literally the entire eastern seaboard is -- the latest on that on storm team 4 radar. >> you can see the warning up here. this is for maryland's east -- around talbot county. the storms moving away. they were in annapolis and in the diehl area. tracking more storms into the area. this one just west of garfield northeast of boone area. as it makes its way north and northeast ward, it will hit areas like flint and st. anthony in a couple of minutes. right alongside i-40 west of brunswick, a pocket of some heavy rain here. this storm has not been warned on as of yet. do think we could see more isolated severe thunderstorm warnings issued. we've got threat of heavy rain for not just the afternoon rush but late tonight. you're going to see that line as i show you the futurecast coming up a little later this hour. isolated flooding, wind damage all possible with any of these isolated thunderstorms that do fire and turn severe. warnings, if issued, we'll be

back on and they'll get pushed directly to your nbc washington app. thanks, vj. if your power goes out during a storm remember, you can still watch us on your tablet, even on your phone. just click the watch tv live a banner you'll find on the nbc washington app. >> he's ordered to serve and protect. but tonight a takoma park police officer is at the center of a terrifying case of road rage. investigators tell us he pulled a gupn on a family driving down route 50. we have details about the new charges just filed. >> tracee has more. >> this is not the first serious traffic incident that this officer has been involved in. he's now under investigation for both incidents. >> a family home from the beach turned into a road rage nightmare. according to the prince george's state's attorney's office. >> our victim was a family of three headed back to their home

in loudoun county. officer a la came up behind them in his personal vehicle and began tailgating them. >> the officer of the takoma park police department was off duty at the time when the family alleges he acted out in frustration because they were driving too slowly. this happened in july of last year. >> he then went around them and stepped on the brakes in front of their vehicle causing them to move into the middle lane. he proceeded to tailgate them again. >> according to the state's attorney, that's when he pulled his gun and pointed it at the family. >> we have a police officer who was putting citizens' lives in dang remember. >> today a grand jury indicted him and he's facing first and second degree assault charges and a weapons charge. this will be the second traffic case that led to the officer being investigated. this past march his vehicle rear ended a car with a father, her son and daughter. all three were called after the officer's car flipped over their vehicle. he has not been charged as that

case is still under investigation. back in march a family member of the crash victims said this after the crash. >> it's got to be very hard for travis. so we are thinking and praying for him because we know that he's probably carrying a heavy burden. >> until we know the results of the investigation, we can't really comment on it. >> chief allen goldberg with the police said he was on administrative duty due to that crash investigation. this time he had to be suspended. >> he'll be suspended without pay because he is charged with a felony. >> officer travis al la was in the marine corps and served with the annapolis police department before coming here to takoma park. coming up at 6:00 why the chief of this police department says that he has this department's support. i'm tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, trace yee. >> it was two days two days, that's how long a 3-year-old in la plata was being pushed in a swing by his mother outside.

now his death has been ruled a homicide. investigators say ji'aire lee died of dehydration and hypothermia. his mother took him to wills memorial park on wednesday morning, may 20th. she was seen pushing the toddler for hours and hours. but now we learn it was for days. that child was eventually discovered by police not until friday morning. the mother was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation. the child's father told news 4 that he was fighting to get custody of his son before this tragedy. now to a brazen lunchtime bank heist involving a very tall and unusually dressed thief in the heart of the busy u street corridor. get straight to pat collins live to tell us what happened. pat? >> reporter: jim, he was wearing a distinctive outfit. edmon i on his mind and they say he was lightning fast.

it happened at lunchtime. across the street from ben's chili bowl. steps away from the metro station. people coming and going every which way. and yet, with all of that happening, someone simply walks into the sun trust bank and robs the place. he was wearing what appeared to be a fisherman's hat. he was wearing what appeared to be a construction vest. he was wearing what appeared to be white gardening gloves. he was in and out of the sun trust bank in a flash. hear now from some bank customers. >> i happened to look up and the teller was screaming hysterical and asked me to get her manager. >> he opens the door, we -- see that the teller is petrified and shivering and crying. whoever this guy was, boy, you

want to talk about quick. man, it was just so fast. we were oblivious. >> d.c. police and fbi agents were all over the place. they even went through some nearby trash cans to see if the robber tossed things like money wrappers or other evidence as he made his get away. >> now, speaking of get away according to the police alert he may have made his get away on a metrobus. neighborhood reaction coming up at 6:00. wendy back to you. >> pat collins. there will be a memorial service for the two high school grads killed in that car crash this weekend. calvin lee and alex merck. they will be remembered at a service in rockville at wootton. alcohol appears to be a factor. the murk family announced a

visitation for alex tomorrow afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00. again from 7:00 to 9:00 at pump fri's funeral home in bethesda. a warning to you from police after a man exposed himself to a woman and her two children. this happened along the claiborne parkway in the ashburn area. police say the woman and her kids were walking near trailside park when the guy exposed himself. they went and called police. the flasher never found. well, washington is buzzing, folks, about this fall's papal visit. a september to remember. the schedule is set now andhere. the details now. pope francis will arrive tuesday september 22nd. things really get going on the 23rd with a morning meeting at the white house. midday prayers at st. matthews cathedral and then an afternoon mass at the national shrine on the catholic university campus. on thursday the 24th. pope francis becomes the first pope ever to address a joint session of congress. he'll then visit st. patrick's catholic church and catholic

charities. before leaving for new york in the afternoon. news 4's megan fitzgerald live at the national shrine tonight where she's learning what the pope may talk about and how we can get tickets. meagan? >> jim, there's a lot of excitement surrounding the pope's visit to d.c. of course here at the basilica is where he'll give his first mass in the u.s. in front of 30000 people. so naturally, a lot of people are excited. they want to get their hands-on these tickets. in addition to that, the pope touched on political issues lately. most recently climate change. we talked to the cardinal to find out what he thinks the pope will be talking about on his tour in the u.s. >> you don't have to be religious to be excited about pope francis' visit to washington, d.c. >> basically the people's pope. >> absolutely amazing. >> you don't have to be a certain age either. >> i never seen him really and i really want to meet him. >> many people say he's so popular because he's real. >> he's less about you know the power and the riches and more

about helping the poor. >> which is why tens of thousands of people will pack the east portico of the basilica to attend the mass in september. tickets might be tough to get. cardinal of d.c. say tickets will be given to clergy in surrounding parishes, but there's a contest, catholic charities is hosting it. >> we're giving up for his visit by launching you serve. a papal visit. >> service projects they're involved in. >> if you have some visual of a program that you are doing and please send it to catholic charities. >> the winners will be given special seating for the mass. the big question is will he discuss political issues in his sermon or at other appearances. >> you have to talk about politics. >> the cardinal isn't so sure. >> i won't be surprised if he focuses on the needs of the poor. >> whether political topics are mentioned or not, while in the u.s., the pope is expected to bring crowds that we haven't

seen with previous popes in the past. >> the desire to be present for all these things just speaks to the extraordinary popularity of this holy father. >> now, if you'd like to learn more about how to win tickets you can log on to our nbc washington app and search pope tickets. coming up at 6:00, the important role that some catholic university students will play during that historic mass given here at the basilica. wendy? >> now we have an update to a story you saw first on 4:00. today the d.c. council voted to put the police body camera on hoemd. mark see graves joins us with the developments. >> that's right. the d.c. counsel sim voted to put that program on hold. the mayor and the police chive wanted to outfit every d.c. police officer with a body camera. but that's not going to happen any time soon. today the council voted to put on hold that program until one, the mayor can come up with $1.5

million to fund the program in the first year, as well as a policy so that the public and the press could have access to the video from those body cameras. this is the dispute between the council and the mayor over the freedom of information act access to the video from the body cameras. i talked to mayor bowser about an hour ago. she's very disappointed in the decision by the council. but she will find the $1.5 million and she will create a policy so that the public can have access to those videos. but it will be months probably later this fall before we see the next wave of body cameras hit the streets. back to you. >> mark thank you. news 4's cameras were on the scene when people were overdosing on synthetic drugs and now we're getting answers on what's being done to crackdown on this dangerous surge of drugs. a hazing lawsuit. find out what a member of the elite swim team wants everybody

to know. while we wait for the fireworks show on the mall saturday, a little fun here today and the crowds are expected to be huge this weekend. i'm adam tuss to tell you all about it. coming up. right now, i'm tracking isolated strong thunderstorms. how long our threat and what about the fourth of july weekend? your forecast coming up why are we watching this again? i pay for all these channels, so i make myself watch them all. joey, i'll watch anything except this. except this. go back, go back, go back, go back, go back, go back. not the ones you don't. 100% fiber optics is here. get out of the past. get fios. now for $79.99 a month. go online or call. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v

it's one of the biggest ee vepts in washington and one of the most beautiful. >> and one of the more sweaty events if you are going to be rubbing elbows with a lot more people if you head to the national mall for the fourth of july fireworks and the festivities this weekend. our reporter adam tuss is on the mall this evening with what to expect on saturday. adam? >> uh-oh. >> there he goes. mopping his brow. >> reporter: listen you said it, wendy. i'll knock it out of the park. only a half million or more of your favorite friends down on the mall. that's it. make sure you're aumll nice and clean. it will be on saturday and the crowds are expected to be huge. >> getting ready for the fourth and it's making some people giddy. >> i was like a child. i'll be yea.

>> of course finding just the right spot to watch a must. >> we had one particular place i'm not telling you because i don't want everyone to come. >> you have a secret. >> this is no secret. it's going to get crowded. once you get down here to the national mall, this is the spot. right here where the fireworks will be going off. lighting up the night sky. >> metro bracing for it all. >> historically on a saturday, we tend to have a lot more people who will go out to the fourth of july fireworks. our ridership is up. >> the transit agency gearing up for potentially 600,000 to 700,000 riders. >> what we're going to have is service ramping up starting around 2:00 to near rush hour service around 6:00 until after the fireworks to be able to handle that capacity crowd. >> they may have to just to make some stations around the mall entrance only after the show. today the stage for the show going up. so are the fences. in the anticipation is building.

>> back now live on the mall, guys on a much more serious note, there has been talk about the potential of terrorist activity. going to tell you what metro is saying about that at 6:00. jim back to you. >> adam, thank you. metro wants you to weigh in on what will become the largest nonrail transit center in our region. the takoma langley crossroad going up at the intersection of new hampshire avenue and university boulevard. when it's finished, it will include 11 bus routes serving 12,000 riders every day. metrobus, ride-on the bus and the university of maryland shuttles will all have stops with some moving nearby bus stops to the new center. we posted details on upcoming public hearings on our nbc washington app. search crossroads. >> a large group of workers at the cia protesting outside the agency's headquarters today. the protesters are part of the union representing the contracted operations and maintenance workers at lehning

ry lehningly. the union says there's a pending unfair labor practice case against the company. four years ago a lot of republicans were begging him to join the presidential race. well now chris christie is one of 15 in the new jersey governor is an underdog. he's trying to carve out a path as a straight talker. >> today i am proud to announce my candidacy for the republican nomination for president of the united states of america. i mean what i say and i say what i mean and that's what america needs right now. >> christie announced his candidacy at his old high school in livingston, new jersey, where he was elected class president three times. a slew of new laws go into effect in virginia tomorrow. we've got some highlights for you here. campus police will now be required to notify prosecutors within 48 hours when investigating felony sex

assaults. a new law on medical marijuana allows epilepsy patients to use cannabis oil for treatment. patients must have a doctor's note and drivers can cross double yellow lines to safely pass pedestrians and cyclists. check out nbc washington to see if any of the new laws affect you. a new proposal could mean bigger paychecks for a lot of you and millions nationwide. president obama unveiled a plan to change the rules that govern overtime. with this plan salaried workers who earn less than $50,400 a year would be guaranteed time and a half twh they work more than 40 hours a week. right now, that time and a half overtime only goes to workers who make less than $23,000600 a year. >> critics are afraid it will hurt small businesses. there's concern that terrorists may be in line to buy fireworks. the new warning tonight.

the excitement building for team usa. the women take on germany in the world cup. it's in just a couple of hours. we'll explain why it's bittersweet for a local soccer star. a major milestone for babies born in

greece has become the first developed nation to miss a payment to the international

monetary fund and that's put the country into default. there was a midnight deadline for greece to pay the imf $1.8 billion. but that deadline came and went at the top of the hour. greece's volatility sent our stock market down the other day. but the impending default had relatively little impact on the markets today. all of the indexes were up slightly. thousands of people have been rallying in greece tonight demanding the country accept budget reforms in return for bailout loans. the country may vote no. greece lost access to billions of dollars in aid. we're going to keep an eye on how this may impact us throughout the night. at the live desk, i'm chris do loren. it has been that weather alert day for us. we've been tracking isolated severe storms. we're getting reports of trees down in calvert county just northeast of do you well.

the winds were high enough. you can see our severe weather threat for wind is moderate as well as the risk of seeing flash flooding. just like in some of the past storms that we've had. it's been an active pattern. a lot of moisture in the air with the summer storms. could get downpours and torrential rains. the threat of hail and a slight chance, a very slight chance that we could see an isolated tornado albeit our main threat would be across areas north and east of d.c. an arundel county, possible. the storms are now off to the east making their way through eastern maryland. this storm moving north and northeast away from thurmont up towards highland area. producing a lot of rain and the potential for high winds. more storms off to the west there. these heading toward the maryland/pennsylvania line like hagerstown and leesburg in the

next couple of minutes. west of frederick over 144 and 15 right over 15 toward walkersville, very heavy rain. we're seeing a little bit of lightning with the storms and another line that i think will be coming through our area in the next seven hours or so. just past mid diet. we still could be looking at rough rain. look at the lightning with this line. threat coming through western areas of west virginia. this watch box, severe thunderstorm watch extends to florida, up into pennsylvania and while our watch goes until 9:00 i still think it covers the area that we still could see some rough storms coming through here very strong still with high winds as we get past 9:00. look at that. your 11:00 p.m. forecast, rain impacts on area roa a few gusty norms and slow travel. this is for your evening. but watch what happens as we move into the early part of the night. moderate to heavy rains and i

think those could last until 2:00 a.m. but then as we get into early tomorrow morning, the roads should be dry. all clear. no weather road issues for early tomorrow morning. should be a rather easy commute. 72. warm conditions and we're going to be warming fast tomorrow. 81 by around 10:00 in the morning and 90 degrees in d.c. so a much better pool day for tomorrow. lots of sunshine. no storms. 86 to 91 degrees. the range in temperatures for tomorrow. here it is. 90 for wednesday. 85 degrees on thursday. you got 83 degrees coming up on friday right now. on saturday, fourth of july, looking dry right now. can't rule out an isolated shower. but i think for the most part, we're looking dry. it's been a fairly consistent forecast with that. there you have it, folks. we'll continue to track storms. the severe thunderstorm watch up until 9:00 this evening that covers the area. we've got a lot more detail for your fourth of july weekend.

it includes the beaches. a firefighter killed in the line of duty is honored. >> we'll tell you how d.c. is saluting one of its fallen. learn how it played out for his family and why some plan to follow in their father's footsteps. dangerous synthetic drugs. it gives some people super human strength. now it's wreaking havoc in our area. >> do you fear for your life?

. businesses caught selling bizarre owe, spies or any other synthetic drugs can now be temporarily shut down in the district. after a spike in overdoses the d.c. council just passed tougher rules cracking down on the sale of those synthetic drugs. chris gordon joins us from d.c.'s largest homeless shelter which has been grappling with recent overdoses. chris? >> reporter: we're right across the street from the d.c. police headquarters and it's a documented fact that people in that tunnel the third street tunnel under the labor department are selling and smoking synthetic marijuana which has led to that spike in over overdoses. the most recent last night. two patients were transported by

ambulance after overdosing in the 400 block of second street. near the shelter where earlier this month, 11 people overdosed and were treated at hospitals in a single day. douglas page who is one of the administrators of the shelter says people who don't live there are hanging around selling synthetic marijuana. the drugs come in colorful packages with names like k 2 and scooby snacks. the contents are often unknown. the synthetic drugs being sold today are powerful and make people violent. >> now it's a physical threat to not only our residents but also visitors and everyone else. we have had a number of attacks upon some of our staff members. >> john cleveland, a case manager at the shelter says this weekend an outsider smashed the office window. cleveland says the biggest danger he faces is when he goes out of the shelter. >> do you fear for your life? >> yes.

>> because of the use of synthetic drugs here? >> yes, it makes them stronger. >> and violent? >> very violent. >> the synthetic marijuana is being sold on the streets and at convenience stores. today d.c. council passed emergency legislation requested by the mayor to give d.c. police and other government agencies more power to crackdown on sellers. >> that is a victory for public safety i think. >> reporter: now ahead d.c.'s attorney general tells us how this new legislation will help him stop the sellers of synthetic drugs. if you want to know more about the dangerous side effects, check out our nbc washington app and search synthetic drugs. that's the latest live in northwest washington. chris gordon, news 4. severe thunderstorm watch until 9:00 tonight. what are we seeing on the radar right now, guys? showers and storms across northern maryland. frederick county getting hit

right now. the watch goes until 9:00. but we've been fortunate so far, very little in the way of severe weather reports. >> that's true. we've had isolated severe storms. that's really what we think we'll get through the evening hours. reports though in calvert county, the 100 block of thunderbird drive. calvert county northeast of -- trees down. that's where we could get the high winds coming through are the storms. >> gusty winds and small hail a possibility with the storms. toasty warm or -- 86 at joint base andrews. 83 in annapolis. cooler in southern maryland. we've seen a couple of thunderstorms already. here's storm team 4 radar. the strongest storm is across frederick county. this was a briefly severe storm a little while ago. it's moving to the eastern shore and away from us. brief periods of heavy rain here just northwest of downtown frederick along interstate 7 and hagerstown there. a little shower out here trying to bump up west of the norg ton area. what to expect the remainder of the afternoon into the evening

scattered showers and storms are still a possibility. any of these things that could get going could cause brief periods of wind damage or isolated amounts of flooding primarily before midnight. a look at the fourth of july is coming up. thanks, chuck. a former member of the uva swim team is suing five of his former teammates over allegations of hazing. anthony mark -- made to touch teammates private parts. he was forced to eat live goldfish and drink excessive amounts of alcohol. he says this happened last august during a time known as welcome week. the lawsuit says the swimming coach found out about this and did tell the school. uva released a statement saying the school cares deeply about the safety and well-being of all students and condones neither hazing nor retaliation. team usa versus germany. a battle of the world's best in the world cup semifinals taking place this evening. but for one local soccer player it's a bittersweet moment.

she was one of the last players cut from the american squad and while she plays on the washington spirit, she tells our carol maloney being left off the team really hurt. >> for all her speed and skill -- >> she's a game changer. >> loosen up a little. put some oil. >> she's also the class clown. >> she's a contagious personality. so warm and loving and always joking, dancing singing around. >> she's a big player now and she's famous. always the same crystal to me. she's dancing behind the camera right now. >> the washington spirit, spirit leader. >> shut down for a week when the world cup coaches toemd her she didn't make their team. >> for me, it was a really rough week. i turned my phone off. i didn't know what to do. i felt like a part of me died inside. twh that roster came out she was up set of and we were upset for her. it was a little weird seeing her not her bubbly self.

>> i told her the team needs her to be better. i think they can still succeed. but they would be better with her. >> wherever you go or don't go, you still have the ability and the power yourself to control whether it's good or bad. >> life goes on. that's my motto in life. you have bad days but there are greater days ahead. >> those days include watching from afar and producing on the field. seven goals in ten games this year. creating for the spirit and her future. >> women's soccer has come a long way. i think they need to gain as many followers and obviously i'm a big fan of the national team and i think the future is really bright for women's soccer. i am hoping to be a part of it. >> carol maloney news 4 sports. check out more of dunn in action, head over to the nbc washington app and just search crystal dunn. one of maryland's iconic sporting events could move a state delegate house's way. the journal reports pat

mcdonough filed legislation to move the preakness from pimlico to another location in baltimore. mcdonough called pimlico dated. his top pick, port covington, a few miles south of the inner harbor. the preakness has been at pimlico for more than 100 years. current law only allows this race to move for a disaster or an emergency. the police response to last year's protests in ferguson, missouri, flared tensions instead of containing them. nbc news obtained a draft report of a justice department investigation into the response following michael brown's death. it found that the use of dogs snipers and military-style tactical vehicles escalated the situation. and it finds commanders did not issue clear instructions to responding officers about lawful protests leaving demonstrators without a clear place to protest. crab prices are on the rise as we head into the fourth of july weekend. now the police are cracking down

on people who break the rules of crabbing. we'll explain how the interesting way they are getting the word out on this campaign. donald trump fires

nbc fired him monday and donald trump is suing uni-vision over the network's decision to

not have the pageant. $500 million lawsuit. he says uni-vision is suppressing his freedom of speech by dropping the pageant. uni-vision made their decision after he said mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the u.s. and are rapists during the kickoff to his presidential campaign. nbc dropped the pageant as well. it's unclear if trump will take legal action against nbc as well. thank you, chris. maryland is cracking down on illegal crabbing. today the state department of natural resources began its don't get pinched campaign focusing on crab fishermen to make sure they're aware of minimal sizes harvest hours and the limits on the number of crabs they can catch. a short crab supply has driven up the price of maryland's beautiful swimmers s and those high prices may hang on throughout the summer. but the crab population is rising. it's just that they're still too small. they won't be ready for

harvesting, many of them until the fall. the death of a firefighter has not deterred his family from wanting to become firefighters too. sti on news 4, we have the special tribute to one of our own killed in the line of duty. fire marshals across our area are inspecting stands like this one for general safety concerns. but tonight there's an added layer of concern when it comes to terrorists using consumer fireworks. i'm david culver in fairfax county. that story is ahead. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. keeping a careful eye on the sky out there. still have a severe thunderstorm watch that goes until 9:00. see you in a few minutes future weather and your

we're watching storms on this tuesday. we want to know what will happen on the fourth of july. >> big weekend upon us. here's chuck with a check on the forecast. >> i'm optimistic about the fourth, you guys. by the time the fireworks go off at sundown about 9:00. i believe it will be dry for fireworks bay or downtown or the mountains or the beach. a live view looking northbound from the res ton camera. north of the frederick area, that's where the showers are. can't see the cloud here. our tower looking here out to the west, there's tyson's corner in the distance. one black cloud literally hanging over channel 4 right now but not producing anything in the way of rainfall. storm team 4 radar, see where the rain is. it is on the eastern shore. it is across parts of frederick county and northernmost washington county. those showers and april rumble or two of thunder are headed into southern pennsylvania the

next 30 to 40 minutes. by and large, things that are downstream of the metro area are down to the south and west. just nothing is bubbling up just yet. one thunderstorm on the eastern shore, south of the cambridge area, that's not bothering anybody. north of frederick, it will be south of thurmont. towards westminster maryland or mount air, you'll get hit with a couple of drops. prince george's county, 86, mostly cloudy at 6:00 p.m. 72 degrees by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. it will be a warm and humid day. little humid anyway tomorrow. temperatures around 88 degrees by 6:00 tomorrow evening. right now, we're in the mid to upper 80s all across the area. in the metro. some upper 70s where we have seen april couple of showers. winchester towards martinsburg, lieu ray. the development of showers is being -- showers will be in western fairfax county the next little bit. i'm not convinced about that. by 6:45, if thes develop,

they'll be moving through the d.c. area. we have to get them going first. i'm not confident in future weather over the super short term. i do think it has a handle on, though, are the storm chances coming in much later tonight. there's quite a bit of thunderstorm action across parts of southern ohio now. what's left of that will be making i-81 by 11:00 tonight and i do think we may have a chance for a rumble or two of thunder towards 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. so you might have a rumble or two in the overnight hours tonight. so not completely done with our thunderstorm chances but we are certainly not seeing anything in the immediate future. so for tomorrow start out temperatures in the low 70s. up to near 90 degrees for a high temperature tomorrow. here's your extended forecast now. the seven-day. 90 tomorrow. looks like tomorrow will be a dry day. rain chances are back on us for both thursday with a chance for storms, friday a chance of a shower or two. but not much in the way of a thunderstorm chance. then as we head into the weekend both saturday and sunday are looking great. partly cloudy and dry. temperatures in the mid-80s both

days. perfect for your fireworks plans. >> i'll say. chuck, thank you. new worries about the fireworks you can buy this time of year. >> david culver is outside -- it live at a stand in fairfax county with a look at what law enforcement officers are worried about. >> wendy and jim, the real concern tonight is that would-be terrorists will stock up on consumer grade fireworks, fireworks like you see in shopping centers across northern virginia. law enforcement is being warned that components from the fireworks may be used in an attack. >> heightened terror concerns ahead of the independence day celebration. no specific threats. local police, again preparing to patrol areas where many of you will gather to get the best view. tonight concerns shift to the smaller fireworks ones you can buy at the shopping center stands. northern virginia regional intelligence center warning law enforcement, terrorists could be trying to get their hands-on

these to make improvised explosive devices with potentially deadly outcomes. >> the technique isn't new. in fact the explosives used in the boston marathon bombing two years ago had gunpowder taken from fireworks. this is what federal agents recovered. same thing three years earlier in new york city. this was the foiled car bombing attempt in times square. here's something stand operators and you are being asked to look for. people buying unusually large quantities of fireworks. look for those asking how to enhance, disassemble or combine the fireworks with other chemicals. keep an eye out for those with a curiosity about potential damage or a nervous demeanor or vague answers about the reasons for purchasing or using fireworks. >> each one of these has to get submitted for testing. >> the concern for fire marshals, nonterrorists-related. consumers getting hurt. >> we walked along with captain george hollingsworth and javon

wilson, fourth of july is an extreme ly busy time for them. >> we want them intact and in good shape. they do a good job of making sure they sell good products a at all these stands. >> police are being asked to keep vigilant. there are certain signs that they're looking for when they're looking into potential threats. i'm going to run through that list for you when we see you ahead at 6:00. things that you may benefit from as well. jim? >> david, thanks so much. from fresh fruit to fresh fish. some new food ongss are coming to our national mall. authorized to sell food on the nation's front lawn is expanding the menu at six kiosks. some items will be healthier. around the lincoln memorial you'll find fruit and cheese plates and hummus and veggie burgers and hamburgers. by the museums of natural or american history, the options will include pizza and barbecue. that's where i'll be hanging out. near the air and space museum, you'll be able to get grilled chicken, even seafood. wendy. one of the last old time

hardware stores in virginia is now history. clark hardware in culpepper is closed for good. it first opened in 1906. changed very little over time. the current owner bought it from the widow of its founder. he's now 73 ready to retire but was not able to find a buyer. clark's hardware was the second oldest business in downtown culpeper behind the star exponent newspaper. >> we have new information on a story you saw first on 4. u.s. marshals working to unite brides with their wedding dresses after the government seized a bridal shop in prince george's county. on friday, we first told you about the abrupt closure of couture miss bridal and formal. the contents seized as part of the restitution for the owner's 2013 theft conviction. since our report on friday at least 25 bridal shop customers have called the u.s. attorney's office. if you're a customer go to

nbcwashington.com. search bridal shop for information on what you can do to get your gown. from now on, one day a year will be known as kevin mccray day in the district. he's the d.c. firefighter who died in the line of duty last month. today the council honored him. mccray's son spoke to mark segraves about how they're coping with the loss and their plans to follow in their father's footsteps. >> two of kevin mccray's sons are making plans tofighters. just like their dad. >> doing better. becoming stronger. >> davon mckrae just took the entrance exam. he and his dad talked about joining the department before he died. >> he told me that to follow your dream and keep pushing. >> his son davon was wearing his father's department pin today as he and his family received a ceremonial resolution from the d.c. council. >> for his distinguished service and extensive contribution to the district of columbia by declaring november 22 2015,

kevin's birthday, as lieutenant kevin mccray day. [ applause ] >> his wife is now left to raise their four children. but she says she's not doing it alone. she has hundreds of firefighters by her side. >> they're like a family. they are my family. >> how are you doing? >> i'm hoemd holding up. thank you. >> they're helpful to us. been there every step of the way. if it wasn't for them i really don't know how we could have -- they've been helping us out, especially with my mother and sister. >> kevin was 44 years old when he died fighting an apartment building fire. he was the second member of his family to die in the line of duty as a d.c. firefighter. in the district, mark segraves news 4. we first introduced you to the d.c. firefighter who wants to be the next american ninja warrior. in case you missed it we'll show you how he pulled it off and one step closer to achieving

his goal. >> i'm tom sherwood in the district. i a new hiv-aids report out. there's good news in here and not so good news.

. oh, boy. there it is. he was smoking last night.

good bet that american ninja warrior will be a popular show next week in d.c. firehouses. d.c. firefighter among the top 20 qualifiers on the show. mike bernardo made it through to the american nineveh warriors course. he moves on to the city finals for a chance to head to vegas. you can follow along by watching american ninja warrior here on nbc4. the fight against the hiv-aids epidemic in the district is working. >> the infection rate has dropped for the sixth year in a row. as news 4's tom sherwood reports, the district still has a major battle on its hands, however, to get that rate even lower. >> 31-year-old d.c. native duane lawson brown has spent 15 years, half his life fighting hiv-aids in his hometown. he says the latest hiv-aids report still shows too many african-american men reluctant to get tested or treated.

>> the main thing that we need that we're fighting is really stigma. stigma is what fills the spread of the hiv virus. >> he was on hand tuesday as mayor muriel bow certificate and health officials announced hiv rates have dropped for six years in a row, a 40% decrease since 2009. and other good news -- >> i'm also pleased to tell you that there were no babies, none, zero born with hiv in the district of columbia 2013. >> despite aggressive treatment, the 2.5% infection rate remains too high, especially east of the anacostia. >> as long as we're still above 1% this is still an epidemic in our community. >> it is great that we have only 553 new infections. it is terrible that we still have 553 infections.

>> a recent ban by metro on issue advertising is blocking the new anti-aids campaign. but the city says aggressive outreach is working. >> you have to know your status. if you're positive, you have to stay in care. it's a simple solution. >> officials say they're targeting hiv and other sexually transmitted diseases for even more sharp drops by 2020. in the district, tom sherwood news 4. first at 6:00 tonight we're on a storm watch. in some parts of the area, rain is coming down hard. watches and warnings are posted for the entire region. >> veronica johnson told us yesterday this was coming. some people are really starting to see it right now. veronica, what's the latest? >> the latest is tracking strong thunderstorms on radar. we're seeing some storms move out and some move into our area. around cambridge area, the storm system is moving out of the watch area. the severe thunderstorm watch

that's up until 9:00 covers the area. i would not be surprised if a warning is issued as it makes its way eastward towards salisbury. we have more storms to the north. frederick maryland, they're getting heavy rain. with any of the storms, there's the potential for some hail. look at what i think is going to be moving into our area between 11:00 p.m. and midnight. scattered storms now. but look at this line with a lot of lightning with it. any storms that we get, while that watch goes until 9:00, i do think they pass that. there's a chance for high winds and flash flooding. i'll give you more of the timing of the storms and of course looking forward to the fourth of july weekend in a couple of minutes. >> thanks veronica. takoma park police officer indicted in a terrifying road rage case. he tailgated a