it's hundreds and thousands of people that are hitting the road. good afternoon, folks. here's what we know right now. a lot of areas are under a severe thunderstorm watch. >> and the sunshine that you may be seeing right now may be making things worse. let's go right to amelia draper. what's it looking like right now and when are you expecting things to really get going? >> right now we're tracking scattered showers and we'll keep the threat of thunderstorms in the forecast until 8:00, 9:00 p.m. tonight. right now, not tracking any severe weather. in fact, the lightning is not showing up on the radar. until 10:00 p.m., this includes the entire d.c. area. prince william, fauquier counties. this afternoon and on into the earlier evening çhours, heavy rain could lead to isolated flash flooding and

of hail. here's a storm that is scattered in nature. some heavy rain to the south of northern fauquier county and around the baltimore metro area. you can see the yellows, the oranges and the reds. heavy downpours. lauryn will be back with what you can expect as far as the rain concern tonight. >> all right, amelia, thank you. news4's chris gordon is live at the bay bridge. how are things moving along there, chris? >> right now, pretty good. we'll be here throughout the evening monitoring it for you and letting you know how the commute is at the beach. right behind me, you can see

even more traffic because monday is the fourth of july. we went across the bay bridge earlier and even then there were delays. the first traffic backup we hit was at the 270 spur caused by a long-standing morning accident at 3:55. then, it was smooth sailing until annapolis where volume on 50 east caused backups all the way to the bay bridge. on the bridge, we traveled at no more than half the posted speed limit and then hit brake lights and came to a complete stop. any problems? >> just volume. i didn't see any stopped cars. >> reporter: at the dash-in service station, people who hit the road before noon

pity those leaving this evening. >> traffic is really heavy. very slow coming over that bridge. i'm like, hurry up, people, move, move. i don't want to sit on top of the bridge like that. >> reporter: did they listen to what you had to say? >> no, they couldn't hear me but i sure was speaking to them. >> reporter: well, they don't listen to me either. ahead at 5:00, we'll tell you the very best times to avoid traffic on the bridge tonight, saturday and sunday. we'll see you at 5:00.ç pat, back to you. >> all right, chris. news4 is your one stop shop for everything that you need to know as we head into the long holiday weekend. over the next hour, what local leaders are doing to keep people safe and what kind of security to expect when you travel. we'll also take a look at the storms with storm team 4 and monitor the traffic live with the nbc washington app. first at 4:00, a teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student has been

don't seem to know where he is. what is happening here, mark? >> he taught in schools for 16 years and coleman started having sex with one of his students when the girl was 14 years old and the relationship continued until she was 19. court records show that coleman left the academy to work for another school. allegations didn't surface publicly until he was fired from teaching with his job in d.c. and then went to florida where he was arrested last month. coleman appeared before a federal judge in florida and was expected to be extradited to d.c. but that judge released him on a $60,000

out on a bond in florida somewhere. >> thank you very much, mark. the controversy surrounding presidential candidate hillary clinton and her use of her personal e-mail account while secretary of state. loretta lynch realizes that her meeting with bill clinton has cast a shadow over her ability to remain neutral in the investigation. she reiterated that the talks won't compromise the integrity of the probe. >> it's important to make it clear that that meeting with president clinton does not have a bearing on how this matter is going to be reviewed, resolved affected by me. >> they mostly talked about their children, she says,

airport in phoenix. at the live çdesk, breakin news on a hostage situation in bangladesh which is occurring in dhaka, the capital of the area. gunfire was exchanged with security forces and they took hostages. four police officers have been cleared but it's not clear if anyone else has been shot. they are trying to negotiate with the gunmen and isis is already taking responsibility for the attack. this is a restaurant frequented by foreigners, we're told. so far, it doesn't appear that any americans have been killed. the state department is asking those in bangladesh to contact loved ones. back to you. >> thank you, scott. two people are recovering after being injured

a car and pickup truck were involved in a crash this morning and chopper 4 was above the scene as crews rescued the driver trapped in the car. the pickup driver was also injured. police are trying to determine who was at fault. millions of reasons to test your luck. the big drawing that has so many people stopping at the store on the way home. another big story this afternoon, the weather. we're staying on top of the potentially rou gh

we have a few storms out there right now. nothing in the immediate d.c. metro area but you can see the area shaded in pink. that's a severe thunderstorm watch until 10:00 p.m. tonight. south of baltimore, moving off to the eastern shore, we're watching just around the blue bridge mountains right here. coming out of warren

also into northern shenandoah valley. we have a couple of storms that may have small hail in them. not seeing a lot of lightning but we could have a little bit of hail to deal with. temperatures, it's warm and muggy. upper 80s right now. might get a little rain-cooled but we're watching forç storms and a severe thunderstorm watch until 10:00 p.m. we are looking at dropping humidity for the weekend. it looks fantastic. amelia will have that in a few minutes. all right. the mega million drawing takes place tonight. it's the tenth largest jackpot in history. no one has won since march 8th. the winning numbers will be drawn at 11:00 tonight. the odds of picking the correct number on five white balls and one yellow ball are 1 in 259

and come on, be honest, if you won more than $400 million in a jackpot, would you quit your job? that's our flash survey this afternoon. call or text the number on your screen or you can also vote and see the results over on the nbc washington facebook page. the fourth of july means big crowds here in washington. how metro is getting ready to accommodate. plus, tight security. first at 4:00, what local

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a lot of folks already thinking ahead of how they are going to organize their days for the long weekend. >> and trying to time it just right. is it possible? >> it looks like we'll have rain on the fourth of july. 100% that you're dealing with, at some rain on july 4th.

and not just a passing rain. it's on the forecast. everybody under severe thunderstorm watch if you're east of the blueridge until 10:00 p.m. tonight. yellows, oranges and reds, that's heavy rainfall moving towards the east. heavier rain makes its way towards the herndon area. certainly as we continue into the later afternoon and evening hours, not only concerned about heavy rain but gusty winds and hail. here's the future weather at 5:00 p.m. through this broken line of showers that we're tracking right now, 6:00, it's moving through the d.c. area and we really quiet down and an isolated shower. aside from that, though, we're clearing out. skies are clearing out and the humidity levels are starting to drop. right now, with the mugginess, this is how hot it is feeling outside. 94

leesburg. tomorrow night, a high of 86 degrees and we'll hit that at 4:00 in the afternoon. nearly perfect for saturday and sunday. low humidity and highs in the low 80s. fourth of july, rainy. potentially by the evening time. here's your planner. actually, we'll get to that next. lauryn will have that. on sunday, a high of 82. monday, a storm team 4 weather alert day for the fourth of july. rain moves in during the morning hours and it looks to stay here through the midday, afternoon and evening hours. and then after that, not looking too bad. we'll have mostly sunny skies on wednesday and thursday. another look on storm team 4 radar, again, you can see

scattered showers ahead of the cold front. it's going to set us up for two really nice days on saturday and sunday. lauryn will have your fourth of july planner coming up. muriel bowser wants everyone to enjoy the holiday. >> and they want to make it a safe one for you and your family. derrick ward is live from the national mall. what are the plans, derrick? >> reporter: d.c. gets this right because they do it a lot. behind me is the stage set up for a concert. we just had a briefing with the mayor, directors of public safety, homeland security and even safety. they were talking about the local plans for july 4th. this is one of the busiest days for folks here in this city and you have thousands of people

city for those events. they are telling people to maybe take transportation if that'sçt all possible and to stay away from the illegal fireworks. you know, next to the crowd control and issues like that, fire is some of the biggest problems that the local authorities have and there's a bit of advice that we got from the fire chief. let's hear it. >> this is only one day of year that a sparkler that is 1200 degrees goes in a child's hand. why do we do that? >> we all come down to the mall and take part and watch the professionals do fireworks. >> and they said leave it to the professionals if you can. of course, in d.c., sparklers and fountains are prohibited. leave it to the professionals. keep a fire hose just in case it gets out of hand. there will l

and chick points. get here by 8:00. after that, they start to roll back the security checks and things like that and that is when kids start to get lost, around that time. about does being. what to expect this upcoming fourth of july on news4. derrick ward, back to you. metro will have a different schedule on monday both for the holidays and to accommodate all of the people heading to the mall. trains and buses will operate on a saturday schedule but trains will ramp up before and after the fireworks. no bikes and no coolers because of all of the crowds. parking will be free at all metro facilities and off-peek fares apply all day long. getting ready for a night at the museum. the most popular museum in our city is having a big birthday and it's about to celebrate in a big way. plus, the coit

about to take a hit. a

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getting fresh food is even more of a concern in a county. what is contributing to the food

have to say about it? >> reporter: this safeway will be closing tomorrow. it's already considered a food desert, meaning people who live in this community, don't have a number of fresh food options and now they are losing their only grocery store. folks in this community say they were not given a heads up about this happening and are very disappointed to know that now they are only left with one discount grocery store in the immediate area. safeway said that they were losing more than a million dollars a year by operating here and it's been happening for a couple years now. hear now from a senator from maryland who represents this area and says this is not acceptable. >> we are very concerned about the clothing of safeway, period.

is if you go out here and start at the district line and go to 495, there is not a grocery store for these people to shop. >> reporter: coming up on news4 at 5:00, what is happening when it comes to grocery stores leaving and not coming back. tracee wilkins, news4. a transgender soldier from austin, texas, is speaking out following the pentagon's announcement about lifting the ban on openly serving transgender members. he transitioned from female to male. he told his female commander who was supportive of him. this comes with mixed emotions for him. >> we're already here, we're already serving and always have been. it's just now that it's been put on paper that they have to show us

other human beings. >> carpenter doesn't expect much change on the ground because transgender people are already serving and fighting and dying for the country. the smithsonian national air and space museum is staying open all night tonight in honor of its 40th anniversary. it kicks off with the renovated boeing hall and you can enjoy star gazing, a film festival and even a scavenger hunt. we put together a lot of helpful information that you can find fireworks near you from ocean city to leesburg to baltimore. if you're on a budget, check out the eventwç around town for 40 bucks or less. some are

end of summer, we have a list of things to do in d.c. or the maryland area. post your pictures to twitter or instagram with #howwe4th. she is 94 years old and made a lot of headlines last year when she made a trip to washington but just became the victim of a senseless crime. how the white house is responding. if you were looking forward to a sunny start to your holiday weekend, well, that isn't going to happen. we're keeping a

it's our new intern, bart's first week here at td bank, he's a robot from one of those other banks. we're training him to bank human. i am banking assistance & registration technology. wait, wait, wait.

banking assistance & registration technology. hi amy. thank you. thank you. that is not protocol manager jenna. that's ok bart, it is here. at td bank we do things differently, like having the longest hours of any bank. don't just bank. bank human.

despite the sunshine you may be seeing where you are, rough weather is moving in. >> in just a moment, an update on what to expect and when the storms should arrive. first, attorney general loretta lynch announced that she wi created a firestorm when she privately met with former president bill clinton and acknowledged that the meeting cast doubt on her ability to be impartial in hillary clinton's case. brian mooar

capitol hill. >> when it comes to the clinton e-mail case, everything is political. >> what on earth were you thinking in what happened? >> well, i think that's the question of the day. >> reporter: attorney general loretta lynch taking heat for meeting with bill clinton at the phoenix airport. her department is investigating whether hillary clinton's e-mai e-mails. they will decide whether or not to pursue charges over an e-mail. >> this is an independent investigation that is intentionally being shielded from any sort of political

interference. >> donald trump and other republicans now have fresh talking points. >> just happened to be at the airport at this time. think of it. just happened to be at the airport. said, no, you're kidding. i don't believe it. i thought somebody was joking. but it's not a joke. >> trump and clinton each trying to convince voters that the other can't be trusted. and this is overshadowing a hillary clinton win as republicans were unable to find much fault with her handling of the benghazi attack. brian mooar, news4. well, we have some storms popping up throughout the region right now. nothing severe but we have a watch until 10:00 p.m. for areas east of the blue ridge mountains. . let me show you where thest

695, northern baltimore, that pushes to the east off the eastern shore. and then we're seeing a few coming down i-66 and right now the district looks good. it's moving east at 35, 40 miles an hour. no lightning. these storms are bringing heavier rain down to our area. a thunderstorm watch until 10:00 and we have a comfortable weekend. heavy rain on the fourth and then we're hot and humid. fourth of july planner, 1 to 3 inches are possible. more on your fourth of july forecast coming up. >> thanks, lauryn. also, we're keeping an eye on

afternoon. you can see traffic moving slowly across the bay bridge. make sure to give yourself plenty of time. check the traffic before you go by going to the nbc washington app. open the traffic page. when you go, you'll be joining the record 43 million travelers that will be heading somewhere. nbc jay gray. >> reporter: as the fourth of airports and high traffic areas across the country, a reminder than independence and freedom is

expected. >> >> there will be heightened security across the country. >> reporter: in the wake of recent attacks in orlando and istanbul, officials across the country are not taking any chances. >> you're going to see k-9s and uniforms and what you won't see are undercover officers out and about. >> reporter: this is for perception to make millions of holiday travelers feel safe. >> i have a lot of faith in our security and in the government trying to keep everyone safe. >> july fourth -- july 4th is about freedom. >> reporter: american values, celebrated under the watchful eye of those dedicated to keeping us safe. jay

in just over two weeks, we should know whether a muslin center will receive a zoning change to expand. some are fighting the expansion plans. some say that the crowds are so large on friday, his company can't do business. loudoun county has approved the expansion but the board of supervisors has to consider it on july 14th. new details now about the man who died in a self-driving tesla car. 40-year-old joshua brown was in a tesla model s similar to this one. it was in autopilot mode when it urn itted into a tractor trailer in florida back in may. brown had gotten eight speeding tickets, including one in virginia, since 2010. he was most recently

driving 64 in a 35-mile-per-hour zone in ohio. all week we've been telling you about the dangers that could come from fourth of july festivities. now we're going to tell you why it's a dangerous time for your pets. and we are tracking showers and storms moving in just in time for yourç friday evening

it's our new intern, bart's first week here at td bank, he's a robot from one of those other banks. we're training him to bank human. i am banking assistance & registration technology. wait, wait, wait. but you can call me, banking assistance & registration technology. hi amy. thank you. thank you. that is not protocol manager jenna. that's ok bart, it is here. at td bank we do things differently, like having the longest hours of any bank. don't just bank. bank human.

if you're going out of town this weekend, you may be dealing with a little bit of rain. a lot of southern maryland, anne arundel, prince george's, the baltimore area, too.

tracking rainfall is moving to the east at 30 miles an hour so heads up in you're in southern maryland or prince george's county. a high likelihood you'll be dealing with this rain and you can see chantilly, the rain is moving in. temperaturewise, we're in the 70s. overnight lows dip into the 60s. it was muggy out there today. lauryn will take a look at the humidity forecast coming up in about ten minutes. >> thanks, amelia. a state lawmaker added a little patriotism to the holiday weekend. we caught up with the delegate around the centreville area. he put out about 14,000 american flags in neighborhoods across the area. >> people like it when they come home in the afternoon and see their neighborhood covered in the american flag for the fourth oju

a lot of people call to say thank you. it reminds them of what a great country we live in. >> the delegate first started the flag distribution about 13 years ago with just 3,000 flags. there's a new option for some pet owners to consider ahead of those fourth of july fireworks. >> they can be pretty scary. there is it a drug to help treat noise aversion in skittish dogs. it's an oral gel. the drugmaker hadç 182 people test it on beagles. it helps keep them from running away and hurting themselves during new year's eve or july 4th. how he schemed the irs. it's a

and new public school superintendent is thinking of his first day at work.

storm team 4 radar is beginning to light up with showers and storms as we start the long holiday weekend. we have declared a weather alert as we track the rough weather. let's go to the storm center to get the latest. >> as people head out of town, we're watching some storms bubbling up, mainly west of here and then up towards baltimore. the virginia beaches and maryland beaches are getting storms and it will continue until 9:00 or 10:00. you can see how hazy it is out there, too. it can create heavy downpours. the good news is, clear skies rn

look at saturday. sunny skies and with low humidity, barely comfortable out there. just looking good. current temperatures, we almost made it to 90. we're in the mid-to upper 80s. some areas have had a storm over them for the last 30 minutes or so. that's why the temperatures are down. it's rain-cooled. we're going to be in the 80s until we get some rain and then it will drop. look at the storms. nothing coming through the d.c. metro area. a few up towards baltimore. really, they are firing up east of the blue ridge mountains which is where theç watch begi. we're not seeing too much lightning right there but we can have some storms moving east at 30, 40 miles an hour. so for the rest of the day, temperatures fall. we end up in the 60s with clearing skies and, of course, we'll get rid of the muggy conditions out

we'll start the day with sunny skies and end the day with plenty of sunshine. great to do some barbecuing. looking good with temperatures in the low 80s tomorrow. fourth of july planner looks a little wet. sunday will be the transition day. a few more clouds and also rain south of 66. but we will keep that rain around through the day on fourth of july. it's going to be cloudy. temperatures in the low 80s. heavy rain is possible, 1 to 4 inches. let's time out these storms. by 5:00, i-95, we clear out by 9:00, 10:00. we're having plenty of sunshine tomorrow and moving in for sunday, as i said. area beaches, if you're headed there, temperatures around 80 degrees for the next couple of days with storms on monday. that's where we have the weather alert for monday. the fourth of july. hopefully you can get showers out of there, a rumble of thunder

begin. showers also lingering into tuesday. >> thanks, lauryn. a former high d.c. ranking official is facing prison time. >> scott macfarlane broke this story today. he's in our newsroom. what else can you tell us, scott? >> his name is warren graves, the key figure under d.c. mayor anthony williams and most recently chief of staff in the office and city administrator. federal prosecutors have charged graves for making a false statement to the irs and by understating his earnings by nearly $250,000. if con convicted, he could face up to three years in prison. he's expected to appear in d.c. federal court in the coming weeks. graves earned nearly $200,000 a year when he served as a d.c. government executive from

pat? >> thank you, scott. starting today, the montgomery county school system has a brand-new superintendent. dr. jack smith stopped by for an exclusive interview. he told us what is up on his agenda. >> as you mentioned, you're coming into theír largest scho district in maryland. what do you see as challenges that you think you have to address right out of the gate? obviously you're aware of what has been going on. >> well, montgomery county has a strong history and tradition for learning and many students do very, very well. not everyone does well, however. anytime anyone in the education position takes a role, they have to immediately pay attention to what is going very well for students and areas for improvement. i'll immediately begin looking at areas for improvement in student learning and because of our students do not have e

stunts a stunts and choices they need when they walk off the stage with a dip employloma. >> do you give time for students and teachers and others to get to know you before you start moving things around? >> i don't have any wholesale changes to the district right away. i plan to work with the staff that is there. they are there for a reason but i think we immediately began building relationships and coalitions on behalf of student learning and success and i just want to continue to build those so that more and more students have opportunities as they finish each level of elementary to high and high to life. >> dr. schmidt was named back in february. at the time, he was serving as the interim state superintendent. i'mr

frederick, maryland. a woman from this neighborhood is in jail in gam bee yeah in west africa. her family is worried about her. she's been behind bars since april. she was visiting family when all of this started. her husband says she was simply on her way to the bank near a big anti-government protest that had erupted when she was arrested. now she's charged with rioting and unlawful assembly. her husband here in frederick and two daughters ages 12 and 17 haven't been able to communicate with her. they are demanding for her release and have even protested at the white house. they tell us that she did nothing wrong. >> they just haul anybody inside, threw them into trucks and she was just coming from a bank, coming to the house,ç wa picked up

into a truck together with the rest of these people. >> reporter: coming up next on news4 at 5:00, why her family believes her detention in gambia is very personal and political. a 94-year-old woman captured the nation when she was honored here in washington. now she has become the victim of a senseless attack. we'll tell you how the white house is weighing in. and a weather alert as you start the weekend. most of the area is under a severe thunderstorm watch. showers and storms are coming in fast. we're tracking their every move. >> you're watching fios is not cable. we're wired differently. >> you're watching so we wired the wagner's house with 100 meg internet.

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just in to the weather center, a severe thunderstorm warning issued for fauquier and culpeper counties until 5:15. we are in weather alert mode as you start the fourth

weekend. amelia draper will join us more in a moment. a vicious attack on the oldest park ranger has the white house weighing in. we told you last year about a 94-year-old park ranger last december. >> now police are trying to find the man who not only attacked her but took her gift from the president. here is that report from our sister station in san francisco. >> reporter: here is betty rei d-back in september introducing president obama. during that meeting, she received a special presidential coin as the oldest park ranger. she gives daily tours at a museum. the tours are now on hold. >> this is a vicious, heinous crime and vicious enough for anyone at any age. >> reporter: a burglar broke in to her second floor apartment monday morning around midnight. the suspect punched her in the face before taking

jewelry and that special coin. but that wasn't the worst of it. >> the suspect then continued the assault and dragged herç o of the bedroom into the hallway and managed to straddle her and punch her several more times in her face. >> it will take time to heal the wounds and the white house plans to get her another coin but in an interview, betty says she refuses to be seen as a victim and wants to get back to work as soon as possible. police say the suspect is a slender male between 5'8" to 5'10". >> i've known her since she moved in and she's one of the nicest individuals you'd ever want to come across. >> reporter: her neighbor says he has trouble believing this was a random attack. >> whoever did it had to know something. what, i don't know, that i can't tell you. >> a fund is being set up to help her. >> we have a link on the nbc washington app. all you have t

park ranger." get ready, folks. right now at 5:00, brace yourselves. we have storms rolling in. we are in weather alert mode right now. good evening, i'm jim handly. >> and i'm wendy rieger. let's go to the storm center with amelia draper. >> reporter: wendy and jim, a warning for culpeper and fauquier county is going to go until 5:45 and potentially 45-mile-an-hour winds. as we look at countthe temperat we're nearing 90 degrees and high humidity which

the thunderstorms to bubble up. you can see showers and thunderstorms with a broken line of rain and then continues down into culpeper county, orange county, spots vain yeah area and moving into fauquier county. a severe thunderstorm warning for culpeper and fauquier until 5:45 and everybody else in pink, a watch until 10:00 p.m. this evening. heavy rain could lead to isolated flash flooding. maybe a bit of hail for another look of radar and any new warnings that are issued, we'll bring it here to you.  from chopper 4 as we move through the area. it's going to be slow on friday. expect a lot of company this weekend if you're heading out of town because a record number of people are traveling and many are heading to t