even the white house. >> we've been pushing out alerting on our nbc washington app and keeping you updated on news4 throughout the afternoon. >> it's not just the district dealing with this folks. the university of maryland called off classes for the rest of the day after the college park campus lost power. and we heard reports of people rescued from elevators. good afternoon to you all. whether you're watching us on your tv or streaming us right now. >> we have team coverage on the power problems. let's start with scott mcfarlane at the live desk. you have new information about what caused this. >> let's start with the good news. most of the affected businesses and build having their power back on this afternoon. nearly 900 pepco customers are still without. smeco says it would restore power at 2:00 but at one point nearly 20,000 people were in the dark. here's what we know. smeco says a large piece of equipment owned by pepco came crashing to the ground at a substation in southern maryland about 1:00. they called the result a major

disturbance in electric systems. we're about to show you a picture of a burnt transmission line on the ground near that power station. you can see the grass is blackened all around it. pepco calls this interruption a dip in voltage. the interruption automatically caused backup power systems to kick in at many businesses many large facilities across the region which is why it appears the outages primarily affected buildings and offices and not homes. pepco says it's now investigating at the substation in charles county to learn about what else went wrong and how this all started. at the live desk i'm scott mcfarlane. oprah winfrey was in the middle of a speech at the warren theater when the lights went out there. the media mogul didn't miss a beat. she kept on talking. she was taking part in the unveiling of the postal service's new maya angelou stamp. tom sherwood was downtown when this happened and tells us how metro was affected. >> reporter: right now at the

dupont circle metro station. it's one of the deepest in the system and it went out. the power's back on now. but it was a scary experience for one tourist couple from austin, texas. >> we got off and it was really dark inside of the train area and then we headed up here and saw this long staircase and it was completely stopped. so we walked up here. wasn't a problem as much for us but -- >> there was peep stopped. >> two or three ladies stopped and the police were being helpful and metro employees being helpful. but there were some folks that got up that were out of breath and having to get water and it was difficult for anybody that has any physical limitations. >> reporter: coming up at 5:00 we'll hear from more government workers and private office worker who is had to leave their buildings. one person thought it was an earthquake. in downtown washington tom sherwood news4. university of maryland students also caught by surprise

today. computers went dark emergency lights went on in classrooms and some students got stuck in elevators. our prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins is live on campus where she just tweeted power is being restored to a big part of campus. what do you know? >> reporter: north campus finally seeing power restored since it's been dark on campus most of the day. students happy, especially the ones in the high-rise dorms. they can charge up their computers and cell phones and study and get work done. a lot of folks worried about what's going on at the university. behind me in the student union, that's one of the buildings students had to be rescued from an elevator that they were trapped in when they lost all of the power. let me show you what it looked like inside some of the classrooms. some students say i was inside the class, about to take a test when all of a sudden the power went out. we lost all of our internet lost our ability to do anything and then we were dismissed from class, went on to the next class

and realized they were dealing with a campus-wide issue. at about 2:00 p.m. president wallace loh at the university put out an announcement letting students know campus is closed for the rest of the day. then we saw long lines forming at the shuttles kids trying to get off of campus and get back to their homes. as it stands, the university of maryland is closed and will be for the rest of the day. power partially restored to north campus folks waiting to see what will happen with the rest of the university. on news4 at 5:00 you'll hear from some students who were caught in the dark. live i'm tracee wilkins. back to you. we have more breaking news now. the bethesda metro station along the red line is closed to passengers because of an escalator outage. metro says this is unrelated to the power outages. trains are bypassing the station. outbound right fielders are being let off at the medical center station where buses are picking up people and taking them back to bethesda. again, the bethesda metro

station closed as crews complete escalator repairs there. this comes after reports of smoke in the tunnel this morning at the same station. montgomery county fire tweeted there was smoke in the tunnel between bethesda and medical center. a metro spokesperson says crews found and removed an arcing insulator from the tracks. family and friend arethering at the maryland home where a single father and his seven children were all found dead this week. a short time ago authorities ruled the house accidental the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. chris gordon has more from prince ann on the eastern shore. >> reporter: good afternoon. this is the home where the tragedy occurred in princess anne maryland. 36-year-old rodney todd and his seven children all found dead inside. this afternoon i spoke to a nephew and some friends of the family all gathered outside. >> didn't ask nobody for nothing. took care of them kids by himself. he sacrificed for his kids.

and at the end, sacrificing causing his life. >> reporter:ed to rod knee todd was raising the children by himself. electricity to the house had been shut off. the family had been using a generator in the kitchen, which had run out of gas. police say the home had a smoke alarm but no carbon monoxide detector. coming up tonight on news4 at 5:00 the very latest from the princess anne police chief as he holds a news conference to update the situation. that's the latest from princess anne maryland. chris gordon, news4. they call it the silent killer. how can you make sure that what happened with that family in princess anne county doesn't happen to you? erika gonzalez has what to do a bit later this-in this hour. we now know what's inside the suspicious package that shut down mark's camden line. the bag left on the bench contained bathroom supplies pap commuter at the dorsey station

awe sau the bag around 6:30 called 911, the station was evacuated. several trains were held at other stations until the bomb squad could x-ray the bag. all mark service is back to normal. if you are following nbc washington you know this morning's water main break on route 1 has been repaired but traffic is not moving as usual yet. repair crews are awaiting a load of asphalt before they can reopen the road. that's expected to happen within the next half hour. in the meantime two lanes are blocked in the alexandra section of fairfax county. water service there has been restored. turning to another big story this afternoon storm team 4 is tracking what could be a wet night. >> storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell in the weather center with the first word. chuck? >> nice-looking day outside today, right up until it's time to start coming home from work of course. cloudy skies are out there, but temperatures have warmed facely. storm team 4 radar tracking the rain showers coming our way.

this little area i've highlighted here there were some thundershowers in the mountains of central west virginia about three hours ago. that same little cluster now is just now moving into parts of western shenandoah county. so we'll keep a close eye shenandoah county rappahannock county. on the track it's going it's about two to three hours from reaching the metro area. temperatures have warmed into the low and mid-70s so it's a nice one out there and it will stay mild for the next couple hours. have your umbrella ready to go. once the rain moves in it will be tough for it to move out. more coming up. messages of hate scrawled across a place of worship. first at 4, a startling discovery in a local community. now the crucial piece of evidence that could bring a vandal to justice. we're staying on top of our big breaking news this afternoon for you. widespread pounlwer outages this afternoon in parts of maryland and the district. we're following the investigation into just what happened as well as when all

will be restored.

new fallout in the "rolling stone" controversy a day after a scathing peer review of the article that wrongly accused a uva fraternity of gang-rape. phi kappa psi's national office is blasting "rolling stone," its editors and the reporter who retracted the story, wrote the retracted story, rather. the fraternity says "rolling stone's" apology isn't good enough. it's demanding the publisher hold everyone involved accountable and they say they are evaluating options beyond the lawsuit the local chapter plans to pursue. a culpeper man is dead this evening from an accident while clearing some woods. 27-year-old sonny stratif was working with a team removing

trees from a property along mt. zion church road yesterday. he was hit by a limb from one of the trees he was cutting down. word this afternoon from nih in bethesda, the american being treated for ebola is upgraded to good condition. the volunteer contracted the virus working with a nonprofit health group in sierra leone and came to our area about a month ago. we are tracking a tragedy after the ncaa championship game. seven spectators on their way home from the game were killed in a small plane crash overnight. they were flying from indianapolis to a regional airport in bloomington, illinois when their twin-engine cessna went down in heavy fog killing everyone on board. the victims include two businessmen from the bloomington area and an assistant basketball coach at illinois state university. wet weather quickly heading our way. right now, storm team 4 tracking the arrival of rain and potentially some thundershowers. when it arrives and when we could dry out. and we're staying on top of our breaking news that's

affecting so many of you this afternoon. power problems affecting thousands in the district and parts of maryland.

we are continuing to follow breaking news this afternoon.

widespread power outages are affecting people in d.c. and throughout parts of maryland. places like the white house, the capitol, and the state department even took a hit. >> it forced thousands of workers to flood the streets of d.c. today and knocked out power to more than a dozen metro stations. it's believed it all began with a problem at a power plant in charles county maryland. we're following this on the air and our nbc washington app. members of a montgomery county synagogue are spending this day trying to remove hate graffiti. >> swastikas and other symbols are spray-painted on the outside of the building. news4's mark segraves is in gaithersburg with a story you'll see first at 4. >> reporter: hundreds of families worship here at this synagogue in gaithersburg. it also serves as a nursery school for this quiet community. sometime very early this morning two people wearing masks spray painted hate messages on every wall of the synagogue. swastika and other hate symbols

were painted again and again. the name hitler and the letters kkk as well as derogatory terms were spray painted on every wall and entrance to this in gaithersburg. surveillance video shows the suspects were wearing masks and gloves. police say they believe this is an isolated incident. they are asking for the public's help. if you know anything or recognize anything about the video, give them a call. at 5:00 more of that surveillance video police hope is enough to catch their suspects. in gaithersburg mark segraves news4. an unprecedented move in amp in loudoun county. this morning for the first time a crossing guard was outside creighton's corner to help students get safely onto school property. sheriff mike chapman made the installing the guard against protocol.

usually roads around the school must be turned over the vdot first. in this case, they haven't been. >> we're happy to see progress. >> i think loudoun county schools need to figure out getting crossing guards at schools before we open schools. it's not just a problem at creighton. >> the crossing guard is an interim solution until the normal protocol can be followed. you'll need your quarters if you plan to park on the street for any nats game. ddot have been enforcing meters around nats park this season including sundays and holidays when there's a game. the district does not enforce meters in the rest of the city on sundays and holidays. last season we reported about the confusion. ddot stopped ep forcing meters for the last several weeks of the season. the fist game that coincides with a holiday this season is april 16th. if you don't pay, you could get a ticket and have your car towed. it could be worse. check this out, winter weather still lingering in parts of northern california.

this is a look at donner summit outside lake tahoe. snow is covering the roads today. a winter storm warning in effect for arias above 3,500 feet. a foot of snow could fall. lower elevations could get rain. the storm isn't expected to help much for california's drought. >> can't turn a five-year drought around with one rain event, unfortunately. >> we're glad they're getting snow and we're not. >> you know you want the snow. we're done with it i think. our latest snow on record is april 12th dating back to 1920. been a while since we've had measurable snow late in the year. a trace of snow in late april 2011 but no trace in our forecast. no cold air anywhere in sight for now. cooler weather coming our way, yes, but cool is different than cold. outside for now it's anything but either of though. it's mild cloudy skies, slif of

sunshine in some places but most of us have cloudy skies. 70 degrees in washington south wind averaging 15 miles per hour. southerly winds will be with us for the next couple hours so it will stay mild this evening. 71 hagerstown 71 fredericksburg cooler along the western shore of the bay, 61 in annapolis. going for a run, plan on needing the umbrella. i guess you wouldn't carry it if you're running. if you're like me get wet and deal with it. if you're going to be rain sensitive, have your umbrella ready. gustiness to the wind out of the south as well. a bit of impact tomorrow. low to moderate impact just cloudy skies, showers and a little bit cooler. you'll probably need that spring jacket once again. weather slowdowns for the next couple hour not much of a weather impact in the washington area but between 6:00 and 8:00 rain showers, brief periods of moderate rain possibility one or two rumbles of thunder. for tomorrow, showers in the morning, wake-up temperature

around 52. cooler through the mid to late morning hours tomorrow and not much of a recovery tomorrow. most of the daylight hours spent tomorrow in the low 50s at best. here's that rip until the atmosphere bringing our chance for showers over the next coming hours. this is not going to be all that heavy but you'll need the umbrella if you're outside. probably not the night to sit at your favorite sidewalk cafe. there's the reason i mention that rumble of thunder possibility north of luray, that cell headed into central faulkier county in the next little bit. it's not severe but i couldn't rule out a rumble of thunder or itty bitty pea-psied hail. that is about it. otherwise, there's that chance for showers and occasional rain for the next couple hours. by 8:00 9:00 tonight that tapers off. cloudy skies linger through i don't ever night and tomorrow morning showers are possible just about any point during the day. next four days are looking so-so at best. 50s tomorrow 50s thursday. one big warm-up, that's on

friday near 80 degrees. could have a chance for some strong maybe severe storms on friday. and the weekend, so far looking good. the blossoms are busting out all over the place and in fact are closer to full bloom. here's what they look like at the tidal basin this afternoon. those little bud are much bigger today than yesterday. the national park service expects the trees to be at peak bloom saturday through next wednesday. >> we've come to take our country back. >> another big name getting ready for presidential bid. how it came with a broadside against his own party. a view from the top. be one of the first to enjoy a vantage point has been able to see since 2001. a big power outage across the area. remember the nbc washington app is the place to go for the most up-to-date information. >> it's also where you can watch

our coverage. even if you don't have electricity.

listen to this sweet symphony of flavor. beautiful! gorgeous! here comes the fruitful crescendo! incredible. pillsbury toaster strudel. if beethoven made breakfast. dude totino's blasted rolls. sweet. totino's blasted crust rolls... yeah. flavor at full blast

the cdc says teens could benefit from using more effective and long-term birth control methods such as iuds or skin implants. starbucks is offering new college financial assistance for most of its employees now. the company will now cover the entire cost of getting an online bachelor's degree from arizona state university. employees working 20 hours a week are eligible. the head of starbucks would like to expand the program to include masters degrees. a chance to be among the first to see spectacular panorama views of new york city. starting tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning, tickets will be sold to the public opening of one world observatory. it's set for friday may 29th. the observatory is located at the top of one of the tallest buildings in the western

hemisphere. levels 100 through 102 of the one world trade center building. it includes exhibits and dining. the observatory will be open year round. what went wrong. after an explosion that levelled a new york city building we'll tell you why someone could soon be facing charges for the blast. and it's our big breaking news this afternoon. the power is starting to come back on after a huge outage across d.c. and parts of maryland.

the lights are coming back around. the power is back on around the region after a massive power outage that impacted everything from government buildings to universities and metro. >> now we're asking why this all happened and why so many felt its impact. scott mcfarlane working the story from the live desk. >> a failure more than an hour from d.c. caused parts of the district and surrounding suburbs to practically shut down this afternoon. started at a smeco substation in charles county. the utility says a large piece of equipment owned by pepco came crashing to the ground at about 1:00 and regulators say that caused a major disturbance in electric systems. the picture here shows blackened grass and a burnt transmission line near that substation.

it caused backup systems to kick in at businesses and large facilities across our region and that's why large businesses and office buildings felt the primary impact of this. it has been a massive inconvenience. we've put a series of videos and pictures showing that convenience on nbcwashington.com. it will also show how the outage has impacted everything from businesses in d.c. to the closure of the university of maryland. at the live desk scott mcfarlane. a single father and his seven children discovered dead in a home. this afternoon the medical examiner's office ruled though deaths accidental. the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. >> the seven children ranged in age from 6 to 16. police say the home was being powered by a gas generator. it's called the silent killer. carbon monoxide is odorless colorless, and it took the lives of those seven children and their father yesterday. >> our team coverage continues with consumer reporter erika gonzalez ho who's here to tell

you how to protect your family from being exposed. >> yesterday's deaths are a sobering reminder that carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable. more than 400 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning. that according to the centers for disease control. here are a couple of ways to make sure that your family stays safe. first, and this is the most important, make sure that you have working carbon monoxide detectors. it's required by law in our area that you have them. and they cost as little as $15 to $30 at home improvement stores. install one on each floor of your home. next make sure that your i ai power lineses are working properly. gas appliances like ranges, ovp ovens, clothes dryers with produce carbon monoxide if they are not installed or working properly. that according to the consumer product safety commission. and lastly have your chimneys and the vents inspected every year by a service technician.

a block could cause carbon monoxide to back up into your home. on news4 at 5:00 we'll focus on generator safety. and you can find more ways to stay safe and links to recommended co detectors on our website, nbcwashington.com. we have learned the names of the couple involved in a murder/suicide last night in loudoun county. police found 78-year-old jerry hite and his 77-year-old wife margaret dead in their home on rockfield court in ashburn. officials say it's domestic case and there's no threat to the community. you heard it here first. nbc's kelly o'donnell broke the news today that arizona senator john mccain is running for re-election in 2016. he told her voters shouldn't worry about his age. >> for any voter who says he's turning 80 it's a six-year term, that's worrisome, what do you say? >> i say watch me.

watch me. take a look. take a look at my 18-hour days. take a look at the hearings we have. take a look at my legislative accomplishments. listen i'm just getting started. >> mccain currently serving his fifth term in the senate. he was the republican nominee in 2008. hillary clinton expected to announce her second run at the white house within the next two weeks, but we may not see as much of her husband this time around. former president bill clinton says he plans to be a back-stage adviser. he tells town and country magazine he intend to spend the year working on the family's foundation and will stay behind the scenes until election is much closer. hillary clinton ran for the democratic nomination in 2008. rand paul's first act as a presidential candidate is to head for the early primary state of new hampshire. the kentucky senator officially entered the race for the republican nomination today. edward lawrence has that story.

>> to fix washington -- >> reporter: with campaign ads designed to connect with young voters rand paul announced he wants to be president of the united states. the senator from kentucky says he'll run on a basic principle that government spends too much and has too much dealt. >> the washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped. >> reporter: political experts say his appeal crosses generation. >> he speaks to younger voters. >> reporter: paul is trying to separate himself from washington. in the past he's embraced libertarian views and an isolationist view on foreign policy. >> now we must stay strong. that's why i've co-sponsored legislation that ensures that any deal between the u.s. and iran must be approved by congress. >> reporter: his detractors responded with this online ad.

>> rand paul supports obama's negotiations with iran. >> reporter: michael steele says paul could be vulnerable on foreign policy and for his past statements about the civil rights act. >> past statements in this civil rights space, for example and certainly, you know, whether or not he's an isolationist on a policy side are going to be some early tests for his campaign. >> reporter: in the announcement speech paul reached out to minority voters quoting martin luther king calling for economic and social equality. rand paul becomes the second republican senator to flishl announce he's running for president. other, senator ted cruz from texas. in washington edward lawrence, nbc news. you last saw the actor edward norton in a comedy sketch on "saturday night live" there. he's part of a group that opposes the natural gas drilling

become known as fracking. maryland lawmakers are set to consider two fracking bills. governor larry hogan says he'll take a good hard look at any legislation that passes. edward norton grew up in columbia maryland. the jury has begun deliberations in the murder trial of aaron hernandez. the former new england patriots player is accused of killing the boyfriend of his fiancee's sister. two others are charged in the murder. they pleaded not guilty and will be tried later. in closing arguments, hernandez's lawyer acknowledged his client saw a man being killed but called hernandez a 23-year-old kid who didn't know what to do. prosecutors told jurors if they look at the evidence they'll find hernandez guilty. we are staying on top of our breaking news. the power is starting to come back after thousands across the area lost it in a widespread outage today. more of our coverage as this story unfold. it's a new app that got a lot of attention, but is it making a sales pitch to your kids? and storm team 4 is tracking

some rain. chuck? >> absolutely right. here you can see storm team 4 radar though showing the rain drops just minutes away from reaching woodstock, front royal, and eventually marshall by about 5:18 this afternoon.

a dramatic example of the way loose change can really add up. the transportation security administration says air passengers left nearly $675,000 behind last year at airport security checkpoints across the nation. at washington dulles travelers left more than $22,000 in those little containers by the scanners. at reagan national they left nearly $9,600 behind and there was about $85, will hurricane katrina left behind at bwi marshall. the tsa gets to keep unclaimed money. actress lucille ball wasn't ugly or scary but many say a statue in her hometown is. the 400-pound bronze artwork in her hometown in new york state was installed in 2009. since then it's attracted worldwide disdain. the artist who sculpted it says

it's not his best work but wants ten grand to fix it. the town's mayor says he's gotten a new sculptor to fix it for much less. youtube's new kids app is now under fire for its commercials. consumers groups want the federal trade commission to investigate what it calls deceptive advertising. some sate's hard to tell the difference between commercials and regular content. the youtube kids app launched last month. it's operated by google and billed as being safer for kids because it contains only family-focused content. wild weather whipping up much of the country today. we'll show you where people are cleaning up after some strong storms. and are those storms heading our way? and we are staying on top of our big breaking news this afternoon. widespread power outages in parts of maryland as well as the district. what happened and when all the power could be restored.

i'm scott mcfarlane at the live desk. the lights coming back on across the region right now after a widespread power outage today. pepco has about 1,500 outages still. that's up from earlier in the hour but at the height of the outage nearly 20,000 were in the

dark. it hit office buildings and facilities with backup power in place including the state department the justice department several local universities and the white house. on news4 at 5:00 tom sherwood and tracee wilkins look at the impact it had on people who work and learn in those buildings. more breaking news right now. the bethesda metro station along the red line is closed to passengers because of an escalator outage. metro says this is unrelated to the power outages. trains are bypassing the station. outbound riders being left off at medical center station where buss are picking them up and taking them back to bethesda. again, the bethesda metro station closed as crews complete escalator repairs. jurors are still out dude today in boston at the marathon bombing trial of joekdzhokhar tsarnaev. >> tsarnaev faces 30 charges in the attack 17 carrying the possibility of the death penalty. gray jeh gray is live outside the courtroom.

>> reporter: good evening. we are finding out just now that the jury back in the courtroom at this point. they are ending their day after seven hours of deliberations. still no verdict in this case. they are going home. judge saying again within the last few minutes not to discuss any part of this case while they go home for the evening. they'll start at it again tomorrow. when the trial began the defense started everything by saying he did it which leads a lot of people to believe guilt or innocence may not be the biggest issue this jury will have to deal with here. after weeks filled with emotional testimony from survivors and family members of the victims and graphic images today the courtroom is for the most part silent in boston as jurors met behind closed doors to determine the fate of dzhokhar tsarnaev. >> it was a crime that was proven quite clearly in all aspects in terms of the involvement of these individuals. so i don't suspect there's going

to be any real difficulty in a jury reaching a verdict on many of the charges. >> reporter: there are 30 charges in all, 17 that carries the possibility of the death penalty. a guilty verdict on just one count would trigger a second penalty phase in the case. more evidence more testimony, and perhaps an opportunity for jurors to get a closer look at tsarnaev. >> if he wants to spare his life i think he's likely going to have to testify, express real remorse, and beg for forgiveness. >> reporter: after a month of sitting stern faced and emotionless in front of the men and women who will ultimately decide his face. deliberations not expected to last more than a couple of days here. there is a guilty verdict, the penalty phase of this trial should start early next week. that's the latest live here in boston. jay gray, news4. >> i'm meteorologist chuck bell. cloudy skies continue to thicken over the washington metro area

and rain showers to our west. the view from our national harbor camera over the potomac river, the capitol beltway, slow-moving traffic. a cloudy day, temperatures in the 70s. tomorrow morning, back in the upper 40s and low 50s. don't expect much of a warm-up. tomorrow temperatures lucky to get back into the mid-50s after we were in the 70s the last two days. storm team 4 radar, little cluster of showers which could turn into a thundershower or two to our west. these are just now getting ready to move into far northern parts of faulkier county timing on these moving into the middleburgh yair in virginia about 5:10 leesburg by 5:30 chantilly 5:45. if they hold together long enough and they should by about 6:30 they'll be moving into downtown washington. it's umbrellas at the ready here for the coming hours as the line of showers moves on in. that's the leading edge of the cooler their will change the weather pattern for the next few days.

75 in culpeper 68 in winchester 70 degrees in washington. here's our future weather forecast here. by 7:00 tonight, there's that rain chance coming right through town between about 6:00 and 8:00 this evening. we won't necessarily dry out after that. by 10:00, rain showers from frederick and montgomery counties down towards fredericksburg as well. this will continue on through at least midnight tonight. things ease up in the equity market tomorrow-- early morning hours tomorrow. rain chances will continue through much of the day tomorrow. so seven-day forecast time. for tomorrow, mostly cloudy, a whole lot cooler than today. we'll start off with temperatures in the low 50s and may not get more than a three or four-degree rise in temperatures tomorrow. same story on thursday chilly with occasional light rain showers. on friday thshg could be an interesting day for us ark big push of warm air comes our way. temperatures will be near 80. chance for thunderstorms, some of which could be strong to severe.

we'll watch this carefully. by friday afternoon, scattered thunderstorms around but by friday evening numerous showers and thunderstorms around. best likelihood of all that coming in after about 6:00 friday night. between 6:00 and 11:00 friday night we have our weather eyes to the sky. the weekend comes. peak of the cherry blossoms sunshine both days temperatures just about average, maybe a couple degrees warmer than average. saturday and sunday look great, highs in the upper 60s to near 70 and lows near 50. get your cameras ready to take those pictures down by the basin. and take a look at this video as some strong storms that tore through parts of the midwest this afternoon made life a little difficult. these storms brought heavy rain wind thunder, and lightning. many people saw hail that came down hard and even looked like snow on the ground. no word about widespread damage or injuries. some prince william county residents move into new homes with the promise of a new school

to come. northern virginia bureau reporter david culvert finds that promise may not be kept. >> reporter: hundreds of families moving into this woodbridge community, houses still going up. you can see this land over here cleared for yet another home. and they're all excited because they were promised a new school less than half a mile away. in fact we went there. we saw this sign ferlazzo elementary school coming soon. except that it may not be. >> you cannot just come and take something that was promised to us and the school boards and everyone needs to be held responsible for all of this. >> reporter: so if ferlazzo elementary school isn't going on that site what is? we'll back you through the debate in prince william county. it's the last blast that had so many people talking in the wake of a deadly tragedy in new york city. why someone could soon face charges. they put an angel at the

place where it happened. the spot where a 16-year-old was shot and killed. on a street that's no stranger to violence. i'm pat collins. the story coming up. >> reporter: rodney todd and his seven children who died here at their princess anne home yesterday are remembered by family and friends. the story ahead. and we're staying on top of the breaking news. thousands in our area without power.

imagine waking up to find a 400-pound bear roaming around your house. that's never good. it happened down in florida. a woman woke up to what she thought was her husband getting ready for work. turns out it was a black bear looking for something to eat in her kitchen. they opened a window banged on some pots and the bear scampered off. the family says living in florida they're more afraid of alligators than bears. one of the men killed in new york city's building explosion has now been laid to rest. there was a funeral today for nicholas figueroa. hundreds turned out for a vigil last night. figueroa is remembered for his work helping the elderly and chirp in his community. there are signs someone

tampered with gas line in the building before the explosion. >> a closer look at the investigation in new york's east village. >> reporter: nearly two weeks after the deadly blast and seven-alarm fire investigators close to the case say meter and portions of the gas line under 121 second avenue where the explosion occur wrd recovered and investigators tell news4 there are signs that gas line was tampered with. the i team's jonathan dientz first reported on the blast. families of the victims just want answers in the deaths of their loved ones. >> fingers are being pointed at but step up take the blame for what it is. you did it you made a mistake, things happen and it's a tragedy what happened and occurred but don't give everyone the runaround. >> reporter: investigators say they have lots of questions for the son of the building's owner

for three reasons. we initially reported a tenant told investigators the owner's son told her to say there was no gas if asked by comed. he allegedly went with the plummer to investigate when the smell of gas was reported in the basement. and a new bombshell -- sources close to the investigation tell news4 the plumber has admitted he was instructed by the son to alter gas lines. we tried several times to reach the building's owner at her office and via sfoenl but did not sech a response. the attorney says the mounting evidence could lead to charges in the coming weeks. >> there's probably going to be a grand jury investigation to determine whether or not criminal charges should be brought. >> reporter: charges that could include manslaughter. >> that typically means you know of the risk you engage in risky conduct, and know that people might get hurt and you do it anyway. right now at 5:00 powered down. >> forever. >> no doubt about it.

>> we've lost power. >> no doubt about it. >> a plant failure knocks out electricity from the district to college park. >> some power is starting to be restored at the university of maryland after most of the day in darkness. >> tonight, the confusion it caused with metro, at the mu sims and even one event with the first lady and oprah. >> what top officials are saying about the breakdown. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. a low-voltage ripple effect cause big-time power trouble today. we now know equipment at the substation in charles county maryland failed. and in a big way. that triggered outages across downtown d.c. into parts of southern maryland. >> smithsonian museums were evacuated. 13 metro stations reported outages and eve than event for maya angelou went to black this afternoon. >> students were stuck in elevators for a short time at the university of maryland, college park campus.

the outages were all over our region stretching as far north as college park and as far south as charles and st. mary's counties. >> nearly 900 pepco customers are still without power. smeco, which covers southern maryland says it restored power at 2:00. at one point nearly 20,000 people were without electricity. >> news4 has live team coverage tonight. we have a new explanation from utility officials. we begin with tom sherwood live in dupont circle with new details. >> reporter: the power outage disrupted metro, the workday, and special events. oprah winfrey was at the warner theater downtown celebrating a new maya angelou stamp when the power went out. crowd in the dark remained calm. the program finished. first lady michelle obama was whisked away by the secret service. the crowd praised