it was unconstitutional. and then we just found out today that the u.s. attorney's office has not been prosecuting gun cases, anyone caught carrying a gun in the district hasn't been prosecuted over the past several weeks, because they think there is ambiguity in the law right now. those two pressures forced the d.c. council to do something today they really didn't want to do. most d.c. council members and the mayor don't want to allow the public to carry concealed handguns. but after a federal judge ruled the district's ban on carry permits was unconstitutional, council members felt they had no choice. >> we have to take some action, because currently the laws are not being enforced by the u.s. attorney in terms of people carrying pistols without a license. we're under the gun from the order of the judge. >> reporter: the new legislation will allow residents and nonresidents to apply for a concealed handgun carry permit. it will be up to the chief of police to decide who qualifies on a case by case basis. applicants would have to show

they face a dangerous threat to qualify, and if they do, they would then have to go through training classes. council members believe the strict requirements will keep the number of permits issued low. >> i don't think there is going to be a large number of people who will get a license. >> reporter: gun rights advocates say those restrictions go too far, and they plan to take the district back to court. we don't live in a country where rights are enjoyed only at the police's pleasure. the court instructed the city to treat the carrying of handguns for self defense as a right. the city should comply with, not resist, the court's decision, wrote allen gura, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. council members are well aware that whatever gun law they approve, it will be challenged. >> d.c. really should not be the venue for undoing america's gun laws. >> reporter: now here's some important information you need to know. first of all, this does not open a door for open carry. the district council was very clear about that. open carry will never be allowed in the district of columbia if

the d.c. council has its way. and the court battle will continue. on october 17th, the judge is asking for a motion to reconsider. at that point, they may file an pa appeal of that original decision. and as you heard, the plaintiffs are going to fight in court this recent law just passed today. and you should also know you won't be able to start applying for a gun permit any time soon. the mayor still has to sign this bill, and then the chief of police has to issue regulations. so we're still some people away before permits or applications for permits will even be accepted. reporting live at the wilson building, mark segraves, news4. in charlottesville, police are eagerly awaiting important results from the state's crime lab tonight that could help in their search for hannah graham. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey joins us live from police headquarters with more. julie? >> reporter: well, we are awaiting word on whether that very critical information from

the state crime lab could still be copying sometime today. in the meantime, two searches still under way. one for missing uva student hannah graham. the other for the person of interest in this case, jesse matthew. on the pedestrian mall in charlottesville, posters bearing hannah graham's picture are taped up at many businesses. now this poster is going up too, the wanted poster for jesse matthew, the person of interest last seen with the uva student in the early morning hours of september 13th. for now, matthew is wanted only to face two charges of reckless driving. within the next 12 to 24 hours, though, police expect to get results from the state crime lab on the items seized from matthew's apartment last week. that information could tie matthew to graham's disappearance or keep police searching for more evidence. they did a second search yesterday. >> some clothing. that clothing is going to the lab today. and we are hoping to get results from the lab for items we seize in the search warrant last week.

>> reporter: jesse matthew's whereabouts are unknown right now. i knocked on the door at his grandmother's home today, but a relative told me the family had no comment, and politely asked that we leave. residents in charlottesville, especially women, say the dual searches leave them feeling unsettled and less safe. >> i'm obviously a woman of color. i don't even like to be out at night. i was at the gym last night, and it started getting dark, and i heard the woman next to me say oh, i should get home, it's getting dark and i don't feel safe. so it's obviously kind of a rude awakening for charlottesville. >> reporter: but some here also worry about police putting their investigative focus so squarely on jesse matthew. >> personally, i think the net should be cast wider. i don't know -- i don't know this guy, but i kind of feel -- or i'm getting the impression they're kind of putting blame on somebody that they don't necessarily have a whole lot of information on, just so that

they have a suspect. >> reporter: now coming up on news4 at 6:00, we'll talk to a local defense attorney about what jesse matthew could be facing if he does come here and turn himself into police to face those two reckless driving charges. from charlottesville, i'm julie rey, news4. meanwhile in maryland, investigators looking for two missing toddlers tell us they are reevaluating leads and asking businesses to check their surveillance cameras. police are trying to create a time line of where two vehicles traveled on september 7th and 8th. sarah and jacob hoggle may have been in the cars around the time they disappeared. their mother, catherine hoggle, who has paranoid schizophrenia, says the children are safe but she's not cooperating with police. now to an incredible admission from a driver accused of hitting a maryland state trooper. he told "news4 today," he was drinking and did not know he hit anyone. officer brian hirsch was hit by

an suv this morning while searching a car along the beltway. the case is shining a new light tonight on a maryland law designed to protect emergency workers on the roadway. news4's chris gordon caught up with the driver who is now charged. chris? >> reporter: good evening. i'm reporting tonight from the bridge over the interloop of the beltway near the metro, green belt metro station. below me is where the trooper was injured early this morning by the side of the road on the right shoulder by a passing motorist who is charged with violating maryland's move over law. that is the law designed to try to keep emergency rponders safe, but police say it is too often ignored. maryland state police tell me the cruiser was patrolling the beltway. two troopers stopped and were searching a car on the right shoulder of the inner loop. it was about 2:00 a.m. the cruiser's emergency lights were on when police say this chevrolet equinox struck one of

the troopers and drove off. brian hirsch was transported and treated at prince george's hospital center. today i found the equinox with extensive damage to the right front and its driver, franklin hernandez, at his home in hyattsville. do you know you hit a police officer? >> yeah. >> reporter: maryland state trooper? >> him? i thought it was the car. >> reporter: oh, you thought you hit the car. >> yeah, the car. >> reporter: you don't think you hit -- a person? >> no, i don't see any person. you know, i thought it was the car. >> reporter: police have charged hernandez with driving under the influence, failing to stop after a collision involving injury, and a violation of maryland's move over law, which requires motorists to change lanes when available or slow down when passing stopped emergency vehicles and personnel working on the side of the roadway to provide a barrier of safety for them. >> we do take it personally. we are bothered when motorists

say they don't know the law. we have done stories like this, pushes to get the information out. so we are trying to educate the public. >> reporter: if you were to be told that you hit a corporal of the maryland state police, would you feel remorseful or sad about that? >> i'm so sorry. believe me, i feel bad. because i've been in this country for 30 years and i have never done these things. it just happened yesterday, that's it. but i feel bad. i'm embarrassed this happened. >> reporter: hernandez has been charged with driving under the influence and today i asked him if he had been drinking before this accident. tonight on news4 at 6:00, you will hear his answer and what he has to say may surprise you. that's the latest live in prince george's county. chris gordon, news4. it's an unusual case in maryland. a couple wanted for stealing a chain saw. investigators in st. mary's county say the suspects stole the chain saw from a true value hardware store in leonardtown over the weekend. the model they allegedly took

has a retail value up to $500. police say they got away in the vehicle pictured here. a dark-colored sedan with a missing right front hub cap. friday's security breach at the white house is making it tougher to get close to the white house, at least for now. the secret service has created a temporary buffer zone along the north lawn. the secondary fence runs the length of the sidewalk in front of the white house. the secret service tells nbc news, the buffer zone is temporary, and will be in place while they conduct a comprehensive review of that security breach. the intruder who jumped the fence and ran into the white house is being held without bond. a new front in the battle against isis tonight. defense officials say the first u.s.-led air strikes have been a successful start. two dozen targets were reportedly struck and 120 terrorists killed. but this is just the beginning of a fight that could take years. nbc's kristin welker joins us from the white house now. we are learning tonight the

strikes aren't just targeting isis. tell bus that. >> reporter: that's right, pat. good evening. president obama today addressing the nation announced that in addition to launching strikes against isis in syria, the u.s. also launched strikes against an al qaeda offshoot called khorasan. the reason why this is significant, administration officials say, that group was posing an imminent threat to the united states. important to point out that the u.s. launched strikes unilaterally against that group. but in terms of launching strikes against isis, the u.s. was joined by five arab partners. that's significant, because you have heard president obama talk a lot about building an international coalition about the fact that the united states is not going to take on isis by itself. so the fact that the u.s. was able to get these arab partners on board certainly suggests that they are moving forward in terms of building this coalition. now, of course, president obama in new york at the united nations general assembly, he will continue his efforts to

build this coalition and particularly when it comes to his european allies. today president obama saying that more than 40 countries have made assurances to help in this fight against isis. so far, officials haven't given specifics. so part of the president's goal this week will be to nail down some of those specifics. what each country will be giving to help fight -- help in this fight against isis. >> kristen, the president has gained some support across party lines. among them, house speaker, john boehner. >> reporter: that's right. right now the president has really a broad base of bipartisan support, something we don't see a whole lot of in this town. there is broad agreement that the threat of isis needs to be addressed and is support for launching air strikes. it gets more complicated when you actually talk about the nature of this military offensive. you have some more hawkish republicans calling for a more robust military response. they say that the president shouldn't be ruling out putting

u.s. boots on the ground. and then you have some democrats who are quite concerned about the issue of mission creep. they want to make sure this is contained to air strikes. and, of course, there are more than 1,000 u.s. advisers on the ground in iraq. so there are some differences. but at this very moment, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle united behind the president and launching this really second round of attack against isis. of course, they had already gone after isis and iraq. now this is moving the battle lines to syria. >> kristen welker at the white house, thank you. and stay tuned for new developments on the u.s. air strikes in syria. coming up on "nbc nightly news." including brian williams' exclusive interview with british prime minister david cameron who says he is certain isis is plotting attacks in europe. that starts tonight at 7:00. we're tracking developments in birmingham, alabama, right now where a former u.p.s. worker shot two employees today before killing himself.

one of the victims was a supervisor at the warehouse here where the shooting occurred. we have learned the gunman had been fired yesterday. he came back around 9:30 this morning and opened fire. investigators say it appears the gunman specifically targeted his victims. the police have not identified the gunman or his victims. well, enjoy the sun while it lasts. because it's going away. storm team 4 is tracking a system headed our way, and it's going to bring us a lot of rain. how much, doug? >> well, i do think some areas could see easily half an inch of rain. others over an inch, maybe two inches. it depends how far west this storm system goes. look first off at a beautiful day today. started off in the 40s in most locations. made our way up to 70 degrees along the blue ridge. 74 in washington. take a look at where the rain is now from raleigh towards jacksonville, a couple of areas of low pressure here developing. and they're going to be making their way our way. and as they do, they'll be moving in towards our region

during the day tomorrow. so we go from clouds early to potential for some heavy rain. i'll show you when the rain moves in, how long it sticks around and what to expect next. all in my forecast. the redskins' name controversy now spilling over to local schools. the district that's making the push to ban native american mascots. scammers at it again. this time claiming you've got an overdue utility bill. i'm erika gonzales, and coming up how one was duped into coughing up nearly $1,000 and what you should be watching out for. i'm tom sherwood at nats park. a big crowd tonight to welcome the nats home after they clinch the playoffs.

imagine being cheated out of thousands of dollars simply because you answer your phone. >> it's happening to people in this area, and it's prompting an alert about a new scam. erika gonzales is here to explain how it works and what you need to know to protect yourself. erika? >> yeah, pat and jim, scam% are getting very sophisticated and it only took one phone call from what appeared to be a utility company for one d.c. business owner to become a victim. glen irving owns salon jean paul in northwest d.c. he recently received a phone call, a man, threatening to cut off the salon's electricity if he didn't settle an outstanding bill within the hour.

>> and the reception pulled down a call. somebody asked for me by name, said he was pepco and calling with reference to account number. he gave our account number. i really felt as though it was somebody that had access to the account information. >> reporter: the caller demanded $988.56. irving says that's about what he pays each month for the salon's electric bill. but irving thought he paid the bill. the caller said it never went through. >> it seemed legit. particularly as he had so much information. >> reporter: the call came on a busy friday afternoon. looking ahead to the weekend, irvi irving's salon stood to lose money without but we are. >> losing two days of business or paying this. >> reporter: irving offered to pay at pepco or on its website but the caller said the payment would not go through within the hour deadline. instead, he told irving to go to a local store and buy what's called a greendot money pack.

it acts like cash. with a pin scratchoff attached. >> i did what i was told, went and bought them, scratched them off, called the number back. >> reporter: irving gave the man his pin, which gave the caller access to the cash. the bill was settled. but when irving logged on to his account to make sure it was deducteded -- >> and i saw that the payment i had claimed i had put through had indeed gone through. so at that point, i called up pepco. >> this is a national issue that is actually impacted multiple companies. >> reporter: pepco says it has seen a steady stream of scams like this one. >> we would never demand payment immediately or, you know, cut your service off. >> reporter: was pepco hacked? >> we have no data that suggests we have had any data breach or been hacked at all. >> reporter: so how did someone get ahold of inking's name, account number and his balance? >> we continue to work closely

with law enforcement to investigate this. >> reporter: we reached out to greendot, the maker of the money pack. it's aware of such scams and warns it should be handled like cash. greendot told us, if anyone asks for your money pack number, it's a scam. and because it's so easy for scalpers to use, green dot says it will phase it out at the beginning of next year. >> looking back on it, i tried to analyze the process. it was really believable as it was going through. as you might imagine, i was really mad with myself. >> he said it was just so believable. that's their job, to sound believable. to scam you out of money. pepco says the best thing to do is contact the utility directly on your own to verify that a payment is, in fact, due. and pepco is not the only company who has seen this type of scam. in fact, it's happening all over. we've got more information on our website, nbcwashington.com. and just search scam.

>> another great heads up. erika, thanks so much. well, we are enjoying the sunshine and wish it could lass longer. but it is a little dry. >> it's very dry. we haven't seen rain, appreciable rain in the last ten days at least. and we're well above 2 inches average for rain. yes we need some rain. and mother nature is saying okay, you need rain, we'll give you rain. and i'll tell you, it's coming during the day tomorrow. that's why i told the kids at rose berry hill's elementary hill to bring the umbrellas today. this was the entire kindergarten class. you see them all right there, including ms. alley's class. take a look, the other side of the room here. there are those kids, as well. got to tell you, about 150 kindergartners out there today, loving talking to them about the weather. so that has officially begun too, talking to the kids. 73 degrees, plenty of sunshine. winds out of the northeast at 76 miles per hour. that is going to be huge over the next couple days, really

going to bring through not only cooler temperatures but help to produce the rain. 67 degrees right now in annapolis, 66 in huntingtown. you can see the cooler air already starting to invade. highs only in the 60s, close to 70 degrees today. but a little bit below average. hour by hour for tomorrow, starting off on a cool note again, into the mid 50s in the city. mid 40s in the suburb. so fairly similar to today. 68 degrees at noon and look at this, a few showers and the clouds starting to roll in around 4:00 and the scattered showers, if not plain rain, around 8:00 tomorrow night as temperatures fall back into the 60s. some of you down to the south will see a lot of rain from this. nothing on the radar right now. but take a look down to the south. and notice all of the rain right off the coast. this is a developing storm system that's going to move up the coast. and as it does, that area of low pressure will interact with an area of high pressure. without the high pressure, that storm moves right on out to sea. but the high pressure actually keeps it in our region and brings that onshore flow aoss our area. that's why we're going to be dealing with rain and that's why

i think some areas could see a lot of rain and a lot of wind. i think winds could be gusting upwards of 20 to 30 miles per hour, especially closer to the bay. so tomorrow, what to expect. clouds on the increase. showers late and becoming rather breezy. thursday also looking like it's going to be a little bit of a inclement weather day here. best chance of showers south and east tomorrow. high temperatures, upper 60s to low 70s. notice on thursday, we're only in the 60s all day. a high of 69. some of you may be in the low 60s all day long. that's what that northeasterly wind thursday, not a very nice day. better on friday as the storm system moves out with a high of 76. 81 on saturday and then 83 on sunday. so the best two days of the seven-day period, they just happen to be the weekend. >> yeah! >> we'll take it. thank you, doug. pumped for the playoffs. we are. ten years after baseball returned to the nation's capital, we're catching up tonight with fans head to go this evening's game.

>> it was here four years ago that a university of maryland student was beaten by a prince george's county police officer. he was found guilty of second degree assault. but now that verdict has been wiped clean. i'm tracee wilkins. coming up on news4, we'll explain.

in fairfax county we had to cut a lot of waste. we consolidated offices. started sharing printers. we can walk a few feet. replaced computers, but kept the monitors. they still work fine. we even discovered that the phone company overcharged us by three million dollars! i approve this message because congress doesn't need another right winger. they need someone who can balance a budget. oh, and we definitely didn't need so many government studies.

let's play ball. nats fans are getting pumped for the playoffs, and tonight is a big night forhe team and the

region. >> it is the first home game since clinching the division title. tom sherwood is live at nats park with all the excitement building out there. tom? >> reporter: jim, there is a lot of excitement out here as the crowd is starting to build. and i see you're growing your beard to support the team. it would take me six months to grow a beard. there are some people here who have been around baseball all their life and some going to their first game ever here tonight. vacuuming the red carpet welcome for season ticket holders. fans scrambling to get any seat they could for tonight's welcome home game for the division champs. 71-year-old jimmy wilson, a supervisor for 350 ushers, was making his rounds. he retired after 42 years as a ranger for the u.s. park service, 38 of them in rock creek park. >> love baseball. >> reporter: why? >> hey, i started playing when i was 18 years old and played until i got in my 40s.

>> reporter: wilson is excited about the playoffs. >> oh i am a fanatic about the playoffs, because i think we have a chance of going to the world series. a lot are saying we're going to baltimore and now coming here to national park, this is a winning team now. >> reporter: wilson says his wife is a fan. she'll be watching at home in ft. washington. how long have you all been married? >> 46 years. 46 lovely years. >> reporter: i'm glad you added lovely. from a veteran fan like wilson, we found brand-new fan lee ann tollmer, intern from holland, buying her first ticket. >> my first baseball game ever. >> reporter: do you know what baseball is? >> yeah, i know what it is. >> reporter: how many players on a team? >> that i don't know. >> reporter: nine. how many outs in an inning? >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: well, she's going to learn tonight. baseball is back in d.c. it's been here now ten years.

we'll have more on that coming up on news4 at 6:00. i'm tom sherwood, news4. >> tom, playing stump the new fans out there. thank you, tom. >> give her a break. right now at 5:00, he was found guilty of beating a university of maryland college students, but now a police officer conviction has been overturned. a memorial to michael brown goes up in flames. what we're learning about the fire. >> reporter: nats park, soon the center of the hockey world. i'm carolyn maloney. the caps sporting

know that chasing performance can mean lower returns and fewer choices in retirement. know that proper allocation could help increase returns so you can enjoy that second home sooner.

know the right financial planning can help you save for college and retirement. know where you stand with pnc total insight. a new investing and banking experience with personalized guidance and online tools. visit a branch, call or go online today.

now at 5:30, new anger in the case of a university of maryland student being beaten by police. this was the scene in college park after a duke game four years ago. the video sparked outrage, and the officer involved was convicted of second degree assault. but we have learned, he could get a clean slate. prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins is in college park it to explain. tracee. >> reporter: well, pat, a reconsideration hearing is the right of every defendant. and in this case, the judge decided that this ruling needed to be thrown out. the prince george's county police department initially said university of maryland student john mckenna was kicked by a horse. until the video of at least one prince george's officer beating the student surfaced. it happened during a student celebration off route 1 in 2010. it made national news and landed

two officers, religion demand baker, and james harrison, in court. >> the jury really took their time to deliberate this, and look at everything, because one officer was acquitted. and one officer in this case, mr. harrison, was found guilty. >> he got essentially 30 days at home detention. and that's all he got. >> reporter: but now a prince george's county judge has wiped that judgment away by issuing what's called probation before judgment. harrison, now retired, doesn't break the law over the next year, his second degree assault conviction will disappear from his record. >> we are argued against a probation before judgment. this was a case where there was a lot of community concern. the jury spoke loud and clear about the type of policing that they feel is acceptable here in prince george's county. >> reporter: it clears the path for harrison to possibly have his record expunged one day, giving him a clean slate. >> we just felt it was not appropriate to take the jury's voice away and to basically

overturn the conviction. >> reporter: our calls to harrison's attorney for comment were not returned, but mckenna's attorney is calling the decision a mockery of justice. >> you have a videotape, the officer is found guilty by a jury. and the force used is not minor. it's blatant, it's violate. >> reporter: we reached out to the prince george's county police department, but because harrison is now retired, they did not have a comment on the change in this case. but they did say they have changed the way they react to civil disturbances, specifically here at the university of maryland's campus, and have not had any issues since this issue back in 2010. coming up on news4 at 6:00, the judge who ruled in this case is the same judge who ruled the first time around. and there was a lot of controversy surrounding her then. we'll tell but that, coming up. reporting live in college park, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >> thank you. new video out today from d.c. police aiming to catch a possible sex offender.

take a look at this man seen walking through this store. police tell us he's a person of interest in a misdemeanor sex abuse incident that happened nearby on september 9th near 15th and belmont street in northwest d. c. there is a reward for up to $1,000 to help police make an arrest. he is charged withholding up seven convenience stores. but police don't think that's all. tonight ricardo brooks is charged with armed robbery at cvs and 7-eleven stores in montgomery and howard counties. he would approach a clerk, show a gun, demand money and sometimes demand cigarettes. brooks is also a suspect in robberies in carol and frederick counties. he was arrested earlier this month. officers jumped into emergency mode today to deacon tam nature rfk stadium. the training exercise kicked off to see how local, state and

federal authorities would respond to a disaster. in this case, it was a chemical attack during a sporting event with mass casualties. again, only a drill here. more than 40 agencies in the area will take part in exercises over the next few days. live look outside right now coming up. a beautiful first full day of fall. changes are on the way. big changes. storm team 4 chief meteorologist doug kammerer in the storm center with details. >> we're watching this area of rain down to the south. this area of rain right now, most of the heavy rain just off shore. but it's going to make its way in here. it's going to combine with an area of high pressure to the north and as it does, changes as we go through the day tomorrow. that rain will make its way up here during the afternoon. we're talking about cloud cover first and then the rain. so get out the umbrellas. it's something we have not needed much at all. going to break down the timing and show you the latest after the storm moves through. not just going to be rain. i've got it all in just a

minute. >> thank you, doug. hopefully doug can order up some really cold snowy stuff on new year's day. that's when the caps play in this year's winter classic at nationals park. our col maloney reports on the pregame festivities that began today. >> reporter: we are at nationals park, a baseball stadium, and we're talking about a hockey game. not just any game. a game that is 100 days away, and the caps already dressing for success. >> for the first time in public, e jersey that will be worn in a bridgestone nhl winter classic. >> reporter: it's an unveiling party. like no other. ovi, backstrom, showing off the sweater the caps will wear for one game only, the winter classic. >> i think it's a great jersey. looks sharp. looks very cool. >> reporter: according to the

commissioner, gary bettman. >> to suggest he has been persistent with passion with would be a gross underestimate. >> reporter: he kind of said you stalked him. >> i was stalking him a little bit. but i'm an evangelist for washington. i view the fan base as a reward for helping us to build america's hockey capital. >> reporter: so we have the where, the when, the look. now it's just about winning and watching the weather forecast. what is perfect outdoor hockey weather? >> no rain. and after that, i don't have -- it doesn't matter for us. >> reporter: this is only the beginning of the pregame hockey for the winter classic. that temporary hockey rink outline has been taken down. the real rink will have to wait, though, because there is still plenty of baseball to be played. at nats park, carol maloney, news4 sport. >> yeah. baseball first. you can watch the caps face off.

mark your calendars. i don't know what i'm doing. tomorrow at 1:00, it will be against the blackhawks at 1:00 in the afternoon, new year's day, right here on nbc 4. flames engulf a memorial for slain ferguson teenager, michael brown. what we are learning about a possible cause of the fire. and some local schools may be forced to change their mascots in the fallout over the redskins name controversy. we're coming right

high security and nervous parents as children return to school. police still concern searching for a man who killed a state trooper. nearby schools open today for the first time in a week. police say eric frein killed one trooper and injured another in blooming grove. he may be hiding in the mountains. police are using a bulldozer in the search. a memorial for michael brown up tonight ahours after it burned down. look at new pictures of the flames that left charred remnants scattered on the ground before residents rebuilt the memorial for brown. this is along the same block where police officer darren wilson shot the unarmed 18-year-old last month. ferguson's police chief says it's not clear what started the

fire. there had been candles at the memorial. brown's shooting, which uncovered occasional tensions and sparked weeks of unrest in ferguson, is still under investigation by a state grand jury and the justice department. the football name controversy now branching out to local schools in our area. we'll tell you about the new push to change mascots. an atv accident left him paralyzed and struggling to get his life back on track. then thieves swooped in and took all of his savings. how his friends are helping him through.

new at 5:00 tonight, the controversy over the redskins' name is now trickling down to the grade school level. now there's a push to eliminate all race-based mascots from schools in the district. news4's pat collins joins us live in southeast d.c. with more on this debate. pat? >> reporter: jim, for 77 years, anacostia high school has been known as the anacostia indians. the question now is, should this stay? or should it go? since 1937, anacostia high school in southeast has always been known as the anacostia indians. >> we are the indians, the mighty mighty indians. >> reporter: you were a cheerleader? >> i was a captain. >> reporter: now kenya mcduffie has introduced legislation to ban all race-based logos, mascots or team names in is city schools. >> i think it's important to people to remember that these

terms are pejorative, they are offensive and objectionable to a lot of people. and we should make sure we can fix this. >> reporter: if mcduffie's bill becomes law, anacostia will have to find a new mascot and a new nickname. but that won't happen without a fight. meet now members of anacostia's class of '68 and '69. they have a big reunion coming up next month. they say this school was built on indian ground. they say the name and the logo is an honor and it should stay. should anacostia lose the mascot? >> no, it's our history. simply put, it's our history. >> reporter: if you could talk to councilman kenya mcduffie, what would you tell him? >> do his homework. i came down to get a teaching seminar about the anacostia community. >> reporter: learn the history. don't take the name away? >> don't take the name away. >> reporter: to take away that mascot and take away that nickname, would do what to this

school? >> i think it would actually divide us and we would lose identity. >> reporter: the statement tonight from d.c. public schools. they said we would never want a school mascot to offend or upset anyone. dcps says they're studying mr. mcduffie's legislation. live in southeast, pat collins. news4. >> thank you, pat. well, let's get an update on the weather, doug. what time is that rain coming in? >> i think it gets here around this time tomorrow afternoon. so most of your day wednesday will be rather cloudy but the rain will move in eventually. take a look and show what's going on today. a few clouds move in across our region but still a very nice afternoon. your evening planner as the sun goes down at 7:04 continues to go down earlier and earlier. 73 now, down to 70 by 7:00. 64 degrees, much cooler, as we move through the 9:00 and 11:00 hour. already 66 in gaithersburg and 69 towards reston.

huntingtown at 65 degrees. so you know it's going to be another cool night tonight. very similar to what we saw last night. so if you needed the jacket this morning, you'll need it again tomorrow morning. storm team 4 radar, nothing to show as far as the radar is concerned. but look down to the south and east. and this is where we're looking at that moisture. all of that rain down along the coast from raleigh towards jacksonville and right on out into the atlantic, all of that is going to make its way our way over the next about 12 to 24 hours. so once again, take a look at it on future weather, showing the clouds moving in. by 8:30 tomorrow morning, most of the area socked in with the clouds already, and it's going to be a very cloudy afternoon. here comes the rain, though. it's going to be around 5:00, 6:00. best chance tomorrow afternoon, southern maryland, down around the northern neck, including areas around fredericksburg. but if you leave in leesburg, winchester, frederick, you're going to stay dry tomorrow during the day and even into the early evening. watch what happens as we move into around the 2:00 a.m. here comes the heavy rain right through the i-95 corridor, through southern maryland. back to the west, not nearly as much rain.

but some locations tomorrow night through the day on thursday could pick up upwards of an inch to maybe upwards of 2 inches. we'll continue to keep our eyes on this over the next 12 to 24 hours. 73 tomorrow, rather windy and damp on thursday. not a nice day. 76 on friday. a little bit better. but then it gets great for the weekend. high temperatures into the low 80s both saturday and sunday, and it stays nice into next week. >> thank you, doug. heartless thieves preyed on a young father left paralyzed in an accident. his life savings stolen from his own home. >> this dad is determined to get his life back. zachary kiesch shows how he is moving ahead with the help of his friends. >> showing my son things i can still do with him. >> reporter: john mcelroy has been an adrenaline junky. >> he did stuff nobody would do.

that night, it was just a fluke thing. but he's been riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes since longer than i've known. >> reporter: when the 26-year-old lost control of his 4-wheeler in may, life changed, quick. confined to a wheelchair, had to move into a new space that would accommodate him and his son adam. >> it didn't hit me. >> reporter: up until a couple days ago, things were going well. john had his spirits up, sold his dirt bike and a car, enough to buy a modified vehicle, something he considered his ticket to freedom. until somebody walked down into his house, went into his bedroom and stole this safe. >> it told about $8,000. >> reporter: and maybe the worst part, john thinks the thieves may be acquaintances. now he's left without his savings and asking friends for help. today there is a push on go fund me.com to recoup the money he lost. the money he needs to get a vehicle and get back on track. >> having a vehicle is another step to me being back to normal

again. >> reporter: john is adjusting to his new life, a life made more difficult because of this crime. reporting in frederick, zachary kiesch, news4. >> some bright futures in science and engineering are now cleared for takeoff. just a few hours ago, world record-holding pirate berington irving launched a flying classroom. he and his crew will blog about their adventures and science experiments while stopping in all seven continents over the next three years. he spoke to students this afternoon. he became the youngest person to complete a solo flight around the world at age 23 back in 2007. there's millions of kids out there that grew up like me. poor, from the inner city. don't have the confidence, don't believe in their ability. and this project is about inspiring those kids to become scientists, to become engineers. to become amazing people. >> reporter: showing them the

sky is not the limit. we have a link to irving's flying classroom blog on our website at nbcwashington.com. >> great work. a 7-year-old child attacked by a wild animal on a playground at school. how two teachers were able to stop the attack before it got worse. new tonight at 6:00, some teenagers are four times more likely to battle depression or thoughts of suicide. tonight, one man is sharing his struggles of coming out in hopes of changing minds.

. a tear jerker of a psa from budweiser. the beer maker is out with this new ad about responsible drinking. the ad simply encourages everyone to think about the faithful pets they may leave behind if they decide to drive drunk. the spot already has had more than 10 million views on youtube. paula deen is launching a comeback this morning on the "today" show. she apologized for the deep wounds her words have caused. she lost her cooking empire a year ago now after accusations of racism surfaced in a lawsuit. and she admitted she had used a racial slur. she says she is looking forward to telling her story in a documentary set to air on her new digital network. there is a public debate in houston over the difference

between art and pornography. the debate centers on an art installation at a public park in downtown houston. there are nine bronze sculptures on display. one of them is nude. and leaves very little to the imagination. critics say the statue is too shocking to be out in the open, especially since there's a children's play area nearby. it's getting easier to make your design dreams a reality in the district. the u.p.s. store is planning to install professional grade 3-d printers in dozens of stores around the country. so customers can submit designs for product prototypes, architectural models and more. printing prices will vary, depending on the complexity of the object. the eastern market u.p.s. store on pennsylvania avenue will offer 3-d printing. the mlk library also has a 3-d printer available for use. a child tackled and bitten by a wild animal at school, and two faculty members hurt trying to send off the attack.

the incident has parents and school officials in connecticut awaiting the results of rabies testing tonight. nbc's jamie ratliff got the details about this unusual fox attack from the young victim. >> i just, like, got so scared. >> reporter: scary moments for 7-year-old evan whiskey and everyone in the broad brook elementary school playground when a wild animal attacked. >> i didn't see it come out of the woods. it just came and it bit my ankle and tackled me. >> reporter: you can still see the marks on evan's wrists and his bandaged left ankle, a vicious fox responsible. police say it first attacked a woman and dog on her porch on mill street before heading to the school when it went after evan, a p.e. teacher sprang into action, grabbing the fox by the neck. >> my teacher, like, got it off of me and then i just got up and ran away. >> she was being attacked as she was trying to get the fox off my son. so, you know, i'm very grateful

for her. >> reporter: another staffer joined and managed to trap the animal under a recycling bin. both employees getting bit. all three were taken to the hospital. evan's parents left shaken when they received the call. >> my first concern was, you know, his safety and to make sure he was all right. >> i'm feeling really good, because i took medicine and i got shots. >> reporter: despite the fright, he doesn't think a fence surrounding the school is the answer. focusing instead on the quick actions of school employees, thankful they were there. >> i thanked them, because they saved me from getting more attacked. >> animal control officials have captured and killed that fox. now at 6:00, the u.s. launches new air strikes against terror targets in syria, and iraq. details behind the effort to wipe out isis, and a dangerous new enemy few have heard of until now. he's a person of interest in the disappearance of a uva freshman. why jesse matthew's decision to

avoid police could now come back to haunt him later. plus, a new bullet in the battle over gun control. the vote late today that brings people in the city one step closer to packing heat in public. first tonight at 6:00, new video from u.s. central command coming in shows the dramatic escalation in the nation's battle against isis. >> these are some of the first air strikes on the isis stronghold inside syria. the battle is wider as well tonight with five arab nations joining the fight. >> it's a coalition president obama worked very hard to build and steve handelsman joins us live at the white house with the latest tonight. steve? >> reporter: jim, erika, thanks. at the white house in his address to the nation two weeks ago, president obama vowed to go after isis if need be, and said it would obviously be needed in syria. and he promised to do it as part of a coalition, including arab nations. now he's done it.