia businessman jonnie williams. as he has done every day, mcdonnell talked to reporters briefly on his way into court. >> governor, in the spectrum of difficult things you've done in your life as governor, how does this rate, what you're going to have to do today? >> 38 years in public service, i never thought i'd be having to testify in a trial like this. >> you can stay on top of the trial by following julie carey on twitter. she'll have a complete wrap-up of the day in court on news4 starting at 4:00 p.m. connecting students across our area, the program making sure children have access to the internet.

plus, now on display, the hat that was made famous by pharrell williams. it's now in washington. you can see it. stay with us, we'll tell you

well, it's win or go home for little league's big star, mo'ne davis. today she will lead her team in an elimination game. she'll have to forget about last night, though, which wasn't her best night.

right now -- right off the bat, vegas got a run. still, she fought through it, striking out six batters in two and a half innings. but nevada went on to win 8-1. now, she's eligible to pitch again on saturday if her team wins today's elimination game. all eyes are on this 13-year-old girl with a history-making fastball. she hasn't even started eighth grade yet and she's already on the cover of "sports illustrated." we're continuing our backpacks 4 kids campaign today. you can call in and donate money for kids in need in our area. we have volunteers standing by to take your calls. 202-885-4949 is the number to call. besides things like paper and pencils giving kids access to the internet at home are essential of course but donna ratley washington from comcast joins us to talk about comcast and what they're doing to help. this is something that's pretty

essential too. welcome. >> thank you. very nice to see you again. so in today's 21st century, kids obviously need backpacks but what they also need is to be digitally ready in the classrooms. in order to do that, they need internet in their homes. so i'm here to talk about internet essentials, which is our broad paband adoption progr >> how does that work? >> it's open to families that qualify for the national school lunch program, which fortunately or unfortunately a lot of americans do qualify across the country and in our area. so families, if they have qualified for a national school lunch program and meet some other criteria, they can apply. >> that's fantastic. so that means that they will get a free connection to the internet in their home? >> so actually now, which is a new announcement i'm here to talk about today, if a family is approved for internet essentials by september 20th, they will

receive six months complimentary service. but besides that, our normal offer is $9.95. >> $9.95. >> $9.95, which is about a $27 discount off of our normal pricing. >> these days it is an essential thing to have in the home, isn't it, internet for kids, for both elementary and high school students. >> elementary, high school, headstart. families can qualify for the national school lunch program at headstart and qualify for internet essentials. >> so the big thing now is to make sure that they have something to use the internet for, so we should be thinking about that the next time we're raising money for backpacks. >> absolutely. as part of the internet essentials program, we do make available to families, they can purchase a computer for $150. >> oh, that's fantastic. >> so we subsidize it. it's a laptop or a desktop, so it's married together. >> comcast is our parent company, but we celebrate what you're doing because we believe kids should get off to the right

foot for school. >> absolutely. in the 21st century they need backpacks and they need the internet. >> and so how do they find out? who do they call? >> so they can call -- there's a number that will provide you but also www.internetessentials.com. >> in fact we've got that number for you right now. i think we do. do we have the number? if not, it will be on our website, nbcwashington.com. we thank you so much for coming and sharing this news with us. good news for a lot of kids out there. >> absolutely. thank you. a reminder, if you want to help with backpacks and school supplies, you do have the number to call and that's 885-4949. 885-4949. or you can log on to our website, again, nbcwashington.com, and we'll get some information for you up on the essentials program that comcast is offering. thank you again. consumer reports taking issue with new guidelines on fish put out by the fda. coming up, what you should know about mercury dangers before

ordering certain types of fish. plus, we're going to tell you about the big birthday celebration taking place at the national zoo this weekend. stay with us, we'll be right back.

you can see pharrell williams' mountain hat today. it just went on display at the museum. you may remember the odd hat stole the show at the 2014

grammy awards. it even has its own twitter account now. they bought the hat from williams for almost $50,000 and donated the money to charity. it will be on display through october. there's a lot to do around town before summer is gone. we have some ideas for your weekend. welcome. there's something called the trilectra, what is that? >> it's a musical festival. d.c. has its own and this launched in 2012. these three guys are in their 20s, they're the coolest guys. just decided, we went to coachela and we want something like that here in d.c. it's just getting bigger and bigger. they see about 3,000 people come through. >> what kind of music are we talking about? >> it mashes hip-hop, which uses the word tril, and electro, so

it doesn't matter what you're a fan of, hip-hop or edm, this is a great event for you. >> tell us about the national zoo this weekend. >> it's bao bao's first birthday, who can believe it. she was born on august 23rd, 2013, so the zoo is celebrating her birthday with a live event for families. they're going to have activities, they're going to have cake for folks. if you are a friends of the national zoo member, you can get in a couple of hours early. the viewing will start at 9:00. you can get in and see bao bao and wish her a happy 1st birthday. >> she's changed a lot. >> she's now 40 pounds, can you believe that? >> incredible. >> finally, tell us about the maryland renaissance festival. >> that is another big event happening. it's a big weekend. it is opening for the season. it's one of the big things that we do in the fall here in washington. it's in annapolis and crownsville. and of course it's going to continue for several weeks. this weekend is a great weekend to go because kids are free. if you have kids 11 and younger,

you're going to save that few dollars. adults have to pay full price, but kicks off this weekend. >> a lot going on, as you said. and for more ideas for your weekend, log on to nbcwashington.com or the going out guide on washingtonpost.com. this week's dnesday's child is a bright little girl who needs a family to help her achieve her big dreams. she is just 5 years old and her wishes include becoming a princess someday. her most important goal, though, is to have a family that loves her. >> china, hi! how are you? i'm so glad to see you. my goodness, look at you. don't you look pretty today. >> reporter: 5-year-old china came to meet me for a party they had planned for us. we were met at the front door by the hotel's general manager. >> i want you to meet china. >> good to meet you, sweetie. you are beautiful. >> isn't she pretty? and she's going to get even more beautiful when we play dress-up,

right? >> reporter: china was a little nervous but ready for a surprise. >> so which way do we go? >> this way. >> you got to spend the night here. >> reporter: she had gotten the lay of the land early because she came to the ritz carlton the night before with her social worker who says china has been in foster care since she was a baby. >> china came to our attention in 2010. >> and how old was she? >> she was approximately 18 months old. >> reporter: china was up early and ready for our adventure here. >> oh, look at this! do you see anything that's made for a princess. >> mm-hmm. >> where? first of all, there's a party going on over there. >> the table was set for a princess tea party. >> look at this tea party and who's here? but we can't come dressed like this. we've got to get dressed up if we're going to have a party.

>> wow! look at that! >> reporter: if she were at all shy before, it all changed when she suddenly discovered what was behind the curtain. without saying a word, china was ready for whatever was planned. >> look at all the things, and look at the feathers. look at the flowers. this looks like a princess room to me. what's that? who's going to wear that? >> me. >> reporter: she was ready to become a princess. >> she's actually a little chatter box. once she gets used to you, she warms up and is very friendly. >> reporter: china and i helped each other into our regal attire and then made our grand entrance. >> welcome, princess china. you look fabulous. >> doesn't she look beautiful? >> reporter: our hostess, mary, helped china on to her special chair and the chef told us about all the special treats he had made for our visit. >> and then we have a little princess cookie for you. >> reporter: china found a

special friend at the table who she said she would like to take with her if she ever gets adopted. >> would you like to take her with you? >> we're just actually looking for a home with a parent that would love her and be committed to her. >> do you have a name for her yet? >> reporter: the princess bear was china's to keep. now if we can just find a wonderful home for china. a castle is not necessary, just a place where people love her. if you have room in your home and your heart for china or another child who's waiting, call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to adopt me or search wednesday's child on nbcwashington.com. our time now, 11:52. coming up, high levels of mercury in fish. what you need to know before sitting down to eat. plus, storm team 4 meteorologist amelia seeig meteorologist amelia seeial wil be back with another check on the damp day ahead.

there's a serious health concern this morning, especially for all of you nursing and expectant moms, about eating fish. many popular varieties contain high levels of mercury. consumer reporter erika gonzalez has which fish that you can eat and which ones you should avoid. >> reporter: eating fish can be a great choice. it's an excellent low fat source of protein and other nutrients, including omega three fatty acids which might help protect your heart. and if you're pregnant, boost

your baby's brain development. but there is a catch. some seafood contains high levels of a form of mercury called methyl mercury. >> mercury can damage the brain and can damage the nervous system, especially when that exposure occurs in the womb. >> reporter: the government advises young children and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or might become pregnant to avoid the four fish with the highest mercury levels. swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish from the gulf of mexico. the fda is also considering adding marlin and orange roughy to that list. food safety experts agree but have additional concerns about tuna. tuna accounts for 40% of our mercury exposure. most of that is from canned tuna. fresh tuna, popular in sushi, can also be especially high in mercury. >> to be safe, consumer reports recommends that pregnant women not eat any tuna at all and children and anyone who eats a lot of fish should really limit

how much tuna they eat. >> reporter: so how can you eat seafood without exposing yourself to too much mercury? some good choices include wild and alaska salmon, canned or fresh, shrimp, sardines, tilappia, oysters and squid. that's good advice to follow, hook, line and sinker. >> all of this discussion doesn't mean you should skip fish. in fact the food and drug administration says women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant should be eating at least eight ounces of fish a week. our time right now is 11:57. we're going to get a final check on our forecast now, amelia. >> hot and humid. high temperatures today will be near or around 90 degrees. i was outside at the storm team 4 weather deck and you can just feel the humidity in the air. so appropriately it's feeling like summer. if you're heading to the pool this afternoon with the kids, leave early because as we get into the later afternoon and evening hours, we're going to be tracking some scattered showers and thunderstorms, about a 40%

chance that you're dealing with rain later today. and i have increased that threat from earlier this morning. tomorrow more scattered showers and thunderstorms likely later in the day. >> okay. well, sounds like we can plan to go see a movie maybe? >> exactly. and look forward to the weekend, especially sunday. >> so sunday will be a good day. >> yes. >> thanks, amealia. and that's news4 midday. we thank you for being with us and invite you to tune in for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and tonight at 11:00. we'll be back her tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. plan to join us and have a great day. we'll see you in the morning. .

today on "access hollywood" live brooke burke charvey is with me and wait until you see kim kardashian's outfit from last night and. i love his life. >> i like the way he roles. you've been nominated but will you take the ice bucket challenge live here today? >> i have to. >> i have a bikini for her. it will totally fit. >> stand by billy and kit. stand by camera 2. we're live in 5, 4, 3,