thousands of people are celebrating labor day across the region. we're live from one of many parades happening today. we're also keeping an eye on the traffic as people head back from the beach. good morning, everyone, and welcome to news 4 midday. i'm angie goff in for barbara harrison. happy labor day. it is monday, the 1st day of september, and we are in the middle of a heat wave. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein is here with how hot it

will get. hi, tom. >> yeah, got to 96 yesterday. not quite as hot today, but certainly hotter than the average high of 84 later this afternoon. there's a live view from the storm team 4 national harbor camera. great day to take a ride on the capital wheel there. beautiful views there from the top. we've got quite a bit of humidity, though, still hanging in the air. storm team 4 radar showing a few lingering sprinkles the northern neck of virginia after we did have some showers rolling through earlier this morning south of the metro area. right now just a few clouds around, don't have any rain around the region and temperatures just past 11:00 now are heating up. we're in the low to mid-80s much of the region. going to climb about another 10 degrees for highs by later this afternoon. a look at that and how long this heat wave will last in just a couple of minutes. back to you, angie. >> sounds good, tom, thanks. it's labor day and there are a whole lot of activities going on around here. in montgomery county, the town of kensington is celebrating its 47th annual labor day parade.

the parade has been going on for about an hour now, but there's plenty of festivities happening all throughout the day. megan mcgrath is live from what is considered kensington's signature event. hi, megan. >> reporter: well, good morning, angie. yeah, it is definitely their signature event. you can see there's a big crowd that's turned out for this parade. what better way to mark labor day than with an old-fashioned parade and that's exactly what this is. this has been happening here in kensington for 47 years. you can see the crowd here. many of the folks here actually live in the neighborhood. they have come out of their houses, brought their chairs and their blankets, but other people actually have heard about the parade and came from surrounding cities, so they drove here to take it all in. you can see we've got a marching band going by us right now and there are all kinds of floats. you see the fire department, the volunteer fire department go by. there are folks that we spoke to earlier who have actually been coming here for over a decade and they now come and bring

their kids too. >> i got the shade and the view. the parade comes this way because it's that way to the viewing stand. >> what keeps you coming back? >> just the tradition. we have friends that live here in kensington so we meet them down here every year and just enjoy the parade. it's a lot of fun. >> what's your favorite part about the parade? >> candy. >> they throw the candy? >> reporter: and you can see the parade is in full swing here. i should mention if there are some road closures in the area, connecticut avenue northbound, they are going to be detouring traffic off of the northbound side and running two-way traffic on the southbound lanes, so keep that in mind if you're traveling through the area. also when the parade is over, that doesn't mean the fun is over. they have food vendors and art tents and the like down on howard and armory so after taking in the parade, check all that out as well. reporting live, megan mcgrath, news 4. back to you. >> it's a hot day but a great day for all that fun, thanks. well, there's a parade today

happening in gaithersburg too. you're going to see it along east diamond and russell avenues. it begins at 1:00 this afternoon. and over in herndon, virginia, you can head over to the annual labor day festival. that kicks off at 12:00. at noon there's going to be a craft show, some wine tasting is going on as well as an opportunity to sample a bunch of different foods. wanting to take a live look at the bay bridge. as you can see things aren't too bad on the roadways right now, but traffic is expected to build up throughout the day. i'm just wondering if melissa mollet is getting over from the shock from what you saw in the cameras this morning. lanes wide open. >> it was wonderful, so much green on the screen i had no idea what to do this morning, angie. taking a look behind me, i want to talk about some of the roadways we all know will be a little nasty as you head back into town and probably back home today. first of all, 95 northbound for all those folks that went down to virginia beach, richmond area over the weekend, that's going to be a little yucky.

anyone coming from the north, southbound in maryland 95 there, obviously going to be a little skep sketchy as well as the evening progresses. otherwise we look quite good. 50 again right here at the bay bridge, no major problem there. 95 at mine road moving right along as well. let's keep our fingers crossed that it's going to stay like this the rest of the day. don't think it's going to happen, i think it's going to be pretty nasty, but we can keep our fingers crossed, right? >> it doesn't hurt to try. thanks. heads up if you are taking metro. track work is continuing today. the bethesda medical center stations remain closed on the red line. buses will operate between friendship heights as well as grovener strathmore. the stations reopen tomorrow morning. metro is operating on a sunday schedule. stations will stay open until midnight. off peak fares are in effect all day and parking is free at all metro garages. underground cables have been causing some big headaches this morning along missouri avenue in

northwest. the westbound lanes on the street have been shut down for hours while pepco works away on the problem. the turn lane on georgia avenue is also closed. you can see right here where crews had to drill into the street to get down to those wires. we're going to keep you posted about when things reopen. the president is spending his labor day in the midwest. he is in wisconsin to speak at the milwaukee laborfest. the event is an annual gathering of union workers and their families. union membership in wisconsin has plummeted since 2011 when a law ending collective bargaining for most public workers went into effect. now, that law was championed by republican governor scott walker, who is in a tight re-election battle. now to a developing story in libya. there has been a security breach at the u.s. embassy there. take a look at this youtube video. it shows what's believed to be a militia group, and there you go, it appears they are having a pool party at one of the embassy's residential buildings.

no american staff members are there. they were evacuated last month because of fighting in the area. the embassy's main compound is about a mile away from this building. u.s. officials say that it still looks to be secure. crews braved bad weather to try and save a hiker in montgomery county, but that hiker died yesterday after becoming trapped under a huge boulder in the potomac. county rescue crews raced to free the man but their efforts were slowed because of all of the storms that rolled through. the man died before crews could rescue him. >> our crews had to seek shelter. we protected the victim. eight rescue technicians remained on the scene, including paramedics, while others sought shelter. >> investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how the hiker got trapped. the coast guard has suspended its search for a pilot who blacked out and crashed his plane off the coast of virginia. search teams found the engine and a wheel but they say that there's little chance of finding

anything else. the small plane left wisconsin saturday morning. it was scheduled to land in manassas, but at one point veered offcourse. investigators say it flew into restricted airspace over washington, d.c., and then two f-16 fighter jets scrambled to escort the plane out and that's when they learned the pilot was unconscious. the plane later crashed off the coast. prince william county is facing a nearly $6 million budget shortfall. "the washington post" reporting the county ended the last fiscal year $5.9 million in the red. county officials say the shortfall is due to a tax relief program for disabled veterans. they also blame the government shutdown and lower sales tax and property tax revenues. a county spokesperson says the shoe shortfall will be covered by a reserve fund. right now d.c. police are enforcing litter laws. we have a reminder to throw away your trash properly or face a fine. plus tens of thousands of

students heading back to school tomorrow. we look at last-minute back-to-school shopping deals. stay with us.

when you look at these pictures, it is hard to believe that five people escaped alive. they are recovering now in maryland after this boat they were on blew up. it was totally engulfed in fire, smoke just pouring into the sky.

this happened in ocean pines, maryland, not too far from ocean city. it's still not clear what sparked this explosion. everyone who was hurt are expected -- or is expected to be okay. virginia's former first couple could face decades in prison if they are convicted of corruption. tomorrow a jury will begin to decide their fate. they will have five weeks of evidence and testimony to weigh. prosecutors say former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife, maureen, traded political favors for more than $150,000 worth of gifts. the mcdonnells' defense lawyers say the couple's marriage was too broken for them to conspire together. right now think twice before throwing your trash just anywhere in d.c. the district is getting tough on people who litter. police are already ready to hand out fines if they catch you tossing that garbage onto the ground. it's going to cost you about $75 if you're caught littering on the street. you will also be fined for dumping trash in both public and private areas. the same goes for waterways around the district. if you or a passenger tosses

trash out of their window while driving, you're going to get slapped with a $100 ticket. in news for your health, a new study is out on how drugs that treat adhd affect your children and their growth. and northern virginia students getting ready to head back to school tomorrow. that means more school buses will be on the road in our region. why distracted drivers could be a threat.

right now two teenagers are in the hospital after falling off of this carnival ride. the accident happened around 10:00 last night. this is in el paso, texas. the two teens fell 12 feet off of this ride. we're told one of the teens does have serious injuries. both are expected to be okay. firefighters had to rescue stranded passengers from 40 feet in the air. the cause of the accident right now, still under investigation. well, this next story should put some parents at ease. a new study says medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do not stunt your kid's growth. that's according to researchers at harvard university. the study found that although boys treated with adhd drugs for more than three months had a later growth spurt than their peers, there was no difference in their adult height. there was also no link between

how long children took these meds and their final height. also in news 4 your health, should your child have trouble getting back on their normal school schedule, there's a new trend where parents are giving their kids supplements to get to sleep. melatonin is a hormone to regulate sleep and you n buy supplements over the counter. some doctors say not so fast. you can solve their sleep problems by taking away some bedtime distractions. >> it is in the child's best interests to turn off any electronic devices, whether it be ipads to computers to televisions an hour before and then incorporating things like having the environment quiet. >> and before giving your child melatonin or other sleep aids, you're going to want to talk with their doctor just to make sure everything is safe. well, tomorrow is the big day when northern virginia heads back to school. as your kids head to the bus stop, you want to know that they're going to be safe.

well, one danger you should be aware of are the distracted drivers. take a look. this bus in minnesota has its stop arm lowered and its lights flashing but that tractor-trailer just blazing by, narrowly missing a seventh grader. >> he came here, wouldn't stop so i just backed up a little. >> as the semi went by, there's nothing but dust. i thought she was dead. all of a sudden her little face appeared. >> close call there. our i-team discovered last year hundreds of drivers passed stopped school buses every day where we live. montgomery, st. mary's and frederick countys use cameras to catch those violators. schools in falls church also use that same type of technology. and with everyone heading back to class, lots of stores in our area are offering some discounts. molette green tells us more about that. >> reporter: 50% off, 60% off, 70% off. big sales drove moms, dads and

their children into potomac mills mall. >> camo pants that go with this camo dress. 50% off, so it was very good. >> hopefully we can stay in the six under raining. >> reporter: money to spend, but michelle johnson has a long way to go before she's done buying for all of her kids. just one day before tens of thousands of virginia schoolchildren start a brand new school year. and it's not all about the rush to get good deals and hit the sales rack. parents we talked to say they do have a plan in place to make sure their little ones are safe before they get back on the school bus. >> always have a backup plan. they do have, you know, cell phones. >> reporter: all of the johnson kids have them in case of an emergency, even the little second grader. >> what buttons do you push? >> 911. >> reporter: in fairfax county, speeding is a big concern.

neighborhood groups join police in launching a new slow down speed campaign, right in communities where schoolchildren live. >> i think they should slow down and don't go that fast because a lot of times i see them just speeding down the road and not caring about anything. >> getting citizens to take into their own hands the safety of their own community i think is very important. >> reporter: an important back-to-school lesson for all of us. in prince william county, molette green, news 4. well, we know that you're going to be taking a lot of pictures of your children. we are posting the ones you tweet to us on nbcwashington.com. all you have to do is search back to school and be sure to watch news 4 today for our live team coverage across northern virginia. we will be on the air starting at 4:26 a.m. well, the power is back on for most people in montgomery county after yesterday's strong storms. take a look at some of this video here. there was some damage from those storms. the video from bradley boulevard and burning tree road showing

trees that were taken down by power lines. pepco crews worked through the night to get those lights back on. at the height of the storm, several thousand people were left in the dark. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us now to say, hey, we might see some rain but probably nothing that severe. >> no, not that strong. even though it's september 1st, the first full day of meteorological autumn, it certainly is feeling more like midsummer time this first day of september. there is a live view of the capitol under a partly cloudy sky and it is hot and humid. reagan national is at 84. look at that dew point, 74. that is sweltering humidity. humidity at 72%. we've got a southerly breeze to thank for that humidity that's been coming in. upper level flow is out of the west and it's been tracking some showers and a few thundershowers earlier this morning. now they're all dissipated heading off to the east. storm team 4 radar not showing any rain around for now, so

great weather for the parades and most of the picnics and parties during the afternoon. right now low 80s elsewhere away from the city, mid-80s around the bay and a very light breeze will be with us. i love this photo of dahlias sent in on twitter. @susandc posted that picture. post your pics on twitter, facebook and instagram and i will share. ah, corn on the cob, it's the time of year for that. labor day forecast, by 2:00 we'll be in the upper 80s to near 90. then hovering in the low 90s for a few hours between 2:00 and 5:00. maybe an isolated shower or thundershower late afternoon between maybe 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. after that by 8:00 back down to the mid-80s and partly cloudy. and our rain chances for the week ahead are very low by the time we get into wednesday, might get a storm tuesday night. wednesday, thursday, though probably won't get any rain but the rain chances to increase on friday and again on saturday. storm team 4 four-day forecast,

hot and humid back-to-school and work weather tomorrow. afternoon highs mid-90s much of the region and maybe a passing thundershower on tuesday night as some drier air pushes in. lower humidity on wednesday, thursday with highs upper 80s. then as we get toward the weekend, friday up toward 90. might get an afternoon or evening storm. then it looks like a greater chance of showers and storms around on saturday. then sunday into monday next week, lower humidity comes back along with cooler temperatures. back-to-school weather, already talking about that, and coming in tomorrow it's still going to feel hot and humid. >> wow. you mention it does not feel like it's the end of summer. so unfair to creep up on us like this. thank you, tom. redskins quarterback robert griffin iii gets a very special honor at his alma mater. but first, here's a quick look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. del harris.

four days after comedienne joan rivers went into cardiac arrest, her family remains very hopeful that she's going to be okay. her daughter, melissa, releasing a statement saying her family is keeping their fingers crossed. rivers was undergoing a procedure in manhattan thursday when her heart stopped. at last check, the 81-year-old is said to be resting comfortably. we want to take a moment to get a look on our road conditions. a live look outside. are you still trying to make

labor day plans? in kensington they are having a festival downtown to celebrate the holiday. gaithersburg will have a labor day parade later on starting at 1:00 p.m. along east diamond and russell avenues. if you venture to herndon, head to the annual labor day festival starting in about a half an hour. there's going to be a craft show, some wine tastings and a lot of samplings of foods from around the area. and now for that live look at the bay bridge. as you can see, things aren't looking too bad. is that the bay bridge near the toll road? yeah, that's what it is. traffic is expected to build up throughout the day as people return home from the long holiday weekend. we have cameras throughout the region and you can check them out any time by clicking on the traffic tab at nbcwashington.com. we've made it easy. it's on the top of the home page. a new littering law taking effect in the district today. if you're caught littering, you could get a $75 ticket. if you or a passenger tosses trash out of the window while driving, you're looking at a

$100 ticket. now, someone who never throws his trash out the window, storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein here with a last look at our forecast. >> hot and humid weather today and again on tuesday as we get back to work and school. highs in the low 90s. might get an isolated storm today and again tuesday night. >> thank you, tom. and now you're going to be able -- yeah, you're going to be able to see rg3 any time you go to baylor university. the quarterback's alma mater unveiled a statue of him this weekend. rg3 was there to speak at the event and take plenty of pictures. now, if you didn't know, he won the heisman there, college football's highest award when he was there in 2011. today of course he's preparing for washington's first game this sunday. that's going to do it for news 4 midday. thanks for joining us. be sure to tune in for news 4 at 6:00 later today for all the day's news.

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>> today on "access hollywood live," brooke burke charvet is with me. we're going to talk about nick and mariah. >> and wait until you see kim kardashian from last year. >> brook, you've been nominated, but will you take the ice bucket challenge live here today? >> i kind of have to and i'm going to tell you why later. >> i have a