astronaut scott kelly is about to hitch a wild ride back to earth. right now voters across the country are hitting the polls. it's super tuesday, the biggest decision day of the presidential campaign so far. >> the candidates have been making their last-minute appeals across the country and you have until 7:00 to cast your ballot in virginia. >> it will be one of the first states to start counting the votes tonight. we'll be tracking results as they come in tonight and early tomorrow morning. >> a lot of delegates are at stake today. it's the single biggest haul of the primary season. 12 states and a u.s. territory are holding primaries for republicans that means nearly half the delegate as candidate needs to clinch the nomination. not quite as make-or-break for the democrats, but still about a third of the delegates they need. coming up later, steve handelsman reports on the candidate many say is in a do-or-die situation.

kentucky, republican presidential hopeful donald trump is looking beyond super tuesday to the next contest. party caucuses saturday in the bluegrass state. a poll conducted last week by western kentucky university has trump leading marco rubio by 13 points there. that poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3%. virginia is a key state, we'll be covering results through tonight at 11:00, into tomorrow morning. make sure you have our nbc washington app, because as soon as the republicans, democrats declare a winner tonight in virginia, that's where we will bring you the breaking news alert. it's also where you can watch all of the victory speeches. make sure you have our app, we're going to be updating this race all night.

pushing out alerts, especially telling you where people voted in virginia, and what counties helped swing the race one way to another. it's also in our app is where you can watch the victory speeches. you'll want to keep it here for expanded coverage of super tuesday, we'll air an hour-long version of "nightly news" at 7:00, we'll see you at 11:00 with live reports from virginia and other races as well. a man is injured after a shooting near the campus of montgomery college. police say the victim flagged down a motorist on hungerford road. police say the victim thought to be in his 20s is not cooperating. he was shot in the leg, he is expected to survive. thousands of first responders are saying good-bye to a police officer who was killed on her first day on the job. fellow

down the east coast to pay tribute to prince william county officer ashley guindon. julie carey was at the service today at hilton chapel in woodbridge. ♪ >> ashley guindon's mother who lives in massachusetts was held in the embrace of two prince william county officers as she entered the chapel, followed by other family members. during the service, ashley was remembered as a loving daughter and highly intelligent young woman who was driven to pursue a career of service. she was sworn in last friday, only to be shot along with two other officers as they responded to a domestic violence call saturday evening. here's police chief steve hudson. >> she had accomplished more in 28 years than i think i could in 100. that was her desire, to serve. to be involved in the things that mattered. to give her life to something worth giving it to.

woodbridge had their morning disrupted. chopper 4 flew over the dillingham square shopping center as police responded to a bank robbery at the bb & t branch there. witnesses say they saw a man jump over a counter while pointing a knife at a teller and demanding cash. police are searching for the suspect, who they say ran into nearby woods with a white grocery bag full of cash. just amazing how warm these temperatures were today. i mean just amazing, we went for a high of 62 today, we had 65 at the airport. look at the other numbers, 71 in warrenton, 70 in fredericksburg, 73 in fenton. even frederick, maryland coming in at 66 degrees. so some incredible warmth across the region today. but guess what, yeah, that's not going to last long. we've got a major frontal boundary, a very strong cold front making its way, you can see what's happening back towards

big-time snowstorm up there. for us, we're going to get in on the rain as it makes its way in here overnight tonight and early tomorrow morning and behind this system, it gets a lot colder. take a look at the current temperature, 61 in d.c. 72 in raleigh. behind this, 24 right now in chicago. 36 in st. louis. 53 in cincinnati. right where the change is so you can see exactly what's happening with the cold air moving on down. it will be a lot colder tomorrow at the bus stop. 43, but rather breezy tomorrow. wind chills will be in the 30s, could even be in the upper 20s, we'll talk more about the cold air moving in and what to expect next, because yes, we're still talking a chance of snow. >> back to our super tuesday coverage now. as we've said, virginia is playing a key role in who will move on to secure the nomination. northern virginia bureau david culver is in bristol talking with voters. >> battleground virginia right

been talking with voters leading up to today. primary day for virginia, one of 11 states across the nation going to the polls. it's interesting over the past several days, a lot of people have expressed to me their frustration when it comes to this election and the campaign season overall. interestingly enough as they've been walking in to this elementary and middle school here in bristow, virginia, that frustration is seems to still be there. does it feel like it's been lasting forever? >> yes. >> what about the campaign rhetoric? has it been a lot of noise, back and forth? do you feel like you've hard the issues that matter to you? >> it's a lot of noise. i really do, it's a lot of noise and unfortunately i'm worried that it's just that. just noise are, we going to get change? are we going to get what we need? or is it just politics as usual? >> what do you make of the election process so far this year? >> scary. >> why scary? >> the choices. very scary.

choices? >> of course not. are any of us? >> one guy telling me that if he had the choice to hit none of the above, that would be his choice as he walked in there today. but you know, i said why come here? why be here anyway? he said it's my civic duty there are folks fighting overseas, that's why he's here and that's why several others have shown up here. virginia is a battleground state, a key state in all of this. we'll break down to news4 at 5:00 and 6:00, why prince william county and loudoun county is so important to the candidates, we're going to be covering it all from prince william county and across northern virginia now we'll send it back to you. we stay in virginia, police found several surprises when they responded to a call of shots fired in a neighborhood in fairfax county. and astronaut scott kelly almost home after spending the last year in space. a look at how his body may have changed while he was up

about zika. a new study finds its also linked

we're getting new details about the zika virus. researchers have found new evidence that could link zika to a paralyzing condition called guillain-barre syndrome. now this syndrome is a neurological illness that usually lasts a few weeks. typically it occurs after you get a viral or bacterial infection. a group of scientists looked at brood tests from a group

guillain-barre during an outbreak two years ago. all of them were carrying the zika virus antibodies. which shows they had been infected. experts say they still need more evidence from other locations to confirm the potential connection. the legal battle over your privacy and national security moves from the courts to capitol hill today. right now, a house judiciary committee hearing is entering its third hour. with fbi director james comey testifying. he talked about why the fbi wants apple to break the encryption on its devices, specifically in the case of the locked iphone belonging to one of the san bernardino shooters. comey said both the fbi and apple have everyone's best interests and security in mind. >> there are no demons in this debate. the companies are not evil, the government is not evil. you have a whole lot of good people who see the world through different lenses. who care about things. all care about the same things. >> top lawyer for apple is also testifying. a recent c

the fbi unlock the phone. but yesterday a judge in new york ruled that the government cannot force the company to do that. forbes just came out with its annual ranking of the world's richest people and mosquito's co-founder bill gates remains in the top spot -- microsoft. warren buffett is the third richest and jeff bezos is number five. and the richest woman on the list comes in at number 11, lillian betancourt is part of the family that owns l'oreal. major changes you're going to see along one stretch in montgomery county is the construction of the purple line gets closer.

grabbing some cash at some convenience stores may cost you more than just a few dollars in extra fees. darcy spencer is in prince george's county with a warning from police about an atm scam. >> if you use your debit card inside a 7-eleven at the atm machine here recently in bowie. you're asked to check your bank statements to make sure you're not the victim of fraud. skimming machines along with cameras were fnd

machines in three different 7-elevens in bowie. they were discovered last thursday, police don't know how long these devices were attached to these atms and how many victim there is may be. police are still investigating. they haven't figured out who put these devices on these atm machines. now coming up on news4 at 5:00, you'll hear from one woman who was scammed out of hundreds of dollars. and i'll tell you what you can do to try to protect yourself from this kind of fraud. in bowie, darcy spencer, news4. new task force in prince george's county is meeting for the first time today to discuss whether schools are doing enough to keep children safe. the group was formed after a teacher's aide was charged with sexually abusing children in school. the task force will review the school district's safety and security policies and decide what needs to be changed. we should hear the results by early may. the deonte carraway now

exploiting children to produce child porn. the indictment claims he took part in graphic sex acts with at least 11 victims. federal prosecutors say all of the victims are between the ages of nine and 12. carraway was an aide at judge sylvania woods elementary in glenarden. homeless man is under arrest after an unusual situation in mclean. michael stride is charged with shooting his gun into someone's home. police say stride was squatting in a house on cherry drive, and fired some shots into the house next door. one whe they came to arrest him, police found several handguns, as well as a six-foot python inside the house with him. it would take a better man than me to make a transition from that to weather. so i'll just let you handle that, pat. >> let's start with the fact that it's the first of may, coming in like a lamb, are we being set up? >> yes. >> i like, i

the next day tomorrow coming in like a lion. i mean what a big change we are going to see in the next 24 hours. really it will probably be in the next 12 hours, waking up tomorrow morning 4:00 a.m. you'll notice a huge difference. still 61 degrees, the winds have shifted out of the southeast a little bit. the easterly component helping to cool things down at the airport. winds up to 14 miles per hour. the winds get kind of breezy tonight ahead of this frontal boundary. look at the numbers, still 66 in leesburg. 70 in charlottesville. 64 around the manassas area, down towards mount vernon coming in at 60 degrees, a very warm afternoon. the front is close. but it's not close enough yet to give us rain or snow. this is going to be all rain. we're not wore ryed about any snow. the snow is up into michigan, moving in from canada. this is a line of thunderstorms that right now is moving our direction. i do think we could see some thunder and lightning with this. the bigger issue is the cold. tonight, 6:00,

cloud cover. here we are around 10:00, starting to see the showers back towards martinsburg, hagerstown, culpepper, orange, by midnight this, this is when it's coming through here and the best chance to hear the rumble of thunder. it won't bring heavy rain, but it's going to be a very quick downpour moving through at about 30 to 40 miles per hour. then it's out of here. by 8:00 a.m., we're totally dry. but the difference is how cold we're going to be tomorrow. it's going to be a much colder afternoon. here's your hour-by-hour forecast tomorrow. we're sitting at 61 degrees, we hit a high of 65. tomorrow, we're in the 40s. 43 degrees at 7:00 a.m. 43 at 11:00. and we're windy all day long. that puts wind chills in the 30s, some of you will be seeing wind chills in the upper 20s tomorrow. so we're talking a much colder day on our wednesday. and the cold air is going to be sticking around here. 45 degrees on your wednesday, 42 degrees on thursday. he

really thursday night into friday, thursday night this is what we're looking at, a chance of rain and snow coming in late thursday night. goes until friday morning. now exactly what we're going to see as far as the rain/snow line, where is it going to develop? that still remains to be seen. some areas will see some snow. we think we'll see a few slick spots early for the morning rush on friday morning. that's what we're going to be watching over the next couple of days. guys, we've seen three days in a row in the 60s, say good-bye to that. >> all right. for now. thank you, doug. another emotional day for the sportscaster, whose most private moments were recorded and posted online. new this afternoon, how the defense is trying to raise questions about aaron andrews. i could go another 100 days, i could go another year if i had to. >> but his wife has something to say about that. a big homecoming is in the works for an american astronaut. why doctors are eagerly awaiting his return. on this super tuesday,

you vote in a presidential primary outside of your political party? it's our nbc/washington survey. no, i might, i would if i could.

an out of this world homecoming, we'll say? it will be a celebration kicking off for astronaut consol kscott return from a record-setting aboard the international space station, almost a full year. >> and nasa will be looking at the impact on kelly's health. >> 340 days, 5400 earth orbits, nearly 11,000 sunsets. for nearly a year, scott kelly has floated 250 miles above the earth. >> probably almost half the time i've been here between sleeping and working on the computer, i've spent in basically a box the size of a phonebooth. >> he's captured and tweeted some breathtaking images of sunrises, massive weather systems, melting ice caps and a spacesuit selfie. he's also been the ideal test subject to evaluate the physical d

long-duration space flight. because on the ground in tucson, is scott's twin brother, mark, retired astronaut and husband of former congresswoman gabby giffords. as a near genetic duplicate. researchers have been comparing mark to scott. to evaluate the effects of space on scott. critical if astronauts are ever going to mars. and -- twins will be twins. it was mark who sent a gorilla suit into space for scott to terrorize other astronauts. but the science is serious stuff. >> they had an opportunity that they've never had before. my brother and i are the only individuals, the only siblings that have ever flown in space. and the fact that we're twins gave them this unique opportunity to do some pretty substantial science. >> cover of "time" magazine. >> at his home in houston just weeks before his mission began last year, i asked scott what he would miss most. >> are you gong

are you going to miss pizza? are you going to miss watering the lawn? what will you miss? >> i think what most people miss, what i missed last time is the people that are important in your lives. you know your relationships that you have with people on the ground. >> from space he says, that's still true. >> there's certainly a loss of connection with folks on the ground. that you care for and love. and you want to spend time with. >> still, after nearly 144 million miles, he says he's not climbing the walls. >> i could go another 100 days. i could go another year if i had to. >> no need, after 11 months in space, late tonight scott kelly will finally be home. >> and you can only imagine how excited he'll be to get back here, to have a seat on the ground again. >> it's fascinating to see the, it will be fascinating to see what the effects are to be out there for so long. w y

another man's treasure? >> what you can keep instead of throwing away, can make a huge difference in prince william county. and our super tuesday coverage continues throughout the night. we're going to texas next. a must-win for senator ted cruz.

we're coming back to live pictures now, we're going to take a

trump's event. he's in kentucky. so mr. trump already looking ahead from super tuesday, they're going to caucus there on the weekend. but with his, he's expected to win big tonight. he has the luxury of being able to look ahead a bit. >> and david culver live in bristow where the voting wraps up at 7:00, one of the first states to start counting votes, david will continue our coverage through our newscast this evening and into the night as those votes come in. so not counting today, four states now, 46 to go. but today obviously a big day on the calendar. virginia is one of about a dozen states where voters are casting ballots for their party's presidential nominee. >> if the polls are correct, it's shaping up as a winning day for the front-runners. hillary clinton and donald trump. but trump is facing a huge challenge in the state that awards the most delegates. steve handelsman is working that story in texas. >> texas senator ted

that's do or die for him. >> any candidate who cannot win his home state has real problems. >> state polls show cruz with a lead over donald trump. >> i voted for ted cruz primarily because i don't want donald trump to get those electoral votes in texas. >> trump without texas could sweep 10 of the 11 super tuesday states. he and his new ally, chris christie are talking tough. i deal with rubio, i deal with cruz, these guys don't know anything, they have no clue what's going on. >> next two weeks, his desperate opponents will say and do anything to try to dare him down. >> america's top elected republican tried today. house speaker paul ryan on trump not repudiating the kkk. >> if a person wants to be the nominee of the republican party there can be no evasion and no games. they must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. >> marco rubio t

two weeks until the vote in florida called trump unelectable. and democrat hillary clinton slammed trump. >> i'm going to continue to speak out against bigotry wherever i see it or hear about it. >> like trump, clinton could win every super tuesday state but one, vermont. where bernie sanders hopes for a big turn-out in other liberal states. >> if there's not, we're going to be struggling. >> like ted cruz, if he loses texas. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, stafford, texas. nbc news will have expanded coverage of super tuesday. we'll air an hour-long edition of "nightly news" at 7:00 p.m. and nbc will have a primetime election special at 10:00 on news4 at 11:00. we'll have live reports on the races and the results in virginia. now to a developing story involving plans to bring the purple line to maryland's suburbs. the proposed light rail would link prince george's county with montgomery. >> there's new signs the project is closer to

and chris gordon is in chevy chase, picking up that part of the story. >> this is chris gordon in montgomery county. if you commute along connecticut avenue, you no doubt recognize this landmark, inside the beltway. the chevy chase lake shopping center. now tw perry, the hardware and builder supplier, has been here for more than 100 years. it was here since 1911. and this show room is closed now. and the store, the hardware itself, the hardware store, it will be closed. joseph bank and the hair salon, they've been closed, too. you ask why? because a major development, a real estate mixed use development is coming to this area. and it's going to be right next to the proposed purple line. the 16-mile light rail system

connecting bethesda and new carrollton. so what is happening here, is change. and the big question is -- what will happen to the chevy chase supermarket? the destination for food shoppers throughout this area? we'll have answers to these questions and more coming up on news4 at 5:00. back to you. thanks, chris. a source with the redskins tells news4 the team is still trying to work out a long-term deal with its quarterback. we sent you a news alert on the nbc washington app when the skins put the franchise tag on kirk cousins, as it stands now he'll make close to $20 million this year. the team is work out a long-term deal not as expensive. but they only have until july 15th to do so cousins could sign with another team, but they'd have to give the redskins two first-round draft picks as compensation and no team is likely to do that. well they asked for your feedback and today fairfax county addressed your concern concerns about the clean-up after theig

unshoveled school sidewalks, insufficient police patrols at intersection and inconsistent plowing patterns. the board of supervisors revi reviewed those concerns and say residents had to wait too long for their streets to be cleared. >> the majority of comments we received was 33% and 81 individuals contacted our office that it took too long for the plows to get to their streets. >> the residents complained that plowing was incomplete. v-dot has promised to look at ways to improve snow removal. you know sooner or later we're going to get that next big storm. well not any time soon, no big storm for us, but we have the chance for a little bit of snow in the forecast. looking at our temperatures over the last couple of days, yes again, we g

a lot of folks just loving today. well, get ready for a big change, dramatic as we head into the day tomorrow. and through the day tomorrow. because our wind chill temperatures tomorrow are going to be in the 30s. from 67 today to feeling like we're in the 30s tomorrow. wow. now that's incredible. for this evening, though, mild out. we've got a chance of rain after about 9:00, 10:00 p.m. our temperatures this evening, 55-60 degrees, not bad after a nice day. of course we're tracking this weather system that will deliver the change. you can see the rain ahead of it. a few thunderstorms in kentucky, ohio and around tennessee. there's the leading edge sweeping this way. for us, the change after 11:00. and by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, 45 degrees. the rain is going to be ending. but falling temperatures. we'll talk more about the change and the other system for the week that's going to bring a little bit of snow in a few minutes. some churches in prince william county are in desperate need of something you might just throw away.

parishioners are turning plastic bags into sleeping mats for the homeless. the mats help people stay dry and warm. at top speed it takes about -- takes several hours to crochet about 700 bags into a mat. >> it provides protection it doesn't soak up water and it insulates from the cold ground. >> because of the number of homeless people that we have, it is going to take thousands of bags for us to be able to make the mats. >> and develop little is wasted in this project. the handles and bottoms of the bags that are cut off before crocheting are used as the pad for the pillow. the pursuit in stand-off went on for hours and the man who allegedly kidnapped a woman and two kids in his hummer somehow got away from police. the manhunt continues now. helping parents stay connected. even when they can't be by their babbe

the academy awards may have come and gone, but the local woman behind the #oscarssowhite is still pushing hollywood to pay attention to its lack of

activist here in d.c. during an interview with nbc washington, rain said she created the hash tag a year ago when the list of 2015 oscar nominees came out. she said she was frustrated by the lack of diversity on the roster and decided to vent on twitter. the hash tag started trending almost immediately and it picked up steam again this year. when the 2016 nominees were announced. rain says she's hopeful for the future. i hope a change is going to be incremental. academy members indicated that the academy expects to diversify its membership by 2020 and double the number of people of color and women within its ranks. >> you can read the entire interview on the nbc washington app. given the chance, what would you ask pope francis? and how do you think he would answer? that's the idea behind dear pope francis, the pontiff's new book just out today.

dozens of children's letters from around the world. baby monitoring goes a step further at a hospital in indiana. live cameras in the neo-natal intensive care unit at st. vincent women's hospital in indianapolis, give parents round-the-clock access to check in on their new babies. and grandparents and other family members can keep tabs. >> it's such a comfort. we pull it up all the time. anywhere we are, out and about on our phone, we're constantly like, what's he doing? how does he look today? >> each camera set up costs about $2,000. the head of the neo-natal icu unit hopes this becomes the standard of care for every child at the hospital. well rain is moving back in tonight and then it's a return to winter. the forecast is next. and for a second day, erin andrews takes the stand to testify against the stalker who secretly videotaped her in her hotel room. and consumer reporter susan

t save enough to put it's about taking a stand. for too long, wall street banks had their way. they crashed our economy. but democrat donna edwards won't take their money because she stands up for us. as a single mom, she knows the challenges our families face. she'll be our voice. tightening regulations on the big banks and fighting to keep dark money out of politics. democrat donna edwards, maryland's next senator.

millennials are becoming a major force in the housing market. but their biggest obstacle is putting money down. consumer reporter susan hogan has been looking at ways to afford the down payment. >> nearly three-quarters of americans between the ages of 18-34 said they'd like to buy their own home according to a consumer reports survey. but high rental costs and student debt make it difficult

fortunately there are resources out there. to help. like many millennials, 25-year-old sarah was tired of throwing away money on high rent and wanted to own her own apartment. >> i felt like the rental market was just going to go up in price and i was going to be spending a lot of money without really a return on investments. >> but even with a steady job, she didn't have enough for the 20% downpayment, that's required to avoid high payments and costly mortgage insurance. she was able to get a combination of low and zero interest loans to help with her up-front costs. >> these programs are really intended to bring people into the housing market who really have the basics in place. they just need a little extra something to get them into housing. >> find out about available programs, at downpayment resource.com andyo

educators, firefighters and those in other professions. another resource for low-to-moderate income resource bo bor borers. says it's important for counselors to work with applicants so they understand how much they can afford. >> we're pretty straightforward with them. nobody is doing anybody any favores if they put them into the housing market, they buy a home, they can't sustain it. >> no matter how you plan to pay for your home, "consumer reports" says first-time buyers should make their sure credit record is sass good as possible that will help you make the best deal no matter who your lender is. >> if you decide to tap family members such as your parents for help with a down payment, they can give up to $14,000 to an unlimited number of people each year and still face no federal gift tax. so you have to be aware of those irs

>> mom and dad are willing to dole out the money. >> if they're willing to fork over $14,000. >> they can adopt me. >> good parents. thank you, susan. veronica a chance of rain and a chance of snow and some dramatic changes headed our way. as a matter of fact big changes during the overnight period that we're going to have to deal with first. let me show you what's on the radar, nothing, scanning the area, it's quiet. here's where we are at 9:00. showers leading edge making its way into the winchester, you can watch the rain as it quickly advances eastward this is going to be a fast-moving front. not too strong. we'll get a quarter of an inch, but the big thing is by tomorrow morning, we'll have sunshine that rain should be out of here. but it's going to get windy and cold. big changes with falling temperatures throughout the day.

go from in the 60s today to feeling like we're in the 30s tomorrow. all of the temperatures will be dropping and holding steady as the pocket of 45 degrees. winds could gust over 30, even upwards of 35 miles per hour. here's a look at your hourly wind chills, 7:00 a.m., 25-30 degrees, what it will feel like. by lunchtime. we've got a chance to have our lunch outside today, because it was so nice. but tomorrow, same time? feeling like 30-35 degrees. by the afternoon, not much better. 31-37 degrees and the wind chill and what it will feel like. absolutely when the kids head out the door, they'll need the big coat, the scarf to stay warm for tomorrow. even for the remainder of the work week. we started our work week feeling a lot like spring now we wrap it up feeling like winter. check out the day planner forecast for thursday, we go through the day with increasing clouds, then by the end of the day, we're going to pick up not only some rain, but some snow, a mixture of rain and snow late on

morning. so here's a look at your hourly planner. 4:00 thursday, we're dry. 42 the temperature. we're mostly cloudy at 6:00, 40 degrees the temperature. upper 30s by 9:00, that's when we go from rain to a mixture of rain and snow. same deal for early friday morning. 6:00 a.m. friday, the green, that's the rain. up here, the white, the pink, a mixture of snow and maybe rain. as we go into the noon hour to 1:00, the system moves out and that's when we'll see the mixture of conditions back into the area and pick up a little bit of snow. so there may be some delays early friday morning. we'll monitor it closely. your weekend pretty nice, around 50 degrees, we'll talk more about the pattern for next week which i think you'll like coming up in news4 at 5:00. erin andrews' legal team rested their case in her stalking lawsuit. only after she

stand. it comes eight years after a convicted stalker released nude video that he secretly taped inside a marriott hotel room. nbc's jay gray has more on the day in court. >> i think about it every day. >> for the second straight day, erin andrews' emotions spilled over in the courtroom. as she talked about being videotaped without her knowledge, nude inside a nashville hotel room. >> there's always that thought as i walk right by the fans, near as close to me as they are to me, i think, everyone in that stadium has seen that video. >> that posted online was posted online by michael barrett who spent 30 months in jail after admitting to stalking the popular sportscaster in three cities, altering peepholes in her hotel room doors and secretly recording her. now andrews is seeking $75 million in a civil lawsuit that names barrett, along with the nashville marriott and its management company at the time of the incident. claiming negligence, emotional distress, a

>> do you believe you will ever get over this? >> no. >> during a brief cross-examination today, the hotel's lawyers looked to establish that andrews' career hasn't been irreparably damaged. >> you've done very well in your career. >> yes. >> they also argue the hotel had nothing to do with barrett's actions. despite reports staff members told him andrews was staying there and agreed to give him the room next door. the trial is expected to wrap up by the end of this week. jay gray, nbc news. we are working on several developing stories in the news room right now. including the growing questions and anger over the death of a man in winchester, virginia, who was being chased by police. officers say he shot himself as he ran off. his family and friends dispute that. news4's jackie benson will have a report coming up. a new wrinkle today in the

and energy giant exelon, it could be a serious one. this was supposed to be a $7 billion deal. tom sherwood is getting details on what happened since the merger was approved on friday and what it means for your bills. going to have a live report in the next hour. controversy in chicago. over a high school skit many are calling offensive. extremely offensive. parents are outraged and they want answers. (elephant sound) there's a big difference between making noise, (tapping sound) and making sense. (elephant sound) (donkey sound) when it comes to social security,

nt needs a real plan to keep social security strong. (elephant noise) hey candidates. enough talk. give us a plan.

the search is on for a man who kidnapped his girlfriend and her two children then led police on a chaotic chase. it continues in southern california. this is video of that chase. which started yesterday evening and lasted for several hours. the pursuit ended in a stand-off when the hummer's battery died. shots were fired and the girlfriend and the children escaped unharmed. the suspect managed to run away. and police think he's armed. talk about a close call. driver lost control of his car in arlington, texas. it rear-ended another car, knocked over a gas pump. immediately caught fire. fortunately, the emergency shut-off cut the gas supply and prevented an actual explosion, the people in the car didn't know that you can see them open their door, grab their two kids and run for cover. parents in chicago are outraged over a high school skit. a group of students pched recently. >> as christian farr reports, this was

that they performed over the weekend. he's got details. >> today we have -- >> this skit shocked many who had been watching. [ inaudible ] [ inaudible ] [ inaudible ] >> these barrington high school students decided to perform a mock slave auction to show off their school spirit. >> i was -- outraged. that's the only word that i can come up with. >> kenwood academy parent danielle mcdaniel had been in the audience watching the skit and couldn't believe her eyes. >> watching a live slave auction complete with chains it was as bit much. it was overwhelming. >> the kenwood academy with barrington students had been taking part in the illinois junior classical convention in ithasca friday morning when the barrington students performed the slave auction skit which included chains and ended with someone winning the auction. go

sold. in a written statement, the school district offered apologies to those offended by the actions of our high school students. we understand the concern and are reviewing the incident with the students and staff who were involved. >> i truly am sorry that we have erred. >> the barrington high school teach another coached the students. >> there's nothing that i can say to undo the pain we caused. but i'm truly, truly sorry. >> and one of the students involved apologized the next day for the skit. but mcdaniels says more needs to be done. >> the talks need to happen. they need to start by -- having cultural sensitivity. >> news4 at 5:00 starts now with jim and winnie. a tribute to fallen prince william county police officer, law enforcement from across the

the funeral for officer ashley guindon. she was shot and killed on her first day on the job. >> an amazing life. a life all too short. >> this was a day to praise an officer for her courage. and to celebrate the way she fulfilled her dreams. >> that was her desire to serve. to be involved in the things that mattered. to 'uyjw her life to something - worth giving it to. and that's exactly what she did. >> honor, respect and grief. at a chapel today in prince william county. >> as thousands of first responders joined family and friends to say farewell. to the police officer who was killed one day after being sworn in. our northern virginia bureau chief julie carey joins us from hilton chapel in woodbridge. >> well the church has emptied out now. earlier inside it

blue and gray and beige and brown uniforms. so many first responders came to pay tribute to ashley guindon. it took nearly an hour to clear the church after the service. then they staged a final salute to this fallen young officer, also once a marine reservist. thousands of first responders coming together to pay tribute to ashley guindon. the newly sworn in prince william county officer was shot and killed on her first shift saturday night. guindon's mother, in from massachusetts, was held in the embrace of two prince william county officers as she entered the chapel, followed by other family members. >> she sought the life of a peace-maker. blessed are the peace makers. >> during the service, ashley was remembered as a loving daughter, a highly intelligent young woman, driven to pursue a career of service. she was a marine reservist before joining the police f