emotional appeal just ahead. >> a deadly plane crash in maryland over the chesapeake bay bridge. a small plane hit the ground just short of the runway there killing two people. >> right now family and friends are paying their respects to a prince george's county firefighter killed in the line of duty. visitation for john ulmshneider just began in his home church in st. mary's county. bureau chief tracee wilkins is live outside tonight with the story. tracee? >> reporter: right now the family and his closest friends and colleagues are inside of the church having a private viewing. this line you see here, these are people who are waiting for that public viewing that was scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. the ulmshneider family arrived at 4:00 by police escort. his wife and 2-year-old daughter entered the church followed by a busload of family members. the casket arrived at 3:00 p.m. and was taken inside the church in a

his body is going to remain here overnight until the funeral. that is considered a high hopper in the catholic church. 37-year-old john ulmshneider was shot and killed in the line of duty. 19-year-old kevin swain was shot and injured as the two forced entry into a temple hills home believing the homeowner was in medical distress. the homeowner opened fire, shooting two firefighters and his own brother who was with them at the time. the shooter has not been charged. he told police he thought someone was breaking into his home. what happened that night is still under investigation. fire chief mark bayshore told me the grand tradition of the fire department will be a part of this firefighter's services. >> when john leaves here and goes to the cemetery tomorrow, his engine, the engine where he was assigned will take him and they'll be followed by the paramedic unit a signed to that station and that is a high-honor tradition of the fire service to go to the final

you'll see a flyover tomorrow that will be part of the military honors and you will see the "taps" and all of the things that come along with that. you will see a lot of tears. >> here at the st. john's parish in hollywood, they just opened up the doors here and folks are beginning to make their way in for the public viewing. this will be going from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. tonight and firefighter up schniert will remain inside of the church for his funeral services expected to begin at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow and for more on the services you can go to nbc washington and search firefighters' funeral. i'm tracee wilkins. back to you all in the studio. an emotional plea from the husband of a missing fairfax county firefighter. >> it's part of an effort to spread the word about her disappearance and hopes that the publicity will bring nicole mittendorff

>> julie carey went to the shenandoah national park to gather new details about the search. >> reporter: nicole mittendorff's husband and sister gathered at station 32 hoping to broaden word of her disappearance in hopes new tips will bring her home. >> we gather here today as brothers and sisters to place our 911 call to the general public and ask the media get the word out to everyone. if you see something about nicole, then please say something. >> reporter: mittendorff's husband steve, a virginia state police sergeant added his voice to the plea tearfully thanking the many search teams and then he had these words for his wife. >> sweetheart, i love you. i am praying for you. i'm not sure where you are, but know we are all looking for you, and i look forward to your safe return. >> reporter: nicole's gear had her locker

untouched for more than a week. she hasn't been seen since last wednesday. her mini cooper found saturday night in the shenandoah national park and that's where searchers focused their efforts on the ground and from the air. trails in the area remain closed. these hikers had heard of mittendorff's disappearance on social media. >> it didn't raise flags because foul play was not suspected, but you always suspect it, i guess and that concerns me because i hike on these trails by myself all of the time. >> reporter: back at the fire station, mittendorff's fellow firefighters, relatives and friends will gather tomorrow night for a prayer vigil. >> reporter: when i join you at 6:00, more about nicole mittendorff and what the chief has to say about this young firefighter. in the shenandoah national park i'm julie carey, news 4. a deadly plane crash in maryland just over the bay bridge. a plane hit the ground just short of the runway killing two people. news 4's pat collins has been talking to witnesses and he

joins us live from the scene in stephensville. what are you learning? >> jim, they came so, so close to a safe landing. the crash site over there in this field. over here, the airport runway, about 200 yard away. they came so, so close. it crashed in a field just about 200 yards from the airport runway. a man and a woman trapped inside. witnesses say they had no chance. denny profit, he was here eating lunch in his truck nearby. he tried to save the people onboard. >> i saw the plane just above the tree line. a couple of seconds later i saw the smoke and i grabbed my fire extinguisher and went out to it and tried to put the flames out, but they were already gone. >> reporter: it happened around

12:45 this afternoon. nearby, the bay bridge airport on ken island, on the eastern shore. a witness told me it looked like the plane just fell out of the sky. mike mccullough, he was here. he saw the ball of fire. >> reporter: how intense was the fire? >> it was -- for the size of it it was good yellow-blue flames coming out of it, it was fuel fed. it was an rv-12. it looks similar to this model. a single engine side by side, two-seater that's often used as a trainer. the plane that crashed today is said to be associated with the flight training school nearby. a man associated with that school says there was no student onboard at the time of the crash. >> the ntsb is on the scene. investigators say they're looking at the man and they're looking at the machine and the

environment. more about the investigation coming up at 6:00. jim, back to you. >> thank you. >> a developing story tonight and swift reaction to a landmark legal decision for virginia that could have impacts for transjebbeder students in virginia and for neighboring states. a federal appeals court ruled that a gloucester county virginia school student who was born female, but identifies as male can use the boys' bathroom. the ruling also applies to maryland and north carolina where a bathroom bill is in place tonight. fcps pride, a group that supports lgbt for students in fairfax county praised the decision saying we are encouraged by the ruling and gratified by the hope and expectation that transgender students will not be segregated in their use for school facilities including restrooms. this ruling sets a clear, judicial precedent for school systems to take the lead to enact policies that a

regardless of their gender identity, end quote. next month the ntsb will reveal its findings from an investigation into that deadly smoke emergency on metro's yellow line. a yellow line train with nearly 400 people onboard got stuck near la font plaza after smoke filled the tunnel and power to the third rail was lost. a woman carol glover died and another 91 passengers had to be treated a treated and most of them for smoke inhalation and there are metro concerns in the wake of that incidents. >> tens of thousands restaurant workers could be getting a raise in pay. right now it stands at $2.77 an hour. browser's plan would raise it to $7.50 over the next six years. the mayor has already proposed, as you know, raising the regular minimum wage from $11.50 to

by 2020. both plans put the district among leading jurisdictions in the nation addressing income inequality. questions are being raised tonight about a fund-raising request by d.c. schools chancellor kaya henderson. the associated press henderson asked for the money for the recent salute to teachers. it went to the troubled cha chartwells corporation. it was accused of cheating the program out of $19 million. it is looking for a replacement for chartwells. a spokesperson for henderson says there is a fire wall between school management and fund-raising. here at the live desk we are tracking a high-speed chase outside los angeles that may be coming to an end. heavy-duty white pickup has been leading officers on a chase on both side streets and freeways for nearly an

couple of minutes ago. at this point it's coming at 100 miles an hour. it failed to stop for police and two people are inside that truck and just a couple of minutes ago we saw it dip out of the freeway and get on to some side streets and into a parking lot and then get back on. right now headed eastbound toward san bernardino and we'll keep an eye on it as police try to resolve it peacefully. thank you, chris. >> now to the weather. we need some rain to wash away some of this pollen, doug kammerer. >> going to get any? >> not any time soon, but we'll get some. the best chance of rain coming during the day on friday and we do have three days of dry conditions and that's prompted us to not only see the pollen get high and also have enhanced fire danger. that's something else that we'll be watching. one thing you notice out toward the restin camera, some sun and cloud cover. we do have some clouds moving on

mostly cloudy skies right now. 81 in frederick and 81 d.c. and now down to 71 in frederick. that's the cool air that's starting to wake its way in and look at cooler air to the north and 62 in wilkesbury and 71 in philly. that cooler air making its way across our region and not as warm tomorrow and rain definitely on the way and we'll talk about when that rain moves in and we're tracking that weekend and will the rain stick around? i've got your forecast in just a minute. >> thank you, doug. when we come back at 5:00, new developments in ecuador and the new video into our newsroom right now which shows a number of rescues from saturday's earthquakes. what ikea and consumer experts are doing with a piece of furniture. how a d.c. woman is doing everything she can to help homeless families get back on their feet. what makes this story so

ifor all the wrong reasons.gical you may be muddling through allergies.

l allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. in annapolis, she battled republicans joseline peña-melnyk for congress... yes! and the nra to pass the toughest gun safety legislation in the country. i'll take on the tough fights to expand social security and keep the doors open to planned parenthood. my mom is so tough she's willing to fight anyone who's going to pay him more than us for doing the same job. i'm joseline peña-melnyk, and i approve this message. amid all the rubble, rescue crews are still finding some survivors after that massive earthquake hit ecuador. earlier today crews managed to free eight people

woman from what was a shopping cart. later on during their efforts to free another person they had to stop because of an aftershock. when they went back the pile of debris had shifted, killing that trapped person. the death toll has now climbed above 400 since the 7.8 magnitude quake struck and here's cnn's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: rescue crews pick away at a mountain of concrete. witnesses say people are inside. earlier, not far away, a man in the rubble signals rescue teams. fragile, but alive two days after the quake. tran >>, ecuador's president says there are still signs of life with children, pets rescued every day, hospitals are filling fast and so are cemeteries. the 7.8 quake have left more than 400 dead, an american among those kill

much loss and still some hope. miguel almaguer, nbc news. another toddler's death has been blamed on a piece of furniture tipping over. it's now the third death linked to an ikea dresser that wasn't anchored to the wall. the consumer product safety commission confirms it is looking into the death. it happened in february in minnesota. this follows the deaths of two other young children that prompted ikea last year to offer free wall anchoring repair kits for nearly 27 million chests and dressers. >> the senate passed a bill aimed at making air travel easier for children and having to pay extra fees if they need to pay to sit with their children and it ensures that young kids would not be separated from their parents during tsa screenings and it would give pregnant women the option to

was their first experience with homegrown terror. >> two antigovernment militants bombed the federal govern in oklahoma city. today visitors turned up to sing, pray and drop off flowers at the memorial. there was a day care center at that building and 19 of the victims were children. timothy mcveigh was executed 15 years ago and terry nichols is serving multiple life sentences. some of arlington's local heroes were honored today for their bravery in the line of duty. the chamber of commerce presented the 34th annual valor arc war award. they include fire and rescue workers who helped to save a man who had been hit by his own car. it was to charles bane to stop violence from drug abuse. maryland is now

montgomery county schools to wave, because of the snow this winter. the last day of class will now officially be monday, june 20th, mark your calendars and that's just one day later than was previously scheduled. montgomery county missed six days because of bad weather this winter and only four days were built into the school year for emergency weather. it had denied the county's request for a waiver. thomas jefferson high for science and technology -- high school for science and technology was given the award from u.s. news and world report. it was named the third best s.t.e.m. school in the nation. the top schools were considered the best for college and career preparation. for a link to the full list of rankings, open the nbc washington app and search best high schools. why the frederick cou

sheriff was called before a committee on capitol hill today. the revealing information he told them about gangs in the county. and we are just one game away from a sweep. what the caps are saying about last night's wild ending and the team's mindset heading into game four.

and now your storm team 4

all right. here we go. we are on a roll of incredibly beautiful day today. >> doug, we just need to keep the roll going. >> it does look like the roll will be going, but it will get slower, you know what i mean? temperatures in the low 80s and tomorrow we're in the low 70s so still on a roll through the next couple of days. you notice the cloud cover and we have seen more in the way of clouds today. we see nothing, but sunshine for almost the last week and now we do have some cloud cover and those clouds, though, not affecting the temperatures all that much. 80 degrees and the current number and winds out of the north at 16 miles an hour and the northerly component is the bringing in cooler air and it's already here to the north and frederick, maryland. baltimore down to 74 and 72 in gaithersburg and we are seeing some cooler air trying to make its way down here and that will continue to do so as the cold front brings i

because of the nice weather we have not seen much in the way of rain and the pollen is out in full force and tree pollen is very, very high. i'm sure you noticed. the medicine's out there and everyone is taking something now. something else we've talked about because we've been so dry and high-fire danger. a lot of moisture and fuel, rather, and the grass. the grass is very, very dry. so if a fire were to start it could quickly spread across the region. that's why we have the high-fire danger and there's an ongoing fire across parts of the shenandoah valley and this is something that we'll be watching over the next couple of days and limit any outdoor burning and not that most of us would do it anyway, but just limit that. on the radar nothing to she you, really. we do have a boundary moving from east to west here and that's a breeze from northern fauquier. here is the cold front and lots of cloud cover and look to the north. up toward new york and pennsylvania. rain back toward chicago.

from and notice where the temperatures are. right now in the 60s just to our north and it will be cooler to start off the day tomorrow and your bus stop forecast 49 degrees and it will be cooler to start the day especially in the suburbs to the low 40s and by afternoon we're into the low 70s and temperatures will drop between today and tomorrow by 10 degrees. that's normally pretty significant, but when we're this warm it will stay quite nice during the day tomorrow. high temperatures, upper 60s in the north and low 70s around fredericksburg coming around 73 and it's coming in around 71. so what to wear tomorrow. if you don't have to work or sending the kids out. it's the short sleeves and sunglasses and it's the shorts. this little guy has the right idea for sure as we are going to see a pretty nice afternoon and the weather does continue on thursday. 78 degrees on thursday. friday, 72 and a good chance of shower activity and we're watching friday to see what kind of numbers we see, and most of

a good idea to keep the umbrella handy and we'll see the numbers back to 73 degrees. so all in all, the weather is looking very good. friday, hopefully we can wash some of this pollen out. i know both of you have dealt with that pollen from time to time. >> we're dealing with it right now. we can use that rain. thank you, doug. >> yeah. the fda's new target, smokeless tobacco. how it's trying to get the word out to protect your family from smokeless tobacco's hidden dangers. a new rule for smoking marijuana. why some are calling today's vote in the d.c. council a victory for congress. >> ahead, how frederick county is dealing with gang violence

but jamie raskin is the only abdemocrat for congress who led the fight for tougher gun laws. only raskin took on the nra to ban military-style assault weapons. raskin: i'm jamie raskin, and i approve this message.

i'm chris van hollen, and i approve this message. narrator: an attack ad from the campaign for donna edwards. so untrue. so outrageous that president obama said, "pull it down." the obama white house called the ad on chris van hollen and the nra "misleading." the sun says van hollen and president obama have the exact same position. the post praised van hollen as a "leading champion on gun safety," and condemned the edwards ads that "mislead" voters. donna edwards. will she say anything to win an election? donna edwards. at giant, shoppers low prices by the thousands, plus a thousand more that just dropped. all these low prices! what are you trying to do, get me to feed the whole neighborhood? no. just trying to save you a whole lot of "bread." [ laughter ]

right now at 5:30, the ntsb is looking into a deadly crash that happened on the other side of the chesapeake bay bridge. a small plane goes down in a field just short of the runway of the bay bridge airport killing two people onboard. witnesses say the plane burst into flames upon impact. >> a legal victory tonight for transgender students in several states including maryland and virginia. a federal appeals court ruled today that a fwloufter county virginia high school student who was born female, but identifies as male can use the boys bathroom. the gloucester county school board requires students to use restrooms corresponding to their biological gender, but the co

discriminatory. >> the frederick county sheriff spoke about violence in schools and the community and he spoke about it on a hearing on immigration reform. the sheriff's controversial statements about immigrants. frederick county sheriff charles jenkins is known as a controversial hardliner on immigration. he told this congressional committee that since 2008 his deputies perform an immigration background check on everyone arrested. >> we have placed 1400 individuals who were in this country illegally and committing crimes in our county have been placed in removal proceedings. >> frederick county has a strong and growing latino community. >> mostly of us. we are very working people and very nice and -- i don't know. we are -- we are very good people.

undocumented immigrants are responsible for an increase in gang activity. he says 18 gang members arrested since 2014 have been charged with felonies. that an unprovoked assault was committed on a deputy of his and that a gang member was indicted for an ms-13-hired killing. some residents in frederick say they agree that gang activity is growing. >> i remember seeing an illegal immigrant who murdered a young lady at the local burger king. >> reporter: but others today told us it's no different here than anywhere else. >> i know that i've seen a lot of gang violence in different neighborhoodis and think it's not only in frederick, but everywhere you live. >> reporter: ahead why sheriff jenkins believes why gangs are recruiting new members from frederick county schools. reporting from frederick. chris gordon. news 4. >> where police ha

arrest in the murder of a secret service officer. charles simms is charged tonight in connection of the death of arthur baldwin who was shot to death. officers found baldwin shot multiple times in december. that's just a short distance from the prince george's county line. ballot win worked with the secret service, but had been suspended at the time and they believe the motive may have been robbery. a commanding lead for the caps in their playoff series against the flyers. the caps need just one more game to close things out. there was a moment of hope that turned to hysteria today. goalie braden hopy left practice after colliding with a teammate, but as carol maloney reports, the caps aren't worried. >> reporter: time now to panic and freak out with braden hopy leaving practice early. that's not the case with the washington capitals. hopy left after this drill, did not speak with the mdi

afterwards, but his teammates did and there's little doubt on the status of their mvp for game four. this team more concerned about what the flyers' faithful will bring after the ugly ending will be. >> it will be the best answer for how the series has gone and the physicality and the, motion and stuff like that, but i think this is a focused group in here and we're excited for our opportunity tomorrow. >> reporter: last night flyers out of control on the ice and off. fans pelted players with the giveaway bracelets. >> for the people that came, it was to watch hockey. >> and uncalled for. it got dangerous for not only our player, but also for the flyer players. the bracelets are white and the ice is white. >> okay, two minutes for the

game. way to go. >> the players are going at high speeds and you step on something and it just sweeps your feet out. >> they're trying to get out the brooms and sweep the flyers right out of the playoffs and they like their chances. what you need to know about the caps in closeout games coming up on news 4 at 6:00. from wells fargo center, carol maloney, news 4 sports. tonight the fda is trying to get out the message to teenagers that smokeless tobacco is not harmless. they're unveiling this new add campaign today that chewing tobacco is linked to oral cancer. one person in the u.s. dies from the disease every day. nbc's tom costello is working on this story for nbc nightly news. >> good afternoon. the fda has a message. smokeless tobacco can kill you or cause serious cancers and the message is aimed specifically at 12 to 17-year-old white boys in rural america. 32% of them do chew or have tried chew and about 1,000 try it

there is a cultural phenomenon here and this is very much a part of rural america. coming up on "nightly news," the campaign to try to get them to stop. the battle over private clubs for pot smokers. how the d.c. council finally voted today after months of going back and forth on the issue. it's called evelyn's closet. coming up on news 4 we'll tell you why this shop is making such a you why this shop is making such a thank you. ordering chinese food is a very predictable experience.

no surprises. buying business internet, on the other hand, can be a roller coaster white knuckle thrill ride. you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish. thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $59.95 a month. comcast business. built for business.

>> an emotional story in the district tonight where a local woman started a shop to provide free clothing to women and families in need. she's now unemployed and homeless herself as news 4's mark segraves reports, she's still using her last few dollars to help others. >> and even though my circumstances are set up for me to break, this right here has made me stronger than ever. >> chancy morgan palmer had been working at the same job for 12 years when she got laid off. in a matter of months she found herself and her children living in a shelter. >> crying, depressed. the walls of the hotel closing in on me trying to provide for my family and trying to find a way. >> reporter: then her tax refund showed up and she remembered a plan she had back when she was working. she hadta

non-profit to provide free clothing for women in need. >> and i've invested all my spare money into this. >> this is evelyn's closet. named for shauntee's grandmother. >> two days a week she opens up in this northeast community center and helps women and families just like herself. >> evelyn's closet's awesome because when you think of a profit versus a non-profit, right? you can have people that can come in and get things for free. the clothes come in from done eggs and volunteers help and she has to pay rent and her tax money is almost used up. >> i don't mind helping. >> it's hard to put into words the joy she gets from helping others so she showed us. >> that's how it felos the inside. >> shanty hopes to keep evelyn's closet up and running. how that dream may become a

in northeast, mark segraves, news 4. scott mcfarland back at the live desk. the high-speed chase we told you about at the top of the hour is now over. the two men inside the truck decided to give up without much drama and they pulled off the freeway and willingly gave themselves up. at a time, the driver reached speeds at more than 100 miles per hour. police are only saying that the truck didn't stop for police in monrovia which is a suburb east of los angeles. a high-speed chase is now over. no injuries and no damage. pat? >> thank you, scott. walmart and visa are speeding up your time at the checkout if you use a credit card with a chip. a software upgrade takes 15 seconds off your checkout time by allowing you to dip and remove the chip cards in just two seconds instead of having to leave the cards in a machine while the transaction processes. and there will be no longer -- no longer will be a prompt

of your transaction. that will save you 11 more seconds. if you have to do so, you can decide what to do with all of the spare time you've just saved. being a prince has its perks and for william and harry that means getting to act out every "star wars" fan's dream. the princes got to tour the set of the latest star wars film "the force awakens" a companied by daisy ridley who plays ray. they got an inside look at the production process and yes, some alien creatures, too. >> i'm adam tuss. after a new report detailing numerous safety issues, first responders are saying they feel anxious about all of it. from sunshine to clouds. we didn't get any rain today, but i'm tracking our next chance. kathleen matthews: in the race for congress, i don't believe that big money can buy votes --

and i won't claim to have single handily passed just about every bill in annapolis. we can't settle for the same old politics, not when our basic rights are being threatened by trump and cruz. i'll stand up to their bigotry and be a passionate voice for maryland women and families. in tv and in business, i built relationships. as a woman in the house, i'll do the same to get things done. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message.

i'm chris van hollen, and i approve this message. narrator: an attack ad from the campaign for donna edwards. so untrue. so outrageous that president obama said, "pull it down." the obama white house called the ad on chris van hollen and the nra "misleading." the sun says van hollen and president obama have the exact same position. the post praised van hollen as a "leading champion on gun safety,"

s. donna edwards. will she say anything to win an election? right now at 5:00, the battle over unlocking a terrorist iphone is over, but it has lawmakers on capitol hill asking whether it's time to reconsider the balance between personal privacy and national security. >> the circumstances have changed and so, too, must the discussion. we can no longer be a battle between two sides, a choice between black and white.

houston is basically shut down right now. people who live there are being warned they must stay indoors as floodwaters stretch for miles and two people are dead as a result of the flooding and forecasters say it's not over yet. and primary day continues in new york. it's the home state for both parties' front-runners, donald trump and hillary clinton and tonight they're both favored to win. >>. >> voters are having a tough time seeing themselves look for any of the candidates rubbing in the primary and that's according to a new nbc news wall street journal poll. in our nbc washington app, we have a link to those poll results for all of the candidates and pretty bad news. open up the app and search nbc news poll. our region's first responders are weighing in following the latest troubling safety report about metro. they tell news 4 they could now be put in danger because of these safety lapses. transportation reporter adam tuss has been tracking the story today. he'si

u.s. department of transportation. >> that's right. the recent safety issues were detailed by the federal transit of transportation. it's time for metro to fix these problems. >> metro's litany of safety issues have grown into such a problem that it's having an impact on first responders. ed smith is the president of the d.c. firefighters association. does he think there's an extra level of anxiety when firefighters now head into the metro system? >> on a good day there was an extra level of anxiety and not knowing what you were getting into, yes. definitely. >> reporter: he was shocked when he read the list of safety concerns. empty fire extinguishers in tunnel. debris blocking emergency exits. third rail covers left uncovered and telephones that provided critical communication out of order and

near track workers. >> all of these little, little safrty issues end up building up into one tragic moment is what happens, and it's troubling. >> the federal transit administration which has been conducting a safety blitz on metro uncovered all of these issues and they've ordered metro to fix the problems immediately. metro's gm paul weiedefeld, and he believes he will have an impact. >> he's spent two decades working in tunnels and he understands that so there's nothing probably he hasn't seen and he brings that to the table which is valuable. >> for right now, safety is the most valuable commodity that metro can acquire. what are front-line metro employees saying about all of these new safety issues? ahead, a real candid conversation with them today and i'll tell you about it coming up at 6:00 jim. >> adam tuss. right now the fourth largest city in america is dealing with

at least five are dead in the houston area after their cars got caught up in the rising waters. some people are still miss anding othing and others are being rescued from apartments. janet shamlian reports on the far-reaching impact. >> reporter: it was an unprecedented rain event in houston. as much as 17 inches overnight triggering flooding like the city hasn't seen in many years and the fact that it was so widespread, the warning from the national weather service was the largest flood warning that it had ever issued. 6 million people in the path of danger. today the death toll stands at five and all of those came from vehicles that had come into high water at the height of the storm. there is rain in the forecast for later today and the ground in southeast texas is saturated. the bayous are swollen and any amount of precipitation in this area will trigger further flooding t

can make is to assume that the worst has passed. >> reporter: houston schools have canceled for the second day and a number of roads are closed and the city is trying to find its way back to normal today. businesses are reopening, people are cleaning up. janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. veronica, are we going to get enough to wash the air? >> but only briefly and we've got to wait a couple of days before we get the best chance moving in here. as far as our weather today, it wasn't foul, was it? it was fine. or it was foul? no fair. >> nice shot. >> exactly. >> we had a lot of sunshine earlier today and those clouds moved in, and of course, the weather front that we've been tracking and it kicks up the wind and it's provided our area

already in areas of northern maryland, we have started to clear out a little bit and that really is the trend here for the evening. overnight period we will see the clouds moving out and the thing from today we kicked up the wins and we had this high fire danger and the red flag warning with the counties in pink that continues until 8:00 p.m. and i think with more dry weather coming our way that we could see more days like this when this is issued because of the wind and the low moisture and make sure you limit your outdoor burning and a lot of folks in the backyard and their gardens and doing burning to prep the ground, but with the wind it's also kicked up the pollen and that has been high over the last 24 hours and no surprise there, right? >> our temperature this evening will come down by the mid-60s by 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. and the clouds moving out and early tomorrow morning we'll be starting our temperatures in the 40s and we're back to the short pants and the short sleeves with the kids out the door tomorrow

a-plus for recess and they'll get an a for thursday, friday, see? that's the rain that will be moving in and through our area. i'll show you the timing on that in just a moment and first, the hourly forecast for wednesday. 7:00 a.m. and there's your 40s and we'll hit the 60s by 11:00 a.m., and sunshine across the board and it will be a mild day with the average running at 69 degrees and a few degrees above that. cloud cover first thing friday morning and you'll see the rain starting to move into the area during the hours around 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon and it overspread the area by 3:00 and stays with us into the evening hours also. so for the morning rush, a chance for a little bit in the way of light rain and isolated showers and the best chance for rain is during the afternoon hours still looking rather li t light. so we'll get a third of an inch of rain and just a chance to wash the pollen oui

rain should be moving out at 8:00, 9:00 ask it will be wet so keep that in mind and back to sunshine and back to temperatures and before we're on the rise for next week and wet weather coming our way friday. we need that rain and we want the dry weekend and of course, we want the dry weekend as well and the rain chances as we get ready to wrap up this month of april. more on that coming up and just how dry it's been in some areas coming up on news 4 at 6:00. >> b.j., thanks. a d.c. church is hoping the power of prayer may help ease tension among bicyclers, and it is hosting what it calls a d.c. bicycle blessing next month. the ideas of bringing cyclists and church goers together. they've been fighting in recent months over proposed bike lanes that could

that bike blessing is may 7th. some doctors are calling a new device to treat stroke patients revolutionary. a stent retriever can be used to pull out blood clots. a study found 90% of patients who are able to undergo this treatment about two hours after a stroke have minimal disabilities and only select hospitals in this country are equipped to use this device. they are usually the hospitals designated as comprehensive stroke centers. >> not every hospital that is certified to treat stroke with blockbusters will have a 24-hours a day coverage for this kind of procedural need and so there will be a need to expand the workforce. >> doctors say it's important to call 911 just as soon as you experience stroke symptoms. they include facial drooping, arm weakness and difficulty speaking. now is your chance to let your voice be

ego' eaglets born at the arboretum. >> there are five different options for names and you can only vote once, but you can do lobbying for your favorite name with the #namethenestlings. just go to the nbcwashington.com page and search eaglets. >> so long, pot clubs. there won't be any in the district. they have voted and ending months of back and forth over where to allow residents to light up. taxation without representation has been the motto on d.c. license tags for 15 years. however, changes maye coming. b

from the sunshine to clouds and back to sunshine. the sun is already popping back out with today's weather front moving through and of course, it's been dry across the area and fire danger has been high with the low moisture, the wind and of course, the lack of any rainfall today or the last couple of days, but coming up on news 4 at 6:00, we're tracking that rain and our next chance which right now looks as though it will be friday as we start out with a mostly cloudy day. wind coming into the area and the evening rush and we'll talk about how much we can get through this area and if it will impact the washington nationals during the evening hours and that weekend and we'll have that coming up in just a few

action against controversial lgbt laws in other states. >> it condemns discrimination against the lgbt community in mississippi and north carolina. is up are the poers want the county executive to suspend official troisful to both states and the council will vote on the resolution next week. nancy navarro is a place that stands for equality and respect, and she wants to make sure that tax dollars are not used in places that discriminate. the rock group pearl jam is the latest band to announce it will no longer play in north carolina. they're canceling an upcoming concert in raleigh over the state's controversial new law. the band calls it despicable. matching the sex listed on their birth certificates. bruce springsteen, boston and ringo starr are among the artists boycotting the state. i

are disappointed. the d.c. council said no to a bill that would have allowed private marijuana clubs to operate in the city. >> as tom sherwood reports it puts an end to months of debate over the issue. >> council member mcduffy? >> no. >> that was pretty much it. the d.c. council today narrowly voting 7-6 to ban any marijuana use in private club settings. the council acted in part because congress has prohibited the city from regulating or taxing the sale of marijuana without regulations the mayor and police chief say private clubs would be difficult for police to monitor. >> this is a difficult issue and the pot club ban is not going to end the discussion. >> under the city's marijuana law it can only be consumed in private homes. >> we are used to congress tying our hands, but why on earth would we do it to ourselves? >> one council member said the council should have waited until a task force created this year

after the vote, disappointed advocates for marijuana were angry. >> think the council is doing the dirty work for them by helping congress to block the will of the d.c. voters. >> more than 60% of d.c. voters approved modest amounts of legal marijuana use, but the initiative did not cover public or club consumption. in the district, tom sherwood, news 4. now at 6:00, a deadly plane crash on the eastern shore. they were that close to a safe landing. the crash site over there. the runway over here. the story coming up. about 100 searchers back out in the shenandoah national park today still looking for a missing fairfax county firefighter and paramedic. meantime, we are learning more about this dedicated firefighter nicole mittendorff even as her husband makes a public plea for

of not knowing a loved one is is unbearable. >> i'm tracee wilkins where family, friends and colleagues are gathering to pay their respects for prince george's county firefighters shot down in the line of duty. we'll have the latest. first tonight, another critical turning point in the presidential race. the new york primary. >> yeah. today hillary clinton and donald trump cast their own ballots and they're hoping tonight's results will scement their status as front-runners. steve handelsman is live from midtown manhattan. >> reporter: things here at the sheraton in midtown, hillary clinton is planning a celebration rally believing that in this state she can put a stop to bernie sanders' string of victories. >> this is a private ballot. >> democrat hillary clinton cast her vote in the new york primary near her home in chappaqua. >> this is such a joy during the last two weeks to be here all over the state and i