turned over to them. in a written statement, a spokesperson for d.c. police told news4, quote, the defendant was in the custody of three different agencies. each agency conducted a search of the defendant, and at this point it is unknown when, where, the weapon came into the defendant's possession. she did not say what the third agency was. we know d.c. police made the arrest, and that the defendant came here to the courthouse in the cell block where he was under the custody of the marshal service. we don't know the third agency. we are told that this matter is under investigation. live at d.c. superior court, jackie bensen, news4. now to a video that has just been forwarded across the country by the fbi. tisha thompson on our live desk. tisha? >> wendy, this is an aggressive move by the fbi. the agency tries to hunt down americans fighting alongside isis. listen to this quick clip. >> they lie! they're lying!

we are the -- >> take a closer look at that face. the fbi says this man appeared in a video in which purported prisoners are seen digging their own graves. and then he later presides over their executions. fbi director james comey says the man has what's believed to be a north american accent, and the agency believes that there are about a dozen americans known to be fighting in syria with isis. the hope is that this video will trigger something, a tip, from an american in our community who will help identify the man. there has been more of an effort of late to stop americans from leaving the country to fight with isis. just last weekend, a 19-year-old man from chicago was arrested before boarding a plane. jim, wendy, back to you. >> tisha, thanks. storm team 4 keeping a close eye on the radar tonight. a live look outside as we have some potentially strong storms coming our way. storm team 4 chief meteorologist, doug kammerer, joins us with the time line. how about it, doug? >> that time line started off

with shower activity earlier today. even around the noon hour, still seeing some rain. then we saw some sunshine. and now we've got the clouds moving right back in. and the rain is not too far behind. nothing right now around the d.c. metro area. everything is just off to the west. around winchester, seeing that rain back around the i-81 corridor. that rain will be the first little batch to move through. you can see more shower and thunderstorm activity to the south. this will all move through over the next couple hours. and then we're watching this area back here. again, this is an area that will continue to watch, back towards portions of kentucky, tornado watches in effect there. and some of those severe storm could be moving our way as we move through the night tonight. so this is what you can expect moving forward. tonight through about 2:00 a.m., and i really think the bulk of this between 9:00 -- 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. isolated, heavy rain. high wind gusts. and we could have a few power outages around the region. not widespread, but a few with those higher wind gusts. we'll talk about that, plus the rain over the next few days, as well, coming up in my full forecast. thank you, doug. a maryland woman says $1500 is gone, just like that. she never saw or heard the

thieves who took her money, and now we have learned she is not the only victim. news4's pat collins live i frederick county, where police are looking into an atm skimming scam. pat? >> reporter: wendy, it's a pervasive form of thiefry. sometimes it's days before the victims know they have been victimized. >> it is scary. you feel helpless. and you do feel like a victim. >> reporter: we call her samantha. she doesn't want us to use her real name or show her face. when you hear her story, you'll understand why. you see, she was robbed over the weekend. not by someone who knocked her down and took her purse. no. she was a victim of a sneak thief. in fact, she didn't know it happened until monday. monday when she came to this party city store to buy a halloween costume for her nephew. she pulled out her atm card to pay for it and transaction

denied. she said try it again. transaction denied. you handed them the atm, but you used your atm all along. and it was -- >> declined. >> reporter: embarrassed? >> i was embarrassed. and i was upset. >> reporter: she went home to take a hard look at her bank account. there it is in black and white. a $500 withdrawal from an atm on third avenue in new york. and then a $500 withdrawal on amsterdam avenue in new york. another $500 withdrawal from an atm on east 72nd street in new york. >> so they're having a nice weekend in new york. >> reporter: on you. >> on us. on our bill. >> reporter: it appears someone put a skimming device on the atm at the sandy spring bank in urbana. that allowed them to copy account information and make some illegal cash withdrawals in new york. police are on the case. >> investigators have worked closely with other law

enforcement agencies throughout maryland who have had similar instances of skimming devices at sandy spring banks. >> reporter: banks reimburse victims of atm skimming schemes. coming up at 6:00, a suspect picture and tips on how not to get taken at you're atm. live in frederick, pat collins, news4. turning now to ebola and the headlines of the day. two patients being treated for ebola in the u.s. are now receiving the same experimental drug. it's an anti viral medication, different from the drug given to americans who have survived the disease. the patient in dallas who flew through dulles airport here remains in critical condition. as the u.s. military helps in efforts to fight the crisis in africa, we have learned some u.s. troops will be testing samples from ebola patients. about 4,000 service members are being sent to help. the pentagon tells us tonight, only a handful of highly trained

military members will be tasked with helping identify people with ebola symptoms. several members of congress are now calling on the white house to name an ebola czar. republican congressman frank wolf sent a letter to the president this week. he says the government needs a single senior adviser to coordinate the response to any outbreak. he even suggested a few candidates, including colin powell and defense secretary robert gates. a white house spokeswoman says tonight responding to our i.t. scott macfarlane that the president has already detailed a response to ebola, which includes coordination with other countries. for months, political talk has centered on the senate and whether republicans will be taking control. but virginia's seat held by mark warner has been considered safe for the democrats. >> now a new poll shows the race is tightened, but still gives warner a double digit lead over republican challenger, ed gillespie. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey and news4's

"today's" aaron gilchrist are at the site of tonight's big face-off. guys? >> hey, guys. the big face-off indeed. this is a night where these two gentlemen have to separate themselves and really particularly ed gillespie has to make a case for himself to take a seat in the united states senate. mark warner is leading ed gillespie 51% to 39% in the poll. still enough distance between them, julie, there really is work to do tonight for ed gillespie. >> still a solid lead for mark warner, but his lead has been shrinking over the last month. in september, this same poll showed him 22 points up. so ed gillespie has gained ground in the poll. that has to give them a boost tonight. he is starting to solidify his republican sport. he has pulled in undecided voters and then libertarian candidate sarvis gained 3%. a lot at stake for ed gillespie. >> this is the first statewide

audience these gentlemen will have. the same poll from last month, there were 60% of those who responded who said they didn't know who ed gillespie was. so tonight he's got to show people who he is. >> he has been on the national stage for a long time as a bush adviser, chairman of the rnc, but never run for political office before. and he really hasn't done those kind of paying his deuce things in virginia that mark warner did, to set the stage for his first run as governor and then senator. so people are starting to find out who ed gillespie is. republicans know he has an r beside his name so they're starting to come home to him. what he needs to do is to try to appeal to some of the independents, the many independents out there, especially in northern virginia. >> we have seen ugliness in terms of political ads out in the last couple weeks. we have a month left before election day. do you expect tonight we'll see shots fired from the podium? >> you know, they had one other debate earlier in the summer in july when very few were watching, and that was a pretty barbed debate. and, again, i think if ed

gillespie wants to pick up some ground tonight, he's going to have to fire some shots at mark warner and kind of chip away a little bit. he has been trying to do that by closely associated mark warner with president obama on popular policies like the affordable care act. you know, so i think they will mix it up ate little bit tonight. mark warner, on the other hand, i think will try to hold his ground, probably try to look senatorial. i don't expect him to engage quite as much in, you know, perhaps negative attacks. >> all right. there you have it, guys. the stakes are pretty high going into tonight's debate. we're going to head back inside and get ready to start asking questions. of course, we're live at 7:00 p.m. >> all right. >> covered by the best team in town. thank you, guys. we'll look forward to this big night tonight. and you can watch the debate starting at 7:00 right here on nbc 4. or on nbcwashington.com. northern virginia bureau reporter, david culver, will be live tweeting it. then join moderate e chuck todd, and julie for a live chat immediately following the debate. find a link to our google hangout on the home page of nbcwashington.com. parking is always high

premium for drivers in the district. either you pay at a garage or you hope to find an empty spot. and now some of those street parking spaces may be disappearing. news4's tom sherwood shows some spots are making way for other kinds of vehicles. >> reporter: bikes are a big part of the city's booming population with many people not even owning cars. the popular e street cinema in downtown at 11th street has bike parking right out front where cars used to be. and the owners of the bike rack at 14th and q northwest will soon have a bike parking space right out front where cars now compete for those spaces. >> it's all public space and with more people getting around by bike, got to have a place to store them. >> reporter: shane is with the washington area bicycle association, which first got a street parking space several years ago, and welcomes more of them. >> business owners realize that they've got a lot of customers that are now coming by bike, and they want to be able to accommodate those customers. >> reporter: supporters say as many as ten or more bikes can

park where one car might go, relieving traffic. the plan to encourage more space gets mixed reviews. >> well, i drive a motor scooter and sometimes park it here. so i like it. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i don't see anything opposed to it. just simply because it's helping the environment and things like that. a lot of people downtown don't drive as much. >> it's okay. i mean, they need a space, i guess, too. >> reporter: the district requires that any business that applies for bike parking must comply with rules about what types of bike racks are allowed. in the district, tom sherwood, news4. a school bus stolen from a bus line overnight. we'll tell you where it was found hours later. helping patients from the privacy of their own homes. how one therapist is changing minds. and a scare at a daycare. after a child shows up with packets of heroin and passes them out as candy.

police just into our newsroom. we now know two people accused of stealing a school bus for special needs students. nicole adams and travis champagne face charges of burglary, destruction of property and attempted arson. police tell us the two had been drinking when they allegedly stole a bus from a lot in anne arundel county overnight. the bus crashed through the gate. it was found about ten miles away in davidsonville, and was heavily damaged. police say the couple tried to set it on fire.

we have a new way of healing patients who have mental health issues. doreen gentzler is here to show us how some therapists are working from hundreds of miles away. doreen? >> hi, wendy. going to the therapist's office can be a challenge for a lot of us. besides how much time it takes out of your day, it's intimidating for a lot of people. well, tonight we meet one counselor who is helping patients from the privacy of her computer. >> i have clients in norway, i have clients in sweden, turkey, mexico, in brazil. >> reporter: she is a licensed therapist. her patients live around the world. but she never leaves her home to treat them. >> i use skype actually quite often. it's about a third of my practice, and it's a really great way to provide therapy for people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to get there, get help. >> reporter: so with just a few clicks of the mouse, she is able to see them regularly from the comfort of their own home, offices, even their cars. >> skype is something to help people more with support, with

life structure, with parenting, with guidance. it's a mixture between therapy and coaching. >> reporter: she says her patients include college students who need extra guidance when they're far away from home. people who are disabled and have trouble traveling. and full time stay at home moms who have little free time away from the kids. >> what i like is that it's very flexible. i don't need to leave the house. >> reporter: this 43-year-old splits her time between miami and norway. she was seeing block who used to live in miami in person and didn't want to have to find a new therapist when she moved. >> it gives so much more opportunity to speak when you need it. you know, you don't need to plan it in your calendar. >> reporter: but sometimes a therapy session is only as good as your internet connection, as we learned with our own skype interview, connections can drop, screens can freeze. something that doesn't happen when you're meeting

face-to-face. also block says therapy over the computer isn't appropriate for patients with significant trauma. but for those who are looking for privacy and convenience, skype therapy can be the answer. >> oftentimes people look at therapy as something for other people. or i am not sick enough or my problem isn't big enough to seek therapy. and it doesn't necessarily depend on the significance of the problem but much more in terms of the support and quality of life you would like to have. >> therapy over skype can be a wonderful solution for a lot of people, but you should consider if you are hoping for insurance coverage, you will want to check with your insurance company ahead of time, because very often skype therapy or phone therapy does not -- is not covered by health insurance. so that's a warning. but interesting alternative for a lot of people, wendy. >> thanks, doreen. and we have a lot more about

mental health on our special changing minds page. you'll find it on nbcwashington.com. starting next year, more than a quarter million people in maryland will be required to complete a new wellness program. it begins in january, and applies to state employees, retirees and covered spouses. in 2015, you'll have to name a primary care physician. you'll also have to undergo a health risk assessment, and talk about it with that doctor. those who don't by september could face a $50 penalty. well, we have some changing weather out there. >> yes. it's been changing all day. we woke up this morning to clouds and shower activity. and saw plenty of sunshine and beautiful weather and you're thinking the rain is out of here. not so fast. the rain now moving back in and so are the clouds around the d.c. metro area, down towards the south. looking at clouds. the rain, though, still to the west. we're talking about areas around winchester, martinsburg, la ray and front royal seeing shower activity now. and that shower activity will continue back here towards the

west. again, frederick county, virginia, seeing the heaviest rain now, but it's still on the light side for the most part. martinsburg, right down i-81 will continue to see rain as it pushes east. that's the first round of rain. you can see that one making its way out. here comes yet another round, though. and this is the next round we're going to see later want to. that round could have some severe weather with it. we'll talk about that in a second. first, once that moves out, we're hoping to get some clear skies, veronica, because we've got something that's pretty big later on this evening. >> that's right. it is a lunar eclipse. it is fairly rare, and the predawn hours tomorrow morning, the moon, the earth, the sun, will all start lining up just right for us to get that hunter's moon glowing red. you'll start to see a sliver at 5:15. totality between 6:25 and 7:24. it's off to the western sky, but just how unusual is this? i spoke with jeff chester from the naval observatory, and here's what he had to say. >> to actually see the totally eclipsed moon in the west and

the sun rising in the east. now, that is an unusual situation, which is geometrically impossible, except for the fact that we have an atmosphere that actually causes the -- it refragments the image of the moon and the sun above the visible horizon. >> and for why it's red, all those questions answered, good interview on nbcwashington.com. just search lunar eclipse. doug? >> if you're up at that time tomorrow morning, it could be really, really cool. out there right now, though, we've got the cloud cover. current temperature sitting at 73 degrees with winds out of the south at 7 miles per hour. take a look at what's going to be happening here. the severe storm potential this evening into the overnight' hours. low as far as tornadoes, but the high wind threat at medium. winds at 40 to 50 miles per hour if they move through. the hail threat, not worried about that. heavy rain with these storms, yeah, could be some brief, heavy rain too. although we're not anticipating tlooding. here is future weather around 8:00. we have shower activity around

d.c. around 8:00. i do not expect storms until later tonight. around 11:00, still seeing shower activity. but here come the storms to the west. and that's when they move into the i-95 corridor right around the 12:00, 1:00 hour in the morning. so as you're heading to bed or maybe around sleeping, you could see those winds really kick up. again, lighting and thunder around the 1:00 a.m. hour. but by 5:00, 6:00 a.m. in the morning, the sun is starting to come up and moon going down for the lunar eclipse, may break out a bit so you can see that happen. so could be really cool early tomorrow morning. and then tomorrow afternoon, no problems. tomorrow looks great. 75 degrees in d.c. 77 fredericksburg. 69 back towards martinsburg. so a little on the breezy side. that's really the only caveat to tomorrow. 72 degrees on your thursday with more sunshine. and then we get into the weekend. 67 on friday, a good chance of rain on friday. good chance of showers on saturday. and then continuing into sunday and monday as a frontal boundary kind of meanders around our

region. so we're looking at rather cool and dreary conditions for most of the weekend. not necessarily a washout. we'll continue to watch this forecast for you over the next couple days. >> all right. thank you, doug. a monday night loss, but a lot to build on for the redskins. chris cooley explains what fans should be excited about. two are hit by a car as they cross the street on the way to school. police are explaining why they're issuing so many tickets to drivers and pedestrians. i'm mark segraves and i'll have

welcome back to news4 at 5:00. i'm dianna russini live at redskins park. washington has put themselves in a pretty difficult spot now. they are 1-4. and after yesterday's loss to seattle, a lot of players said they were happy they were able to keep up with the super bowl champs. but according to former redskin chris cooley, he says that's just not good enough. >> we're not as good as seattle. but we're not as bad as we were when we lost to new york giants a week ago. this team will play hard. this team will fight. but that doesn't mean this team has found a way to win. that doesn't mean this team has found its chemistry, found its leadership, found anything special about itself. but this is a complete turnover. and you have to expect as such, and it will continue to grow.

>> reporter: a lot of people are talking today about the fact that after the game yesterday the players weren't upset enough. i was in there. i noticed it as well a little bit. when you were a player, do you recall what that was like? how are they supposed to react? how should the redskins react now? >> not sure what the right way to be upset enough is. because you're playing a game. and at some point this is a bad stick for a team as you get used to losing. and you can't just constantly kill yourself every week. i think i'm most disappointed in the fact that they're pretty happy they played with seattle. they're pretty happy as brian orakpo said they went toe-to-toe with seattle. i don't think that's good enough. and i don't know if it's worth sitting there in silence. but it isn't good enough. >> who is leading this team? >> the quarterback should be the leader of this team. and that's a tough spot for robert griffin to be in now, because he's not on the field. also because he's a young player

that's trying to figure out what type of leader he is. as jay gruden builds this roster and they continue to grow, they bring in leadership. by him saying we don't have enough leadership right now, i get the idea that their work ethic falls back on what the coaches tell them to do every day. all right. some baseball. in san francisco, after yesterday's win, the nats with another do or die game tonight against the giants. 9:07 tonight. win, and the two teams play a decisive game five back here in d.c. on thursday. a loss, and the season is over. gio gonzalez will get the start for the nationals tonight out in san francisco. back here at redskins park, coming up at news4 at 6:00, pierre garcon, lead receiver, only had two catches yesterday. but who is to blame? i'll have that coming up. dianna russini, redskins park

back to you. at 5:00 tonight, local college students lending a helping hand to victims of sex assat. how they're restoring lives. and hundreds of packs of heroin at a daycare. one of the kids passing them out like candy. how did the drugs get theren the first place? a big shift in who is getting tickets in montgomery county. i'll explain why more drivers than pedestrians are getting cited. i'm mark segraves. i'll have that story, coming up next.

and hello, everybody and welcome back. take a look at the radar right now. we've got the rain making its way in across the area now, back towards winchester, la ray. look around culpeper, starting to see showers now. and we'll continue to watch as this whole little area moves into the d.c. metro area in about the next one to two hours. and you can see there's more to come. here's the first batch right here, coming into virginia right now. and then the next batch, this is the area that we're worried about for some stronger storms. so we get through one first, and then another one, we're going to talk about the timing of those in the next ten minutes. >> thank you, doug. now to one of the biggest daers in our region, people getting hit crossing the road. >> this happened today to two little girls walking to school, and the new numbers show there is a dramatic change in just how police are issuing tickets to protect everyone. news4's mark segraves is live in aspen hill. mark? >> z that's right, wendy. you know, those two little girls are going to be okay. the driver of the car was charged and now has a date with a judge. but the accident underscores, as you said, just how dangerous

crossing the road can be. here on connecticut avenue, montgomery county police have issued hundreds of tickets in just nine months to both drivers and pedestrians on this stretch of road they say is one of the most dangerous in the county. this morning's accident was a very close call for the two middle school girls who were hit by a car as they were crossing copper road. in the crosswalk and with the green light. >> the children fell to the ground. received minor injuries, were transported for checking. >> reporter: while today's accident was just a close call, others this year have been fatal. >> so far we have had seven pedestrian fatalities. last year we had 13. >> reporter: police have been cracking down on drivers and pedestrians over the past four years. but at first, it was just drivers getting tickets. >> we realized that pedestrians were at fault many, many times, but they were rarely given the citation. >> reporter: after realizing

that disparity in how tickets were being issued, police started focusing on pedestrians. in 2012, drivers received 42 tickets for failing to yield to pedestrians. while pedestrians received 1,219 tickets for jaywalking. but in 2013, police again shifted their focus. drivers received 651 tickets. pedestrians 630. >> we're equal opportunity enforcement to send the message you have to obey the pedestrian safety laws. >> reporter: now police say they're going to keep up with this enforcement of traffic laws for pedestrians' safety sake. it's important to note that tomorrow is international walk to school day, so you'll be seeing a lot more kids on the roads. you should be mindful of that. as for that intersection at clopper road, i spoke with the president of montgomery county council, craig rice, whose daughter goes to that school and he tells news4 he has been asking the state highway administration to make changes to that traffic light to make it

safer, and they have refused. reporting live in montgomery county, mark segraves, news4. >> mark, thank you. now to an unthinkable case involving drugs at daycare. a little girl showed up with hundreds of packets of heroin. and handed them out thinking they were candy. take a look at the bag police in delaware found. they say in all it had nearly 250 packets, measuring 4 grams. investigators say none of the children ingested the drugs. they say the little girl found them after her mom gave her a different backpack that day. the mom is now facing child endangerment charges. in maryland, state troopers will be training this week on how to help people who have overdosed on heroin. the agency is telling the news4 i-team several hundred troopers are going to be trained to use naloxone. a nasal medication can reverse the effects of an overdose. a few dozen troopers including in cumberland have been trained. more than 370 people in maryland

have died from heroin overdoses this year. a teenager accused of killing a little boy in virginia and beating the boy's sister will now be tried as an adult. a grand jury indicted 16-year-old maurice washington on a first degree murder charge. the victim's family says washington beat 8-year-old marty cob to death with a log and wounded the boy's older sister with a rock. they say marty had tried to stop washington from sexually assaulting his sister. this happened back in may near the victim's home in richmond. here are the latest developments in the ebola outbreak. the pentagon's top commander in africa says that up to 28 u.s. military personnel could come in direct contact with ebola patients. hundreds of troops have been deployed to liberia to set up treatment centers. the u.s. has a plan if anyone contracts this virus. >> as we deploy america's sons and daughters to support this comprehensive effort, we will do

everything in our power to address and mitigate the risk to employees, contractors and their families. >> general rodriguez says u.s. military operations in liberia will cost about $750 million over six months. the ebola outbreak is changing cultural norms here at home. members of a church in prince george's county have stopped hugging each other. news4's zachary kiesch talks to some liberian citizens, now trying to cope with the emotional toll of ebola. ♪ >> reporter: it started as a west african issue in places like guinea, sierra leone and liberia. it's now a global issue. the fear can be felt in places like this small church in beltsville, maryland. she is a singer and music director of this christian church. >> i want to encourage them to let them know no matter what we're going through we are going

to win. we are going to win the war against ebola. >> reporter: for people like her, liberian citizens living in the u.s., it's been especially hard, juggling the herd of lost friends and family, the uncertainty surrounding others who may be infected but still not diagnosed, and fear about loved ones returning from liberia to lives here in the u.s. >> our focus now is on this ebola thing. everything is just ebola right now. we do that every day, but at the same time, you've got family and friends back home who you fear for every day. >> reporter: liberian ambassador jeremiah says his country is an affectionate place filled with warm people. but ebola is affecting citizens emotionally as well as physically. >> liberians have been told not to shake hands anymore, not to hug friends and family anymore. it's impacting their way of life. it's impacting the cultural norm ♪ >> the song means we are going

to win the war. >> reporter: the emotional toll of ebola has arrived. here in beltsville, they are resilient people, determined to win the war. reporting in prince george's county, zachary kiesch, news4. you think you're playing it safe by using a hands-free device to make a call in the car. think again. surprising results in a new study. the kennedys' clash in the first maryland governor's debate. this is chris gordon in baltimore. baltimore. ahead we'll hear if your taxes thing is...our crazy tax code actually rewards companies... for shipping them overseas. it's wrong and i'm fighting to fix it. i'm mark warner...i brought republicans and democrats... together on a bill that gives incentives to companies that... bring high tech and manufacturing jobs to virgina. because instead of outsourcing jobs to china...we should be... insourcing them here for our people...and thats why i...

approved this message.

right now in maryland, we have a bit of a surprise. four weeks out from election day, it is now a true race for governor. >> a new "washington post" university of maryland poll out shows the race is tightening. democrat anthony brown now leading republican larry hogan by nine points. and the hogan campaign claims it's closer than that. news4's chris gordon is in baltimore now where the first of three televised debates took place today. >> reporter: republican candidate larry hogan says maryland voters are fed up and want change. >> 40 consecutive tax hikes have taken an additional $10 billion out of the pockets of struggling maryland families and small businesses. and it's crushed our economy. >> reporter: lieutenant governor anthony brown, the democratic

candidate, pledges there will be no new taxes. >> we'll fight for working families and middle class jobs, which means we're supporting small entrepreneurial businesses with tax credits so they can create the jobs that put marylanders to work. >> reporter: polls show the economy and education are among the most important issues for maryland voters. >> mr. hogan opposes the expansion of pre-k. he says we can't afford it. i say we can't afford not to do it. >> i support pre-k, number one. he runs commercials saying i don't support pre-k and i'm going to take $300 million out of the pockets of kids and give it to rich corporations. that's obviously not true. >> reporter: after the debate, lieutenant governor brown was not available to speak with reporters, leaving that to his running mate. >> not once did larry hogan defendant his $450 million proposed cut to school construction funding. >> reporter: hogan was asked about that. >> i don't know what he's talking about. we'll have to look at that. i've never talked about cutting that. >> reporter: a new poll just released indicates that one-third of the maryland voters

they question don't know how to rate either of these two candidates, which is what makes these debates so important leading up to the election just one month away. from baltimore, chris gordon, news4. using hands-free technology on the phone when you're behind the wheel, you may be putting yourself in danger after all. and a powerful message that's reaching the hearts of students on a local college campus and giving hope to others off of it.

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.

it's a new way to draw attention to a big problem on college campuses and happening locally at george mason university. >> as news4's kristin wright

reports, it features a powerful display giving support to the victims of sexual assault. >> hi, guys. would you like a purple ribbon for domestic violence awareness? is. >> sure, thank you. >> reporter: george mason university is sending the urgent message to end violence against women. >> i think it's really important that we all stand together with this. because the power of numbers is really what's going to help eradicate sexual violence. >> reporter: it's turn off the violence week at george mason. the clothesline project makes a bold statement on campus. students made t-shirts condemning sexual assault, and celebrating the strength of victims who come forward. while the university couldn't tell us how many students have reported sex assaults on campus, they're confident this week's events will encourage victims to have a voice. >> it appears we're probably no different than other college campuses across the country. but certainly an event like this brings a lot of students in, and we do hear from a lot of students who say this happened to me. >> reporter: students are making

small care packages that victims of sexual assault will receive on campus and at inova hospitals. the kits include fresh clothing, toiletries, a necklace, a teddy bear and a note that says "you are not alone." >> it's not just the clothes, it's not just the bear, but it's the overall message that there are individuals around the world working to eradicate violence. >> reporter: george mason is holding its annual take back the night rally tonight at 8:00 here at the clock tower. victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse and other violence will share their stories of survival. at george mason university, kristin wright, news4. homeland security is hoping a new smartphone app will help find and stop child predators. i.c.e. launched a predator app for android devices already available on iphones and now spanish speakers can find a version of it for either device. in this app, users will see photos and information about people who have active warrants

related to child exploitation. they will also be able to submit anonymous tips. another check on that forecast, doug. we get to grow another day. here we go. >> i'll tell you right now, that's exactly right. for sure. my wife is so ready for this to come on. this is staying on until the nats lose. it will be rainy runs tonight in san francisco. okay. let's take a look and show about the rain coming into our area. reston, cloud cover around our region. we've got the clouds ahead of that next frontal boundary. 73 degrees right now. areas of rain at 7:00. showers at 9:00. and a storm chance around 11:00. as temperatures drop through the 60s. the rain not around i-9 ayet but getting closer, fredericksburg, culpeper, warrenton, winchester, all seeing rain moving close to your area. around la ray and front royal, we're going to continue to watch it along i-81 and moving along 66. and look at this how it's moving towards martinsburg and hagerstown, fred rig and

leesburg, next 15 minutes to half hour. that's round one. again, round one right there. that's what we'll see the next few hours. and then this is round two. and look at the severe storms back to the west, tornado warnings back here and that moves in as we move through the overnight hours. so your rain intensity tonight, well, normally an umbrella with drizzle or light showers, no. tonight i think the big umbrella as we will see downpours and some steadier rain off and on this evening. if you're going to be out at all after 7:00 tonight, make sure you have that umbrella with you. you will need it. tomorrow, put the umbrella away. get out the sunglasses. nice and warm, breezy. temperature 70 to 77 degrees. the next couple days, 75 tomorrow. 72 on thursday. thursday looks good. little breezy thursday, too. and 67 on friday. that's when our next storm system moves in. it's going to be a frontal boundary, temperatures in the low 60s. good chance of showers friday, saturday, sunday and most likely on monday, too. could even extend into tuesday.

guys, right now, trying to keep that dry. so for the next couple days, we've got some rain chances. next two days, looking pretty good. and jim, you know it, buddy. go nats. >> thank you, doug. new research out tonight raising questions about the safety of using hands free technology when you drive. news4 consumer reporter erika gonzales joins us now with why usin that technology may put you at risk for serious distractions behind the wheel. >> jim, three out of four drivers believe that hands-free voice-activated systems are safe to use. but a new aaa foundation for traffic safety study shows that in some cases hands-free technology can be more distracting than just talking on your cell phone. >> a lot of times we don't realize just how distracting that technology may be. but the good news is that there are certain some systems that are engineered well enough they tend to be having work load levels that are comparable to

listening to a book on tape. >> reporter: researchers studied reaction times of drivers having them place calls, change radio stations and send messages using a variety of hands-free and handheld devices. the reaction times were ranked, and according to aaa, toyota, hyundai and chrysler had the least distracting voice recognition systems in their cars. now what about the most distracting? that belongs to chevy, mercedes and ford. when it comes to specific activities, the least distracting tasks, how about adjusting the radio and listening to messages on hands-free devices. and also far and away the most distracting, aaa says using siri on your iphone. we're going to put a link to this study up on our website. nbcwashington.com. just search hands-free. yet another balloon, hot air balloon incident at the international balloon fiesta in

new mexico. this balloon hit some power lines, sending sparks into the air. a spectator caught it on a cell phone. the pilot of that hot air balloon, however, was not hurt. a 3-year-old girl in china is in critical condition tonight after being hurt inside an inflatable bounce house. nearly 30 children were playing over the weekend when a gust of wind flipped it over there. the bounce house was dragged 60 feet, 13 kids were hurt. they ranged in age from 2 to 8 years. a spokesperson for the maker of that bounce house says they thought it was heavy enough and didn't need to be reinforced. the company says they will cover all medical expenses. honoring a good samaritan killed while trying to break up a fight. how he is being remembered tonight. and a heated exchange in a public meeting plays out on camera. find out who it involves and why it could lead to criminal charges against a local leader.

among the stories trending today, actress jennifer lawrence is now talking publicly for the first time about her personal photos. being hacked, posted online this summer. she tells "vanity fair" magazine the breach is a sex crime and worried it would affect her career. she also said the most wrenching moment is when she had to tell her father about it. the nba has a new, bright,

young star. check him out. that is 5-year-old jp gibson battling a form of leukemia. but he's got game. take a look. he eeked a one-day contract with the utah jazz and suited up for the annual intrasquad scrimmage. as soon as he got the ball, he weaved through the traffic, got a big assist to slam it home. there he goes. that's eight points, nine points, ten points. his parents say at home he insists on shooting an hour of hoops every night before he goes to bed. >> and these are some kangaroos who are sparring in a neighborhood down under. an australian television network says this is the suburbs of new south wales. the video posted just a couple of days ago on youtube. it already has had more than 1 million views. well, he was killed trying to break up a fight between teenagers outside of a local swim club one week ago. >> tonight, faith leaders are coming together to remember his life and pray for the bowie community. prince george's county bureau

chief tracee wilkins is live at the swim club with more on the service. tracee? >> reporter: and the service just ended a little while ago. but i will tell you, everyone was here from methodist to unitarian to jewish and catholic. a number of faith leaders and also community leaders who wanted to spread the message that's on that sign right there, "we are one." is this a community not tolerating violence. >> we are here today because one week ago, a 37-year-old father, mitchell white, was shot and ultimately lost his life virtually where we stand now. >> reporter: today clergy of bowie representing a multitude of faiths came together to pray for the family who lost teens in this community and bowie as a whole following last week's deadly shooting. dr. kevin maxwell, prince george's school ceo and long-time bowie resident, attended. >> the real issue here, we are all in this community together. these things aren't -- they're not owned just by the family. they're not owned just by one

person or another. they're owned by all of us. >> reporter: last week, 39-year-old mitchell white was shot and killed after a fight between two groups of students got out of control. his son was among those being beaten when police say he tried to break up the fight. 19-year-old deion warren is charged with the crime, facing first degree murder. >> we are not here to investigate or accuse or speculate. we are here to acknowledge that mitchell white's death is a loss for his family and friends. ♪ we'll walk hand-in-hand >> reporter: today these religious leaders and members of the community walked the path where mitchell white was killed. they hope their message is clear. this is not a community that tolerates violence. while the suspect is behind bars, he has been charged. a court hearing has not been held. prince george's county police are still investigating this crime. reporting liv in bowie, tracee wilkins, news4. now at 6:00, new screening measures coming to major airports as two ebola patients

in the u.s. are treated with an experimental drug. also tonight, new questions about security after an inmate snuck a gun into a local courtroom. >> his face is covered, but his message is clear. why the fbi is asking you to stop and listen in hopes of unmasking this isis terrorist. we begin tonight with weather. rain moving into the area now. and a chance of some storms later on. doug? >> i'll tell you what, jim. if you've got plans any time between now and probably 2:00 a.m., you're going to need the umbrella, and you're going to need it fast. take a look at the rain moving in very quickly on storm team 4 radar. most of that rain still just west of i-95, but now making its way towards fredericksburg, leesburg and frederick. right towards the warrenton area. winchester has been seeing that rain for about the last half hour, and look, leesburg, it's right on your doorstep. same thing with frederick area and towards la ray and front royal, all seeing some moderate rain at this hour. and it's all moving towards the east, towards d.c. that's just one round.

we saw one round earlier today. here is the next round. and yet another round coming through. this is the round that we're worried about that could bring us some strong, potentially severe weather, although not too worried about severe weather. could bring strong winds and heavy rains. i'll break it down for you time wise and let you know what to expect as you move through the rest of the night and, of course, the next couple days in my forecast. >> thanks, doug. there are new concerns tonight about u.s. military personnel in africa. the pentagon says some of them may have direct contact with ebola patients over there. >> the service members are setting up mobile labs to test for ebola. the pentagon says about two dozen are likely to come into contact with the deadly virus and that they will be safe. meanwhile, the centers for disease control says new measures to screen airline passengers for ebola will be announced later this week. doctors also said the two men being treated here in the u.s. are both receiving an experimental drug. nbc's jay gray has more now. >> reporter: they can't be by his de