right now, police dive teams expected at the national arboret arboretum. >> they're part of a renewed search for relicia rudd, the 8-year-old girl who vanished from a city homeless shelter more than two years ago. and on storm team 4 radar, i'm tracking heavy rain in spots. severe thunderstorm warnings for some due to the potential of damaging winds. i'll have the latest coming up in my updated forecast. the nationals are perfect so far this season heading into today's home opener. fans will notice some changes in the team today. we will run down those changes as we count down to the game. this is a special edition of "news4 today." good morning to you.

park. >> eun yang, you're staying dry out there, we see. thanks so much. we'll be checking in with you throughout this newscast. i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. but let's begin with amelia segal and severe weather that's moving through our area. amelia? >> very heavy rain in parts of howard, anne arundel counties, moving toward the baltimore metro area, and this is where we find the thunderstorm warning, issued by the national weather service for prince george's and calvert counties until 11:30. anne arundel county and baltimore, you're under a severe thunderstorm warning until 11:45. notice the bright colors on the radar. this is torrential rain and gusts potentially up to 60 miles an hour that could cause some damaging winds. but notice as we look into d.c., arlington, alexandria, most of fairfax, dry there. julie carey even tweeting out a picture of sunshine breaking out in manassas. but we're not done with the rain just yet. this other batch of rain will be moving back into the area this afternoon. i'll have more on timing and impacts of that

>> thanks, amelia. now to breaking news. news4's megan mcgrath is live at a church in southeast. megan, what's going on there? >> reporter: well, right around 9:30 in the morning, that's when the 911 call came in. if you look over my shoulder here, we're standing on second street in southeast. if you look down to the next block there, that's where we have the detour in place. police not allowing anybody, any traffic along the front of this church. this is st. peter's church on second street in southeast. around 9:30 this morning, someone called 911, said that they thought they had perhaps a carbon monoxide situation. when crews arrived on the scene, they found two people who were not feeling well. they were transported, taken to the hospital. at this point we don't have any information about their condition. now, they're still trying to figure out, i'm told, the origin of the carbon monoxide. that is still under investigation. they're not exactly sure where it came from. there is the ch

there is also the rectory next door. so, no information at this point on what may have caused this carbon monoxide situation. certainly something they're looking into. crews are still here on the scene trying to figure it all out. so, we have two people who were transported. this all happened right around 9:30 this morning. back to you in the studio. >> megan mcgrath, thank you so very much. guess what? just a few moments ago, the rain stopp stopped. that is promising news for this home opener here at nats park. about a half hour ago, the rain was really pouring down. it was coming down sideways and the grounds are soaked, but right now, grounds crews are squeegeeing the tarp over the field right now to get some of that excess water off. they're really hoping to have that game and play ball today. here are four things to know about today's game. gates open at 1:30 for fans who are trying to come early. the game s

now, the team is facing the miami marlins today. and roarc is the starting pitcher. their twitter handle is @nationals for any postpo postponements on the game, but right now, it's going on as scheduled. let's check in with kristen, who's been at the park all morning long. we'll find out if there are any early fans. kristen? >> reporter: hey, good morning! you know, we're in the bull pen, and it'd going to be open today in about an hour, rain or shine, as long as there is a game. now, they have a full schedule of stuff to do planned. we did make a friend that we want you to meet. take a look here. we made a friend this morning a little while ago. this is martine castillo. he runs the surfside restaurant tent here in the bull pen and would like it to really stop raining. it pretty much has, as eun said,

but he'd like it to stop raining, but he is certainly getting ready for everybody. we also talked to one of the organizers here of the bull pen, and she, too, says they are not afraid of a little bit of rain. >> oh, people coming out because they don't want to get wet and leaving the room and get wet, but we hope the rain stops. >> we've got tons of stuff going on today, lots of live music, tons of great food. we've got the bayou dac shack opened up, if you want a daiquiri, the dude sell food truck. lots of fun things going on today and we'll be open rain or shine, and we are just hoping it goes away so everybody can come enjoy. >> reporter: and i think we're all hoping the same thing. she does tell me also there is a contingency plan in place, should the game not happen today. this will all happen again when the game happens, presumably, tomorrow. eun, back to you. >> all rig

much. we are all crossing our fingers. we know the nats team wants to have the game go on today as planned. make sure you check once again to find out what the plan is for later this afternoon. but so far, 4:05 is the game start, and it's going to be an exciting home opener. let's hope we play ball! back to you. >> we hope so. thank you, eun. developing right now, a young boy is in the hospital after a shooting on foote street in northeast washington, not far from division avenue northeast. d.c. police tell us he was shot in the arm around 11:45 last night but should recover. officers are not releasing any suspect information, but at one point, they were looking for a man with a gun in a gray suv. and now to the search for 8-year-old relicia rudd. she disappeared from her d.c. home two years ago. police picked up the search for relicia rudd yesterday, announcing new information in the case. search teams did not find anything at the national arboretum, but tod

relisha was last seen in march 2014 with a janitor who worked at the d.c. general shelter, where she lived. it's official, a prince william county middle school will get a name change. the decision came late last night after residents packed a board meeting. last month, the board decided to rename the school in honor of dr. george hampton, a black community leader and scholar. some felt the school board, though, never gave them a chance to disagree with changing the name. one teacher says the ordeal has turned into something it shouldn't have. i'm molette green at the live desk following breaking news, a big church fire raging in greenville, south carolina. look at that. firefighters are working against those big flames and heavy smoke there, thick, black smoke. no word on injuries or a cause. this is quite a big church in size there. we'll stay on top of the latest developments. that's the latest.

this morning, d.c.'s police chief is updating us on the new crackdown on atvs in the city. news4's mark segraves is at the news conference, and we will have an update later in the newscast. and our live coverage from nationals park continues in 60 seconds with a segment that will make you hungry! ahead of lunch hour. a few more minutes to go before that. st

welcome back to "news4 midday," a special edition. i'm eun yang live from nationals park. right now the grounds crew hard at work, trying to get rid of the excess water on top of the tarp, using squeegees out here, and right now they're hoping to get the game started at 4:05, but you have to make sure that you check the website and social media to find out if the game will be postponed. and of course, check with nbc washington as well. now, if you are going to the ballpark today, you will want to

of the new, local food options. there are two new mike isabella concepts to try -- catchfly and copnos at the park will open behind section 301, that's along with g sandwich, if you've been there already. in section 105, virginians will recognize hot dogs and fries, and i mean h-a-u-t-e, so maybe fancy hot dogs you want to try. they use locally sourced ingredients to make sure the ballpark food is affordable as well. and you might be thinking about something for before or after the game. there are plenty of restaurants outside of the ballpark getting ready to offer a twist on traditional ballpark food. >> get a little something more than just a hot dog, for sure. we're doing squash puppies. we're doing our smoked wings with alabama white sauce, and we'll be doing our beef brisket as well. >> reporter: doesn't that sound yummy? that was rusty holman from

due south. and today they will have a pop-up beer garden at the heiress apartment building on fourth street. they'll have food and live music and there's going to be plenty of activity all throughout nats park. so, even if you aren't coming to the game, we know there will be celebrations throughout this neighborhood. we'll have more to come from nationals park at 11:30. news4 sports anchor carol maloney joins us to talk about the changes the team has gone through since last season. barbara and erica, w wall street. the nra. they're powerful. they usually get their way. but not with democrat donna edwards. she won't take cash from wall street banks. and when washington insiders wrote a loophole to let the nra spend dark money to kill gun safety laws, donna edwards said 'no' she's fighting to ban assault weapons and putting the safety of our communities first. because to democrat donna edwards, the special interests aren't special.

s responsible for the content of this advertising. ♪ ♪ ♪ don't you just love it ♪ ♪ but jamie raskin is the only democrat for congress who's authored landmark progressive laws -- marriage equality, equal pay for women, green maryland act, assault weapons ban, and more. raskin: i'm jamie raskin, and i approve this message. right now, severe storms and a possible tornado moved through alabama early this morning, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. take a look at these trailers severely damaged in this mobile home community. there were no injuries except for some minor scrapes. emergency crews were on the scene cutting trees that bke

amelia, we've got some real bad weather out there right now, but nothing really serious in terms of storms, right? >> well, barbara, we are seeing a severe thunderstorm warning for the baltimore metro area until 11:45, but the heaviest rain now out of the d.c. metro area, even peeks of sunshine here in town. now, we're looking at a few hours of dry time. that cloud-sun mix. and that's good news for the game today. it will help to dry things out. however, notice here on future weather, as we move on into the mid and late afternoon hours, scattered showers work their way back into the area from west to east. here we are at 3:00 with rain in parts of montgomery and fairfax county and then back around the i-91 corridor. first pitch, 4:05. you can see future weather bringing rain through the entire metro area, southern maryland and the northern neck. then we'll track on-and-off showers this evening. i'll have your official game day opening forecast in a few minutes. >> thanks, amelia. these days it costs a lot less to fill up your tank, and you can thank the falling gas prices for the savings.

aaa tells us that driving costs have fallen to a six-year low. this year, drivers can expect to spend about 57 cents for every mile driven. the annual cost to drive an average-sized sedan is about $8,500, and that cost goes up or down based on the size of your vehicle, of course. we've got new information from the live desk on the search for brussels bombing suspects. >> plus, more on the

developing right now, federal, state and local police are all coming together to try to keep these crowds off-road vehicles. you've seen them out there, the atvs, they're called, off of our streets. a lot of you are sounding off on these riders on our nbc washington facebook page. on monday, as many as 30 atvs surrounded an ambulance that was carrying a child. one rider reportedly yelled threats at the driver. and this past weekend, a group of riders hit and dragged a d.c. police officer. news4's mark segraves is live at police headquarters where chief lanier just talked about this. tell us what's going on, mark. >> reporter: that's right, chief lanier was joined by u.s. park police, virginia state police, prince george's county police and a host of other law enforcement entities here today, saying that for the past year and a half, they've been working behind the scenes to crack down on what has become a growing

groups, large groups, between 30 and 50 riders of atvs, dirt bikes, mini bikes that have been in their words terrorizing pedestrians and drivers, not just here in the district, but in maryland and virginia, even on the beltway. many of them video-taping themselves. and today the police said that these gangs have led to fatalities, both passengers and drivers of these motorbikes have been killed in these incidents. and most recently, police officers have been hurt. one police officer in maryland was seriously injured, and just recently, a d.c. police officer dragged behind one of these atvs. today, lanier said that she's frustrated just like the public, and now they're cracking down. here's what she had to say. >> everybody's committed to this, so we're putting everything we have into it. so, let's come to some resolution that doesn't involve people being injured or killed. we had another officer, one of our officers injured again over this past weekend as well. so, enough is enough. we're going to continue our efforts. we're going to continue to identify, seize and destroy

these operators to understand how serious this is. >> reporter: now, lanier said over the past year and a half they had made more than 200 arrests of these riders and they have confiscated more than 400 dirt bikes and atvs, many of which will be destroyed next week. but the big news out of this is they are releasing the pictures today of 245 different suspects who they say have been involved in nine separate incidents over the past several months, and they're asking the public for their help. we'll have those pictures on nbcwashington.com. if you see or know any of these people, there's a $250 reward. reporting live from d.c. police headquarters, mark segraves, news4. it is sure to be an emotional moment of silence before the nats game today as the team is remembering five first responders who died in our area in recent months. prince william officer ashley windan,

noah liotta and d.c. fire lieutenant kevin mcray. after that, two prince william county officers who were injured in the line of duty will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, another way the nats will be honoring the community today. they will have that moment of silence, and it is going to be a very somber occasion at that moment to start what is going to be an exciting rest of the day. and this season is going to be full of some exciting moments and some fun promotional opportunities are going to happen as well here at nats park. today the first 15,000 fans will receive a free pair of nats sunglasses. earlier we sat down with valerie camillo, the nats chief revenue and marketing officer, and she told us about some of the other fun things that are going to be on deck for the season. >> yeah, we think a lot of nostalgia and things, just how we ended up with the window thing, because we were thinking of the old '80s garfields that used to go in our window and we thought, who wouldn't want a modernizeve

so, it's a lot of brainstorming. >> and you can check out the whole promotional schedule on the nats website. so many fun things. i really want my hands on that teddy window thing and a bryce harper bobblehead, but they will be hot-ticket items. 25,000 fans receive those free pair of nats sunglasses today. all right, we've talked about rain all morning long. the weather such an important factor depending on what happens later this afternoon. well, i was telling you, the rain stopped and we're hoping it stays away. it's been off and on all morning long. at one point it was coming down in sheets sideways, so we're glad that's out of the way for now. but this morning, we watched the grounds crew cleaning the standing water from the field. they've been in and out all morning. they're using that squeegee to clear up the water off of the tarp and we're hoping that the skies clear up as well. let's check in with storm team 4 meteorologist amelia segal to find out what kind of weather we'll have for first pitch. >> hey, eun. here's the latest on radar, the heavy rain up around baltimore. so, what we saw this morning will be the heaviest of the day.

afternoon and evening hours, we'll be tracking scattered showers. so, at some point during the game, rain is looking likely. a high probability of that, and that could definitely lead to a delay or two. i know they really want to get the game in, and i think they could have enough time in between passing showers to play the first game. here's what you can expect. 62 degrees at first pitch, 4:05. seventh inning stretch, temperature around 60. by the last out, 59 degrees. and it will also be breezy down there later today, so you'll want to keep that in mind. pack the poncho and probably the sweatshirt as well, eun. >> good advice, amelia. the nats really want to play ball today. again, keep your eyes open on the nbc washington app. we'll let you know about any delays. we'll be back at 11:30. new this morning, a public appeal to find the so-called man in hat from the brussels airport attack. we first saw him in a photo with two suicide bombers. the latest image shows him leaving the airport on foot and

authorities want people to take a good look, check their cameras in case his image was also captured on film or in a picture that day. the two suicide bombers died in the march 22nd attacks. that is the latest from the live desk. back to you. in a few hours, services begin for the young kentucky couple who died in last month's terror attack in brussels. two days of visitation services begin at 3:00 this afternoon for justin and stephanie schultz. they died at the airport on march 22nd after two bombs exploded, killing at least 30 people in all. their funeral is set for friday in kentucky. metro rails will get an extra set of eyes as federal transit administration inspectors launch a new safety blitz. our news partners at wtop say the fta began a new round of checks on wednesday. the focus is on ten track sections where problems were found during last month's one-day shutdown. no systemwide shutdown is expected, but somee

found. all right, after the break, ellen puts comedy aside to share her thoughts on a subject that's making news this week. and a reminder that you can watch news4 anywhere you go just by downloading the nbc washington app and click

a colorado thief is going to need quite a few crackers after a major cheese heist. the alleged thief was caught on camera at a pueblo restaurant. the restaurant says that person stole thousands of dollars worth of cheese. dozens of boxes of provolone cheese were snatched over several weeks. all that cheese adds up to about $5,000. comedian ellen degeneres is speaking publicly about a new law in mississippi that allows people to refuse services to members of the lgbt community based on their religion. ellen cracked a few jokes about it, but her comments also took a serious tone. >> that is the definition of

supreme court already ruled on when they made marriage a right for everyone. everyone. >> ellen went on to say the issue is personal for her. she said growing up in louisiana, she used to visit mississippi and knows what it's like to get left out because of who you choose to love. ellen even said that she was fired once for being gay and told viewers to hold out hope that better things will come to them if that happens. after the break, a call to change food labels, but really? really? will it help you? you'll see what we're talking about, coming up. and you could get a break in the rain out there for a couple of hours this afternoon. amelia's back with more on the narrator: all that political mail might be overwhelming. let's simplify. only one candidate has been endorsed by the washington post:

as a journalist and progressive leader at marriott, she has a broad and deep facility with policy. emily's list praises matthews as pro-choice and the post says on gun control, clean energy, education and health research kathleen matthews "has greater potential, following the van hollen model, to move the ball forward." kathleen: i'm kathleen matthews and i approve this message. arlington has made a list that might give you the chills, a fever or both. it's been named america's tenth sickest city. a medical alert system, bay alert medical, pulled the stats of 500,000

it showed arrington had about 265 sickness-related tweets for every 100,000 people. how long do you think it takes to walk off a small bag of chips? ten minutes? try over half an hour. but it's just one example of an american favorite that takes more time and energy to burn off than really to enjoy. but now there's a call to change food labels to help you make better eating decisions. nbc's rehema ellis has the details. >> reporter: most people have no idea how much work it takes to work off some of america's favorite snacks and beverages. how much time do you think you'd have to spend walking to burn off the calories in a couple slices of pizza? >> maybe 45 minutes? >> reporter: take a look. you'd have to walk about an hour and 23 minutes. you'd have to run 43 minutes. surprised? >> very. >> a little, yeah! >> reporter: it's time to eliminate the guess work, said a leading group of british scie

shocked when they look at these amounts of calories and what it actually means for you physically. and i think what we want to prompt people to do is to think differently. >> reporter: the researchers found, for instance, burning off the calories in a can of soda means 26 minutes walking, 13 running. a small pack of dry roasted peanuts, that's 54 minutes walking, 28 minutes running. that medium mocha coffee, 53 minutes walking and 28 minutes running. and the small iced cinnamon roll? you'll have to walk 1 hour and 17 minutes or run for 40. the study found more than half the people surveyed said this kind of labelling would change their behavior. >> they understand pretty well what a minute of exercise is or an hour of exercise is. so, in that sense, it's actually communicating much more clearly. >> it would definitely change what i eat, knowing what i have to do to w

absolutely. >> reporter: suggestions for labelling, some say, that are easier to digest than calorie count alone. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. >> i'm not so sure about that. i think that's why most of us still choose those items and then you just choose to block it out, not even think about how bad it is for you. >> so many of us think we can lose weight by working out, but doctors say, no, it's all about the diet. >> true. very true. >> got to count those calories. coming up, virginia's governor's set to sign new gun legislation in the next few hours. what it will mean for virginia residents. and we're going to check back at wet nationals park. eun is joined by carolyn maloney to talk a

welcome back to a special edition of "news4 midday." i'm eun yang live at nationals park and i have carol maloney with me, woo-woo! you poor thing! you were caught in all that crazy rain communication. >> yeah, the timing couldn't be better. it was like a hurricane. i wore my rain boots and i still -- i don't know if you can see -- >> oh, carol. >> i am not kidding. and i'm here all day, but i have other shoes i can dry out -- >> i'm giving you my socks as soon as we're done. >> can you do that? so, i'm soaked head to toe. >> you look gorgeous, gorgeous. happy 2016! >> i know! >> fun, excitement. what is coming up for the season? >> the weather is definitely not going to dampen any sts

today. the home opener, like opening day, is like a birthday party, right? you look forward to it all day. >> yes. >> i brought you something -- >> i love surprises. no, i don't. >> i dropped down, sorry about that. >> no, i -- >> yes, i did. oh, yes, i did! eun, look what i got you! happy new year! >> no, you -- i love you. >> i made it last night, because we are here -- >> i love you. >> and we're going to wear our bryce harper, making baseball fun again. >> i can't believe. >> i went out last night. >> we had a phone call last night to talk about the show today and this is how prepared you are. you are amazing. >> look, go on, eun, go on. no, i got one for bryce. i made one for bryce special, because i figured he's already said "make baseball fun again," so i wanted to give this to him today. "make baseball really, really, really fun again!" >> you are too good. and the team's excited because this is a fresh start, new manager, dusty baker. >> yeah. >> what's he bringing? >> that's exactly it. he's all about fu

he's been in the game a long time. he has experience. he commands the clubhouse, right? they really listen to him! but at the same time, he's always like, you need to loosen up. stephen strasburg, you're too serious out there. he's all about bringing team unity, making sure the chemistry is right. he's exactly, i think, the perfect manager. and all he has left on his resume, all he wants is a ring. that's why he's here. and he might be the person to bring the team together, bring the clubhouse together, have this kind of culture, especially after last season, how disappointing and up tight everyone was. so, to actually make this year really, really fun. really, really, really fun again. >> really, really, really fun. okay. and speaking of these hats -- >> yeah. >> any time bryce harper does something, people read a lot into it. he is a lightning rod. he's so popular and he's an emotional player. he puts everything out there. >> yeah. it's that unwritten rule of baseball -- there's so many of them -- but one of them is that you don't show a lot of emotion, you never admire your

run, you would never like get super frustrated. he wears his heart on his sleeve. he's genuine spirit out there. he's true to himself, and that's the way he is. so, last month he said in an article that he wants to infuse more joy in the sport. he had some backlash, so he wore this hat after the opener, "make baseball fun again." he wore it in an interview, and so many baseball purists are like, what are you talking about, baseball's always been fun! >> and it is fun! >> it is fun. but bryce just wants some of these unwritten rules about not showing too much emotion out there, he wants to change them. he wants it to be more dynamic. he loves cam newton. he wants to be doing dabbing out there. >> that would be amazing. carol maloney, thank, as always. >> thanks for having me. >> and we need to check in with storm team 4 meteorologist amelia segal. crossing our fingers for the 4:05 first pitch. >> l,

able to get the game in, but i think at some point during the game there will be a little bit of rain that could lead to a delay. right now temperatures mainly in the 50s. 56 degrees in washington. the area dry right now. maybe some limited sunshine where you are. and we'll start to see scattered showers move back in between about 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. maybe a rumble of thunder as we continue to track scattered rain into the evening hours. we dry out overnight. we're breezy this afternoon. breezy throughout the day tomorrow with a high of 56 and a mix of clouds and sun. very windy on saturday with a chance of some rain. and get this, even some wet snowflakes could mix in with any rain we see on saturday north and west of washington, but no accumulation. on sunday it's looking like the better of the two weekend days. we'll have plenty of sunshine and we'll lose the wind. a high temperature on sunday of 49 degrees, barbara. >> thanks, amelia. a new "decision 2016" poll reveals some arguably surprising information about voters in virginia. nearly a third of republican voters said if donald trump becomes the gop nominee, they will eitheref

for the general election. compare that to 90% of democratic voters who say they'd support hillary clinton in november, even if they voted for bernie sanders in last month's primary. researchers at the watson center for public policy in newport news are calling this the loyalty gap. right now president obama is taking his push to fill the open seat on the supreme court to chicago. he's making his case to students at the university of chicago law school where he once taught constitutional law. you'll remember the president nominated judge merrick garland to replace justice antonin scalia last month. and while the president pushes congress to vote on judge garland's nomination, judge garland himself is meeting with two senators. both senator heidi hide camp and richard blumenthal are democrats. judge garland met with the two gop senators earlier this week. some republicans refuse to meet with garland. they say the next president should be the one to nominate the next supreme court justice after antonin sc

february. virginia governor terry mcauliffe will be in northern virginia this afternoon to sign gun control legislation, but some people really don't like it. the legislation requires anyone subject to a long-term protective order to give up or sell their guns. it does not close the so-called gun show loophole, but it does put state police on site to do voluntary background checks for private sellers. governor mcauliffe intends to sign the legislation around 2:45 in alexandria. well, after the yvette: i was running for my life. he was flicking matches on me... my ex-husband's intentions were to murder me. glenn: i made sure yvette's abuser went away for good, and put in place tougher sentences, because domestic violence can never be tolerated. yvette: mr. ivey showed compassion. i felt like i could trust him. narrator: glenn ivey. as state's attorney, a proven leader. in congress, he'll combat domestic violence, and protect president obama's legacy. glenn: i'm glenn ivey and i approve this message, because i'm on your side.

a 17-year-old girl is the latest victim of defective takata airbags. the teenager died in a crash in texas last week. the national highway traffic safety administration says it is the tenth death in the u.s. caused by rupturing takata airbag inflaters. the victim was driving a 2002 honda civic. honda says it mailed multiple recall notices to the

never made. the automaker says if you have a recall on your car, you need to get it repaired as soon as possible. a consumer alert this morning. scammers try another way to get your personal information. this time, the irs says it's coming in the form of an e-mail to people who live in the d.c. metro area. officials say e-mail scammers are trying to trick people by citing tax fraud. they then ask for people to verify the last four digits of their social security number, and a link is given to click on. the irs is telling taxpayers to be aware of this kind of scam and contact them if they see anything like this. making up snow days. aftethe break,r

students in montgomery county may have to prepare for a longer school year. the "washington post" reports maryland officials have denied a request to waive two snow days.

public schools did not make calendar adjustments to make up for missed days. the district still has some time to fix the problem and can resubmit its request. and here's the latest on storm team 4 radar. so, this is going to be our second batch of rain that moves in during the afternoon hours. until then, we'll have some limited sunshine and that will allow temperatures to warm into the low 60s for highs today. as we look to weekend, it will be cold, highs only in the mid-to-upper 40s both saturday and sunday, and maybe some light rain around on saturday, maybe even some wet snowflakes. so, just too cold for gardening this weekend. the nationals have two games, both on saturday and sunday. you definitely want to dress warm, bundle up if you're heading down to the ballpark and outdoor exercise. sunday's looking like the better of the two weekend days with plenty of sunshine, winds not being an issue, and dry conditions in the forecast, barbara. >> thanks, amelia. a great-big cat was rescued from the top of a power pole, and it was all caught on camera. the mountain lion was spottn

wildlife experts tried to coax the cat down, but it didn't work. they had to tranquilize the lion, allowing it to fall to the ground. it wasn't hurt, though, in that fall. it will be released when the tranquilizer wears off. we've been talking about the rain all morning long, erika. >> that's right. so, you may be wondering, can you bring an umbrella to the nationals game tay? eun haods

all right, we are feeling optimistic out here at nationals park. i was under a tent for part of the morning because it was raining. we have removed that tent and we are ready to play ball. we're just waiting to see how the weather will hold up. live from nats park, four hours away from first pitch for today's home opener. now, the game begins at 4:05 against the miami marlins, and we're hoping the skies will clear before then. amelia says it could be a good day. we'll see. the big question, though, a lot of you have, what you can and cannot bring to the park. so, here's what you need to know. let's begin with what's okay to bring through the gates. you can bring a camera, but you have to remember, it cannot be longer than 8 inches, the lens. so, not a large camera. you are allowed one unopened bottle of water per person. you can also bring your own food, but it has to be in a single-serving bag. now for the items you cannot bring, the things you need to know about. you are not allowed to bring a

by 8, which is basically the size of a tote bag. if your umbrella doesn't collapse, don't bring it. bring a small umbrella that you can fit into that bag. and we also want you to know you cannot bring any metal, plastic or glass containers. now we want to check in with melissa mollet with more on some parking reminders around nats park. >> i'm melissa mollet with your "first 4 traffic" and a couple reminders for the nats home opener today. a 4:05 game, of course, if it still goes on. getting to nats park, remember, you don't want to drive unless you have to. if you're driving, buy a parking pass ahead of time and save yourself the headache. if you are taking metro versus the green line to navy yard, get off there. and the route you want to do, union station to navy yard route. go nats! >> go nats, indeed. and i have a special guest with us right now. you all know screech! whoo-hoo! our favorite eagle. and jerome williams, who may have the

screech's wing man. >> lots of fun. >> talk about the excitement in the lead-up for today. >> this is a big day here at nationals park. we've trained all offseason for this, gotten ready. screech is ready, i'm ready. we're just ready to have lots of fun today. it's a big day. >> what should fans know in getting ready for all the excitement? >> just bring your excitement, bring your energy. you know, we're ready to get a curly "w" today, and just get ready for all the fun, new things that nats park has to offer. i could tell you all of them, but i think fans should be here to we that experience. >> absolutely. jerome williams, thank you. screech, high five. go nats. erika? >> all right, eun, thank you so much. you know, another thing, smokeless tobacco is now banned at some major ballparks. wednesday night's game between the yankees and the houston astros was the first time that players were not allowed to use it at a major league game. new york city mayor bill de blasio signed the ban into law yesterday. san francisco, boston and l.a. have similar laws, but those teams in those cities have not had home games quite yet. well, for decades here at nbc 4, we've promoted the idea

through our "wednesday's child" program. we know adoptions require major lifestyle adjustments for parents and for the kids. today we want you to meet a family created through adoption with the prospective parents traveling halfway around the world to make that happen. when robin and david williams married in 1990, they knew they wanted a family. >> we knew we wanted kids, and we knew that we wanted to adopt. >> there were thousands of orphans in romania after the 1989 overthrow of dictator's regime. hundreds of foreigners from around the world came looking to adopt. >> a woman came out, and through the open window of the car handed me a bundle that was about this long. >> in that bundle, a very tiny baby. >> i think that there's always something inside of a adopted kid's mind and heart that wonders what their parents look like or where

>> it was a question that led to family issues as alison acted out her anxieties. she thinks rejection is what many adopted children fear most in life. after having a baby of her own with boyfriend jonathan fritch, alison began using the internet to try to locate her birth family. she finally traveled to romania, found her mother, father, and other family members who, indeed, looked like her. >> hi! >> she was overjoyed but shocked at the way the family lived. >> i'm like their miracle. their living situation is horrible. they don't have electricity, you know, they don't have a toilet. >> she wants to be their miracle, to make a difference for them. and coming home to bethesda, she now recognizes another miracle, the one that happened for her through adoption. >> because it's so hard, because i know, like, i haven't been the greatest kid. >> you've been

that's enough. >> alison now knows it was love, not rejection, that led her birth family to give her away. and love that kept her in the embrace of her adopted family when she wanted to reject them. it took a quarter of a century and a trek of nearly 5,000 miles across the globe for her to finally understand the miracle of love. well, as part of our "wednesday's child" commitment, we've always helped our foster children and their new families with counseling services to make the adjustment go smoothly. in the end, though, it's love that does make it all right. for more information on children who are still waiting, please call our adoption hotline. the number is

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i'm eun yang live at nationals park, and maybe i spoke too soon, because i have the umbrella back out. just a few sprinkles, though, nothing to worry ou

we remain optimistic here at nationals park for the home opener. game time 4:05. that's first pitch, but the gates open at 1:30. plenty of excitement for today. we're not letting the rain dampen our spirits today. people should know that it is going to be a busy day. nats are telling people to take public transportation, know that there will be security. everyone has to pass through a magnetometer. but there are so many festivities in the park as well as outside. we are seeing dark clouds, though. storm team 4 meteorologist amelia segal, what can we expect for today? >> here's the radar. you can see a little line of showers developing right over your area. this showery activity moves in during the afternoon hours, between about 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., so some rain is likely at the game today. that could lead to a delay, but i think they'll be able to get the game in. if you're heading down to nats park, i would recommend a warm jacket and a poncho as well. temperatures right now in the low to mid-50s. 56 in washington. highs today warm into the low 60s. and winds will pick up this afternoon. so,

we'll continue to track scattered showers during the evening hours. 8:00, a temperature around 56 degrees. tomorrow, blustery and cooler, a high of 56 degrees with a mix of clouds and sun. on saturday, very windy. with the wind, it will feel like temperatures are in the 20s and 30s, and there is the chance of some light rain showers on saturday, maybe even some wet snowflakes mixing in north and west of the metro area, but no accumulation. on sunday, the better of the two weekend days. we lose the wind. the sun returns. a high near 50. warmer on sunday with a high of 56. chance of some rain on tuesday with a high of 65. and wednesday we'll have plenty of sunshine and a high temperature of 59. but again, today we'll be tracking scattered afternoon and evening showers. veronica's in updating the forecast right now. she'll have the latest at 4:00. >> unbelievable. it looks like the return of winter for this weekend. >> we're looking at the "s" word, and not snow. sunshine! >> exactly, we're ready for spring and sunshine! >> that's it for us for today. >> that's right. thanks so much for joining us. we are back on the air this afteron

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>> announcer: today on the meredith vieira show. the crew is breaking do you know what is hot now. and find out what lance had to say about his personal relationship with the jenner family and questions. would you date a cheater in nene leaks is opening up why she left the real housewives in atlanta. all coming up on meredith. ♪ ♪ makes you feel real good! ♪ feel real good! [applause] >> meredith: happy friday everyone. we have a great show today. nene leaks is here. we spotted her back stage